A+ Certification

[Grim_Scythe]

Hey Guys,
I am thinking about acquiring this certfication and from what I read it looks like I should just build and disassemble a compter to prepare for this? Anyone know how to prepare for this?

Thanks
Chuck

[Rajun Cajun]

I don't think building, etc. will be enough alone honestly. Not that it's a hard test, but it has a ton of memorization type stuff that you WILL need to know for the tests. Personally I thought it was easy enough to pass both exams with reading this book:
http://www.amazon.com/Certification-All-One-Guide-Sixth/dp/0072263113/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1234296749&sr=8-1

To add a little something extra, and another look at things, I also used this book. I would read the Mike Meyers book first and use this one to give you "quick hit" notes.
http://www.amazon.com/Network-Security-Exams-Nutshell-Reference/dp/0596528248/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1234296967&sr=1-1

The tests are fairly straight forward...question, answer type stuff mostly. Not bad at all.

Good luck!

PS...get a hold of some practice tests as well. MeasureUp, etc. They help.

[LordBeer]

Thats the same book I used Rajun. :thumbsup: As he said though, lots of memorization. I'd recommend getting your hands on as many of the practice tests as you can. You'll start to pick up what you need to know.

[Gruthar]

I've been curious about getting the certification myself, though so far it's been unnecessary. Has anyone taken it recently? The last time I looked at a practice test, it looked like something straight out of 1995. Stuff like memorizing the usage of all the IRQs, which is fairly pointless these days. One of my co-workers took the test two years ago and said it'd been updated to be more relevant, so I was hoping someone could confirm that.

I would definitely pick up one of those books if you're going to do the test, but as a CS grad, you may find yourself skipping some sections, Grim.

[sir_digalot]

a buddy of mine has taken most of these and says it is quite easy, you will still come up against some old stuff though....

however whether or not it holds much stead in the practicle world is up for debate, to date, we have not hired anyone with just an A+ cert, not even for a tech position, on the flip side as part of an MS cert path ( security i beleive) yuo will need one of the A+ exams in security to qualify.

if it will not increase your workload much do it, otherwise it is not really worth it...
i havea few of the exam cram cd's from the books, but really do not look at them these days..

if you are proficient with hardware you should breeze them no problem

[Grim_Scythe]

I was just thinking of getting it while I search for jobs. I already have a BS in Comp Sci so I figure add something more to my Resume

[JustMeBF2]

I have an A+ interactive test.
It's several zip folders in a folder 6 meg,
if some has a ftp for me to put on.

Or a place I can put it.

Edit : DOH I zipped and am putting it on adrive.com
link soon

http://www.adrive.com/public/d07a1a21b8b57aa141565b28f0fe881a105e15c4b4cad207d3 ee70d4fcd3900f.html


Only one person can download this at a time.



I have not tried this out yet. USE AT YOUR own RISK !!!!!!!!!!!

[Shadowryche]

When I got my A+ Cert the school doing it simply gave me a multiple choice test and a short hands on exam. It was mainly hardware statistics on what socket would run what, how many pins or whether something used a serial signal or parallel signal.

[Grim_Scythe]

I have an A+ interactive test.
It's several zip folders in a folder 6 meg,
if some has a ftp for me to put on.

Or a place I can put it.

Edit : DOH I zipped and am putting it on adrive.com
link soon

http://www.adrive.com/public/d07a1a21b8b57aa141565b28f0fe881a105e15c4b4cad207d3 ee70d4fcd3900f.html


Only one person can download this at a time.



I have not tried this out yet. USE AT YOUR own RISK !!!!!!!!!!!


Link opens but closes the new window...

[JustMeBF2]

Link opens but closes the new window...

it that like the guy that didn't like his new toy


I tried it and it worked.

[Rajun Cajun]

I guess the question is what do you want to do? What type of work? LAN? WAN? PC support? etc., etc. No sense in wasting time studying for a cert that has nothing to do with what you want to do.

I personally only did the A+ and the Network+ because they were easy enough exams and I could apply them both together as a needed elective towards getting a MCSA.

It's like digalot said when he mentioned his company not hiring just an A+ certified tech. Most companies (except for Geek Squad type places) don't need just an A+ certified tech because they purchased, along with their many desktops/laptops, a maintenance/warranty contract for hardware repairs from Dell or whoever.

Bottom line...figure out what path you want to go down and start there. LAN admin...MCSE (MCSE is a longer road so you would start with a MCP which is passing one MS test, then on to MCSA and finally MCSE). WAN admin...CCNA then on to CCNP or one of the other many Cisco certs. Build off of that once you get started and find a specialization.

Sorry...kind of derailed it from the initial A+ talks, but hopefully it helps you make a decision on a certification path.