I failed the A+

Gabe3

2[H]4U
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May 23, 2006
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I took the essentials and technician today. Technician I took first with a passing score of 740 (700 needed to pass). Then I took a 20 minute break outside and had lunch, came back in and took the essentials with a failing score of 655 (675 needed to pass).

Kinda pissed, spent $145 on one voucher and now I need another to re-take. Thats $431 total if I can pass the essentials if I decide to take it.
 
I've heard they've started to make the A+ harder. I know when I took it; it was really easy. Sucks to lose that money though. What did you use to study?
 
Any idea what you messed up on?

Btw the A+ is pretty much useless if you have comparable experience.
 
I studied the essentials stuff a bit but I couldn't get it to stick in my head, a lot of the questions are networking things and navigating through menus in windows XP which I no longer use since vista came out.
 
Don't let it stop you....get up, wipe the dirt off of your butt..and go take it again. Repeat if necessary until you pass..then move into the next course.

I disagree about A+ being useless, IMO it's the beginning of building blocks for an education in this field. A good foundation to build your education on. Gotta start with the basics.

In the years in the IT field...I can always pickout what I call the "paper cert" guys. Meaning, those who didn't really have any background in the field, the obviously didn't take classes and pass tests in traditional building block order..they just skipped and went for that fancy MSCE certification...."crammed" for the test at brain dump sites. When you put a network card in their hand and tell them to install it manually with a specific version of drivers....they look at you like a deer caught in headlights...totally as useless as tits on a nun.
 
Don't let it stop you....get up, wipe the dirt off of your butt..and go take it again. Repeat if necessary until you pass..then move into the next course.

I disagree about A+ being useless, IMO it's the beginning of building blocks for an education in this field. A good foundation to build your education on. Gotta start with the basics.

In the years in the IT field...I can always pickout what I call the "paper cert" guys. Meaning, those who didn't really have any background in the field, the obviously didn't take classes and pass tests in traditional building block order..they just skipped and went for that fancy MSCE certification...."crammed" for the test at brain dump sites. When you put a network card in their hand and tell them to install it manually with a specific version of drivers....they look at you like a deer caught in headlights...totally as useless as tits on a nun.


Read what I said again. You don't need it if you have the experience in the field, or whatever you want to call it. A good employer will recognize that.
 
i have 4 years helpdesk experience and 1 year email server admin experience/win2k3, and a degree in teaching/history/economics, 3.6gpa ... magna cum laude..

most places tell me if you had certificates we could then hire you... since contracts with our support companies say we have certified pros...

A+ won't hurt:)

i got an exam cram book its pretty nice (a red one lol if that helps).

next i'm working on mcitp.
http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?p=1032939666#post1032939666
 
Read what I said again. You don't need it if you have the experience in the field, or whatever you want to call it. A good employer will recognize that.

I don't have to, I easily grasped it the first time. But I stand by what I said. Adding to that..sure, the class can be boring if you have tons of experience, I yawned through mine..heck I could have taught it. But there's still something you learn, you hear experiences from others in the classes, and IMO there is no substitution for going through the proper steps in education.

Some certs have pre-reqs. Nothing wrong with having them already under your belt. ;)
 
Just want to put my .02

Unless you plan on servicing computers at compusa or joining the geeksquad the A+ is 100% pointless. Period.

stonecat does bring up a good point about it being a good starting point, but its only a good starting point if, like I said, you're going into building and repairing computers. Same thing for the Net+\CCNA and MCP certifications, they're great starting points for people that want to being their careers in either networking or microsoft system administration.

I cant begin to tell you how many times Ive seen people apply for a networking engineering position and have the A+ on their resume and it be passed up on because the certification has such a bad name. TRUST ME, I have seen this.

Do yourself a favor, pass up on this exam... choose which path you want to go down, either systems administration or networking then chose the certification and knock that out. Seriously dude, why the hell would you need to know which pin on a PS2 connector controls the right click?

Good luck man.
 
uhhh A+ is pointless regardless of where you go. we usually end up firing all our A+ guys and the best technicians we have, including the guys that go out to people's houses aren't A+. there is no respect for that certification
 
yeah but if it is required for a job... its useful..

for someone that has a degree in non-IT it can help show your certified... but its best to get something microsoft soon after and put this on the bottom of your list in your resume
 
That sucks mate. While many claim its useless in the field, I say if you personally want to get it, then why not. Try again, it never hurts to have it really and your learning in the process.

