A+ test formats and pass marks. I'm confused!

Discussion in 'A+' started by Lord Deckard, Jan 31, 2006.

  1. Lord Deckard

    Lord Deckard Byte Poster

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    After many, many years of being involved with computers on one level or another (hell, I even taught myself how to fix ST's & amigas for fun - remember them?), I've finally took the step to get my qualifications.
    I've built a couple of hundred PC's, troubleshot more hardware/software glitches than I care to remember and I'm currently training with Scheidegger (www.scheidegger.co.uk) who appear to be part of SkillsTrain.
    I'm feeling pretty confident about being able to pass but I will explain my confusion. The mock exam I took with my trainers consisted of a multiple choice & an essay question style exam (which I passed in the time limit with 94%), but looking at the Comptia site, the actual exams both appear to be multiple choice. Also looking at the pass marks, I would assume that some of the questions are "weighted", awarding more marks.
    Can someone help clear my confusion? Are the tests multiple choice and how the heck does the marking work?
    Thanks in advance to all you helpful people!!

    Lord Deckard

    PS. Sorry, long post. I just can't shut up sometimes :D
     
    Certifications: A+, MCDST
    WIP: N+ and CCNA
  2. hbroomhall

    hbroomhall Petabyte Poster Gold Member

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    Both parts of A+ are indeed multiple choice questions. The questions in this section of the forum are very similar to the actual exam questions.

    The method of marking, and weighting, is not divulged. However, it *is* stated that some questions are there for their own evaluation purposes, and are not included in the overall exam mark. It is also stated that the marks range from 100 to 900, and the pass mark is 515 for Core and 505 for OS.

    The questions included on the CD with the Meyers book very closely imitate the visual appearance of the exam as well.

    Harry.
     
    Certifications: ECDL A+ Network+ i-Net+
    WIP: Server+
  3. Lord Deckard

    Lord Deckard Byte Poster

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    Well, that clears it up for me then! Bought the Meyers A+ all in one as well, mainly as a reference guide but I'd read so many good reviews it seemed rude not to. And the sample questions, both in the book and on the CD have helped me realise I knew a lot more than I thought and highlighted a few areas I was clueless on. Never used a SCSI drive in my life!

    Lord Deckard.
     
    Certifications: A+, MCDST
    WIP: N+ and CCNA
  4. law123

    law123 Byte Poster

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    Certifications: None
    WIP: A+
  5. Arroryn

    Arroryn we're all dooooooomed Moderator

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    As advice, one thing you'll find with the Scheidegger's course is their pass mark is set much higher than the Comptia mark.

    I think the TMAs average at around 80% to proceed to the next stage of the course. If you learn their material thoroughly, the TMA's aren't exactly challenging. But their raising the bar helps you prepare a little better.

    If you submit your TMA online, the response is much quicker also.

    Have fun with the course!!
     
    Certifications: A+, N+, MCDST, 70-410, 70-411
    WIP: Modern Languages BA
  6. Lord Deckard

    Lord Deckard Byte Poster

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    Well, its good to know that Scheidegger make you aim higher than you need LOL!! Yeah, been submitting my TMA's online since day one and usually have a turnaround of 3 days which ain't bad.
    Taking every online test I can to assess my knowledge and happily averaging 90% all the time so got my A+ hardware booked for the 24th feb and booking the OS for the week after. Re-reading my Myers book as a bit of light nighttime fun and making notes as well. Said if I pass I'm going to help the wife get qualified and get her to teach me HTML. What a combination; I'm hardware, she's software.
    Oh, as a little practice exercise, I just installed win98 on an old box and sticking 2k and linux on there soon. How the hell did we ever cope with win98? If I was a sadist, I'd dig out my win95 disk *Shudder*
     
    Certifications: A+, MCDST
    WIP: N+ and CCNA
  7. Mr.Cheeks

    Mr.Cheeks 1st ever Gold Member! Gold Member

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    Sorry to reopen, and no dis-respect but isn't that soo true! :biggrin
     

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