$pecial_K Posted January 10, 2010 Report Share Posted January 10, 2010 Anyone on here ever taken the CompTia A+ certifications exams? If so, does anyone have any tips or advice on preparing for these. I will be taking my exams soon and figured that I'd see if any of the IT people on here had any recommendations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serpentracer Posted January 10, 2010 Report Share Posted January 10, 2010 what's a cpu do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fusion Posted January 10, 2010 Report Share Posted January 10, 2010 what's a cpu do?It goes vroom in your PC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jblosser Posted January 10, 2010 Report Share Posted January 10, 2010 How much hands-on experience do you have? If you've got at least 6 months you will probably be fine.Grab a study guide, try some of the online practice tests, see what you need to work on. What are you doing or plan to do with your cert?If you're planning to go the Microsoft MCS* route, do you work somewhere where there is/are a Windows Server(s)? See if your boss can talk with whomever is charged with the care and feeding of that server and let you work with that person, or when there's an upgrade to do maybe you can hang out and watch (and fetch coffee....!)You can read all you want, but hands-on is the best, and I would say only way to learn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jblosser Posted January 10, 2010 Report Share Posted January 10, 2010 Practice tests at CompTIA (have to register with CompTIA) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meanie Posted January 10, 2010 Report Share Posted January 10, 2010 If you have any experience with the internals of PCs the A+ cert is cake. I took it a few years ago and didn't study for it at all. I think I missed like one questions. The N+ cert was the same. Do you have the Comptia A+ cert book? There are practice questions at the end of each chapter, make sure you go through those. I believe the same questions are on the final, with the same wording. Microsoft courses require alot more studying than the A+ and N+.Good Luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
$pecial_K Posted January 10, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 10, 2010 I have a degree in computer science and have some hands on experience. Just haven't had any luck finding a job in the field so I figured getting some certifications might improve my odds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
$pecial_K Posted January 10, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 10, 2010 Do you have the Comptia A+ cert book? There are practice questions at the end of each chapter, make sure you go through those. Good LuckYeah, I have an in depth A+ cert book that I've been studying. There is a ton of material in the book, I was just wondering how specific the questions were on the exams. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottb Posted January 10, 2010 Report Share Posted January 10, 2010 If you have the basic understand of what is going inside the computer, you get about 85% of the questions correct. I kinda joke that I'll be fine on these tests provided they ask the questions I know the answers too. There is usually one or two oddball questions that ask some obscure detail. But don't panic over those. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strictly Street Posted January 11, 2010 Report Share Posted January 11, 2010 Common portsBIOS optionsOS to minimum hardware specsSome cmd line appsInstall options for OS'sBasic terminologyNot that tough of a test if you have any experience at all.Read the questions carefully, there are tricky questions.If you have a degree you shouldn't have much trouble with this one.Wost thing to do is freak out over it and psych yourself out into fail modeRelax, go slow and win! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Likwid Posted January 11, 2010 Report Share Posted January 11, 2010 I didn't realize people even did A+ anymore!A+ and a dollar will get you coffee at Speedway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strictly Street Posted January 11, 2010 Report Share Posted January 11, 2010 I didn't realize people even did A+ anymore!A+ and a dollar will get you coffee at Speedway.Coffee for a dollar! What a deal! Even so, if you are going to do certs you have to start someplace.There are still a lot of people out there that think they know about computers because they have their own facebook page. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Likwid Posted January 11, 2010 Report Share Posted January 11, 2010 Coffee for a dollar! What a deal! Even so, if you are going to do certs you have to start someplace.There are still a lot of people out there that think they know about computers because they have their own facebook page.I has facebookz and teh aolz... I r teh compooter expert.No srsly, i changed my ram memory the other day! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DangBruhY Posted January 11, 2010 Report Share Posted January 11, 2010 I have over 15 years of experience, but didn't have any certifications. Remember this... There is a new test out. Don't study the old one and end up taking the new one... Old one deals with mostly XP and the new one deals with mostly Vista.PM me if you want to know what good study material you should use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RVTPilot Posted January 11, 2010 Report Share Posted January 11, 2010 I didn't realize people even did A+ anymore!A+ and a dollar will get you coffee at Speedway.If you get that coffee at Get Go, you get $.01 added to your fuel perks bonus. Srsly!When I got my AS in Networking, my dept admin at school said that taking the A+ exam would be a waste of my time. The degree in hand was all that and more. Still, I have thought about going to take the test anyway. I want another line in my email signature. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Likwid Posted January 11, 2010 Report Share Posted January 11, 2010 If you get that coffee at Get Go, you get $.01 added to your fuel perks bonus. Srsly!When I got my AS in Networking, my dept admin at school said that taking the A+ exam would be a waste of my time. The degree in hand was all that and more. Still, I have thought about going to take the test anyway. I want another line in my email signature.I laugh at the people that are so obnoxious with their email signatures. Not saying you do it, I just hate the people that put EVERYTHING... including their Bachelor of ScienceJohn G Smith, BS PMP CNP MSF Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
