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A+ certification question

S

sram

[H]ard|Gawd
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Jul 30, 2007
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I heard that any A+ certificate earned after this year finishes will have to be renewed every three years, is this 100% true?? If it is true then I'll have to go take the test as soon as
possible. I have been slacking on this!


Thanks
 
were the it industry stands a+ cert is now pritty worthless unless you plan on doing microsoft certs i did my a+ and n+ certs way back in 2003 so they prob dont stand now with how much has changed
 
It is true. Any CompTIA cert earned after December 31st of this year will expire every 3 years. It's not so much CompTIA's doing as it is ANSI, because ANSI became the accreditation agency for CompTIA. Just make sure to get certified before then to earn a lifetime cert.
 
maxius said:
a+ is still good to get your foot in the door
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Exactly. It's good for when you just don't have any paid experience, because it shows that you at least have a basic knowledge of computer hardware and software. Kind of how a driver's license doesn't mean you're the best driver in the world, but it shows that you have a basic understanding of how to operate a vehicle and what the road signs mean. No matter what certification or degree you have, paid experience will always win out over a scrap of paper. A+ won't get you an advanced job as a Webserver or Database Admin(and neither will any other certification if you don't have some kind of experience), but it's a good start for an entry-level position like help desk support or a field technician.
 
It is true. Any CompTIA cert earned after December 31st of this year will expire every 3 years. It's not so much CompTIA's doing as it is ANSI, because ANSI became the accreditation agency for CompTIA. Just make sure to get certified before then to earn a lifetime cert.
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That's awful. Just another scheme to make money. Glad I already got my cert.
 
Thanks folks. Well you know, I find it not "correct" to have some decent IT background & experience and not have something official to back it up. I'm sure I'm better than many of those who has A+ cert so I feel like I have to take it. I'll study for one week and take the exam the week after, and I'll let you guys know how it went !

Wish me good luck
 
I never took the A+ cert seriously to begin with, I already have a year of experience in a shop and I have a feeling that holds more credibility then an A+... I left to go back to school.

Not that I plan on working on computers as a job anymore...
 
sram said:
Thanks folks. Well you know, I find it not "correct" to have some decent IT background & experience and not have something official to back it up. I'm sure I'm better than many of those who has A+ cert so I feel like I have to take it. I'll study for one week and take the exam the week after, and I'll let you guys know how it went !

Wish me good luck
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I took my A+ cert a few months ago and passed. I think real world experience is what helped me. Alot of the questions are geared towards real world scenario's some of which I don't recall even being in the CompTIA book. If you have had alot of hands on experience I would suggest you brush up on terminology and a few basic things with printers and soho networks and protocol types. If you have never really worked with pc's before then try and get as much out of the books as possible. And don't worry about old old hardware from the AT era its not on the new exams anymore.
 
If a company were ever to choose not to interview/hire me based on my not having A+ I wouldn't want to work there anyway. If 13 years of experience isn't good enough for them they can kiss my nether regions.
 
arentol said:
If a company were ever to choose not to interview/hire me based on my not having A+ I wouldn't want to work there anyway. If 13 years of experience isn't good enough for them they can kiss my nether regions.
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This is my exact frame of thought and yet, I have trouble landing interviews in the Atlanta region. But, like you said, I probably would not want to work at a lot of those places anyhow.
 
Okay I went and took the two exams today one after the other(Although not recommended). I was able to pass, thanks go to God and to my many years of playing with computers/reading forums like this very one!, and lastly to last week's preparation.

Some questions were stupid I think, and some didn't have 100% correct answers. Heck, there were some grammar mistakes even! I don't care though I passed.............Congratulate me!

Here is a screenie of the result report of one of the exams:



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Let's say that my target is to get the MCSE certificate, what would be a wise move to do now?. Just go study for it? Or maybe get another easier network certificate?

Also, if I want to stack some IT certificates (Stupid huh?), what would be the best ones to have ?

Thanks to all.
 
A+ is a great way to weed out people, just as having 4 year degree, and other requirements is.

If you truly think its useless, I'm sorry to see you feel that way. Since getting it, I've had more job opportunities coupled with my work history, than I did with just my experience alone.

Does that mean its the end all be all, no, not by any means, its a vendor neutral certification designed to showcase basic knowledge.

I'm currently going back and forth for a contract job right now, its main requirement was stipulated as "A+ Certified technician".

So, while you might have the experience, w/o the label, you wouldn't get considered. Is it fair, no cause a guy with 13 years probably knows his stuff, but thats how HR works these days. You either adapt, or you suffer.

I paid $220 for my tests (I'm A+ Remote Service Tech), and if this one works out, I'll have paid for the cert within 2 days of work, thats on top of the previous job. So, do the math, to a technical person we understand its not a high level cert, but HR is not necessarily technical people.

It opens doors, and in this job market, do you really want to artificially close doors on yourself?

