Newbie commentary

westburn

hello,

Ive been studying up for my A+, scheduled to take essentials and IT tech 07/05, im feeling courageous, i know its not recommended but im gonna try to tackle both on the same day, wish me luck please

to get back on subject with advise....

always check with the online errata for any book you buy, no book will be perfect and there is a reason for erratas, so always check out the online errata regulary as long as you are studying a particular book as there is a good chance you'll miss a small but possibly vital peice of the puzzle if you only consult the errata once, especially if its a newer edition

I understand that Mike Meyers books are recommended by many, but personally they make me kinda nervous, ive noticed theres a quite a few mistakes in Mike Meyers 6th edition book, for instance just today i learned that yet another item i memorized from Mike Myers book was in fact incorrect after reading another book, Mike Myers book states that there are 129 available network addresses for Class A networks, but that is incorrect and not something i want in my head walking into the exams, 126 is the number i need to know

plus the total seminars practice exams that his book recommends for sale in voucher bundles have many grammatical errors and mispellings in the questions, that tells me they were put together quickly and were not proof read very well, Im not saying that Mr. Meyers doesnt know his stuff, but his book and the practice tests leave me with a half-baked impression of them

Im not trying to knock Mike Meyers here, but from what ive noticed it may be wise to study from at least two or three books, Ive found things in the Sybex A+ Complete Study Guide that were not even mentioned in Mike Meyers book, and vise versa

so i guess the best advise i can give is this....

- study from more than one source
- interleave and combine what you learn from those multiple sources
- if something doesnt jive from one source to another then google the info, or come to a place like this site and ask for clarification
- make a blank table/speadsheet in Word or Excel of the things you need to memorize and fill it in every day by hand after reviewing your material, make one copy with answers and then clear the contents to make the blank copy to fill in, stuff like IRQs, COM/LPT IRQs and addys, ports, laser printing process, sockets, etc....
- know comptias objectives, have them all covered
- do every practice test you can find, take them at the end of the day, if you pass have an ice cold beer and kiss ur wife/girlfriend/husband/boyfriend/cat/dog/whatever

wow, ya know something, its time for me to shut the hell up, anyway thats the best advice i can give as someone whos yet to take the tests myself, but alot of that above is common sense anyway, good luck, ill be back and let you folks know how i did

Plantwiz

[NOTE: Split off from another members post. Welcome to the board. PLEASE begin your own topics rather then jumping in the middle of another members post ]


****


No book is perfect. Meyer's books have stood the test of time and this is a prime example of why the exams are geared toward people with experience and not candidates who merely read a book or two.

westburn

thanks for the welcome

you'll have to excuse me, but my orginal reply here was in a thread asking for advice on what books to recommend and any other advice, which is what i gave, I feel maybe i said a bit too much on my opinions on Mr. Meyers book, is that is the case then ok, here we are now

before i go any further i'll tell everyone a bit about myself...

in my life im coming in a bit late to the IT field, i spent 20+ years in the same job, a lot of travel and it was photography, sales, and customer service (which was actually damage control most of the time, visiting pissed off customers), I finally found a woman who could convince me to settle down and the over-the-road job didnt look so good anymore, so at 43 i went back to school and got my programming degree, but unfortunately a 2-yr degree in these parts, with no experience to back me, lead me nowhere in programming, but even so... it was very rewarding for me on a personal level if not professional

that was 2004, and for the next 2 years i had temp positions, mainly because i did not want to commit myself to anything other than IT, IT is my goal and i wasnt ready to give up on it, and so i got a government grant to take an A+ prep course at the local college, which i did, but to me the whole thing was kinda a scam, 80 hours of instruction with a teacher who talked out 2 sides of his mouth, saying during labs there was no pressure to finish while constantly glancing at his watch, we didnt finish a single lab, but even at that i didnt feel i was scammed personally, i knew i would need to pick up the ball myself and continue running with it after the course ended, it was some of the other students i felt bad for, I remember one kid who was a recent immigrant from Bosnia, he spoke pretty good english but didnt know what right-click was one night when i was helping him out, i remember thinking "you dont know what right-click is and youre in this class", basically the only reason the poor guy was even there was so that Computer Science Corporation, a 3rd party outfit that taught the course, and the college itself could grab government grant money, the poor kid was overwhelmed and someone should have judged his level before he was stuck in that class and put him in a PC prep course instead

anyway i finished the course, got my certificate from Computer Science Corporation, and promptly threw it away, i then put an ad in the paper for junk PCs, i wanted to take **** apart and learn, and people were more than glad to give me their old PCs, especially the monitors hehe, it was 90% junk, and 10% gems, but many of the systems that didnt work i was able to bring back to life by switching parts, most of the time it was just the power supply of course, as a matter of fact my test PC here (the one i can f*** up and it doesnt matter) is one of my Frankensteins

I learned alot from those junk PCs, and from there i started fixing PCs for friends and family, but after getting paid in meatloaf, apple pie, and a $20 bill for a full days work i decided it was time to get my A+ cert and try to get paid a real salary, but then...