$pecial_K Posted January 11, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 11, 2010 When I got my AS in Networking, my dept admin at school said that taking the A+ exam would be a waste of my time. The degree in hand was all that and more. That may be how it used to be, but now a degree doesn't guarantee you anything. Many employers are requiring IT certifications, so I figured that I had to start somewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremygsxr Posted January 11, 2010 Report Share Posted January 11, 2010 If you have any experience with the internals of PCs the A+ cert is cake. I took it a few years ago and didn't study for it at all. I think I missed like one questions. The N+ cert was the same. Do you have the Comptia A+ cert book? There are practice questions at the end of each chapter, make sure you go through those. I believe the same questions are on the final, with the same wording. Microsoft courses require alot more studying than the A+ and N+.Good LuckBut he missed a bunch of questions on his english/language tests. Just bustin balls. As you were. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jblosser Posted January 11, 2010 Report Share Posted January 11, 2010 I laugh at the people that are so obnoxious with their email signatures. Not saying you do it, I just hate the people that put EVERYTHING... including their Bachelor of ScienceJohn G Smith, BS PMP CNP MSFSo, adding "MCA, MCM, MCSE (2003), VCDX, VCP4, LPIC-2, CCSA" to my sig would cause you grief? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Likwid Posted January 11, 2010 Report Share Posted January 11, 2010 So, adding "MCA, MCM, MCSE (2003), VCDX, VCP4, LPIC-2, CCSA" to my sig would cause you grief? lol, the more letters you put after your name the less credibility and respect you deserve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jblosser Posted January 11, 2010 Report Share Posted January 11, 2010 lol, the more letters you put after your name the less credibility and respect you deserve.I usually use nothing - they only show up on the resume'.I agree - unless the person is "Joe Smith, M.D.", I don't see the point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Likwid Posted January 11, 2010 Report Share Posted January 11, 2010 I usually use nothing - they only show up on the resume'.I agree - unless the person is "Joe Smith, M.D.", I don't see the point.EXACTLY! Don't get me wrong, I admire the effort and knowledge that comes from the training... I find the sheer audacity to put it in your email means you don't deserve it.100% should be on the resume, that's where it belongs! Not in any business emails. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xyloft Posted January 16, 2010 Report Share Posted January 16, 2010 A+ certification won't hurt, but i'm not really sure how much it helps, although i know some companies do require it. we do not where i work, and the people who have had A+ certs that have worked for me have almost always been worthless, so i guess i'm biased. Cisco cert (CCNA) on the other hand is way better. Microsoft certified systems engineer MCSE is also a bit better than A+. If you really want an edge though, VMware certs are the way to go. Unfortunately you need a $4,000 weeklong class, and experiance on the job before you take the test for like $300. So unless your company's going to pay for it, kind of steep. When I talk to people at career fairs or interview people, I look for the degree, then ask experience questions based around troubleshooting and problem solving. have good examples of this for your interview and it will help you land your job. when you get asked "what do you do when you have a problem with your coputer" the answer "i usually call the sudent help desk" is not the right answer yeah, i got that from a comp sci student at Bowling Greene. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longbrake_00 Posted January 17, 2010 Report Share Posted January 17, 2010 EXACTLY! Don't get me wrong, I admire the effort and knowledge that comes from the training... I find the sheer audacity to put it in your email means you don't deserve it.100% should be on the resume, that's where it belongs! Not in any business emails.I agree.. I have my A+, Net+, Security+, MCSE in 2000, CCNA, CPAS (pacs related), and I am one exam from my CCNP, but that is not what has got me to where I am.. I don't even tell people that I have all those unless they ask, because I feel like everything I know I have learned by actually working in the field and my resume shows that not piece of paper that anyone can pass.. There are two many cheat sheet and things out there to make certifications credititable in my opinion. They can't hurt, but they are not as big of help as they used to be though. Only reason I have what I have is because my old company paid for us to take the schooling and paid us more after we passed the exams so I just kept taking them for a period of 5 years. Since I left that job I have not taken anymore and have not planned to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
$pecial_K Posted January 17, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2010 I plan on working towards other certifications, just starting with the A+. I am paying for these out of pocket so I have to do what I can afford. I wish that I could get more on the job experience, but that not possible where I work. Until I can get a position in the field I have to do something to continue my education.Thanks for all the input. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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