A+ passed, here is what I did...

spiffman66

Passed the 801 two weeks ago, and the 802 today. Glad that's over with!

I used the following resources in order to help me study for both the 801 and 802:

Mike Meyers All-In-One Exam Guide, 8th Edition
-I took notes on Quizlet's web site so I could easily access all of my notecards on any of my devices at any time (highly recommended).

-Book comes with a CD that does include free 100 question tests for each of the 801 and 802 exams.
-The book does look daunting at 1500+ pages, but with loads of pictures it is very easy to get through and it isn't that dry (besides the in-depth Windows chapters). It really does help you learn the concepts and how everything interacts, not just how to take and pass a test.


This forum.
-I found a lot of helpful information on here. Can't thank everyone enough even though I've never posted before on here, I have read through quite a lot of your posts and found them helpful, just trying to pay it forward now.

Now on to Network+ and then Security+ after that...

bingaling

how do you know when you are ready?

I did the practice exam on this site (701) and got 64%. I did a few exam cram exams and on 3 I got 80%+ but the last (and hardest) I wasn't doing too hot. I've been using crucial exams and exam compass too and do alright on those.

The exam cram where I did poorly the questions went in detail like l1 cache on i5 cpu. Are there detailed questions on the real exam?

I'm for sure going to try getting 801 over with by the end of july. I've been studying for over a month with no IT experience at all. I've never taken apart a computer.

spiffman66

I have never had an IT job, BUT I have built my own PCs in the past and just put together an HTPC so I have personal knowledge of PCs, just no formal training from college or classes. I studied for A+ all via self-study. I did also use exam compass, but the mod took it out of my post (?).

I would say don't mire yourself too much in the detail, as long as you can get the broad strokes of how everything interacts with each other and the like.

I didn't really have a way of knowing I was ready, it was more a 'better to do this now than never' and crammed for the last few days before each test. I got the Mike Meyer's book in January, read through it all by April making note cards along the way, and studied on-and-off for a few weeks before finally scheduling the 801 first. I would say take the 801 first, which I thought was easier since I am more hardware-minded; and it will give you an understanding of what the 802 will be like.

Hope my rambling made sense.