... Dreamscape called, they didnt need a programmer but they had an opening for a tech level 1 in the NOC, so i took it, i worked there a year up until May this year when they laid me off, basically they hired me for phone support during the server migrations, and when the migrations were over, so was I, but of course they didnt let on to that fact and i thought i had my foot in the IT door somewhere, but truth is i would have taken the job even if they had told me at the interview it was only for a year, and i learned alot in that year, mostly basic stuff, the level 2 techs handled the heavier calls, but i did learn alot and am grateful to the company for having me there

so i kinda got sidetracked from my actual A+ testing/certification, but the sidetrack also hardened my knowledge to where im now in better position to take the exams anyway, and to be honest when i saw in Mr. Meyers book the reference to 129 available Class A addys i kinda knew in the back of my head it didnt sound right, but lately ive had alot of numbers floating around upstairs, and didnt fully catch the error until i saw another number in another guide

so here i am now, gonna take the exams in a week and a half, i feel confident, but im laid-off still and seeing how its my own money im putting up for the exams i am doing the best i can to cover anything i havent already be exposed to, and if i pass I will immediately start studying for N+

ok, i really dont wanna argue with anyone, especially an IT person this morning, especially a moderator, heck i havent even finished my coffee yet, but my comments on Mike Meyers book were not just thrown out and off-the-cuff

IMO, it isnt what sells the most, or what even stands the test of time in many cases that qualifies any product for excellence, it is, you would hope, the actual quality of the product. Its like anything else, take music for instance, are the best bands the #1 bands?, are the best bands the ones that consistantly sell records?, no, it is the bands that are better promoted that sell records and stay in the publics mind, now the fact that Mr. Meyers book has been around for what, something like 15 years now, should be cause to be even more critical of his work, more people turn to it and therefore more people would be mis-guided by his mistakes, and he has the experience to put together a higher-quality product, so he has even lesser reason therefore to make simple mistakes, the fact that someone has experience and therefore wouldnt be mislead anyway to me isnt a good arguement, some of the practice exam questions Mr. Meyers offers are worded in a way which tell me that noone has bothered to proof read these things they are selling through total seminars, and there is no good excuse for not proofing your work at least at a glance-level before distributing it, mistakes are bound to slip by, but some things are easily apparent to anyone who can speak english or has any basic level of common sense when dealing with customer realionships.

I can give several examples from Mr. Meyers work, here is just one....

Q: A customer is insisting that you upgrade his laptop RAM... you tell him that it cant be done... he then whips out an ancient video card and says "look, you can put it here, see the sockets" and goes through a speech on the old days.... he then calls you a liar... what do you do?

A: You pull out his video card from his laptop and show him it cant be upgraded

I mentioned that as a possible mistake when emailing Mr. Meyers on another error in his book, that error he did put in his errata, but on this question he stands by the answer, he says right in his book to email if you want to argue, and i did, but he never got back to me

Some things are basic fundamental customer service principals, and ive spent enough time dealing with customers to know this....

- you never put yourself in a situation where you will be liable for a customers property unless it is absolutely neccesary, and in that case it is not, and laptops especially are delicate beasts, i learned that one the hard and expensive way, thank God for Ebay..
- i could easily see a situation where you would do what Mr. Meyers recommends, and while taking the customers laptop apart see a stripped screw from a previous job, mention that to an already agitated customer, and have them say back "well it wasnt stripped before you touched it"
- how about this... go to device manager... find out what his video card is... go to google images... chances are there is a pic somewhere, find a picture of the card and show that to the guy

Im really not here to knock Mr. Meyers, but people, even somewhat experienced people, can fail by just one point, and all i was really saying anyway was to get your info from more than one source, and that can be practical experience as well as book studying and interleave it all together, question what doesnt seem right to you, chances are most times you were wrong to question the author, but, in your search for clarification you will many times learn other things as well

anyway im getting way long winded here so ill look to close my post now

im not questioning your authority Plantwiz, im also a moderator myself on a couple boards and so i know how people can get off-topic, which was in this case..

"what book would u guys recommend, and any advice for me?"

