# A+ certification prep



## akaray7181 (May 31, 2008)

since my last thread was canceled and i got no help. 

you don't need to post specific questions. How about just telling what type of topics i really need to focus on for the essentials test and the IT technician test (220-601 and 220-602). those are the two i'm planning on taking in the same week probably. I really need advice on where i should focus my studies on. Is transcender really effective even if it's a slightly older and not updated cracked version. i also got certblaster. but anyway aside from those, what specific topic should i focus on for the tests. like remember all the processor and sockets? 423 first pentium 4's, 478 for the ones that came after, and amd sockets? Are IRQ's tested at all? do they ever test on you on binary numbers? i'm reading michael meyers most recent book. any specific chapter you think i should i re-read.


thanks in advance. email me at _Cellus: e-mail removed_


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## Cellus (Aug 31, 2006)

Your best bet would be to pick the a CompTIA Authorized Quality Curriculum book on the new tests - the A+ tests were revamped last year, and using material dating back to the old 2003 version of tests would probably not be a good idea. Things have been updated.

By the way, in no way shape or form will support be given regarding the use of "cracked" testing software. Please read our Rules regarding Educational Assistance and Illegal Activities.

EDIT: By the way I removed your e-mail to protect you against the wrath of spam-bots everywhere. Please note this is an open, public support forum, and support should be rendered here in the open. By the way as far as CompTIA tests usually go, it's a good idea to know _all_ of the material in the books, not just some. Trust me when I tell you they test you in everything - certification exams are not give-aways.


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## akaray7181 (May 31, 2008)

I read an entire comptia authorized book for the 2006 exam, but since i'm reading my second A+ book geared toward the 2006 exam, i've forgotten the stuff in that first book since the writers took such different writing approaches and because of the 1 or 2 month time gap between me reading the first and the second book. The second book by michael meyers i've only read up to the middle of chapter 10. But since i'm acing the transcender and certblaster and i think they are for the 2006 exam just not recently updated. i was wondering whether you or any of the people who've recently taken the test would know if they still test on the IRQ's cause my professor said they don't. But i want to make sure that's really the case.


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## cheescake (May 1, 2008)

PASS4SURE = Accurate test questions (same appear on the test) ad can prep (no explaination)

Certblaster = helps with both the prep as well as practice tests. (im using certblaster for my network+ exam prep)


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## akaray7181 (May 31, 2008)

cheescake said:


> PASS4SURE = Accurate test questions (same appear on the test) ad can prep (no explaination)
> 
> Certblaster = helps with both the prep as well as practice tests. (im using certblaster for my network+ exam prep)



really, thanks. so no word on transcender? 

but what i really want to know is what type of annoying trivia i need to memorize, like irq's?, network details ,cat 5, cat 5e, cat 6, cat 3?, etc? this weekend has been really bad. got bitten numerous times by mosquitoes or something? and got no air conditioning and taking forever to study for this test.


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## Cellus (Aug 31, 2006)

The exam questions always differ - every test written is dynamically created from a large pool of questions, so no one test is alike. Many of these practice test engines use either questions created by books, or in some cases by using "brain dumps" (people write the tests and give actual questions they witnessed in an exam to the practice test makers to use).

Definitely do not rely too heavily on the practice tests. Many are not very accurate, and to be honest I find pretty much all of them to be a waste of money.

Your authorized curriculum books "should" contain a list of "objectives" which you should be studying from. If you can answer all of the objectives listed, you are in pretty good shape.


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## rtippens (Jul 2, 2008)

Cellus wrote 
"Your authorized curriculum books "should" contain a list of "objectives" which you should be studying from. If you can answer all of the objectives listed, you are in pretty good shape."

I am currently studying for the A+ Essentials - Mike Meyers All in one 6th edition. First I wanted to say that the "objectives" are so broad in their scope that they are useless as a guide on what precisely to study, which is the intention I suppose. Like Akaray, I wanted some more info on the test questions. Identifying characteristics could mean anything. for example, it could mean characteristics that differentiate a processor from earlier ones, or it could mean studying all the specifications of every processor (HZ, socket, type of grid, watts, multiplier, cache, nm, address size). The latter would be ridiculous in my opinion.
I've seen questions of this nature in forums and a specific answer is never given. Is there an ethical reason? Just trying to get an idea of what kind of questions I will encounter. 
One last question - are the current objectives from 2006? (not including Vista). That is my understanding. thanks


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## akaray7181 (May 31, 2008)

rtippens said:


> Cellus wrote
> "Your authorized curriculum books "should" contain a list of "objectives" which you should be studying from. If you can answer all of the objectives listed, you are in pretty good shape."
> 
> I am currently studying for the A+ Essentials - Mike Meyers All in one 6th edition. First I wanted to say that the "objectives" are so broad in their scope that they are useless as a guide on what precisely to study, which is the intention I suppose. Like Akaray, I wanted some more info on the test questions. Identifying characteristics could mean anything. for example, it could mean characteristics that differentiate a processor from earlier ones, or it could mean studying all the specifications of every processor (HZ, socket, type of grid, watts, multiplier, cache, nm, address size). The latter would be ridiculous in my opinion.
> ...



I ACED BOTH 601 and 602 and I AM A+ CERTIFIED. PERFECT SCORE


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## Cellus (Aug 31, 2006)

Congratulations! :4-clap:


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## akaray7181 (May 31, 2008)

Cellus said:


> Congratulations! :4-clap:


thank you. any advice for pursuing network+ and what book is recommended for hands on labs? I have test prep materials, but i want to know which network+ book would teach me the most about how networking is done in the real world and what type of equipment i would need to simulate a hands on lab.


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## Cellus (Aug 31, 2006)

When I did my Network+ certification, I used Thomson Course Technology's _Network+ 2005 In Depth_ guide, and found it to be helpful. It's a nice fat book weighing in at a little over 800 pages and has pretty much everything you need for the Network+ certification with full descriptions, pictures, summaries, definitions... you name it.

As for the exam, if you've completed the A+ exams the Network+ exam is pretty much the same format. The only real heavy "doozy" in the Network+ certification exam would be subnetting. Learn how to do subnetting _without_ a subnet calculator, because you will not have access to one in the exam. Learn the ins and outs of subnetting and how to do it yourself. This will involve a bit of Base2/Binary math, but it isn't rocket science.


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## BlueBlood2k2 (Jul 17, 2008)

akaray, i am reading the mike meyers book you mentioned, i cant seem to pass the chapter review quizzes unless i write down all of the info i read through the whole chapter which is taking 3x longer to finish a chapter, did you just read the whole book and then go back for notes or what? i need a new strategy. some one help....


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## akaray7181 (May 31, 2008)

BlueBlood2k2 said:


> akaray, i am reading the mike meyers book you mentioned, i cant seem to pass the chapter review quizzes unless i write down all of the info i read through the whole chapter which is taking 3x longer to finish a chapter, did you just read the whole book and then go back for notes or what? i need a new strategy. some one help....


i read each chapter and then followed it up by answering the quiz. But the mike meyers is not one that i would recommend for passing the test. it's better used as a desk reference for your actual job; it teaches you a lot of the hands on tasks you'll be doing and the tools you'll need. 

If you want to prep for the A+ test, i recommend the Exam Prep 2 book comptia A+. i think that's what it's called. upgrading and repairing pcs by scott mueller is also a book i recommend getting for the real job. i'm trying to get that book cheap if possible (the newest edition that is). 

aside from that, i think your prep work is correct. don't just read the book, write down key concepts that you don't understand. While reading, write down any subject you don't understand and go back to review. Hope that helps.


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