To A+ or not to A+

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I'm sorry if this post is in the wrong area or if it has been posted a trillion times. A bit of background:

Long-term I would like to get my CCNA and eventually a specialized CCNA. I have done a bit of IT and troubleshooting in the past as well as upgraded computers and built them from the ground up. I just have had a more hands on experience with IT and very little technical book knowledge. Do you think I should still go for the A+ test before I move onto Network +? How heavily does the Network+ test rely on technical concepts from A+?

A side note: Do you find it worth the expensiveness of classroom sessions to prepare for tests in general or should I study the books on my own with some online guidance and practice exams? I realize this question is subjective, but I'd like everyones opinions.

Thank you for your time!

 

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In my opinion:
If you don't already work in an IT role, then you should learn the A+ material (there's quite a few who do work in IT that could benefit from that as well) as most entry-level roles are in first-line support. The chances are that your first role will involve a lot more than networking.
I think the Network+ stands on it's own, but having the basics of networking, from the A+ point of view, won't hurt.

When it comes to studying, I always go down the self-study route. I like the flexibility to go at my own speed, I can knock back my studying if my life is busy, and notch it up again when things quieten down. Personally I think classroom study for the A+ and N+ is pointless. The A+ especially is more about memorising facts, you can't really teach people facts. I don't thnik I would ever pay for classes, unless they involved expensive equipment that I didn't want to buy myself, or I had a rigid date to get the cert completed by.

 

Some colleges do the A+ for £500 over 6 months of evening classes.

Really if well suited to IT I wouldn't expect most people to need classes for the A+, but its there as an option.

Someone who has had a couple PC's and maintained/upgraded them should have a reasonable feel for the subject.

I'd just use the resources available to prepare, professor messor, study guide, exam simulator etc.

 

as dmarsh said, some colleges will charge approx £500 across a 6 month course, in some cases this won't even include the cost of the exam or study materials that you may need to purchase yourself...

the other option is to self-study where it will cost you as little or as much as you want to spend on materials, you will have to fund the exam cost yourself (check comptia website for exam cost), but in reality you should be able to complete your studies and go for the exam in less than 6 months.

personally, I went to college, it was a 12 week course every Tuesday evening for 2 hours, it cost me £555 which included the GTS Learning books and both exam fees, I learnt more through self-study afterwards than I did at college. The self-study route was to use Professor Messer which provides a free resource and is highly rated by many on the forums.

Hope this helps

Good Luck

 

I like self study, because it cheap and I have alot of access to free good material. And the classes I did take where online classes, which was the same thing as self study, but cost more.

There are places like New Horizon that will excel you through all the subjects in a week, but it costs around $2000 and you still have to study afterwards on your own unless you just absorb all of it, which I'm sure most people can't.

However, the main reason I would do a class is because it gives me structure because it is easy to not study for a long time for whatever reason comes up in ones life.

 

Hi, guys,

Has anybody used the video course from Trainsignal? It comes on 5 DVDs of a good quality video, showing everything live like in a lab, but I don't know if it's worth as a whole - it costs $297. I would appreciate any advice from people who used it themselves, or heard about it from someone who used it.
I watched some of Professor Messer's videos, they are great, but shows only pictures and graphics, not live equipment.

 

Lot picture live equipment on the internet, and there is not much exotic stuff in the A+. Really anyone who has opened up their PC a couple times shouldn't struggle.

 

Sonic, even though professor messer shows images as you have said rather than live equipment... you can setup the live equipment yourself to work through the course.

any live equipment you see in a video still isn't the same as toying with it yourself, plus the A+ is very theory based rather than practical I found on the 700 series

 

I was browsing for training providers and found this myitstudy.com. They are doing a 5 day A+ course and also giving a free laptop with it. The course costs around 2500 dollars. Seems like a good deal if it will save me hours and hours of self study.

 

I just found an App on their website that has A+ terms..Pertty Neat!!

 

Hi Angie,

There are more mobile apps available for free. You can access ITIL, A+, Network+, Security+, PMP and Scrum Master apps from myitstudy. If you are preparing for any CompTIA or ITIL exam, you can try myitstudy free test. It is good