Newbie on here, need some advise on A+ Cert

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Hello

I stubbled upon your after doing a bit of research into doing home study courses and it's very helpful so far. I bit aboutmy self, I graduated from university with a degree in BSc Computer System Networks and like many other graduates I am officially job hunting. Unfortunately I lack the industrial experience so finding work has become bit of struggle, this is why I have decided to take a course in course in the meantime as it will (a) add something onto my cv and (b) stop me from goings nuts as im stuck at home.

After doing a bit of research into the various certs (CompTIA, MS, Cisco..) I have decided to choose the CompTIA A+ cert.

Now I had two options either do the home study method or pay a training company £300 to £500. I have opted for the home study option as I have realised it can be pretty successful after reading a couple of stories on here.

So in order for me to get started I need a little help on the choosing the right books and possibly getting hold of some past Papers.

I used the search function on here it's pretty clear the Mike Myers CompTIA A+Certification All-in-One is more or less the essential for anyone taking this exam so it's on my shopping list. Has anyone got a ISBN for the latest edition? I also came across the Passport version of the above book, I am assuming it's a condensed version but is it good enough to use as the sole learning material? I have also found a website where i can watch the Professor Messer video's, so theres another learning aid for me.

Also guys can you confirm the exams below are correct for the A+ and the most update.

220-701 CompTIA A+ Essentials
220-702 CompTIA A+ Practical

Thanks
H

 

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welcome to the forums

When I did my a+ i bought both the all in one and the passport. The all in one is huge so this lived at home, the passport came with me for reading at lunch/on the bus.
In my opinion the passport gave you the information you need to passs the two a+ exams whereas the all in one includes a lot of historical/background information to help you understand why certain things work in certain ways.

ISBN's from Amazon are: 0071701338 and 0071702989 for the passport

Best of Luck

Martyn

 

Thanks for that Poley - Might get the Passport version to read on the side as the All-In-One can be too much for 6:30am reading.

 

Thanks gor quick response and info poley, will order them on amazon tonight. Can anyone recommend any other materials I might need?

Also I know its still early but how do I apply for the exams, am I suppose to purchase some sort of voucher and take this to a test center?

Thanks

 

https://www.prometric.com/default.htm for UK testing centres.

Most people try and get vouchers to make it cheaper - not sure if there are any for CompTIA.

 

Hi Hp88,

This is how it worked for me...

For vouchers side of it I've used CompTIA Vouchers - A+ Certification Exam CompTIA Voucher Test Discount at Prometric / VUE Testing Centers and got nice more or less 10% discount on both of my A+ exams. I think they do bundles of two and promotions so you want to look around it.

Then you locate your nearest test center with this website Locate a Test Center

Make sure you check if that center accepts this type of vouchers before you buy them, because they are not refundable! And Don't forget to choose your type of vouchers for the Europe or America depending on where you're taking exams.

And lastly, for revision and practice tests I've been using Bosons software, that some may find a little expensive but i can tell you it is deadly effective. This is a link taht will guide you in more detail here:
http://www.certforums.co.uk/forums/...nvironment-220-701-220-702-sy0-201-exams.html
and here:
http://www.certforums.co.uk/forums/a/44227-bosons-exams.html

I hope it does help you, good luck!

 

Boffy and Bitek,

Thank you for the replies I'm going to have a browse tonight and hopefully get all my materials ordered.

Quick question for the guys that have studied it before, how much money did you spend on materials and the exam? I have got a figure of about £250/300 in mind if I take the self study root, does that sound realistic?

 

If doing a simple math in "£" lets see:

M. Mayers passport and book = £37
2 x Exam Vouchers = £200
Bosons Practice Software 701/702 = £120

Aded up = £357

It seems as best option out there,
but if you are a little short on budget you may consider converting Bossons Software to cheaper ones such as TotalSeminars (£80).
Maybe try replacing M. Mayers Passport with Professor Messer's Videos and stick to All-in-book itself for further spending cuts. Also you could do without software practice and try Practice Questions exam cram like this one CompTIA A+ 220-701 and 220-702 Practice Questions Exam Cram eBook: Patrick Regan: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store.

The choice is yours

P.S. its worth checking if any companies have discount promotions going.

 

I'm also commencing my study of the CompTIA A+ after aquiring an IT Technician role at work. My copy of the All in One arrived the other day but I didn't know there was a passport version too. May pick that one up at the end of the month. I've also been taking a look at the free Professor Messer training videos @ Professor Messer, CompTIA A+, Network+, Security+, Microsoft Certification Training

 

Thanks for all the advise so far, just ordered the AIO and Passport books.

 

i done A+ a while back and just passed the 680 mcitp and i used visual cert exam manager which is good. there is a free d/l out there and if you look in the right place there is a patch which will open the program so you can take pratice exams. go to www,examcollection.com and have a look around.