Study guides?

First let me apologize upfront since I know this question has probably been asked a few hundred times.....but when I did a search I really did not find a clear cut answer....many thanks:)

Hey all, just wondering if I could get some assistance on what you think a good study book/guide is for Net +. I was going to order the Meyers book and saw that some people (according to reviews) said it was out-dated material since published in 2004. I used Meyers book for the A+ and enjoyed it but I certainly do not want to used out-dated material.

Anyway, I also see there is a Meyers passport book....not sure what the difference is between that and the regular book. I also see the self study guide by Anthony V. Chiarella and the Network Administrator Street Smarts: A Real World Guide to CompTIA Network+ Skills by Toby Skandier.

Whatever book I do decide to buy (hopefully with the assistance of the experts on this forum) I will use the exam cram 2 question book as well. I used the exam cram for the A+ and thought it did a really good job of helping me prepare for the real exam questions.

Any help would be appreciated....I am hoping to get a study guide or two within the next week or so and take the test within the next few months.

Thanks for all of your help,
Michael

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NetAdmin2436

I'd say for sure download the technotes from this site. It's free and a great resource.
http://www.techexams.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=373

Then, right now Preplogic is having a sale on their Mega Guides for $1. It's sort of like the technotes but more.
http://www.preplogic.com/products/mega-guides/view-mega-guides.aspx

I'm not too sure about the books though. Definitely check out what they have at Amazon. I generally go with Syngress and MS Press books (for MS exams). But many like the Mike Myers books for CompTIA stuff.

skrpune

Mike Meyers' books are hugely popular, but I'm personally not a fan of his writing style/books. I used "Network+ 2005 In Depth" by Tamara Dean as my main "heavy" text (bought it as part of a "kit" & it included practice questions and flashcards keyed to the book chapters), but I started my studies with the much lighter (by weight and by coverage of the topics) "Network+ Self-Study Guide 2nd Edition" by Anthony Chiarella. Chiarella's book is good as an intro but is definitely too light to adequately cover what you need to know. There were things on my exam that Chiarella was in no way, shape, or form even *close* to touching on.

I also used CBT Nuggets videos, which were good but definitely needed the books to fill in the blanks. (If anyone's used the nugget videos for A+, it's sadly not James Conrad that does the N+ series...be prepared to put the videos on fast speed, because the N+ guy is a sloooooooow talker!!!!)

Nobylspoon

I am currently using Network+ Guide to networks by Tamara Dean but that is mainly because it is my required textbook for my networking class next semester. I think it is a well written book but I would use other material with it as well.

m1chael

Thanks to all that replied....I really appreciate it.

From the choices that you guys provided, I think I am going to go with the Network+ 2005 In Depth by Tamara Dean as it received pretty good reviews on amazon. Also, I will prob go ahead and pick up exam cram 2 practice exam questions at the same time.

I think with those two things as well as reading/studying the pdf file that is listed on here I should be good to go.

Thanks....if you feel there is anything else I should know to get prepared....please advise....

Michael

Plantwiz

Meyers and Sybex are the best books.
Have a copy of the objectives in hand and know them.

Also use the PDF from the TechNotes here, many have found it extremely helpful.

And of course, not much beats experience.

As far as your search results??

WillTech105

Actually I dont know if anyone noticed but on CompTIA's site there is a new outline for the Network+ 2009 edition. I took a quick look at the self-study books out there and I dont see anything that is "2009 compatible" or does it matter?

m1chael

One last question....I promise.....can someone give me some last minute buying advice?

I am having a hard time deciding which study book to buy....

My 3 choices are:

-Meyers (Used his book for the A+ and thought it was sufficient but have read where people say it doesn't dive deep enough into the subject matter?)

-Tamara Dean (heard this is good read and really in depth.....)

-EC2 book and Questions (Used the EC Questions book along with the Meyers when studying for A+ and felt it helped out a lot...but a lot of people said the questions book for N+ was crap?)

Please help me make up my mind so I can order my study guides....LOL....

Thanks a lot to everyone who has replied:)

Michael

brad-

I used MM's Passport and EC2 w/ Q&A book for N+. They were all good resources, but I honestly dont think any are better than another as my test experience had many questions from left field. I knew all 3 of those books well and was still hit with some questions and was like WTF?

Study the best you can with whatever you get and know your fiber.

BigLou

skrpune wrote: »

Mike Meyers' books are hugely popular, but I'm personally not a fan of his writing style/books. I used "Network+ 2005 In Depth" by Tamara Dean as my main "heavy" text (bought it as part of a "kit" & it included practice questions and flashcards keyed to the book chapters), but I started my studies with the much lighter (by weight and by coverage of the topics) "Network+ Self-Study Guide 2nd Edition" by Anthony Chiarella. Chiarella's book is good as an intro but is definitely too light to adequately cover what you need to know. There were things on my exam that Chiarella was in no way, shape, or form even *close* to touching on.

I also used CBT Nuggets videos, which were good but definitely needed the books to fill in the blanks. (If anyone's used the nugget videos for A+, it's sadly not James Conrad that does the N+ series...be prepared to put the videos on fast speed, because the N+ guy is a sloooooooow talker!!!!)

Is the tamara dean book still a good source if you are looking to take the exam in 2009? Or is it outdate?

skrpune

BigLou wrote: »

Is the tamara dean book still a good source if you are looking to take the exam in 2009? Or is it outdate?

Unless you buy the new book that's coming out in March, then I'd say yes the 2005 objective version book is outdated. You could probably get by with it, but why try to patch together study materials when you can just buy a guide that's based on the new objectives?

skrpune

brad- wrote: »

I used MM's Passport and EC2 w/ Q&A book for N+. They were all good resources, but I honestly dont think any are better than another as my test experience had many questions from left field. I knew all 3 of those books well and was still hit with some questions and was like WTF?

Study the best you can with whatever you get and know your fiber.

yeah, I used multiple books and study guides and videos and I STILL got some of those WTF questions too. I'm glad no one else was around for the first part of my exam, I kept going "Wha...??" and making funny faces at the monitor at some questions I swear were nowhere in my study resources...

Netwurk

I used Sybex and Meyers

Sybex by far was better and covered way more than I needed to know for the exam (which is a good thing). Hopefully they are updating for 2009

Good luck with your studies

BigLou

skrpune wrote: »

Unless you buy the new book that's coming out in March, then I'd say yes the 2005 objective version book is outdated. You could probably get by with it, but why try to patch together study materials when you can just buy a guide that's based on the new objectives?

Are all the book companies releasing 2009 versions? Should I wait?

Nobylspoon

BigLou wrote: »

Are all the book companies releasing 2009 versions? Should I wait?

Eventually, but if you are able to take your exam before July 31st then it would be smarter to stick with the 2005 objectives. The 2005 objectives already have the bugs worked out of them and there are plenty of tested and proven study guides out that you can easily pick up used for a fraction of the price. Remember that both sets of objectives lead to the same certification.

m1chael

Just an update....I went ahead and ordered the Meyers for my main study and will follow it up with the EC2 practice questions and the pdf sheet from this site. I followed this same routine (basically ordering the Meyers and the EC2 for my A+ and it worked out ok). I was tired of thinking about it to much...instead just losing valuable time to study:)

I plan on taking the test within the next two months....I think....(at least hope) I will be ready.

Thanks,
Michael