For me: I never took the A+ for a few reasons; of one which was the seemingly crazy answers to some of their questions. While taking the many practice exams I came across this question:

"A user is having trouble installing XYZ Software on their computer and is getting increasingly frustrated. How should you react/handle the situation"

Answer Choices were:

1) Hang up -- This user obviously doesn't know what they are doing.

2) Ask to speak to someone else in the office that can assist

3) Yell at the User calling them names

4) Tell the user they don't understand and to find other means of solving the problem.

From these choices I thought it was quite obvious that I would ask for someone else that could help guide the user though what I was saying. Nope, the correct answer was, and I shit you not, hang up. Baffled.
 
Well that IS the correct answer, but not the answer you want for good customer service:)
 
uhhh A+ is pointless regardless of where you go. we usually end up firing all our A+ guys and the best technicians we have, including the guys that go out to people's houses aren't A+. there is no respect for that certification

Then your interviewing and hiring process is flawed. The A+ cert in the right hands is a good thing. Just like any other degree or certification. Don't hire the cert, hire the person.

The certification shows that you know the basics, want to learn and apply yourself, and want to work in the field. It doesn't mean that you know EVERYTHING (who does?!), but it shows that you can figure it out and that you WANT to learn. Given experience and the cert, it shows a lot. Given more certs, it really shows you want to grow in your career and not just a person looking for a job.

That said, I earned my A+ in 99, and went from there. I had my Win2K certs, working on 2003 Server MCSA, have my Vista MCITP, going for W2K8 MCITP, and Cisco (focusing on Cisco due to shitty Prometric and long distance to take Microsoft exams... Gotta get hotel, etc. just to take exam).

The A+ is a good beginning certification. Coupled with the Network+, you already accomplished a Microsoft elective if you were to pursue the MCSA. I'd hire an A+ cert holder, if they could pass my interview (which is where you should be testing a lot of their claims on the resume and computer knowledge!). No harm in asking technical questions at an interview. Or having them repair/build a computer in front of you...

I say to the OP: Get up, study your ass off, and take it again. You know the style of questions, you won't be as nervous, but more determined!
 
I dont know much about this stuff as I am just barely starting out. I have NO certs whatsoever and have been looking through alot of entry level IT job listings here in Austin. I would say the majority of the beginning entry level jobs (that kind that a guy like me needs to get) list an A+ as required or at least preffered. So I figure I better get it. I wouldnt call it useless if it gets me started on my career path.
 
Try again OP. People including myself sometimes falls some stupid tests... the building character is the ability to get up and try again.

As for those comments that A+ is useless, it's not. It's an additional certification that reinforces your knowledge in the subject. If the A+ is such a joke, why don't you have it already? It looks good on your resume because it shows goals, it also shows that you are who you say you are and it gives some accreditation to your practices.

Also, some businesses want an A+ candidate, while the employer may not care that the candidate has an A+ or not when it comes to experience, the recruiter may not know the difference and filter your resume out because you didn't meet minimum requirements. I've seen people being filtered out simply because the recruiter or screener has no concept of networking/computers.
 
i have experience i just want the cert... not sure if its even worth my time lol.

anyways... if you go to college get a job at your helpdesk. you work 10-20hours a week, meet chicks, make fun of nerds... and your one of the 10 people that probably showers! its a cakewalk job and you get great resume experience if you stick around for more than a year for helpdesk and it support
 
As for those comments that A+ is useless, it's not. It's an additional certification that reinforces your knowledge in the subject.
For the most part it is, unless like I said you are applying for a general computer repair job.

If the A+ is such a joke, why don't you have it already?
I wouldn't waste my time on it, im testing for the CCIE lab in 7 days....:p


Also, some businesses want an A+ candidate, while the employer may not care that the candidate has an A+ or not when it comes to experience, the recruiter may not know the difference and filter your resume out because you didn't meet minimum requirements. I've seen people being filtered out simply because the recruiter or screener has no concept of networking/computers.
This is EXACTLY the only reason to nab this certification, if the job requires it... or if you're going to get a bonus or something if you get it.
 
I don't mind the more technical(ish) questions, but the common sense customer service related questions are just pointless. Also they need to focus LESS on actual point and click Windows crap, and focus more on the general theories. For example:

What do you click to do X? should be:

Why do you click X to do Y? And a follow up could be:

And how do you implement X in Y environment?
 
Just want to put my .02

Unless you plan on servicing computers at compusa or joining the geeksquad the A+ is 100% pointless. Period.

stonecat does bring up a good point about it being a good starting point, but its only a good starting point if, like I said, you're going into building and repairing computers. Same thing for the Net+\CCNA and MCP certifications, they're great starting points for people that want to being their careers in either networking or microsoft system administration.