With that said, yes, they're all correct about the A+. They were going to make it retroactive back to previous certification holders, but a lot of A+ holders bitched @ CompTIA because most have evolved beyond what A+ offers, so it was stupid to have to recertify for lower quality items just to maintain the certification.

By the way, this is applicable to ALL CompTIA certs, so if you plan on doing others, do them prior to Dec 31, or you'll have to recert in 3 years to maintain the credential. As far as "make more money" thing goes. C'mon, MS expires its certifications now. Once Windows Vista is cut off from support, your Vista certifications will go with it. XP likewise, and Windows 7 when that becomes an issue.

There's nothing wrong with staying on top of the technology changes for me. I always felt that if I kept wanting to learn, I'd never bring the most to the table for myself or my employer, part job security, part my never ending desire to know more than I do today.

(Edited after OP posted his report)

If you want to move into MCSE, then having Network+ with A+ will give you 1 part for your MCSE, the benefit to MCSE at this point, is that it does not retire like the newer MCITP exams. Its the final "for life" certification from MS. For example, if I wanted to complete my MCSE I have A+/Net+ and 70-270 MCP on XP. Those 3 actually count as 2 parts of the MCSE. So, if you want to go that path, then you might be wise going that route. Instead I'm focusing on Windows 7 / Server 2008. The industry showed me in its early adoption of Windows 7 that most companies will be moving there within a relatively short amount of time compared to previous things (XP/Vista rollouts). Does that mean a MCSE has no value, absolutely not, but as time goes on, you'll want to certify in the newer technologies anyway to keep yourself on the top of the heap.

And congrats on your A+. Its a good feeling when you knock out that first one. Build on your excitement, and push forward. Network+ is really easy if you understand OSI model, IP and subnetting, and basic networking configuration TCP/IP information. I suggest you jump on it, especially if you opt to do what you are planning on. If you need some study guides or help with anything feel free to let me know, I'll help you out with the resources I used.

Not to mention, the other benefit Network+ has is most of its foundation is built into a CCNA, and it will help you go that route too if you decided to.
 
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stiltner, thanks for your nice post. It is a relief ! I think I'll go study for Network + then. Not too much networking knowledge though, but I'll manage!

As for resources, I'll be grateful if you can send me what you used or direct me to the good ones.
 
I've read that A+ is worth 10-15% salary raise. I plan on taking mine in a few weeks to go along with my AAS. Should be good for around $18-20/hour with my 3 years of experience. I have 3 terms left on my BA so it's some nice paper to have until then at least.
 
bigdogchris said:
I've read that A+ is worth 10-15% salary raise. I plan on taking mine in a few weeks to go along with my AAS. Should be good for around $18-20/hour with my 3 years of experience. I have 3 terms left on my BA so it's some nice paper to have until then at least.
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Go for it, it won't hurt! I suggest sybex study material. Good luck.
 
sram said:
Go for it, it won't hurt! I suggest sybex study material. Good luck.
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Almost 75% way through the Exam Cram A+ Guide!

So, how long did it take you to take both exams?
 
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I took mine over a 2 week period. I could have taken them back to back, but I wanted to do it so I didn't feel rushed. I did my A+ with no study material.

Network+ I did with Sybex book, and that was really about it.

I think I passed my A+ tests with low to mid 800's range scores
and my Network+ was high 800's (not that it matters, its all pass/fail grading in the end, you either do or you don't).

I'll PM you sram, with some information.

*If you mean how much time did I spend in the testing center, I think you're allowed 90 minutes? I probably spent 25 minutes on my first test and
30 on the 2nd*
 
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A+ and Net+ are all about memorizing nearly useless facts and my brain is all full of useless comicbook facts so no room. it actually took me a couple tries on my net+ but this was before I worked for an ISP in 2003 and couldnt tell you how to convert decimal to binary then to hex. My tests were full of awful IRQ questions and fiber connectors we dont use anymore.

How long the certification is valid?

The certifications offered by CompTIA are valid for a life time. Though, it is recommended that you retake your certification when new exams are available, it is not compulsory.
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I do however recommend having both. It may not get you a job interview but A+ says you have a base line knowledge of computers and Net+ says I dont have to explain to you what twisted pair means.

I like these certs because they mean "You're not so dumb I cant stand to be in the same room with you"

Im not exaggerating when I say I've run into people at my work who could explain what a BGP community-list is but cant troubleshoot a possibly bad PSU on their work pc.

A+ Net+ = not epic but still worth a couple afternoons of studying and testing.
 
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No way is A+ useless (stated above, I'm too lazy to quote). I'm working on my 4 year degree in networking right now, and as I look for jobs in that field, if I had just gotten my A+ cert and maybe another one, I could have a low level job to get started in the field. It's amazing how many job ad's and such say A+ certification or other certifications required.
 
The A+ is useless in itself, the only reason to have one is because an employer will demand you have it before you apply for the job, thus its good to have to get your foot in the door if your just starting out in the industry, even though it is infact a pile of shit and why they insist on you having it when applying for a job is beyond me.

