Quick A+ Question

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Evening Folks
I'm reading The Mike Meyers All in One A+ book, started reading it on Tuesday, after lurking on these boards & finding out it's the best book for A+ so thanks for that guys
I've just got to the end of the 2nd chapter, CPUs, the end of chapter questions are about knowing all the details of each of the CPUs
What is the size of the L1 cache on the [INSERT CPU NAME HERE] CPU
what's the difference between AMDs XXXXXXX & XXXXXXXX 2

Does the exam need us to memorise each detail of the 20+ CPUs?
Is that a clue as to the sort of detail I'll be tested on?

Please stroke my hair & tell me it'll be ok

 

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you may get questions like what is the size of level 1 cache on a current processor (I did) but I doubt you'll get a question on a very old cpu.

It is hard to say because your exam maybe completly different from mine.

Try to study the Level 1 and 2 cache and cpu speeds, I doubt there will be any questions on voltages etc.

 

I'm sure everything will be fine as long as you remember every detail of the 20+ CPU's. Please don't tell me anymore as I am in the process of ordering the book in preparation for the start of my A+ studies.

 

I dont know why but I foolishly thought 'surely I wont be tested on each detail of the CPUs'
But as I was reading on I started to think 'this bloke's going into a lot of pages for something I hopefully dont need to memorise'
Then it dawned on me


Oh well, might print out the eBook, cut out each CPU detail & get wifey to test me on each


Sorry Videoman for any spoilers

 

You'll be okay, you may not get any cpu questions, everyones exam is different.

 

I'll start trying to memorise them anyway, with my luck these days I'd start the exam & be bombarded CPU questions

 

Try to imagine you're taking your car into the shop for some engine problem. You're not sure what the issue is, but you describe what the car has been doing to the mechanic. The mechanic has been working on cars for years and seems quite knowledgeable. Occasionally he (or she) goes to a resource to look something up, but he (or she) seems to have a remarkable capacity for recalling just the right part number or piece of information required to diagnose and ultimately fix your car's problem.

Ever feel amazed at seeing some "expert" in action, who appears to command a large amount of arcane knowledge? It's called "experience". Part of why we remember certain facts and processes so well is that we do them all the time. If you repaired 5000, 10000, 20000 PCs over a few years time, eventually, you'd get to be that good, too. The A+ exams assume the test taker has a certain amount of real-world experience (this flies in the face of who actually takes the exams, but so be it) and what the test questions ask of you is what a person with that level of experience would reasonably know.

The saving grace is that you don't have to answer 100% of the questions correctly and in real life, you get to look things up if you don't remember.

 

Good analogy
Makes sense
I think I underestimated what was required, I'm becoming more & more impressed with this certification
The book is fascinating

 

i personally think you'll be over estimating what is required if you do go out of your way to learn all those cpus and caches.It's pretty much useless information.
The exam is not that intricate,there was one slight reference to a processor out of 100 questions in exam 1,to know what cache is can be usefull,but only for your own learning,again i wouldn't expect a cache question in any exam.
If you've got an idea when pentium 1/2/3/ and 4 and all the Amd chips were released that would be more usefull information,as it shows an understanding of the development and timescale of computers,again,you don't need this for the exam either.
There are a few strange questions asked in the exam,but if you think it over logically they can't ask about cache sizes,that would be absurd,they may as well ask questions about binary code which they don't.
Each of the 100 questions can make or break your exam if you get them wrong,to have to fork out another £100+ because you got a cache question wrong would be totally unfair in my opinion.
And for the most part,the exam questions you could happily accept if you got it wrong if it was essential information that would be needed in a work place.

 

With in the AIO or current real world.... these things change on a weekly bases. (exaggerated)


Andi

 

The end of the chapter reads:
The information in this chapter will be referred to again and again throughout the book. Take the time to memorize certain facts, such as the size of the L1 and L2 cahes, CPU speeds, and clock-doubling features. These are facts that good technicians can spout off without having to refer to a book

Do you reckon he just means memorise for the sake of understanding the next chapters?

 

its to help you understand what he talking about later on but he is taling about newer technology later on so it'll be newer CPUs like core 2 duo and AMD athlon.