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Calling all A+ Certified folks

W

WildFrisco

Weaksauce
Joined
Jun 6, 2002
Messages
89
While I'm unemployed, I think I would like to obtain an A+ Certification. I've used CompTIA's site to find a training center, and it turns out it'll cost about $1,800 for two classes worth, self-paced. They quoted about 10 to 15 hours per week, and about 2 months of studying. I don't even know how much it'll cost to register and take the actual test itself. Sometimes I'll come across sample tests and can correctly answer (without guessing) more than 50% of the questions, and I would like to say almost 75% correct with some guessed. I have a feeling though that still wouldn't be good enough to pass. Where should I start? Is there a better (free) way to go about this?
 
I'd get one of the study books with practice test CD. There are a lot of books out there, the Meyers(sp?) books are suppose to be good.
 
A+ is not hard if you can build/ torubleshoot a PC you most likely know the importent stuff
just get book with a practice test CD as stated and run that once see were your lacking and study up shouldnt take you more then a month if you know what your doing to start with btw A+ on it own wont get you a job >.< i know im A+ and Linux+ and i have been working crap jobs for 3 years not ; ; some one pm with a job offer ^^ ill move if i have to lol
 
see if a local community college has A+ Prep classes you can take. I'm in a class at Amarillo College called "Micro-computer Architecture" which for me is a "Shit I already know" class to pad my GPA. There's a followup class to that I take starting in March called "----peripherals" or again "Shit I already know." They are both designed to prepare you for the A+ though the college doesn't administer the certification exam. It'd be MUCH cheaper than that commercial training center class, and if your income is low enough you can get the class paid for through Federal student aid.
 
holy hell $1800?

if you can name all the parts in the systems in your sig you could probably pass that test, all i did was read the A+ for dummies book and practically aced it
 
I just studied at a B&N, only took 2 weeks to study...But I had a lot of hands on experiance......I would never pay 1800 for such an easy test....
 
For the most part, buy a book or two and read them cover to cover, re-reading any sections that seem complex. When I got my A+ 6+ years ago it included things like printer electronics and a bit on monitor electronics, as well as diagnosing a few specific windows problems. If you get the book and everything seems easy, then I'd say go for the test(s). When I took it, there were two and they were paid for by my employer, but if memory serves, came to about $500 cdn.
 
It isnt bad, I did well on it, but a lot of people make it out to be easier than it is, you need to study. There is random stuff on there you wouldnt normally think about before hand, IRQs, boot sequence files, etc. Sure its not all hard but how many people that build computers have silly things memorized?
 
Mr_Evil said:
I'm in a class at Amarillo College called "Micro-computer Architecture" which for me is a "Shit I already know" class to pad my GPA. .
Click to expand...

Went to AJC myself many years ago - then to WT in Canyon for undergrad in CIS. But had to move away for the better tech jobs to DFW.
 
Did the troubleshooting part cause problems for anyone? Or was it just me...real world experience sure ruins things.. :(
 
lol if you can build a comp, get a A+ book and study things you dont know like windows troubleshooting,regestry,printers and printer trouble shooting, all the dumb shit no one should care about
 
Wow these are all great ideas; hilarious some of them are, hehe. I like that Barnes & Noble idea, should've thought of that myself. I guess I could even try a used bookstore as well. $1,800? Yep I talked to a rep on the phone about that one. I forgot to ask if that included the actual test/registration fee (probably not). Someone else stated the actual test for him was near $500 cdn, which is about $410 usd. There were some questions that caught me, like printer technology since I don't use printers anymore. But things like the BIOS/IRQs were no problem. Troubleshooting causing problems for some? Yeah, but it's those experiences that'll make you a more competent troubleshooter and realistic about things. And to reply to another comment, yeah I realize this single-handedly won't land me a decent job. I've seen many other higher qualified (CCNA, MCSE) friends jobless too. Thanks for the replies, I think I know what I'm going to do about the studying (just want to make sure I pass it the very first time). The only thing left is to find out how much the test will cost.
 
if you have worked with PC's before its preatty easy. I know they have probally changed it since I took mine but when I did take it they took me about 20 minuets or less to finish and I passed with flying colors. They did ask some stupid questions from back in the 3.1 days and some old hardware ones also but its all straight forward. Just get an up to date study book and do the practice test in it and you should be fine. then go to some place that does the testing and pay for the tests. They are like a max of 30 questions (unless it has changed) and can be done in as little as 20 questions.
 
zone_86 said:
Went to AJC myself many years ago - then to WT in Canyon for undergrad in CIS. But had to move away for the better tech jobs to DFW.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I'm afraid that's what I'm going to have to do. I'm at AC right now working on an Associates in Electronics Technology with Cisco Specialty, then I'm transferring to WT for a BS in CIS. Every place here in Amarillo you'd THINK would need alot of techs either don't pay well or they have someone pulling double duty.
 
