mike meyers all in one

Discussion in 'A+' started by dwoodnz, Aug 21, 2009.

  1. dwoodnz

    dwoodnz New Member

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    hey guys, ive recently purchased the good ole 6th edition of the all in one by mike meyers.

    im just wondering... as i want to take the 2 a+ exams seperately, would it be sufficient to only read/study the historical/conceptual and the essentials parts all the way through in preparation for the essentials exam then come back and ready/study the it tech parts in preparation for the 602 exam?

    my goal would be to take notes, do flash cards, practice exams etc along the way not just solely using the book as my only resource of study.

    im thinking because its such a big book with so much to take in this might be alright way to go about it? also just wondering if any of you have gone about it this way before?

    thanks :)
     
    WIP: CompTIA A+
  2. Josiahb

    Josiahb Gigabyte Poster

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    Theres a huge amount of overlap between the 2 exams, if you want to minimize your reading then your better off leaving out the Historical/Conceptual sections and concentrating on the test specific bits.
     
    Certifications: A+, Network+, MCDST, ACA – Mac Integration 10.10
  3. soundian

    soundian Gigabyte Poster

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    I tried that but, due to the overlap between the exams, didn't find it useful.
    The rest of your plan is good.
    just a little bit of advice: it's best of you don't look at the answers, or even if you got the question right or wrong, until you're passing the practice exams.
     
    Certifications: A+, N+,MCDST,MCTS(680), MCP(270, 271, 272), ITILv3F, CCENT
    WIP: Knuckling down at my new job
  4. dwoodnz

    dwoodnz New Member

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    thanks for the advice guys :)

    so with the answers are you meaning just keep doing the practice exams without looking at the answers to make sure you actually know the answer to each question and not just going off memory?
    are you also refering to the end of chapter questions in the book too?

    cheers
     
    WIP: CompTIA A+
  5. soundian

    soundian Gigabyte Poster

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    Yes. Don't look at the answers, don't even look to see if your answer was right or wrong. Use the domain scores at the end of the tests to identify your weak domains and concentrate on those.

    Unless you get someone else to mark it for you it's pretty impossible not to memorise the answers after a few tries. I tried not to look at the explanations but sometimes curiosity got the better of me.
    Oh yeah, that reminds me, do the practice exams in the mode that ensures you can't see the answers, even if you want to. It's too tempting sometimes to just have a quick check to see if you got one right.
     
    Certifications: A+, N+,MCDST,MCTS(680), MCP(270, 271, 272), ITILv3F, CCENT
    WIP: Knuckling down at my new job
  6. greenbrucelee
    Highly Decorated Member Award

    greenbrucelee Zettabyte Poster

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    read the whole book and I second soundians advice.
     
    Certifications: A+, N+, MCDST, Security+, 70-270
    WIP: 70-620 or 70-680?
  7. dwoodnz

    dwoodnz New Member

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    thanks guy i appreciate the info

    another question. did you all read through the book cover to cover before starting to write notes, take practice exams etc. or do a bit of both along the way?

    just wondering whats worked for you guys. it mentions in the book to read it cover to cover as if you were reading a novel. do you find this helps you second time round or by the time you finish have you semi forgotten what you read in the first few chapters?

    cheers
     
    WIP: CompTIA A+
  8. soundian

    soundian Gigabyte Poster

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    On your first read through the book you should concentrate on understanding the material and get a feel for the scope of the cert. I'd also advise highlighting/noting down anything that might require brute memory methods e.g. vid resolutions, CAT speeds, min and rec hardware for XP etc. Unless you've got a superb memory you're almost certainly going to need flashcards for these and it's best to start asap.
    You could split the book into sections if you didn't want to take it all in at once. All the chapters before the OS are pretty much interlinked, but after the OS section they're more standalone.
     
    Certifications: A+, N+,MCDST,MCTS(680), MCP(270, 271, 272), ITILv3F, CCENT
    WIP: Knuckling down at my new job
  9. albertc30

    albertc30 Kilobyte Poster

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    What software are you guys using for these flashcards?
     
    Certifications: CCNA
    WIP: 220-701 - A+
  10. greenbrucelee
    Highly Decorated Member Award

    greenbrucelee Zettabyte Poster

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    I read the book then read it again highlighting points in the book then read those points before i too the exams
     
    Certifications: A+, N+, MCDST, Security+, 70-270
    WIP: 70-620 or 70-680?
  11. soundian

    soundian Gigabyte Poster

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    I used Mnemosyne.
    You answer the question (in your head) and then look at the answer and score it on a scale of 1-5. I used this scoring system:
    1=I know this but, not got a clue at the moment.
    2=Not 100% sure and I got it wrong.
    3=not 100% sure and I got it right.
    4=Yeah, I knew this one, I knew I knew this one, but I had to think about it.
    5=C'mon, give me a break, who doesn't know this?

    As you go along it gives you more in the 1-2-3 region and less in the 4-5 region. You can also tweak quite a few settings to fit in with your available time/learning speed. And it works on flash drives (untested by me) so you can have the same history on your lappie as your desktop.
    I'm not saying it's the best, I'm just saying it worked for me.
    And it's free!

    EDIT: Dwoodnz, here's a study tips and hints doc I wrote after finishing my A+.
     
    Certifications: A+, N+,MCDST,MCTS(680), MCP(270, 271, 272), ITILv3F, CCENT
    WIP: Knuckling down at my new job

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