OS Exam Advice Needed

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I completed reading the OS sections of the Mike Meyers A+ book and I took the exams that come with the book both practice and final exams. But when I tried passing the OS test in another software called Self-Test I could not pass. A lot of the questions were not asked on the Mike Meyers tests. So I guess I am not ready for the OS test yet. Could anyone give me somegood advice on how to prepare for the OS test.

Professor Falken

 

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Without trying to state the obvious its just a case of study study study.

I used MM myself for my A+ OS, so much to absorb i know and i didn't think myself i could realisticly take it all in and i know i hadn't when i went for the exam but i knew i covered enough to get through it.

I printed off a copy of the OS objectives and used them as a check sheet and ticked them off as i felt i had the knowledge i needed to get me through it. Of course there were some parts more than others that i felt i just couldn't get a grasp of but i wasn't ticking that part of the objectives untill i was damn sure i knew enough about it.

Patience is really important. It will take as long as it takes to feel ready for it and i was starting to panic because i thought it was never going to come to me but everybody takes it in at a different rate and eventually it came to me.

I also think although the knowlege is the key you need to look at the answers of the questions methodically and take time with them. I didn't care how long it took me to get through the exam even if it was right down to the last minute.

Like i say i don't think you can absorb every little detail of all the objectives but if you can eliminate the questions that you believe are not correct in a step by step process then you will be nearer to the answer. I know that sounds obvious but i hope you see what i mean. The answer is in there somewhere and its a case of systematically getting rid of what you dont think are the answers instead of lookin for the answer right away.

I hope that makes sence!

Also Professor, expect the unexpected in the questions as there must be a hell of a lot of them in CompTIA's database and MM's questions will cover just a fraction of the possibilities. He will of just been using that ones as i guide to give you an indication of how you are doing but when you consider the content in the book think of the many many more that could be asked. Thats why i think it's vital to use that objectives as a check list to ensure nothing is missed as they as all possible questions on the exam.

Good luck to you and be positive, you will be ready when you are ready and not a moment sooner.

 

Rather depends on that 'Self-Test'. Where did it come from?

There are quite a lot of free tests about on the 'net that are rather old, and ask questions no longer current.

What questions did you fail on with Self-Test?

My experience with MM is that the current edition is a good match with the exam (2003 version).

Harry.

 

Self Test comes from Self Test Software or did you mean something else Harry?

 

Whoever Prof-falken was referring to!

If it is the same company then they seem to have a fairly good reputation, so an indication of what sort of questions tripped him up would help us to point out the way forward.


Harry.

 

Yes, I am refering to Self Test Software A+ the IT school I went to is now using it as a measure stick to know if your ready to pass the actual exam. I read MM book and passed all the exams. I printed out the questions in Self Test Software and tried answering them and found that alot of them were not asked on the MM tests.

Does anyone have any good advice. Maybe should I try memorizing the answers to the question and there explanations from the Self Test Software OS questions that I have.

Ok I iwll be checking back later. Thanks again for your help!

 

Memory space and similar issues drove me nuts when I was studying for the OS exam (way back when...). I hadn't heard about mindmap at the time so I got large sheets of cheap sketch paper and drew all of the associations. I'm a very visual learner so making pictures and organizing the relationships in a way that I could understand was a lot of help.

 

How about some examples of items that aren't in MM? You don't need to (and shouldn't) copy them verbatim - just an indication of what it was about.

Harry.

 

I am reading through the O S questions from Selft Test and found quite a few questions are not asked on any the exams that come n with the Mike Meyers book.

Here is a paraphrased example;

On an NT4.0 server you get a BSOD (blue screen of death). By default where is the log file for this stop error stored?

a) reg.dat
b) Memory.dmp
c) File0022.chk
d) autoexec.bat

Answer = b

This is one of many question not asked in the Mike Meyers exams. So as of right now I dont trust the Mike Meyers exams as a complete source for preparing for the exam.

For the hardware exams I used the MIke Meyers book and the practice and final exams that came with the book. But then I also went through another cert prep software called Testout once I read all the material and passed the practice exams I took the actual test.

So I am basically doing the same thing over again, except now instead of using Tesout I am using Self Test.

Here is my main question:

The Self Test software that I am using at my IT schoold doesn't come with any information on the test questions. Instead you are expected to have read a book. There book. Whick my school doesnt provide. So my question is, is studying the questions and answers with explanations enought to pass the test. I would think so but I need some elses advice.

Hey thanks for all of your help!
Professor Falken

Edited to remove similarity to actual question - Pete

 

is the answer userdmp?

mate - you should always use more than 1 book, as you will find that certain areas are either not there or explained in more depth...

 

I would consider Transcender as an additional training aide,if cost is not an isuue.The questions could be considered as more difficult than the real thing,but do cover prettymuch all of the objectives.They also come with 'flashcards' which are a great way of testing your current skill level.The flashcard system will ask a question,then allow you to type in your own answer,be it right or wrong,then prompts you to mark your own 'paper' as it were.I found this method invaluable during my A+ studies and it really did help in retaining all those details that I needed to remember.

Don't be put off by questions you are unfamiliar with,this is something you'll need to overcome since you may well face 80+ unfamiliar questions during your real exam.That's not to say you won't know the subject in question,just that you will be asked for a familiar answer in an unfamiliar way!If that makes any sense?

Lastly,DO NOT try and memorise the questions and answers you have already seen in the SelfTest package,or any other package for that matter,you should strive to know not only why an answer is right,but also how it can be wrong.This is the case for study,study,study.

 

Now I have had time to think about it I'd say that this was 'marginal'. Don't give up on MM - I'm not convinced that the detail in this question reflects A+ 2003 that well. Certainly I didn't get a question on it - but just one experience isn't anywhere near conclusive!

While it is good to know about the memory dumps it isn't clear that the exam requirements actualy include them - which is why I say it is marginal.

The two books I have are the MM book and ExamCram2 - and neither mention it. (Not that I'd trust the ExamCram2 book a lot!)

Harry.

 

Hey guys thanks for your help! But let me ask you this I am studying the OS questions and answer with explanations. As I read the correct answers and read the explanation I understand why the answer is right. If I can understand why the answer is right then is it ok to prepare for the test in this way.

Also I partially know the reason the answer is correct because I understood the concept from the Mike Meyers book even thought the question wasnt explained in the exam.

What do you think ?

Professor Falken

 

Prof, I just edited your question above to paraphrase it a tad because we are not allowed to post actual questions due to copyright issues.

Pete