I cant begin to tell you how many times Ive seen people apply for a networking engineering position and have the A+ on their resume and it be passed up on because the certification has such a bad name. TRUST ME, I have seen this.

Do yourself a favor, pass up on this exam... choose which path you want to go down, either systems administration or networking then chose the certification and knock that out. Seriously dude, why the hell would you need to know which pin on a PS2 connector controls the right click?

Good luck man.

Bingo. No one really cares about the A+ certification. It just has very little merit in today's market where most employers require college degrees, in addition to experience. Heck, I can't hire anyone without a college degree (Not my call, unfortunately), even if they have a lot of experience. And although I give some value to it, most higher-ups and infrastructure support elitists don't.
 
Well that IS the correct answer, but not the answer you want for good customer service:)

But the section had to do with Customer Service! :eek: Crazy Exam. Meh, I studied enough for the thing maybe I'll take it soon after all.

Does the exam still have like a huge chunk on printer and HD repair?
 
You failed the A+ when the job market is bad anyways.
 
I'd say just try it again after studying for a few days. Take the weekend and breathe, study for a bit then sign up and take it again.

I failed one of my exams for the MCPD: Windows Developer certification from Microsoft because I had ~12 hours to study before I took the exam (voucher was going to expire, never hurts to try!) If I had studied for more than one day I would've passed it without issue--I'm sure things will be similar for you. Once you are able to focus on it (and since you passed the other exam you can focus a bit more) I'm sure you will be fine.

202276
 
I just made all of our techs pass their A+ certification because Lenovo requires the A+ before you can service their equipment inhouse. (Lenovo Self-Maintainer program)

PITA for them, but i figure it can't hurt them.
 
That said, I earned my A+ in 99, and went from there. I had my Win2K certs, working on 2003 Server MCSA, have my Vista MCITP, going for W2K8 MCITP, and Cisco (focusing on Cisco due to shitty Prometric and long distance to take Microsoft exams... Gotta get hotel, etc. just to take exam).

The A+ is a good beginning certification. Coupled with the Network+, you already accomplished a Microsoft elective if you were to pursue the MCSA. I'd hire an A+ cert holder, if they could pass my interview (which is where you should be testing a lot of their claims on the resume and computer knowledge!). No harm in asking technical questions at an interview. Or having them repair/build a computer in front of you...

I say to the OP: Get up, study your ass off, and take it again. You know the style of questions, you won't be as nervous, but more determined!

I totally agree, get your A+ then continue your education, if you follow the track and show that you can inprove and want to better yourself, then there is nothing wrong with it-other than the expense, wish the retests where cheaper(FREE) heh heh.
 
There is nothing wrong with the A+. It is just at the bottom of the list, entry-level if you will, of certifications so everyone likes to make fun of it and say how they know so much more than what the A+ tests. Somethings got to be the butt of the jokes for insecure techies. :)
 
Don't let it stop you....get up, wipe the dirt off of your butt..and go take it again. Repeat if necessary until you pass..then move into the next course.

I disagree about A+ being useless, IMO it's the beginning of building blocks for an education in this field. A good foundation to build your education on. Gotta start with the basics.

In the years in the IT field...I can always pickout what I call the "paper cert" guys. Meaning, those who didn't really have any background in the field, the obviously didn't take classes and pass tests in traditional building block order..they just skipped and went for that fancy MSCE certification...."crammed" for the test at brain dump sites. When you put a network card in their hand and tell them to install it manually with a specific version of drivers....they look at you like a deer caught in headlights...totally as useless as tits on a nun.

He pretty much sums it up better then I can. Besides you already have made the attempt and are half way done. You should finish it. As others have said it is a building block. Get it and move on. It can't hurt you.

Try again OP. People including myself sometimes falls some stupid tests... the building character is the ability to get up and try again.

As for those comments that A+ is useless, it's not. It's an additional certification that reinforces your knowledge in the subject. If the A+ is such a joke, why don't you have it already? It looks good on your resume because it shows goals, it also shows that you are who you say you are and it gives some accreditation to your practices.

Also, some businesses want an A+ candidate, while the employer may not care that the candidate has an A+ or not when it comes to experience, the recruiter may not know the difference and filter your resume out because you didn't meet minimum requirements. I've seen people being filtered out simply because the recruiter or screener has no concept of networking/computers.

More good points.
 
I've always looked at it like the certs will get you the interview, your knowledge will get you the job. Get the certs, no one hires against certs but make sure you have more to round out your resume than just the A+.
 
