Should I take it

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As some of you know I am studying towards the compTIA A+ certification.

Most of you will remember that I can't afford to pay for them right now, my brother has offered to pay the exams for me untill I can afford to pay him back.

This will increase the pressure to pass the exams because my brother will have wasted his money in paying for them.

Should I take his offer or wait until I can afford it?

I feel I am ready but don't want to let him down.

 

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GBL,

This is one sort of question I see a lot of, and always sort of chuckle when I see it. How is anyone else supposed to know your comfort level with the subject matter? Only you can know that. Also, don't you think that the fact that you have to ask someone else if you're ready speaks volumes for what you think at a gut level?

 

TAKE THE MONEY AND RUN!!!!

Seriously mate, it's good to have a bit of pressure, it motivates you! Clearly your Brother and like some of the members on CF here believe in you!

Go for it!

 

Cheers mate.

I know I am ready, I just don't like having to take someone elses money to pass.

Another thing is my brother has asked a friend of his if they have any jobs going, the job involves installation, upgrades and support.

So hopefully something good will come of that too.

 

What a minute, your brother is prepared to get you a job in IT and pay for your exams???

Wow He'd get my vote for Brother of the year award

 

When you stress, you're only causing yourself problems. During the exam, stress will cause you to not be able to focus on the questions, to miss details in the questions, and to second-guess your answers. Every second you spend stressing about whether you pass or not is another second you're NOT thinking about what you should be focusing on... the questions in the exam. You choose whether you let it affect you or not.

You can certainly remove a lot of stress by knowing the concepts well, and like Freddy said, only you know if you're ready. But you can also remove stress by either by not borrowing money from your brother, or by talking with your brother openly about the situation and seeing how he feels. If you really feel badly about borrowing the money, there are plenty of ways to come up with the £111 per exam... for example, you can deliver pizzas for a short while... you can choose to not go out to eat as often... you can sell off some old stuff (books, computer stuff, whatever). Consider it an investment in your career.

All that said... if my brother needed the money to get a boost to his career, I'd do it in a heartbeat, and wouldn't even expect a payback. If you have the same relationship with your brother as I have with mine, you likely have little to fear.

 

That's pretty cool. All I can say is I wish my relationships with my brothers was anywhere near this level. You're a pretty lucky guy to have close brothers. Never forget it.

 

Me and my brother are close, its not that I fear the baliffs coming round or something its just that I am borrowing the money.

When I took the PDI+ beta I was really calm and feel I did well I will most likley be the same in the A+ exams.

 

go granny bashing all you need is a balaclava and a sack of door nobs and you'll have the money in no time.

grim

 

Ha lol

Theres plenty of em in my area

 

I personally think you should take him up on his kind offer and take the exams, then your free to move onto the next certification. As others have said, your the only person who knows if your ready, but my guess is that you are!

Im sure you could afford to buy him a couple of pints down the pub after you've passed!

 

I say go ahead and take the exam. If you know you are ready, then I am sure you'll pass. And its like you said you can always payback your bro when you get the money. Who knows maybe by getting the cert now you will increase the chances of getting your foot in the door sooner then you think.

 

Green he is your brother dude. He already knows he is taking a chance on the money offering it to someone sitting an exam. What you are missing, is that pass or fail he knows you are good for it. Weather it be tommrow or next year. He has faith in you, he knows you are going to get there someday he is just showing you support in his own way. There is no added pressure hun, he is just standing beside you rooting you on and will be there in good times and bad. Your nervous, I understand that. However don't put obstacles in your way that are not there to begin with ok? Step back, take a deep breath and think about your studies and how far you have come. Are you really ready to do this. Can you do everything that is require for the exam or do you stumble on somethings? Are you sure you know this stuff hands down? Could you walk into someone shop today and reassemble a comp that has been taken apart laying on the counter? The next comp in line is having an icq conflict do you know how to find out what and why? ect, ect. Only you know this green. If your ready, go for it and accept the help in the spirit it was given. If you need more time take it. Just don't put more stress on yourself that does not need to be there. I wish you all the best in what ever you do or decide my friend.

 

Cheers Mitzs and everyone else for the replies, I will take him up on his offer.

So now its about when to take them, I think I will book them for the last day of next month so I can do some last minute cramming and also get my bro a couple of pints after the exams as it'll be pay day.

Think I will book one for midday and the other for the end of the day so I can relax in between.

 

Sounds like a plan GBL, go for it and good luck mate.

 

Cheers mate

 

The only potential problem I see with that is this: as the deadline approaches, if you feel you're not quite ready, your stress level will again increase. I would recommend that you study until you are ready... then schedule the exams for the next day and take them.

The obvious exception to this is if there's a waiting list at all the testing centers near you... in which case, you HAVE to schedule in advance. That's not an issue near me, since we've got multiple seats at multiple testing centers available... but I can see how that might be an issue in some cities.

 

the nearest test centre to me is 53 miles away and is very small and is always very busy.

When I took the PDI+ beta the only time I could get to take it was the last day it was available and the last test of the day.

When I was in the centre there were only 12 computers and only 6 available.

I thought there would be more and the place would be bigger, I wonder if I should pm rafaz as the centre he uses is 64 miles away from me (the 2nd nearest) and ask him what its like.

 

That sounds like a good plan green. It is always good to have more then resource anyway.

 

Wow... we've got only 6 testing stations at our largest site in Nashville... and you can usually find a seat anytime. I can't imagine filling up 12 computers for testing, all day long. Amazing!