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No matter what job you have in the world of IT, there’s always more than one cert that fits the job. Let’s look at my job, working on office equipment. There are 3 certs that can be used on this job alone.

There’s the new PDI+ for the machines (like copies, faxes & printers)
There’s A+ for the computers at sends your work to the copiers, etc
And there’s Network+ to keep them connected together.
(This is just a start, there are so many others.)

Too often members think all that’s needed is that “almighty A+”. Well, maybe if you never do anything but repair PC’s and work as a bench tech your whole career. There was a post today from a member who had a B.S. degree in computers but the employer still required A+. I don’t get it, is CompTIA becoming the new benchmark for the IT world? Don’t think so, but at times it looks that way.

What I am trying to say is, why stop at one. If A+ can get your foot in the door, what would happen if you added Network+ or CCNA. All this and I have not touched on the Microsoft certifications. Knowledge is power and a higher paycheck. If you stop, there will always be someone waiting in the wings to run you over for that next step up.

In short, the learning never stops. Websites like Proprofs is here to help. There’s always a member or moderator to help answer that question that can put you over the top to your next certification.

Don’t be a one cert wonder. Study on!!!
spy

hi rred4m - welcome aboard!

My general notes / study guide / preparation strategy goes something like this:
- read through your book slowly, and underline & make margin notes as you go. If possible, work through any practices in the book, or play around with a real-life computer/parts/whatever topic you're studying to get some hands on time & experience. Reading about a topic and then applying it can help to make it "stick" better.
- go back through the book and write out or type up notes from your underlines.
- gather any other study materials you may have - study guides, notes from other users, etc. Read through them & underline & make margin notes.
- combine those notes with your book notes.
- make flashcards for any charts/lists/requirements/paths that you need extra help memorizing
- get your hands on some practice tests (you can find free exams and links to free exams in the forums, webschool, quizschool...) & find out where your weak spots are
- go back & review, emphasizing any topics/areas that you tested weak on

If you have extra tools like cbt training/videos, those can be really helpful too - I used CBT Nuggets for my A+ and am using them again for my Network+ studying.

And of course, there's the forums & other resources available here at ProProfs!! You can find lots of guides, notes, exams, quizzes, helpful advice, etc. here. And if you have any questions about topics that are giving you trouble, just start a new thread.

Good luck with your studies!

Tomorrow I meet with the HR person for a company I just interviewed yesterday. I have already been told that this is a formality and that as long as she puts her stamp of approval on me, there will be an offer tomorrow. Woo-hoo!

A little background here, so you'll understand why I put the subtitle on this "The Power of Certifications" on this post. I am 30-years-old and have been in IT off and on for almost 10 years. I started my career first as a student desktop support person at a university and then graduated and took a job as a LAN Administrator. That was during the dot com boom, so tech jobs were plentiful and well-paid. When the boom busted, I took time off to get married and have kids, just doing a little consulting work here and there. When I wanted to come back full-time, boy was I in for a rude awakening!!!

I had never pursued certifications. I had been one of the people who even scoffed at them, making derisive comments about "paper MCSE's" and touting the old mantra of "experience is far more important than a piece of paper." Now, though, I found myself not even being considered for jobs at the level I had worked at because my skills looked outdated and I had no certifications. My resume hardly ever got past HR to even be looked at by a technical person because I was missing those important letters. It was like a bucket full of cold water.

So, I enrolled in a training program at a training center and took an entry-level helpdesk job while I studied and studied hard. That opportunity led to a better desktop support job with a bit of a wider scope and more time to study, which I did. Everything I was working on in my classes and exam study, I tried to find some way to apply at work. After I took my CCNA and passed, finally I had people calling me for a change and it felt great. This led me to reconsider staying in desktop support and try for a Jr. System/Network Administrator position. I believe that I never would have even been considered without my certs. Although I still have a lot to learn, the team interviewing me did allude to the fact that the certs I have earned showed a willingness to learn and a drive and, luckily, they were looking for just that for this position.

2 certifications did so much more for me than just my nearly 10 years of experience. I think the combination of the two is what just got me a big break. To all of you considering putting off working on your certs, just think of that. Right now you might not need them, but what about if something happens and you have to hit the job market again? Wouldn't it be nice to have that kind of insurance? Wouldn't it be nice to know you have the security of being able to present employers the "full package" of certifications along with experience? Good luck to everyone studying and thanks to all those who have helped me so much here. I plan on remaining active and continuing to go after my MCSE and who knows what after that...this site rocks!

