Advice on sudying for the A+ please.

Discussion in 'A+' started by peterp, Jun 28, 2004.

  1. peterp

    peterp Bit Poster

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    Hi all
    I've just started reading the literature I have on the A+ at home,hoping to gain the qualification next year.Can anyone offer any advice on a 'path' I should be taking in this study or is it just a matter of hitting the books hard and applying for/taking the exams when I feel the time is right..? I guess I'm asking if there should be an Organisation that I should be signed up with with a tutor for guidance..?

    Many thanks for all your help.
    Peter.
     
  2. tripwire45
    Honorary Member

    tripwire45 Zettabyte Poster

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    Hi Peter. Welcome. There used to be an FAQ for this forum but it may not have survived the migration. First off...what literature are you reviewing about the cert? First off, you might want to visit http://www.comptia.org and look up the A+ exam information. That will lay out all the domain areas you will be required to know.

    As you probably know, the A+ is really two exams: the Core hardware exam and the OS exam. The OS exam is really pretty much Windows based and focused on mainly Windows 98, 2000, and XP.

    As far as a "path"; it varies with the individual. Although there are many texts you could study from the leader of the pack is a text by Mike Meyers: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0072229918/102-0935989-5151329?v=glance

    Sorry about the unwieldy link but I haven't gotten the hang of the new forums controls yet. Anyway, Meyers is not only dead on in his content but a really easy and fun read, too. Beyond that, it helps to have a few older PCs lying around for you to work on. This all assumes that you'll be doing self study and that you have limited computer experience but are not afraid to fly without a net.

    Keep in mind that the A+ cert is an entry level cert. While it is probably the best known of all the comptia certifications, all by itself, it does not mean that you'll be pulling down a huge amount of cash as a beginning computer hardware tech. It's the foundation on which to start building a educational, certification, and skill set.

    Hope some of this helps. Keep asking questions. If I've misse the mark, maybe a tad bit more info about your background and such will help.
     
    Certifications: A+ and Network+
  3. michael78

    michael78 Terabyte Poster

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    Totally agree with Tripwire on this. Whilst I used Sybex A+ Deluxe book which I found excellent i have heard that the mike myers book is also good. Because it's an entry level cert I would probably hit the books and practice on a PC if you have one lying around. I wouldn't go down the classroom route for this cert as it's a waste of money unless you REALLY don't have any experience with PC's. Also I found making notes of the important points or lists of IRQ's DMA's etc is helpful. I would really recommend the Sybex book myself but go down to your local big bookshop like waterstones and have a look at both of them. Then buy one of them online to save you some money from either Amazon.co.uk or compman.co.uk
     
    Certifications: A+ | Network+ | Security+ | MCP | MCDST | MCTS: Hyper-V | MCTS: AD | MCTS: Exchange 2007 | MCTS: Windows 7 | MCSA: 2003 | ITIL Foundation v3 | CCA: Xenapp 5.0 | MCITP: Enterprise Desktop Administrator on Windows 7 | MCITP: Enterprise Desktop Support Technician on Windows 7
    WIP: Online SAN Overview, VCP in December 2011

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