..and with that in mind i made it a point to stay within the topic within my original reply, and if the reply included my opinion of Mr. Meyers book it was still within topic, i gave my opinion on Meyers book mainly to show that it can be helpful to consider more than one source, ive also done just a bit more than merely read a book or two to prepare, so IMO this is not a prime example of what you speak of, IMO its a prime example of a moderator who moved a post that should have been left in the original thread, and IMO possibly assumed a bit too much of a newbie, but then again i suppose i could have introduced myself before hand and should have known an introduction would be the proper first step when coming in the door

im here to learn, and i have alot to learn still, and if i have anything to share hopefully i will see the opprutunity to do so, and to who(m)ever put up the practice tests and tech notes that i will be going over today, thank you, someday i hope to return the favor

matradley

Welcome to the forum. I must say you have some pretty complete posts for a 'newbie'. At any rate, you seem to be on track to take your exam on 5-July. I wish you the best of luck on writing both of them in the same day. I hope you leave some room between each exam to relax a bit or it will be tough.

I am sure you are familiar with the exam objectives. If not, you can download them here - http://certification.comptia.org/resources/objectives.aspx . I am sure you will find several questions on the exam that include customer relationships and dealing with employees/managers. The questions are not tough to answer and at the same time are probably not worth many points on the exam.

At any rate, once again, best of luck on your exams.

westburn

thanks matradley, ya ive been pretty wordy, ive been taking in so much lately trying to get ready I feel my head is gonna crack open, maybe my mental I/O is in overload and screaming for some reverse action, or maybe i just gotta big never-ending mouth, hmmm.... its probably a combo of the two

the girl at the test center said i would have two hours for each exam, if at all possible i will be taking any break time in between

got a couple questions....

in the network objectives i dont see any mention of the OSI model, Mr. Meyers book kinda glances over it and details his own simpler "four-layer model", and the Sybex book goes into more detail, am i safe to assume that if i know the names and the order of the layers that i wont need to know the individual characteristics of each layer, such as its functions and associated TCP/IP protocols?, obviously i will need to know that stuff for the N+, but what can i get away with on the A+ as far as the OSI model, i dont wanna go into OSI any more than i have to right now

am i allowed to use calculator or maybe wordpad on the machine im testing on?, it might be handy to do so if i get a question on resolutions/bit depths, can i bring my own scratch pad of paper?

do i need to know any purposes/characteristics of any pre-pentium CPUs?

anyway, thanks again, bye 4 now

sprkymrk

westburn wrote:

ok, i really dont wanna argue with anyone, especially an IT person this morning, especially a moderator,

Well it kinda looks like you did anyway. Being a moderator yourself, you should know that proper etiquette when disagreeing with a moderator would best be handled by way of PM first, and not write an essay based on what may have been a misunderstanding.

I am sure your review of the Meyer's book was helpful to many, but I am also sure if you looked you would find just as many or more errors in any technical book. So using multiple sources and checking things out for oneself is good advice. The 126 vs 129 error may have simply been a typo. Not all editors and proofreaders have extensive knowledge of the topics they are proofing, which is why there are technical editors and even they can miss things. Now, you mention "several" mistakes, but if the best two you can quote are a 126 vs 129 which was probably a typo and then a very subjective question on customer service, then I can't imagine what the others must be like.

westburn wrote:

so IMO this is not a prime example of what you speak of, IMO its a prime example of a moderator who moved a post that should have been left in the original thread,

I think it IS an example of what Plantwiz states, which was that the exam is for those with some experience, and not someone who can just read a book. And why are you so upset about your topic being moved anyway? I've never seen anyone react so defensively to such a small thing. Like I stated, a simple PM explaining that you replied to the OP's question would have been the best thing to do in such a case.

sprkymrk

westburn wrote:

am i allowed to use calculator or maybe wordpad on the machine im testing on?, it might be handy to do so if i get a question on resolutions/bit depths, can i bring my own scratch pad of paper?

I think you can use the calculator on the computer for the exam, but not wordpad or anything else. The test center will supply you with either a marker and dry erase board, or a pen/pencil and paper. You cannot bring your own. And when you leave, you hand in your pen/paper as well, they won't let you take any test notes away.

Good luck, and let us know how it goes.

matradley

sprkymrk wrote:

westburn wrote:

am i allowed to use calculator or maybe wordpad on the machine im testing on?, it might be handy to do so if i get a question on resolutions/bit depths, can i bring my own scratch pad of paper?

I think you can use the calculator on the computer for the exam, but not wordpad or anything else. The test center will supply you with either a marker and dry erase board, or a pen/pencil and paper. You cannot bring your own. And when you leave, you hand in your pen/paper as well, they won't let you take any test notes away.

Good luck, and let us know how it goes.