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For non-IT people, like me, here is how it should be done to pass both exams. Grab a book, like the Mike Meyers book, and read throughly, make sure you understand everything, drop down your own notes for easier review. You will probably not pass the exams by only reading and memorizing everything on the book. You need to study further, e.g., when studying chapters on Windows, you need to practice on your computer and learn more in depth. For example, opening registry window, try to look around and get familiar with the options in the Registry. I got caught on one question how to save a copy of the registry file (File/export), things didn't mention in the book. Try to look around in Windows and look at every items, their properties and settings, that will especially help you on 'OS path' types of question. Same when working on command line, practice on the command and explore further more on the syntax (***/?). If you are not familiar with PCs, take your time to learn and digest. You really have to understand the materials to pass the exams because many questions are on the application of the materials. During the real exam, you will certainly find some questions on new stuff that you don't know, but most of the time with educational guess, you can narrow down to the right answer by the process of elimination. I found the practice exams in Mike Meyers book very useful as they are similar to the real exams. I also did the most recently posted exams found in Quiz school of this site. Older exams tend to cover more questions on Win9x. I first took the Essentials exam, then I review troubleshooting session of each chapter (Mike Meyer's book), and review chapters on Windows, and on Networking and did the practice exams from the book. I took the 602 five days later. Do not wait more than 1 week to take the 602, because there are still a few theoretical questions. I don't recommend taking both exams the same day for non-IT people. The moment after I passed the Essentials, my head almost exploded. I've found that I will not be able to concentrate fully for another 90mins on the same day. Hey, it was the first real exam for me for more than 6 years, with the pressure of losing $163 if fail, you know what I mean.

Overall, I found the exams are not very hard. Most of the questions are very straight forward. Good luck to all who are doing the exams soon.

Pow

One of the most common questions we get at ProProfs is for advice on picking & buying books to use in studying for certifications. There is a veritable goldmine of information/feedback on different books on the ProProfs forums for the individual certifications (for example, ProProfsForums > IT Certification > CompTIA > A+ Certification > Discuss A+ Books, Websites, CDs & More).

I recommend .... Read more

I took my first shot at the Security+ exam, and with a score of 858. It's great to be past this one.

I'll go over a little bit about the exam here first. Then I'll explain what I did for studying so others can get an idea of what they can do to prepare for the exam.

I think I had about 6 or 7 questions on Access Controls, which most people say there are a lot on this exam. I even had two questions back-to-back that were almost the same with a few words changed. Some of the study material from ProProfs helped me on one of these questions because of a key word that I associated with RBAC.

Of course, there were quite a bit of questions on cryptography as well. There was one question on PKI certificates that tripped me up because it wasn't covered at all in the Sybex or Syngress books, at least that I could remember. I have a lot of knowledge with relational databases; so I used this to try to figure out the answer. I figured, if a Website holds a certificate, and they serve customers, then they have one certificate serving either one or many customers giving either a one-to-many or a one-to-one relationship. However, from what little I could find on the Internet, I believe the relationships are many-to-one and many-to-many. I'm still not exactly sure. I can't find any explanation for this, and it makes me confused on the reasoning . It's too bad the books didn't explain it.

Obviously, you want to know ports. Some questions just flat out asked which ports go to which protocol and other questions say you are being attacked; here is the output; what kind of attack is it? If you know your ports, questions like these can be easy.

I don't really remember most of anything else. There were a lot of strange questions, but with several of them, I was able to read the question and answer it even before looking at the possible answers. So that helped.

For people that want to know how to pass the exam, I think the best thing you can do is to get a book or two and read through them. Of course this is true for any test, but for the Security+ test, I think you have to. If you don't, you will probably fail, which may be a reason why so many people fail it the first time.

Here is what I did for studying:
First, I read through the Sybex book from cover to cover doing the end of chapter questions as I went along.

Here is the important part: While reading through the book, I typed in notes for myself in MS Word. If I came across anything I was unfamiliar with, I took notes on it. If I ran across something that confused me or I felt it didn't explain well enough, I did a search on Wikipedia or elsewhere for more info.

After finishing the Sybex book, I went through the 500 or so questions that come with the deluxe edition.

After that, I went through all the study notes and practice exams on techexams.net, mcmcse.com, and proprofs.com. Anything new that I came up on, I kept updating my notes.

I also went through the ExamForce CramMaster practice exam offered from CompTIA's Website.

During all of this, I was also reading the forum posts here and learned that a lot of people fail the exam the first time.

Since I don't have a lot of background in security, and I didn't want to fail, I decided to also study through the Syngess book book.gif . In the Syngress book, there were a lot of things explained from quite a bit of a different perspective than the Sybex book. Some things were touched up on more, and some things were touched up on less. Also, there are a lot of things discussed in the Syngress book that isn't discussed in the Sybex book, and there are a lot of things discussed in the Sybex book that aren't discussed in the Syngress book. So, for the Security+ exam, I think both of these books together are a good match.

If I was to only study one of these books for the exam, I would pick the Sybex book because I think it does a little bit better covering most of the material.


Well, my next project is working towards my MCPD. I was initially going to work towards my MCSE, but since I have more programming experience, I think I could get through the MCPD exams a little quicker. That way, I'll have something a little more solid for trying to get a job sooner. It's good that my wife works, and I get retirement pay. I can be a full time student for a little while.

First, I'll start on 70-536. My study material hasn't arrived in the mail yet. So, I'll have to wait a little bit. I probably need a little bit of a break anyway.

I passed but the test was much harder than I thought.

Basically, my advice for anyone else who is taking it is invest more time than you think you need in the material. For example, I read a book and watch a series of videos to prepare and then crammed the day before the test. That was enough but barely. I like a comfortable cushion in my grade so that I know I wasn't just risking $200 when I took the test not as prepared as I should have been. This site helped, don't get me wrong, but it can't replace actually attempting to memorize the material. Practice tests are better than I thought for seeing what you know and do not know.

