Things To Avoid On A+ & General Tips, Your ideas needed! Options

[James]

This is a thread on "Things to avoid when preparing for the CompTIA A+ Exam" ...

Here are a few:

1 .Avoid distractions like music and TV while studying

2. Ensure you use only recently updated and trust worthy websites.

3. On test day avoid carrying extra clothing or accessories that testing center may not permit..like cell phones etc

Contribute your ideas on what to avoid here

[vizvvizv]

Anyone? Any comments?  Prompt feedback on this is much appreciated since we need to close this article soon.

Thanks again...

1. Make sure you are studying for the current exam objectives.

2. Use as many sources as you can.

3. Follow the CompTIA A+ Objectives.

[hempyuk]

1. Read every question Carefully (watch out for double negatives)

2. Take as meany diffrent practice tests as you can

3. Make sure you understand all the subjects ( you never know what you are going to get questions on.)


hemp
___________________

http://www.markscomputerguide.co.uk

[Matthys]

1) If you prefer studying whilst listening to music or in a certain environment, try cutting that down as the exam environment will most likely be quiet.

2) Some exams allow certain foods to be eating during the exam, perhaps a certain flavour chewy gum might help. What I mean is, eat that flavour chewy when you are studing that topic, so when you eat it in the exam, it can help you remember what you have studied and learnt.

[hempyuk]

Any more suggestions?

errrrr Make sure you get a good nights sleep before the exam

Remember tick boxs are mulit answers

radio buttons single answers

Make sure you answer all the questions before the time limit expires

Do not Spend too much time on any one question. If you are unsure , answer it the best you can; then mark it for review after you have finished the rest of the questions.

hemp
__________________
Dont worry Be Happy
http://www.markscomputerguide.co.uk

[hempyuk]

I thought of some more 2

Take a deep breath and try to relax when you first sit down for your exam session. It is very important to control the pressure you might (naturally) feel when taking exams.

You will be provided with a scratch pad. Take a moment to write down any factual information and technical detail that you have committed to short term memory

Do not rush, but also do not linger on difficult questions. The questions vary in degree of difficulty. Dont let yourself be flustered by a particularly hard question

As for changing your answers, i would say the general rule of thumb is dont! If you read the question carefully and completely and you felt like you knew the right answer, you probably did. Do not secound-guess yourself. If as you check your answers, one clearly stands out as being incorrectly marked, of course you should change it. If you are at all unsure, however, go with your first instinct

Hemp
__________________
Welcome to Jamrock
http://www.markscomputerguide.co.uk

[James]

We started this thread with what to avoid on A+. But its evolved into more of a "Do's & Don'ts Thread" containing preparation tips and things to avoid, without getting into courseware specific technical details. Here is an article that contains some more info. Certain parts were compiled using the tips mentioned here.
Preparing for the CompTIA A Plus Certification Exam

Thanks
James

[James]

I have added "& General Tips" to the heading and have pinned this post.

Everyone feel free to add your tips on what to avoid and what to do here.

James

[surfslyder]

write down some key things to go over in your car before exam. get there early they say about 15min. 30 i say to be safe. when you get in to take exam they will give you some paper and pencil write down anything you were studying that you might have trouble with like irq. dma. i/o address. ports. com. whatever. then start test. read carefully test has wierd way of wording some questions. click review for any you are not sure mark something never leave any black then go back to review your selection and you can go back to see all questions.

you can't have anythign with you. i had to take off my hat, empty my pockets and they locked it in locker and gave me a key. hope this helps some

[aebutler]

Make sure you know how to get to the exam test centre and how long it will take you. Ask yourself these simple questions.

Is it best to drvie or use public transport?

Is parking avalible at or near the test centre?

Is the centre easy to find?

The last thing you need is to panic about finding the centre on the morning of your exam.


Alan

[charnellebester@...]

avoid braindumps they are unreliable and inacurate, the best way to pass the exam is to know it all if not atleast something, these exams are hard and not for the faint hearted

[Kenchi Himura]

Hi Guys,
I have done the exam once before, and failed. Like everyone else, I have to stress care when reading questions. Do not assume that you know the answer. Read and understand questions thoroughly. Preparation is key. As long as you are scoring in the upper 90 percent range in practice tests, you are probably more than ready. Be not afraid. I am hoping to do it again at the end of January 06. Also too, bear in mind that a lot of questions have changed, for example, there are now questions on the exam involving linux. When I did the exam last year, there were none of these.
Hope that I was of some help,
Kenchi

[Valdipants]

Know irq configurations!!!!!!!!!

[Colleen Whipple]

One tip I suggest is to keep studying consistenly and take the test as soon as possible. Don't wait. I have not taken the test yet, but some of the information I am studying, I am having a hard time retaining the details. If I was constantly applying the knowledge, it wouldn't be so difficult. Kind of goes with the addage "use it or lose it!!"

[dekethegeek]

Something else to remember: The questions often have extraneous information such as "You are the administrator of iPod Corporations network..."; Ignore that stuff, as it is just there to distract you.

[mikemcdon]

From what they told me if you fail you can retake it at any time. If you fail a second time Comptia requires that you then wait a month to take the test again. I believe it's also the same price, $150 per test.

[c_los1519]

Comptia also has some deals on buying vouchers too, i think i saw a link to that on this website. :ph34r:

[bigbaddave15]

The 24 hours leading up to the exam can be stressful. Here are some things I thought are important to keep in mind, but are often over looked:

1) Get a solid nights sleep the day before

2) Make sure you have eaten before the exam-Failure to do so might make it more difficult to focus on the exam.

3) Bring a bottle of water-I sipped my bottle of water fromt time to time during my test. You don't want to over do and have to use the bathroom 3 times from drinking so much water, but i found that taking a quick sig helps calm the nerves.

4) Wear comfortable clothing/foot wear- Wearing a brand new pair of sneaks might not be the best idea. Also, I dressed in layers. If the testing center was cold, I had a sweat shirt to put on. If it was warm, I could have taken the shirt off. It's nice to have options to simple inconveniences.

5)Exercise the day before- Ive always found exercising to be a good way to relieve stress. If exercise isn't your thing, maybe a nice, relaxing walk will help clear your mind

6) Try to take the test on a day best for you- For instance, taking the test directly after a long day of school or work might leave you tired before you even sit for the exam. I am a college student, and took my hardware exam during my spring break, meaning I could push the Java and Assembly Language stuff from school to the back of my head, and pay close attention the to A+ material.

7) Use the bathroom before sitting for the exam- Although im sure the test adminstrators won't deny you your right to go to the bathroom, getting up during the exam will cost you time, and will make you lose focus.

8) Take a break during the exam- When I got to question 40 on the exam, I just sat back and relaxed for a second. If you need to use the bathroom, now might be the best time. I treated it as a half time/seventh inning stretch sort of thing. Although I never left my chair, I did stretch a bit, and took a minute or 2 to rest before continuing with the exam

-Although these all seem like minor things to keep in mind, I've found that overcoming the simple distractions/obstacles in a given environment is the first step to doing well on any test.

[madmanc4]

i took it (and failed it)

Lots of situational questions. It's really important to reread questions over and over again if you need to. I had plenty of time and just think that knowing how each piece interacts is the best thing for you.

I have always said that when it comes to cert tests... read each question 3 times. That way you should pick up everything in the question... can instead of cannot, most vs least, etc.

[swt95acord]

Mine would have to be just going over all the information. I made a few cd's of recordings on my notes in my own voice that I listened to all the time.