93 replies to this topic

[ukraider]

Hi Guys

After a couple of days basking in the glow of being certified. I though it would be a good opportunity to review some of the study materials I used to pass the exams. I undertook the study on my own in an attempt to gain a recognised certificate so that i can start to look for a new career after 18 years as a psychiatric nurse.

BOOKS
A+ All in One Guide by Mike Myers 5th edition.
I found this an excellent starting point, having no formal training on many of the A+ objectives i though the conent was clear un complicated and easy to follow. once you get over the size of the book 1141 pages with index (I'm not a great book reader) it is easy to set a routine of a chapter at atime. (Recommended)

A+ Passport by Mike Myers 2nd edition
When i finished the All in One guide is started on the Passport. I was pleased to discover that the Passport updated several areas of the AinO guide adding to the ground work of the larger book. The chapter review questions are good at testing how well you had taken in the info. (Recommended)

A+ PC Technician's Pocket Reference by James F Kelly & Brian Schwarz
This book is billed as refernece guide for on the job techs. I found it a useful revision aid as the subject covered in the chanpters are short and to the ppoint. Also it does not take much effort to read.  

Multi Media
I got lucky and borrowed a Learnkey 8 cd course off a friend. It helped to see many real life components and their installation requirements.

I also got a dvd off ebay that had a whole series of video lectures initially with the 2001 objectives but also an update for the 2003 objectives which was very helpful with items such as RAID, SATA etc. i would advise anyone ask questions from sellers to find out the actual contents of such dvd's to make sure you don't get screwed.

Hope the above info helps I will post again regarding audio lectures and lab sim software.

ukraider

[James]

An excellent review I must say.

[COWEYES26]

The Mike Meyers DVD's are great.

[tabnaka]

Other than ProProfs cram sheet, are there any other free cram sheets out there.  or more specifically, are there any free sources for like charts, tables, info that simply list stuff that is important to memorize for the exam??

[James]

We have A+ Tables & Charts article in the wiki. Check that out.

[Bill Havens]

Are the free exam tests the latest material found on the tests?

Thanks
Bill

[James]

Bill: Yes they reflect the latest exam trend but they are not brain dumps. Read the pinned post in About A+ section of forum on FAQ on practice exams

[hcumbaa]

I would think there would be a better break down of the study material besides Myers which I agree is excellent but how about a recommendation on the others  like cram session exam cram dare I mention A+ for dummies and what about the other sites out there I 've found links to Comptia but is there something that Microsoft might offer?

[mahram]

Don't go with Microsoft book which is really hard to follow up and have lots of info which is related to IT but is not helpful fr A+ exam.

[bladespiner]

Thanks


Will be taking cert in jan....thanks for all the helpful hints

[jace5869]

again, we're failing to look beyound the usual study materials. there are other books out that can provide as good and most of the time better information. I would suggest going to amazon.com and looking them up. A+ training Guide is an example of a 5 star book. and if you're totally new, A+ absolute beginners guide. there are more. Go look and see.

[StephenPre]

Dvd's seem to help taking the test in two days

[dpd146]

Has anyone downloaded the practice exams from Mike Myers site?  I am hesitating because it's $75, but 1100 questions should would cover alot of material.  I seem to be learning alot by bombing practice exams.

So far I have read All In One and Dummies.

[JeffJr]

Has anyone downloaded the practice exams from Mike Myers site?  I am hesitating because it's $75, but 1100 questions should would cover alot of material.  I seem to be learning alot by bombing practice exams.

So far I have read All In One and Dummies.

bombing practice exams would consider you as good as failed. If all you read is the dummy book you should try one other, then you should be all set.

[inite32]

THANK YOU, I was wondering what outside resources I could obtain, to assist me in my quest to learn more about this certification pursuit, this will surely help me, and once I am done replying here, I will go online to order for myself, thank you very much  

[Quinntessential]

inite32 also remember to check out the webshool, quizshcool, flashcards and the wiki sections of this site as well.  You can find links to all four of these at the top of this page.

[inite32]

I am still exploring my options, seems that I have taken on a character of a sponge, at times overwhelming yet exciting (hope my girlfriend doesn't read this)she already hates competing with the computer as it is, but thanx for the additional info  

[Jmart]

Anyone use the Thomson
The Ultimate CompTIA A+ Resource Kit

[Thor08]

did you ever try using testoutonline and do you think its a good resource

could you send me a copy of your cramsheets to myprofile at [email protected] ethir way thanxs

[NMRTechie]

Anyone use PrepLogic's stuff and, if so, what did/do you think?