Best study material for Network+ : Chris Bryants Network+ video. But don't watch it just once. Watch it twice all the way through, take notes, and then remember which "chapters" you may need to watch again and for your third round of viewing only watch the videos that you think are your weak point. Knowing what you don't know is really important. There is no room for ego when it comes to an exam.

Book I used: Mike Myers Passport Second Edition Network+ (2005). I used Mr. Myers book for the A+ exam and it helped but it wasn't as useful for Network+. It didn't seem to flow as smoothly as the first book. Topics just came and went and by the end of the book I felt I was weighed down with information, not absorbing it. If someone else suggests a different book, try it.

Surprise questions on the test: Network Security protocol troubleshooting. There were several questions that related to not only security protocols but what to do when things are not working. These questions required more thought on my part because I had to place myself in situations I've never been in. I've worked as a net admin but only after the network was built and security implemented. We never had a problem with our protocols. But, if you ready enough then you can make up for this sort of deficit. Just acknowledge you need a little more study in this area (or any other area), spend some time on it, and when you feel comfortable with the material move on.

If I can think of anything else I'll post it later.

I am kind of new to this forum but I was reading the topics for a while, which helped me a lot to understand what my weak points were.Thanks to everybody that took the time to write a review of their experience on the exams and here now I am able to contribute to future success.
I passed with 870 on the Essentials and 885 on the 602 exam.My opinion is that the second exam was much easier than the essential.
I used Mike Meyers 6th edition Comptia A+ and everything on the exams was covered in the book if you read it carefully.
There was no questions on CPU socket types.I dont think that IRQs are included at all in the new exams as Windows 2000 and XP are Plug and Play OS and you dont need to configure irq
Know everything about laser printers,troubleshooting,printer languages and differences between them,spooler service and methods to stop and start it;network printers installation process and what you would do the last when installing one;a few questions on inkjet,dot-matrix and scanners;IEEE 1284 specification and ports.I felt like I was tested on Comptia Printer +
A LOT OF CUSTOMER TYPE QUESTIONS;Imagine you are the customer;Make sure you know what your responsibilities as an IT Technician are and are not
Everything about wired and wireless networking;network adapter failure and things to check first or never do first when troubleshooting;topologies,protocols and how they differ,authentification,encryption,best encryption protocol and best security methods;cable types and their range and speed;client-server and peer to peer differences;utilities like tracert,ping,ipconfig,nbstat,netstat and for what and when you would use them;thicknet,thinnet,ethernet,802.11,802.11x,bluethooth,ifrared,mobile-distances,speeds and RF
Operating systems-upgrade paths,minimum requirements;differences between windows pro,home and 2000;file system types,how they differ,permissions.The paths to utilities questions were the last possible thing I would use in a normal enviroment;know the differences between defrag,msconfig,chkdsk;know when to use ASR,NtBackup,Recovery Console,Last Known Good Configuration and Safe mode;boot files,registry and locations and default backup location of system files and user files;how would you check all installed patches
Laptops and specific things about them like differences between laptop and desktop cpu usage;hotswappable devices and procedure to remove them;keyboard features;enabling external display;PCMCIA types,thicknest and for what components would you use them;throttling,hyperthreading,overclocking;batteries and troubleshooting;overheating and restarting and reasons for that;common parts in LCD displays and troubleshooting
CRT monitors,troubleshooting video adapter failures and POST,slots questions;sound problems,no sound.
A few questions on POST excluding beep codes
USB,IEEE 1394 speeds and distances and when they are commonly used
Hard drives-internal and external connection types and number of pins
Storage devices-DVD,DVD DL,CD,DLT and which one would you use in a specific situation.
ESD,best procedures and when not to use ESD wrist strap
There was even two questions on PDAs

Thats all I can remember for now.As overall experience I suggest you know your material well,as you might be surprised how easy it is to be cofused on the exam when you are under pressure.The Essentials exam had questions from all over the material,nothing specific.The IT Techician was customer,customer,customer and printers.There was only about 6-8 questions that were the same on both exams and they were the easy questions!
THERE WAS NO QUESTIONS WITH A FEW RIGHT ANSWERS THAT YOU HAD TO CHOOSE THE BEST RIGHT ONE.You would think that only if you werent prepared enough.There was only one way to answer.I dont mean here that there wasnt multiple choice answer,"just you couldnt use F and 8 pressed at the same time instead of the function key F8 only because the F8 key on your keyboard is stuck" or use Last Known Good Configuration as the first troubleshooting option when you are required to use a boot disc first,even though the reason is a device driver you just istalled.
Dont be afraid to overstudy as you wont be second guessing yourself and wil fly through the exams if you are well prepared.When you are on the job second guessing is not going to do you or the customers any good.
And about the so much recommended Pass4Sure-you wont pass if you use only that as study material,dont have experience in IT and dont understand why the right answer is the right answer.But I do recommend after reading the material,whatever book you use,do every possible available practice exam to help you understand and connect everything together.

GOOD LUCK!