HOw Long?

my_id_0308

hi...again.....just want to know how long should i study for Both papers in A+...any tips?

janmike

Depends on how much hands-on experience you have in PC hardware installation, troubleshooting and maintence, and how many times you have installed and worked with all the M$ OSs that are named in the objectives.

I was not very experienced when I started, and I wanted to really know what I was doing, not just have a "paper certification", so my studies took all of 8 months--including 3 different study guides and 16 weeks of A+ classes at a local state college. Someone with some years of experience may only have to cram for a few weeks.

I would recommend going to comptia.com and downloading the A+ exam objectives first. And then make sure you have all of the subject areas covered.

Good luck!

reloaded

Someone with some years of experience may only have to cram for a few weeks.

I've been building and upgrading my own computers since I was 14, so I didn't have to study that long. However, with PnP these days, you don't really have to worry about resource conflicts and the biggest problem you may have is finding the right driver to use on the CD that came with your hardware. IRQ's, DMA's, and I/O addresses were the things I had to study for the most. I'm currently studying for A+ OS, and I think this one might be harder than hardware. Like JanMike said, it depends on your level of experience.

my_id_0308

Thanks for thr replies ...

the scary thing about the A+ course that i have taken...the books are out of date..the lab is just horrible...and not much experience gain from the lab..all the computers,hard drives are damn old,what should i do...The books on the Internet are so expensive..i couldnt afford it..the worst thing...even the book stores doesnt order this type of books...do u guys think it is ok to use the old A+ books..and pass with it..well thank goodness TechExam have notes and exercises..will it be enough...the old books and notes from here ? HELP

Plantwiz

my_id_0308 wrote:

Thanks for thr replies ...

the scary thing about the A+ course that i have taken...the books are out of date..the lab is just horrible...and not much experience gain from the lab..all the computers,hard drives are damn old,what should i do...

What do you do now? Do you work? Are you in college?

The age of a hard drive is irrelevant in my book, so long as I can store and retrieve data, the age does not matter! Or are you refering the computers you are using, that they may be Pentium, Penitum II generation? Again, mute point for training.

What type of class was this that you felt it was so bad? Perhaps you already know the material and should take your exams?

my_id_0308 wrote:

The books on the Internet are so expensive..i couldnt afford it..the worst thing...even the book stores doesnt order this type of books...do u guys think it is ok to use the old A+ books..and pass with it..well thank goodness TechExam have notes and exercises..will it be enough...the old books and notes from here ? HELP

The cost of books is relative (IMO). I have never questioned paying for a good book. Any book that is of interest to me, is good Have I made some poor investments? Sure, but I learned something nonetheless.

The point I am trying to make is that you can pay for some good books or pay way too much for a class - but if either path gets you were you wanted....you did not pay too much

There are hundreds of sites that provide a good understanding for background information on computer/IT related material. Some for beginners and some for more advanced people. We have a good group of people here who can try to help answer specific questions for you as well

my_id_0308 wrote:

hi...again.....just want to know how long should i study for Both papers in A+...any tips?

You will likely want to study until you understand and can explain the objectives covered for the A+ Certification. Any areas that are unclear, spend more time on. Topics that you know, only review.

According to Meyers, if you have never worked in the field or are 'new' to computers, you'll want to invest at least 200 serious hours of study. If you are experienced and can understand/define the objectives - about 40 serious hours.

(I added serious hours because it does not mean that you sit and read stuff for 40 hours straight. More like a couple hours a night for a few weeks. No distractions.)

Anyway, Welcome (since I seem to have forgotten that )! If you have any specific questions I can help you with, please post in a separate thread with the header providing a hint of what are you need some help with.

Thanks

garv221

1 week, tops.

my_id_0308

Thank you all for replying..at least I know roughly how much time i should spent..