I don't think you can even use the computer calculator. I write my exams at PearsonVUE and when I go to a test, it takes up the whole screen - hiding the task bar! So, I do not think you can use the calculator. I think on some exams, where a calculator is required, they will provide you with one.

sprkymrk

That's possible. On MS exams you can use the Windows calculator, the exam has a button to link to it. There was no calculator needed in Sec+ and I couldn't remember if Net+ even needed one, so I couldn't say for sure on the CopmTIA stuff.

Plantwiz

Westburn,

I would have thought you could have handled this...


The commentary of your post while possibly valid to some members was hidden in a thread of someone who announced they'd passed their exam.

So, without letting the thread become further hijacked or worse yet...something that others might find valuable there wasn't any reason to leave your post buried in the middle of someone else's.

My simple point to you was to just simply begin your own thread.

Possibly you are unaware but good forum etiquette is the poster beginning with a logical/meaningful subject heading....so the readers who are best able to help or even interested will view it. The next thing is when droning on about a subject...it's beneficial for it to follow the original subject heading.

If you have something to post to 1 person you can simply PM it. OR if you have something of value to add that others will benefit from reading...start your own topic, period.

I'm not sure if your being defensive or it's just how you write, but relax...the responses you've replied are not warranted, so at this point move forward.


Nothing in my original reply was inefficient nor out of context for my forums. If you took any hidden meaning from a couple sentences...grow some thicker skin because IT can be brutal.

At one time Meyers was the ONLY book available to prepare with...others started to copy, but nothing really comes close. Each author/publisher has different strengths. My personal recommendations are Meyers and Sybex for A+. They have proven themselves over time and continue to offer updates. My comment of "No book is Perfect" was simply that. It isn't unusal for any Text book to have an errata available. The time from writting to press is precious and as Sprkymrk mentions...they just don't have the technical IT staff to handle the proofing...they do their best and move on.

Westburn wrote:

ok, i really dont wanna argue with anyone, especially an IT person this morning, especially a moderator, heck i havent even finished my coffee yet, but my comments on Mike Meyers book were not just thrown out and off-the-cuff

IMO, it isnt what sells the most, or what even stands the test of time in many cases that qualifies any product for excellence, it is, you would hope, the actual quality of the product.

My comments were not 'off-the-cuff'. And My comments are not BASED ON WHAT SELLS. Meyers books are quality products as are Sybex. The fact that you found an 'error' in a book means you might have a clue about the subject you are reading so consider yourself on the right track.

If you don't like Meyer's books, that is fine. There are other members who haven't used his material and have passed their exams and are doing just fine not having used his book.

This is a pointless argument you have begun and I just fell into and I will not waste my time with it any longer.

As far as taking both exams in one day....I recommend it, and have for years. Many do not agree with this philosophy and I don't believe it is wise for any other exams (say your MCSA etc... I'd recommend 1 exam and possibly a week off before the next). A+ I recommend both exams because the material is used hand-in-hand. You cannot test hardware without being able to power the system on. You cannot troubleshoot an OS if the hardware is failing....etc...

You can disagree with me or anyone else on board without drafting a personal record of the how and why you are doing what you do.

All this over simple forum maintenance and a comment of No book is perfect....sheeeze

westburn

sprkymrk wrote:

Well it kinda looks like you did anyway. Being a moderator yourself, you should know that proper etiquette when disagreeing with a moderator would best be handled by way of PM first, and not write an essay based on what may have been a misunderstanding.

yes, after reading back through, you are right about about how i come off towards the end of my second post here, something that has nothing to do with what is going on here at all may just be the cause for some sensitivity on my part

what i saw, and forgive me if i am wrong, was a post, that i spent some time on and was certainly well intended, was moved, not because it was off-topic, but because it didnt jive with the advice a moderator gave earlier in the thread, if i am wrong in that assumption then i sincerely offer an apology for assuming that was the case

as far as my 'essay', the majority of what i wrote was me introducing myself and explaining about how i ended up preparing for my A+, i wouldnt consider an introduction an essay, yes it was long winded i admit, but hey i tried to at least make it somewhat interesting

as far as sending a PM, to be honest im not so sure, i probably could have said what i needed to express in something less pointed yes, that i admit, but the way i see it when it comes to moderators they are not immune to being disagreed with publicly, as long as its done without malice, the basic rule ive always tried to follow, and have others follow, is that it is ok to confront an opinion, from anyone, once its presented, but it is not ok to confront someone on a personal level, if things are done differently here then please tell me now and i will keep that in mind

but i have to say, and please dont take this the wrong way, its not intended to insult anyone, truly, but i seen quite a few mods who wielded authority to the point where if you contradicted them in the slightest the next thing you know something is being deleted, or moved, or locked down, and again if i read too far into the lines here i apologize for doing so

sprkymrk wrote:

Now, you mention "several" mistakes, but if the best two you can quote are a 126 vs 129 which was probably a typo and then a very subjective question on customer service, then I can't imagine what the others must be like.

the main reason i mentioned 126 vs 129 is not because i considered it a good example, it was only because it was the one still fresh in mind, again my point was not to say Mr. Meyers book isnt any good, because it has helped me, i was just using that as an example on how it pays to check out more than one source, and to also google when something doesnt seem right to you, as far as the 'subjective question' IMO there is nothing subjective about wether or not opening, and risking, a customers laptop to pull out a card to show someone, is the correct tactic as opposed to making your point with a simple picture of the card thats been googled

thanks for listening, i need a beer, a heineken, 13 minutes in the freezer on a cool day, 16 on a hot one this time of year, and-it-is-perfect, goodnight all

westburn

Plantwiz wrote:

The commentary of your post while possibly valid to some members was hidden in a thread of someone who announced they'd passed their exam.

no, my post was originally included in this thread below, which asks for advice on books, and any advise in general, which i gave, and my post was then moved from that thread

http://www.techexams.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=24366

Plantwiz wrote:

My comments were not 'off-the-cuff'. And My comments are not BASED ON WHAT SELLS.

my comment on off-the-cuff and WHAT SELLS were not meant for you or directed at you, they were comments in general, the only comment i made directly for you specifically was this one...

"im not questioning your authority Plantwiz, im also a moderator myself on a couple boards and so i know how people can get off-topic, which was in this case..

"what book would u guys recommend, and any advice for me?"

..and with that in mind i made it a point to stay within the topic within my original reply, and if the reply included my opinion of Mr. Meyers book it was still within topic, i gave my opinion on Meyers book mainly to show that it can be helpful to consider more than one source, ive also done just a bit more than merely read a book or two to prepare, so IMO this is not a prime example of what you speak of, IMO its a prime example of a moderator who moved a post that should have been left in the original thread, and IMO possibly assumed a bit too much of a newbie, but then again i suppose i could have introduced myself before hand and should have known an introduction would be the proper first step when coming in the door "

.......

and ive already aplogized if i over-reacted with that comment, but if you believe my original post was in an 'annoucement of passing' thread, im sorry but that simply wasnt the case, if i am correct in assuming a mistake was possibly made on your part that would certainly bolster the notion that a PM on mypart would have been the better thing to do, it that is in fact what happened i will look at this as a learnig experience in better communication

........

listen guys can we just let this one go now, i can see you are being helpful, and gracious here, this comment here...

Plantwiz wrote:

The fact that you found an 'error' in a book means you might have a clue about the subject you are reading so consider yourself on the right track.

... makes me feel good, you guys have are supportive even though my entrance here wasnt exactly perfect to say the least, that is very clear now

sprkymrk

Just so we're clear on this, it's perfectly okay to disagree with a moderator publicly on issues we discuss "in" the forums. Like opinions on books, the best answers to technical issues, and just about anything else. Things that are best handled by PM would include things such as why a moderator decided to delete a post, move a post, or edit out content from a post w/o deleting the whole post as is the case when NDA's are broken or copyright issues might arise.

You won't find any heavy handed moderators here, nor any with inflated egos. We learn from our members (without whom we wouldn't need moderators) as much as anyone. However, we do run a tight ship compared to many. We try to keep the boards clean and useful, and yes, fun too.

Again welcome aboard and best of luck to you on your exams next week.

westburn

sprkymrk wrote:

Just so we're clear on this, it's perfectly okay to disagree with a moderator publicly on issues we discuss "in" the forums. Like opinions on books, the best answers to technical issues, and just about anything else. Things that are best handled by PM would include things such as why a moderator decided to delete a post, move a post, or edit out content from a post w/o deleting the whole post as is the case when NDA's are broken or copyright issues might arise.

You won't find any heavy handed moderators here, nor any with inflated egos. We learn from our members (without whom we wouldn't need moderators) as much as anyone. However, we do run a tight ship compared to many. We try to keep the boards clean and useful, and yes, fun too.

Again welcome aboard and best of luck to you on your exams next week.".

more than fair, im beginning to think think the post was moved accidently now, and i will consider this a lesson in not assuming and better ways to communicate, and thanks for taking time to clarify, you have been fair and gracious, thank you

manic

you can use the calculator on ms tests? does it let you use toe scientific variety so i can convert network addys to bin?