Exam cram 220-801/802 enough?

Xenomeow

So just curious if this is enough of a study guide to pass the 801 and 802 exams? I went through the book and have been doing ok on practice tests (75-80%) But i have noticed the book did not cover a couple areas that have been in the practice test I am using (examcompass) most notably lojack.


I have been building pc's for about 15 years now as a hobby so i am not totally green to hardware.

binarysoul

Umm, I'm a firm believer that no single source is sufficient for any cert. In fact, when I passed 801 and 802, I used many sources. What u can do is read one book religiously and then review other books to ensure u didn't miss anything. Pls see my prior posts here as I posted my "advice" or 2 cents

Xenomeow

Thanks for the input. I have been going through the examcompass tests and I can fully say that exam cram DOES NOT cover nearly enough material. There is loads missing. I am also starting to seriously wonder who remembers all the wireless standards, firewire standards, cable lengths, floppy drive hardware, ide hardware and other random stuff on this exam. But i suppose I am going to have to memorize it to pass. Such an odd cert.

aderon

You should be able to pass with just the exam cram, but I would try to get your scores a little higher before you test. I'd shoot for around high 80s, low 90s before sitting.

Xenomeow

I am going to run the rest of the examcompass tests and see which areas I am weakest in, restudy those and see if i can get in the high 80's low 90's. I may also supplement with the meyers book. If the examcompass tests are anything like the real test, the cram book is not enough at all.

Armitron77

Xenomeow,

I have been reading the ExamCram book for about 7 months now and I totally agree with what you stated that the ExamCram book does not cover everything. So, what I did to cover as much material as possible to better prep for the exam was, I purchased the Mike Meyers book. Basically, I would read the ExamCram book, from chapter to chapter, take the quizzes at the end of each chapter, and write down notes. Then whatever the ExamCram book did not cover, I would read the Mike Meyers book to fill in the caps. So far, it as worked. I recently passed the 801 exam with a 737 out of a 900. I plan to take the 802 exam later this month. Furthermore, I too went to the ExamCompass website and did all of the practice tests over and over again. It really helps in terms of memorization. Good luck with the studying and hope you pass both exam.

datacenter01010

I had to take a course to prepare for these exams, so I wouldn't know for sure. I will say that I also used a multitude of outside studying resources and found them all beneficial. No reason to not soak up all the info possible, especially when study something as complex as this stuff.

That 15 years experience is obviously a big help though.

H3||scr3am

I believe that if you already have familiarity with the subject matter that brushing up with the exam cram book is enough. This is the path I took, and it worked fine. That being said, if you didn't know what a computer was, how to assemble one, or how to operate it (in a basic sense) before attempting this exam, then I would say that the book may not be in depth enough for you. I believe hands on exposure is the best and most practical way of learning the material covered in the A+ exam, and myself, being an overclocker, and PC modder, I had this fairly well covered to begin with. I wish you the best when you take the A+ exam, know that even if you fail, it will provide a detailed printout of the sections that you failed questions in, and you can take this home, brush up on those areas and re-attempt it.