Blauman said:
if you have worked with PC's before its preatty easy. I know they have probally changed it since I took mine but when I did take it they took me about 20 minuets or less to finish and I passed with flying colors. They did ask some stupid questions from back in the 3.1 days and some old hardware ones also but its all straight forward. Just get an up to date study book and do the practice test in it and you should be fine. then go to some place that does the testing and pay for the tests. They are like a max of 30 questions (unless it has changed) and can be done in as little as 20 questions.
Click to expand...
i read it was like 2 80(or 90 i dont remember) question test
 
yeah they more than likely did change it. I think they changed it not to long after I took it, so I guess I got lucky :).
 
its an addative test now heh the more you get right the harder it gets yet i still got the highest score you can on the hardware side and like ok on the software the test cost like ~100 US i think or was when i did it in 02 soo
 
yeah I had an adaptive one as well. except if at 20 questions you were getting them all right it would kick you out and you would pass. if you went past 20 you would 10 more to get a passing score.
 
If anyone takes those classes, for $1800, he/she SHOULD NOT be in the IT field. If you're that hopelessly out of it, you should start flipping burgers. :rolleyes:

I studied off the web. All the free practice tests I could take. For the hardware test, all you had to do was memorize all the IRQs, I/O addresses, CPU types, etc. It was pretty easy. The software one has changed drastically since I took it, I just had to memorize the boot process for win9x.
Here is my advice.
1) Drop $50-$100 on a couple good books.
2) Do as many practice questions as you can. There are TONS of free ones for A+.
3) Pass test.

If you're a true geek, you will have no trouble passing these tests.

Seriously though. If someone has to take an $1800 class for the A+ certification, they have no business touching a computer for anything other than checking their AOL email account.
 
I got my A+ in Jan 03, and have always recommended this book to everyone, and many of these threads:

A+ All in one Guide by Michael Meyers.
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?userid=ex1Ii9pAEL&endeca=1&isbn=0072229918&itm=1

I read the 4th edition, and aced it. It's such a good book, I read it twice. It was 1107 pages at the time. When I took it 2 years ago, most of the questions on the test were on the practice test cd that was included.

Best part.... If you write Michael Meyers, he will write back. I had to ask him a few questions about the test, and he replied the next day.

From my experience in the IT field, the certs most employers are looking at now are certs like MCSE, RHCT,, Security-related exams, etc... I only took the A+ because my current job made me so they could say everyone in their dept was certified. As for looking for other jobs with it, I found some 2-3 day contract jobs, or best of all, repairing cash machines :eek:

Enough ranting... Good luck! I do have to say it was the most fun certification i've done, with Network+ coming in second.
 
Hey is it okay to give a good site that will help you study, if not a mod can remove it :)
http://www.mcmcse.com/

1) They have practice test
2) They have a forum where other people studying will give you support and help answer your questions.
3) They have a directory where you can search for study material
and last but not least
4) The are an anti cheat site and really push you to study and learn which is always a good thing.

That site along with hands on and good books helped me obtain my Comtia Certifications
 
Ryck said:
Hey is it okay to give a good site that will help you study, if not a mod can remove it :)
http://www.mcmcse.com/

1) They have practice test
2) They have a forum where other people studying will give you support and help answer your questions.
3) They have a directory where you can search for study material
and last but not least
4) The are an anti cheat site and really push you to study and learn which is always a good thing.

That site along with hands on and good books helped me obtain my Comtia Certifications
Click to expand...
Haven't had time to look at it in detail, but that site looks pretty sweet. It should help with my 70-270 test. Thanks!
 
Ryck said:
http://www.mcmcse.com/

1) They have practice test
2) They have a forum where other people studying will give you support and help answer your questions.
3) They have a directory where you can search for study material
and last but not least
4) The are an anti cheat site and really push you to study and learn which is always a good thing.

That site along with hands on and good books helped me obtain my Comtia Certifications
Click to expand...


Oooh hey, this looks like a great site. Thanks!
 
I took the A+ test about 4 years ago and it was cake for me. Just spend some money on a good book or two, know them inside and out and you'll pass. The cost for the tests for me was $256 total ($128 per test) from a regular Prometric authorized testing center.
 
Hey no problem, sorry I forgot to tell everyone that they help with other certifications as well. The were very helpful when I took my Server+ and I-Net+ test this past year
 
I'm pretty happy with mcmcse too. I signed up for their email updates, and every time I get them, they have test discounts and vouchers of some sort. They also let you know when beta tests are coming out, and when they're beta, they're free most of the time. Had a bud of mine get Server+ that way after I forwarded him the mcmcse email. Cert21.com isn't bad either.
 
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