# Looking to try to get my A+ certification.....



## pomp (Aug 2, 2007)

Hello. My local college is offering a course in the Fall for A+ Certification .. I was wondering, what is better, going to a class 2 days a week.. 8 hours total a week ... or just buy a book on like Amazon to study for A+ and then sign up somewhere to take the exam? ... The A+ Certification course at my local college is $1,200 and then the bundle of book material is about $180 .. 
What would be the best thing? Hope someone can help! Thanks.


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## Cellus (Aug 31, 2006)

This depends on how much hands-on experience you have, as well as whether or not you find you do well in self-study.

Classes give the additional benefit of having an instructor lay it out - to explain and elaborate. It gives you a chance to interact with them, so you can ask questions and be a part of active discussion. Tips and tricks can be given, and things can be clarified. It also gives you the possibility to have hands-on time on test machines for you to safely tinker and troubleshoot in a test lab environment. That is what the extra $1,000 is getting you.

I know people on both sides, who have both successfully and unsuccessfully obtained the certification through self-study. If it was a more advanced certification I would recommend classes, hands-down. However given A+ is an entry-level certification, the possibility of succeeding through self-study alone is realistically attainable. Again though, this is highly dependent on your experience as well as how well you do in self-study.


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## pomp (Aug 2, 2007)

Cellus,

Thank you for your response!

I'm going to do the self-study. Just looking for a book so I can order it and have it shipped soon lol.

Here's search results for them on Amazon. Would a 2006 book be ok? Or definitely need a 2007 one? If you could tell me which book would be the best that would be great! Thank you for your time.


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## elf (Jul 19, 2002)

If I remember correctly they just changed the test up some. The most recent you can find would be the best.


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## MrNerdy (Sep 28, 2007)

I did CISCO IT Essentials 1 as a stepping stone towards doing A+.
Bought a couple of A+ books and took both exams a month apart.
Passed both first time.

A longer course will go into more depth and cover more.


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