But if your just starting out, I spose its better to have and not need, than to need and not have.
 
maxius said:
a+ is still good to get your foot in the door
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This is true. I have my A+, Net+, and Sec+. Do they prove I know anything? No. BUT they will get me looked at for jobs that I would otherwise be passed over on if I didn't have them.

Certs are absolutely necessary in the IT industry, as is college.
 
I have never gone and gotten any of the CompTIA certs as they are usualy looked as simple check boxes to be filled and unless you have experience then most employers don't give a second look. Now with that said these exams are great for indivuals that are looking for a start and haven't got the years of experience in the books yet. I have my CISSP cert for this very reason that it is a checkbox that some employers (or Government) require and therefore gives me a slight edge over those that don't. However I have met quite a few holders of the CISSP (and other certs) that it proved nothing more than they could memorize a book.

So it really boils down to the question "Will this cert get me something?"
 
Whether or not you have to recertify, things change so quickly in the IT field you have to keep learning to keep up. I got my certification 2 years ago, and I used some of what I learned when I created my review site at http://www.topfivecomputers.com/ but I think the A+ is just the beginning. For those interested in networking, the Network+ and Cisco certifications are the next step.
 
Took the A+ today.

Test 1 - Essentials 701: 846
Test 2 - Practical App 702: 873

Anyone who says this test is 'worthless' is 'clueless'. A lot of the policy and procedures on here are common sense but not everyone practices them. If I were a business owner I would want my guys to know this stuff because I've seen it done differently by people who really don't know what they are doing and the results show.

Of both test, the only question I felt I didn't have any clue what-so-ever was one like "What command do you use to set a bar code reader to horizontal dash" ... or something like that. The choices were like /r /t /d, or something like that. I have absolutely no idea what it's even talking about, lol.
GregP24 said:
This is true. I have my A+, Net+, and Sec+. Do they prove I know anything? No. BUT they will get me looked at for jobs that I would otherwise be passed over on if I didn't have them.

Certs are absolutely necessary in the IT industry, as is college.
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They don't? So any random person off the street could take and pass them?

You guys are looking at these test all wrong. For someone with zero experience, except what they learn in college, these test would be difficult. Most of you have 5-10 years or more experience so yes, they are very easy to you. It would be like asking a school teacher to take a test designed for high school kids. Yes it's easy for the teacher but the students still had to work to pass it.
 
I took my A+ several months ago and just got off a job this weekend that paid me almost double what I was used to making. The only requirement was an A+. Like what was said before, it might not be the best in the world but it is invaluable for opening doors. Ideally you don't stop with A+ but it's helpful for the beginning. To HR people, even one certification is more impressive than someone with nothing.
 
Took my A+ several years ago and never regretted it at all, it helps get your foot in the door, also most places want to see it regardless of your experience or not.
 
bigdogchris said:
They don't? So any random person off the street could take and pass them?

You guys are looking at these test all wrong. For someone with zero experience, except what they learn in college, these test would be difficult. Most of you have 5-10 years or more experience so yes, they are very easy to you. It would be like asking a school teacher to take a test designed for high school kids. Yes it's easy for the teacher but the students still had to work to pass it.
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Case in point, earlier today I had to explain to one of our lower level Security+ certified techs what a CA and CRL are and how they work.
 
GregP24 said:
Case in point, earlier today I had to explain to one of our lower level Security+ certified techs what a CA and CRL are and how they work.
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Well some people get lucky I guess. I for one read almost 480 pages of material I already knew, just to pick up the bits I might miss. I suppose not everyone is that serious about their study if they want to do well on a certification test.
 
I am NOT a Comp Sci person, but I do have over 10 years of hobbyist experience with PCs. My background is in the geosciences, but I recently attracted attention with a major oil company as a geologic software and hardware tester. I gained that attention by mentioning I am pursuing A+ certification during my interview.

I consider myself an expert already, and I could certainly pass the test right now, but I have decided to purchase a study book (a 1,200 page A+ and beyond textbook) and work through that before taking the tests. And you know what? I am still learning things I did not know from this book, even in the earlier chapters. Do I need to know everything in this book to pass the tests? Hell no! Does it directly benefit my knowledge base? Hell yes! So, to those of you who bash A+, you're 100% wrong. Yeah, it may be a fairly low-level cert in the IT industry, but it gets you jobs, no matter what field you're in. Studying for the test also rounds out your knowledge base and makes you a better person. Besides, a bit of humility never hurt anyone....
 
They made A+/Network+/Security+ required at my job, for everyone from help desk types to sysadmins and managers. Even if you were already employed.

There was definitely a wide skill range in the people required to get it (basically everyone related to IT), but everyone passed eventually and the employer paid for the whole thing. I wouldn't say everyone is trained though, Pass4Sure was heavily used since it gives you literally the same questions to study as are on the real test.
 
i myself just took both tests. took about 20 minutes each and got six wrong total on both test. what a joke, but employers like to see that paper.
 
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