Usual annoying newbie questions!

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Hi I am going to be doing the A+ soon (self study) and I had a few question to ask (they have probably been asked loads already) but it would help if some one could answer them.

1) I have heard people mention exam vouchers what are they? And how do I get them?

2) What is brain dumps are they helpful or just a gimmick.

3) Which of these books would you recommend (and are they the latest ones for the new A+ exams):

CompTIA A+ 2006

CompTIA A+ Certification All-in-one Desk Reference for Dummies

A+ Certification All-in-one Exam Guide

Or would I be better buying the books aimed at each particular exam:

Examwise for CompTIA A+ Core Hardware Exam 220-221

Examwise for Comptia A+ Core Hardware Exam 220-231

Examinsight for Comptia A+ Operating System Technology Exam 220-232

4) Now that A+ has changed do I have to do 2 or 3 exams I looked on the Comptia website but it was not very clear.

I think that is all the questions for now, I hope someone out there can help.

 

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Hey Rob

Welcome to CF!

You'll find people here are generally very hlepful, and will get folks from all rungs on the Certification ladder helping you out.

Having never taken the A+ I can't help you regarding anything specific to that exam, however, I can tell you that braindumps are wrong. Flat out wrong.

I'm sure no-one has ever articulated this to you - usually because people who use them are unlikely to want to admit it to themselves - but a braindump is simply a series of questions taken from a real exam with the answers to those questions provided.

A braindump, therefore, is cheating, pure and simple. There are many different viewpoints on this - indeed my own stance on them has altered somewhat in the past six months - but the fact remains that they are nothing less than a method of obtaining a certification you probably cannot pass without cheating.

You will find that CF is a braindump free zone and, if you search the forums you'll find plenty of heated debate about the rights and (more considerably) wrongs of braindumping.

Hope that helps!

 

This site http://www.getcertify4less.com/ is great for discounted vouchers - simply buy the correct one for your exam and country of taking the exam and when you book it via Prometric Vue type in the voucher number and you're ready to take the exam.

Already answered by zebulebu - don't use them!

Sorry can't help with the new exams - but for the 2003 series I would definitely recommend Mike Meyers.

You have to take 2 exams - 220-601 Essentials and 1 other - 220-602, 220-603, 220-604.


Good luck for your studies though!

 

Hey Rob

ive basically just started studying too, as for books to get, i say get the mike meyers all in one 6th edition, thats for the latest exams and is liked by nearly everyone on here. make sure its the 6th and not the 5th edition though

otherwise i hear good things about the sybex books but i dont know which one of those you would need for the 2006 objectives which is the latest exams

You only have to take 2 of the 4 exams to be certified, one is essential and you must take it, then you can pick and choose one of the other 3 to take

i notice your from east anglia, where abouts if you dont mind me asking?

 

hi also quite new here

I am currently working through the mike meyers all in one 6th edition and finding it great, would definatley reccomend this book.
I am about 2 weeks into the book and about a third of the way through and havent come accross any difficulties yet.
I am hoping to take the 2 exams in about 7 weeks

 

Thanks for that everyone.

So it seems I should avoid brain dumps, but do a lot of people use them because if they do might employees be concerned that people who have them may have cheated to get it so do not really know the subject which could devalue the certification.

For the exam vouchers they seem a lot of money but I'm not sure how much the exams cost in the first place so I guess it works out cheaper.

I think I will buy the mike meyers book as it seems to be recommend on cf a lot.

I live in Ipswich shaggy.

 

Hey Rob,

having passed the first part of the old objectives I can only give my experience of those but it might help.

Get the Myers All in one for the new objectives. The 2003 one was amazing and covered everything you could possibley need as well as giving you info on sutff you should know but might not need on the exam!

I used VPN exam prep software and this really helped me becuase it was weighted in the same way the actual exams are. Remember that the A+ isn't a mark out of 100% it's a score based on the question you answer so knowing where your good and weak really helps.

Also don't look at it like a school/college quali, if your self studying then give yourself a date thats not too far away and work towards it.

Exam vouchers save you about £20-£30 as the exams are about £130 and a voucher about £80. www.getcertified4less.com is a great place and where I got mine.

brain dumps will tell you the answers but the moment you get asked to aplly that knowlege in a job situation you'll be stuffed becuase you didn't actually learn it! Avoid 'em and rely on studying the good old fashioned way!

 

Yep, Mike Meyers All-in-One is the way to go.

Yes, certifications ARE devalued because people cheat their way through them by using braindumps. But what is the alternative? Not get them? That's certainly not a viable option. Last thing we want is for braindumpers to have even MORE of an advantage over those of us who study honestly.

Fortunately, good IT managers who are able to interview well can usually tell if a candidate really understands the concepts or simply memorized a bunch of questions and answers to pass an exam.

The best way we can prevent our certifications from being devalued is to spread the word about the dangers of braindumping to the IT industry. There will always be people who cheat - we're not going to be able to prevent it from happening. But we can certainly take steps to educate the IT community so that accidental, unintentional use of braindumps doesn't happen.