Muddling through!!!

Oh man! Ad-blocking software has been detected! :'(

This website is run by the community, for the community... and it needs advertisements in order to keep running. Blocking our ads means your killing our stats!
Please disable your ad-block, or become a premium member to hide all advertisements and this notice.

I'm thinking of calling the guinness book of records for 'idiot who took the longest time to study for A+' I worked it out and I been reading up on the subject for about 7 or 8 months now and I STILL don't feel confident for the test.

I did the test exams in the Mike Myers book and failed miserably but then took the test again and realized it was the same questions and remembered all the answers so passed that mock for all the wrong reasons!

I then got the A+ for dummies (it seemed appropriate) and have been doing that mock test but I'll swear there are questions in there that aren't covered in the Mike Myers book.

I've just finished the book now (I was reading another manual before but got nowhere with it, I finished it but it didn't sink in) and I've put in to go for a two day course at Advent, who I'm taking the exam through, after the course I'm looking at taking the exam January at the lastest.

Since I'm finished the books now and more of less went over everything twice (one book each) I'm going to see where I fall short by taking a few mock tests and grind the weak areas.

This is all very fustrating as I was hoping to have the thing done for July and to get another job (Advent is obliged to find you employment after to complete A+) but between illness in the family, capoeira lessons 4 times a week, full time job, moving house and other projects I refuse to lay by the wayside my study time has been resitricted.

Anyway glad to have that off my chest

 

Oh man! Ad-blocking software has been detected! :'(

This website is run by the community, for the community... and it needs advertisements in order to keep running. Blocking our ads means your killing our stats!
Please disable your ad-block, or become a premium member to hide all advertisements and this notice.

I started studying A+ back when I joined the forum a couple of years back. Still havent sat the test. Admittedly I havent really been studying it lately. Take as long as you need to be comfortable with the material.

As for Advent supposedly being obliged to find you employment, I highly doubt that to be honest. Theres no way they could ensure you got a job in the IT sector. Its far too competitive, and they would end up being obliged to get something for people who were useless. Even if they are, there are plenty of ways to pixie on the contract. They can get you job offers nowhere near where you live, forcing you to turn it down - but they still fulfilled their end of the bargain. They could get you a job where you are let go after two weeks, again they have fulfilled their part of the bargain.

 

It does not matter how long it takes you, study untill you are confident.

Have you done all the the mock tests on the CD that came with the AIO 6th edit because I doubt you will be able to remember all of the answers, maybe get some other mock test software from preplogic or transcender.

good luck

 

I also agree with Fergal, no one can gaurantee you a job, it could turn out that you get a job an data input clerk for 2 weeks then thats it your on your own.

 

I deliberating left the other tests until I was more confident cos I did want to remember them as well, if you take my meaning. I'm probably going to it today.

As to getting a job I was let to believe that there was a demand for techs in the industry. Frankly I just want the pay rise atm don't care about anything else

 

what pay rise?

You may find that getting your first job in IT is crap pay (12 - 18k) only untill you become established will your pay start to look decent.

There is always demand for people in IT but normal its for experienced pro's.

 

that is a pay rise for me lol. Well we'll see

 

There was a big demand for techies a few years back. And there is still a reasonable demand for technical IT people at higher levels. But entry level, and make no mistake that thats exactly the level you will be going into, A+ or no A+ (coincidentally, i get in without an A+), there are more people than jobs. Unis and colleges, and TP's are churning out more people every year into a market that cant sustain them.

There are people in this forum who I would consider competent, who are having difficulty getting jobs in the area. Not that im saying you arent competent, but I dont know you yet. Its not a cushty world you are entering. Its highly competitive.

 

Greetings, Jagunco. Just a couple of comments and questions.

First off, the A+ "dummies" book died in the reviews. I wouldn't trust it. The Meyers AIO 6th edition book is quite good and does contain all the information you'll need to realistically study for and pass the A+ exams.

I agree with the others...don't be too hard on yourself as far as the length of time you need to study to start feeling confident with the material. There are a large number of variables involved in how different people learn different kinds of material. Not everyone learns the same way or at the same rate. You are unique, so don't start making comparisions.

Chances are, you are learning portions of the material in some areas better than others. You might want to start a list with three columns to help you identify where you need to put your efforts:

Column #1: I know these subjects well
Column #2: I could use some improvement in these subjects
Column #3: I still feel totally clueless about these subjects

See if you can observe a pattern in those areas you do well in vs. those that are more challenging. That may provide a clue to unlock this puzzle. For instance, maybe memorizing IRQs, I/Os, CPU socket types, and bus speeds are where you are having trouble. A lot of people have difficulty memorizing streams of letters and numbers that don't seem to have any sort of context.

Once you figure out what type of information is hanging you up, it's a matter of developing a more effective study strategy to help you nail that information down. You can post that specific info in this forum and get suggestions as to how others approached the same problem.

Also, if you are relying on print material alone to see you through, that could be your problem right there. If you don't have one already, it might be a good time to develop a small study lab for yourself. It doesn't have to be expensive or complicated...at least for the A+. Just a spare, older PC or two to take apart and work with. When I took the A+ exams (back in the dark ages), while answering questions, I remembered more what I actually did than what I studied from the book. I'm a very visual and hands-on learner. I have to see something and work with it for it to make sense to me. I can't just read about it.

Hopefully, some of my ramblings will be helpful to you. Let us know. Good luck.

-Trip

 

I had a co-worker at my last job who used A+ For Dummies and failed... twice. Shook her confidence so much, she didn't take the test again for two years. I finally convinced her to study Meyers' AIO, and she passed... she said the Meyers book made all the difference in the world.

 

I own three books for studying. One is the Advent manual which I mentioned, on is Mike Myers excellent books and one is the Dummies book which frankly I got because it was going cheap on Amazon.

My memory is a strange beast to be honest I can retain anything i can visualize like conversations and stories and films but a lot of the first book made that impossible, which was why I was so fustrated. I liked the Myers book because it sounded like someone talking to me and so the information went in better.

I will do that colum thing and I have an old computer I'm going to rip the guts out of asap so yeah

Great advice.... one thing though.... how much of the IRQ do you actually have to memorise? They were my biggest trip up... and out of curiosity why the hell do you have to know how many wires in certain ribbon cables???? I mean surely there's nothing you can to about it :S

 

I find remembering all the IRQs hard but as for the cable thing, it wouldn't be a good idea to put a 40pin ribbon cable meant for a hard drive in the floppy drive. and you also need to know how to connect the cable the right way around because you can connect it the wrong way and blow the drive.

 

Yep... helpful when you're trying to spot a floppy ribbon cable in a box of hard drive IDE ribbon cables. ;)