I'm getting my A+ and Net+ only because I get an extra 2k+ a year bonus. It isn't much money, but it's worth the time to go ahead and get it when I consider that after 10 years that's 20k.. My job will give you at least 1k-2k a year for every cert you get as a bonus, so I'm just going to get all of them.. Even Microsoft Office gives 1500/year. So I figure, hell, it's nice to have an incentive.. and there's always the opportunity you might learn something you didn't know before, even if you were already proficient.

I say get every cert you can, so long as you don't stop at A+ it won't be holding you back. Get it, realize that it's not going to be that useful in a tech job that pays more than $15-20/hr.. and then work towards better things. Everybody starts somewhere, and I think that if you possess the A+ and are professional and let it be known that you are seriouss about your career and increasing your knowledge you'll do better than the guy who comes in and acts like a douche and doesn't have his A+ because it's too easy, and only nub's take it. Which is 90% of the people you'll hear rag on the A+ anyways just use it to rag on to feel better about themselves.

It's a bummer you failed, but don't let the guys here talk you out of it.. go get it, and move on to the next logical step that is right for you.

Later,
Josh
 
A lot of the places I have looked at like the person to be A+ certified because they are self maintainer sites. Most computer companies require that anyone who works on the hardware and does repairs be A+ certified. It saves the employer time and money if you already have that on your resume.

Also most places have non-IT people that take part in the interviewing part. While the IT people know the A+ don't mean shit, the HR person will probably think it makes you more qualified for the job.

joe52 said:
i have 4 years helpdesk experience and 1 year email server admin experience/win2k3, and a degree in teaching/history/economics, 3.6gpa ... magna cum laude..

1 year is too short on the server admin side to justify hiring you just on experience. When I was looking for a second person for my department, >5 year experience in network admin = resume in garbage.

I have a BA in BioChem & Chem, and A+ and MCP certified. It was right about the time I hit 7 years working in Education tech (6 years as Network/Server Admin) that schools I looked at stopped caring that I didn't have a IT related degree. I know the "business world" probably has different standards, but I love working in education so I couldn't care less about what they want.

BTW there are a lot of small school districts that would love someone like you. Many of them are hurting for good teacher (I assume you are a good teacher) and don't have on site tech support. You'd be able to get good experience in both fields.
 
I'm getting my A+ and Net+ only because I get an extra 2k+ a year bonus. It isn't much money, but it's worth the time to go ahead and get it when I consider that after 10 years that's 20k.. My job will give you at least 1k-2k a year for every cert you get as a bonus, so I'm just going to get all of them.. Even Microsoft Office gives 1500/year. So I figure, hell, it's nice to have an incentive.. and there's always the opportunity you might learn something you didn't know before, even if you were already proficient.

I say get every cert you can, so long as you don't stop at A+ it won't be holding you back. Get it, realize that it's not going to be that useful in a tech job that pays more than $15-20/hr.. and then work towards better things. Everybody starts somewhere, and I think that if you possess the A+ and are professional and let it be known that you are seriouss about your career and increasing your knowledge you'll do better than the guy who comes in and acts like a douche and doesn't have his A+ because it's too easy, and only nub's take it. Which is 90% of the people you'll hear rag on the A+ anyways just use it to rag on to feel better about themselves.

It's a bummer you failed, but don't let the guys here talk you out of it.. go get it, and move on to the next logical step that is right for you.

Later,
Josh

You bring up some good points. It is also worth mentioning that a lot of places will pay for teh certs and training even if they don't give you a bonus for having them(can help when you ask for more money though). I know multiple people in the tech field that went for ever cert their company would pay for. One of my friends that did this joked that it either opened the door in his company to move up the ladder or opened the door at another one down the road.


I will say that the point with the hour pay rate is valid as well although I know a few people that had to go get their a+ and other certs when a company change made them required. One of my friends went through this and had a system admin fail it the first time. He got nailed on the laser printers and on irqs.

That being said I know a guy that just got his ccna after being the main cisco guy at his company for at least 3 or 4 years. Company supports over 1000 people at a bunch of offices and most of his work as of late was on the ip cisco phones. He never had a reason to take the tests before hand. The company made him take them.
 
remember Network+ and A+ can both be used as electives for MCSA and MSCE
INCORRECT.

The A+ and Net+ are only applied as an elective for the MCSA. They do not count for the MCSE. If you go for that you must still take the MCSE elective so you are still taking 7 tests.

In order to get the same benefit for the MCSE elective you must take and pass the Security+
 
I'm in IT support/helpdesk with no certs and computer-related college degree. I do have 3 years of IT experience though. I have a degree in political science and plan on get some certs for networking in the near future. A+? Didn't need it...
 
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