Taking both exams at once?

billg

What is the general feeling or what do the majority of people here do? Study for and take each exam separately or study for them together and take them together on the same or next day. It seems like there is a lot of overlap between the topics. Although the study guides and books separate them they are constantly referring back and forth to each other and to the exam objectives of each other. I just wanted to hear from others who have maybe done both together and get their reaction.

Delmiroc

I'm taking A+ core August 7th, and 2 weeks later the OS.

I'm not sure I want to take them both on the same day, so I gave myself 2 weeks for studying for the OS.

supertechCETma

I took mine both the same day but it depends entirely on you and your confidence in your grasp of the material.

If this is your first stab at certification, I might suggest you seperate the two and take it in smaller, more digestable chunks. If you are veteran and feel secure in your knowledge, then go for it.

If hardware is your strong suit, try that exam first. If you feel more confident with the OS then try that first. A pass is a good morale booster as you continue your certification trek. On the other hand, if you get swatted down by the first exam, it could be a real downer to try and tackle the second exam back to back.

Hey, don't put any more pressure on yourself then necessary.

Danman32

"Inch by inch, it is a cinch. Yard by yard is hard".

Generally I focus on one test at a time, but if I get weary of studying for my next exam, I might dabble on the material for the following one for a bit. Some tests have similar objectives, so often studying them together or nearly together can be beneficial. Take 291 and 293 for example. CCNA and Network+ (at least the intro part of CCNA). Security+ and 298 (sort of).

blargoe

I did both in the same day, but I had also been working in IT for 5 years and already knew the material except for the memorization type of questions (remembering IRQ assignments, i/o addresses, etc). If you're coming in to this new, I would not suggest doing both on the same day. The guy at the testing center I used had never seen someone do both on the same day and pass (it is a relatively new testing center but it's over a year old at least).

billg

I have been in the IT field since the mid 1980s and have worked on all versions of DOS and Windows and have done hardware servicing including installing memory, HDD, FDD, CD/DVD ROMS, troubleshooted hardware problems etc and have written software for Windows since the early 90s and before that DOS.

blargoe

If you have stayed pretty current and know hardware and Win 98 and higher, you might be able to pass both in one sitting then. Try the practice tests to see where you are.

Vask3n

I believe everyone is correct, you must act according to your study habits. However, I found that for A+, I took the OS Exam first, seeing as it's the harder one. I wanted to get over with it. Suppose you take the easier one for you first, but you never pass the one that's harder for you...That was my reasoning behind taking OS first

bighornsheep

unless there is a reason you need to do the exam in a short period of time. Why rush yourself? If you're always busy, and booking at the exam center is tight, then you are without choice. I took my OS and hardware core at a place that didnt require booking, so I took my time.

and besides, Comptia gives you that time to get ready for the two anyway, what's the limitation, 3 months or something? If you have it, use it! If you dont need it, go for the quick grab and get certified!

Cheers,