A bit lost....

TechBoy22

Ok, this is aimed at the people who have taken the test and are A+ certified.

I had just started class and I am learning about CPU's. My text book is the ComTia A+ Cert exam guide by Mike Meyers. I was just wondering, if on the actual exam, do they really ask you questions about the difference within different CPU's such as AMD athalons as opposed to Pentium M's and such? Like do you have to know the different models of CPU's that have came out? There is a lot of models as I have seen in class and in this chapter (chapter 3) so I was just curious as to how much attention I should put into that. I was just restudying the powerpoint notes from class and was concerned. Im sure its a stupid question. Sorry if it is. Thanks for your help.

Darian929

Hey Techboy I was studying the Michael Meyers book also am having the same question. There are several different versions of the pentium series and amd series so I was also wondering if we had to remember which cpu's were 64 bit and how many caches and stuff like that. So we are on the same boat. I finished the ram section and its the same thing... explaims all types of ram but this section was a bit easier to understand and differ each ram.

TravR1

Make up some flash cards and memorize them - I'm sure the test has questions along those lines. It will vary greatly depending on your draw from the question pool.

mamono

They are relevant to the exam, but in real life you are better off understanding how the architecture works and how they impact performance. Keep up the studies! the flash card method is a good idea!

TechBoy22

....Thanks for the insight of those who responded.

Its kind of frustrating that a question like this gets only 4 responses out of the 50 some odd people who have looked at the post. Yet some posts that have nothing to do with IT get constant responses. Kind of corny.

For those who have read it and not responded, if you think its stupid, thats all good, but Im looking for helpful insight. At least throw your 2 cents in about it. I didnt know that having questions needed to be considered cool before answered on here.

Again thanks for the few who have answered.

TravR1

Your post is only one day old.

And don't worry about it, it has nothing to do with popularity. Most of the posts I look at I don't respond to, I just read them.

A lot of new comers read the A+ posts I'm sure looking for advice like you but have none to offer because they are new. The more experienced ones like to read in Microsoft and Cisco, ect..

I'm still very new, but know a lot about A+ material. Just keep pounding away and read everything you can... it will all get up there in your head soon enough.

mamono

TechBoy22 wrote:

....Thanks for the insight of those who responded.

Its kind of frustrating that a question like this gets only 4 responses out of the 50 some odd people who have looked at the post. Yet some posts that have nothing to do with IT get constant responses. Kind of corny.

For those who have read it and not responded, if you think its stupid, thats all good, but Im looking for helpful insight. At least throw your 2 cents in about it. I didnt know that having questions needed to be considered cool before answered on here.

Again thanks for the few who have answered.

Patience, young jedi. There are also some people who read a post, but cannot answer because it may be beyond their scope of understanding.

TravR1

Look at that, now you have 7 replies.

Daniel333

Not only will it be on the test, you will have to know it for real life.

Psoasman

My Young Apprentice
I took the 2007 version of the A+. You probably won't see a lot of questions about the specifics of CPUs. You might see some questions about the general MHz of a CPU, or how many pins it may have. You should know what the different caches are, MHz ranges, what CPU might be good for a certain PC, ex. XEON would be used in a server.
Think of the A+ as a history exam: you will see a lot of older technology explained.
Hands-on will be your best friend. Get an old computer and play with the motherboards and be familiar with the layout and what each part does....that helped me a lot.

Plantwiz

TechBoy22 wrote:

....Thanks for the insight of those who responded.

Its kind of frustrating that a question like this gets only 4 responses out of the 50 some odd people who have looked at the post. Yet some posts that have nothing to do with IT get constant responses. Kind of corny.

For those who have read it and not responded, if you think its stupid, thats all good, but Im looking for helpful insight. At least throw your 2 cents in about it. I didnt know that having questions needed to be considered cool before answered on here.

Again thanks for the few who have answered.

First, in your initial reply you asked about

I was just wondering, if on the actual exam, do they really ask you questions about the difference within different CPU's such as AMD athalons as opposed to Pentium M's and such?

So anyone holding an A+ and wishing to remain certified....cannot tell you about the actual exam.

Second, the information you are looking for is found within the objectives.

Third, if you find the objectives too vague....then learn it just in case, because it is possible it could be on your exam.

Fourth, this is the first I"ve been able to respond. IT has NOTHING to do with your question and TRAV1 answered your question appropriately. Make up flash cards and learn the material. Practice, practice, practice.

If you think it sucks to 'memorize' all the data:
1. Don't go into IT, OR
2. Don't take the exam, OR
3. Don't bother at all to learn things that seem hard and take your chances.

It is up to the candidate to decide how much time/effort they wish to invest into their prep for any exam. It's your money (or your companies money), I prefer to shoot for a pass the first time through, but some people have more time then I, and can afford to retake exams.

Also, it may be that hardware is not your thing and your more valueable on a network/software side of support. A+ isn't for everyone and very successful IT people have never taken the A+.

REID8968

I don't like memorizing this kind of stuff either. So, what I do is find acronyms, or a shortenend reference to help me remember.

For example, on IRQ's-PS/2 on 12 became "public school till age 12!"

Don't stress about it. Find memorization techniques. Use the help of family and friends. Especially those without IT experience. They have a different way of looking at things, that make it simplier.

Once you find the technique that works best for you, it's not that hard.

Good luck!

dagger1x

Yes I remember having to remember types, # of pins, mhz etc I also remember lists comparing cable sizes speed and capacities among other things. What I do with all info like this is dog ear the page or photo copy it and cram with it a few days before the test. So I might have 3 or 4 graphs or lists that I carry around with me at work or school and I pull em out everytime I have some spare time and go over the info. This way all of the rote memory work doesnt get in the way of the reading for comprehension material.