What is the best way to study for a+ exam

yitty

I wanna be a computer tech for best buy because i already work there as a salesperson. I was wondering if anybody had any suggestion on how i should study for the a+ exam. i thought about using one of those exam cram books or smart certify. somebody please give me a suggestion.

mobri09

Start off by purchasing an A+ Exam Book. I would personally recommend the A+ Certification All-in-One Exam Guide, Fifth Edition by Mike Meyers.

Link below: Scroll down half way on the page!

http://browse.barnesandnoble.com/browse/nav.asp?userid=vW11YWw93G&bncatid=914304&visgrp=nonfiction

I am sure there is a local book store located near you or at least a borders books that will have it there.

That is probably your best choice to prepare you for the exam. I am currently using A+ passport by Mike Meyers, Second Edition. It’s a good book but it doesn't cover everything. I chose this book due to the fact that I already have taken the A+ course through School. Therefore, I just need a brush up. Good luck and remember to pace yourself and set aside enough time everyday to keep you on your toes.

yitty

what about one those Examcram 2 books or A+ exam book for Dummies is one of those any good?

mobri09

Personally i looked over the Exam Cram2 for A+ and found it very hard to grasp. Now for A+ dummies i have no idea. I would stick with Mike Meyers if anything. Now i am not saying Exam Crams aren't good, I just think you would be better with Mike Meyers. I used Exam Cram2 for Network+ and it was wonderful.

lazyart

Using A+ for Dummies scares me. I've never used it, but if you use it and pass, does it make you a dummy? If you don't pass, are you not a dummy?

There is no substitute for a home lab and pieces and parts to install, uninstall, break and fix. Gives an understanding to all those words in whichever book you choose.

Good luck!

yitty

i know alot hardware stuff but i need a great software book to pass the software stuff. i know how to build computers and all that mumbo jumbo so can somebody recommend a good a+ software exam test book?

janmike

They don't make 'em that way.

Get All-In One A+ Certification Exam Guide, 5th edition by Michael Meyers. That should do the job. Good study guides are written to cover the CompTIA objectives which is what you'll be tested on--doing it the CompTIA way.

A+ exams are basically studied together. There are some overlaps, and there should be. Computing is a combination of hardware and software interacting. Maintaining that togetherness is what we're supposed to do--keep computers computing.

Best of luck!

skully93

Well, I don't want to discourage you, but most of the BBuy employees I've known do one of 3 things:

1) reload the os

2) send it to the manufacturer

3) Sell the customer a new machine.

If you get more than that done at your store, I heap praises upon it.

For my A+ I got Mike Meyer's McGraw Hill book. It was well written and as mellow as possible. Some things are going to be boring no matter what.

I also highly recommend finding some old computers you can't really hurt and taking them apart/reassembling them, installing operating systems, getting them online, and doing some basic networking.

If you're really, really familiar with PC's, it's not too bad. I've had at least one computer in the house for 16 years, and even then there was a lot of terminology I had never even remotely heard of. The exam crams on this site were invaluable for helping me pass.

I consider myself smart, but I have the attention span of a goldfish. If you're anything like me, read through the book a bit at a time, review, but don't worry if you only grasp about 1/2 the material really well. Then practice some. THEN go back through the book, highlight everything you think you really should know, and then bear down really hard. If you're a total newbie to puters, I still bet you can do it in 3-6 months. If you have a moderate amount of experience but never took a big exam like that before, 3 months is a good expectation.

The parts that were hardest for me were remembering how to get to what within each version of windows. They expect you to know Win98-2k pretty well, and there were a few XP questions. I bet that it'll expand to more XP, but because of the installed base I would still make sure you remember your win98.

lseals

I liked the Sybex book by David Groth 3rd edition, it's the only book I used and I did fine on both of the exams. Myers is also good, I'm using Myers and Sybex for Net+. Good luck.