Difficulty of A+

AzimScot

there seems to be alot of difference to the level of difficulty of the tests im not sure i am ready but i want to take the tests i have done alot of practise tests from various websites and used technotes some people say its a walkover other say its really difficult i failed the first time after being shocked of the question were so different to the practise exams i prepared for whats the best website to use?

thx

telthenipper

As long as you study and know your hardware/software, it's pretty straight forward. A lot more so than the two MS exams (70-270 & 70-290) than I'm studying for a the moment are.

Tel

reloaded

Well, first off, I'd take a look at CompTIA's objective list from their website so you get an idea of what they'll want you to know on the test. Second, get some good studying material. I'd recommend Mike Myers or Sybex stuff. The technotes and practice tests from here and MCMCSE are also very good and indicative of how good of a position you're in to pass. Third, just hammer down, focus on the objectives and when you're ready, relax and take it. Personally, I thought the test was in mid-range difficulty, but I passed by a pretty hefty margin because I knew my stuff. Don't go in unprepared, but feel comfortable with the ideas mentioned in the objective list. Good luck!

NPA24

I would have to say that the tests were more difficult then what everyone keeps saying. I came into the test thinking it was going to a piece of cake, but there were some easy answers and aslo there were some off the wall questions which I had no clue at all. I did pass on the first try but it did catch me off guard. Every since that, the way I study for CompTIA exams is to make sure I know every objective of the exam. It's a good guideline to see where you are in readiness. Also take as many practice questions from different resources as you can. I would suggest using Transcender for that one.

Good luck!!

caustik

i used mike myers 5th and sybex A+ fast pass , i recomend at least two sources becuase they may refer to things differently and cover slightly different material. mm all in one covers alot but is not organized by objectives the fast pass book was, so that, with the comptia list was helpful.

i bought the total seminars A+ test pack 11 core and 11 os tests 50/60 questions a piece. http://www.mcmcse.com/ has excellent test questions aswell (270 of them) take the random 50 question a few times then take all 270. I was able to get only 28 wrong out of 270... I was also using ****.com tests but a few of those questions are inaccurate.

here is a suggestion I read in another forum: read over your material until you feel your not learning anything new ( no surprises). also after each test review what you didnt reconize, even during the test if you get a surprize question go look it up and review, even search online for an acticle or chart, and cross referance it against the comptai obj. list....

saturntechs

Passed core today - 753!!! I was floored. By the end of the test I was seriously expecting to fail or barely pass. Yes, harder than I had anticipated!! The only hands on experience I've had has been building a couple of systems and fixing/upgrading the several I have here or for friends. I'm not sure I would have passed without that experience.

My very first question left me saying.....no....crying "HUH? I didn't see that referenced in any book or any website, what the %@#! is THAT???!" It was so off the wall and outta nowhere - something about some network cable spec - or something along those lines - I forget!! My degree is in Networking and I was clueless! The only thing I knew when I saw that question was that I was going to fail!!

Some questions were simple pull from memory stuff (25-35%) - the rest left me wondering. By the end of the test I had 23 questions marked - I either wasn't sure, or just plain clueless as to what the answer was.

For the majority of the questions I didn't immediately know the answer to I was able to limit my choices two answers. Then it was a matter of "best quasi-educated guess" or sometimes "pick and pray".

Some of the questions just didn't make sense given the answers I had to choose from. Seems like maybe some questions could have been worded better? There were two questions where I had to choose 2 and I still swear there was only one right answer. Oh well.

My advice? Watch question/answer wording!!! READ EVERY WORD!! Don't make assumptions - be sure you understand the question and the situation being described. If you don't know the answer - read the question/answer again because (if you're like me) you assumed and so you very well may have missed something.

Know your acronyms. Know your ABCs cause you will for sure need them no question - if for no other reason than to offset the wrong answers you'll get on the tougher more involved stuff or worse the stuff that leaves you saying HUH???

Know memory inside out, bus widths, network (including wireless!) cabling & protocols (many questions for me in this domain), IRQ, IDE/SCSI installation/troubleshooting and troubleshooting in general. Know "best practices". Lots of "this happens, what's the MOST likely cause or fix?" This is where hands on experience is a must it seems. A few questions on peripheral cabling. I had NONE on DMA & one on addressing - figures since I made a point to permanently burn that stuff into the 3 brain cells I have left. I think I had one or two on CPU slots - again taking hours to retain.

I didn't have any "identify" from a picture questions!! I was expecting this. Everything I read said ComptTIA liked those kind of questions! Rather I got a text description and had to identify that way. Not so easy for the less used/seen components!!

Seems like the majority of the questions require you not only know the ABCs but be able to apply them in differing circumstances. "Set to slave" isn't always the best answer. Over half my questions were more than "What's this, pick a, b, c, or d."

Many of the questions were definitely required deeper understanding/knowledge than what I've found here and other test sites. I was consistently scoring 90%+ on the practice tests here and others. I also had a demo PrepLogic (220 questions) which I eventually scored 100% on - I guess my memory isn't as bad as I think

The CompTIA site has some sample questions - which I got a 50% on just yesterday!! They seem to be indicative of the types of questions I had.

I didn't use the Myers book for Core. I'm gonna for OS though. From what I gather it seems like people who go by Myers & CramSession score well.

I do have the Myers A+ Certification Lab Manual (which I didn't use until this morning!) due to time but I certainly will use it for OS. Seems like it will be useful for putting the ABCs in order.[/i]

Ricka182

congrats!

ScriptX

Well I'm new here, in class ATM.

I'm a senior in high school and the state is paying for my exam...

I have heard numerous accounts of how hard this exam is and How much I need to study. Can anyone give me the main things covered or maybe even some questions that you remember seeing on the test. We have thoroughly covered all of the material and I have used many study tools, like Cram master and Exam Essentials along with this site.

Is there anything else I can do? links? programs?

Thanks in advance

reloaded

Can anyone give me the main things covered or maybe even some questions that you remember seeing on the test.

Well, I can't tell you the exact questions I saw on the test because that would be cheating. But, I can tell you what areas I experienced the questions from. I had just about everything on the test, a little bit of this and that. Going in, I just made sure I was able to describe or tell about every objective from CompTIA's website. If you can do that, you'll be in a great position to pass. So number 1, get comfortable with the test objectives. Second, study several sources to get the full picture with each idea. Third, find as many practice tests as you can online. Here and MCMCSE have great practice tests, as well as tech/study notes for any cramming. Fourth, feel comfortable with the material. Good luck!

mistervince

yes, this seems to be the general gist of the CompTIA exams. The fact that they vary dramatically from exam to exam is well known. I've heard of people not knowing anything passing the Server+ and then people having studied for months not pass it. The CompTIA A+ seems to be pretty variating as well.

AzimScot

yeah i just think that someone must have a good website with similar practise questions based on 2003 objectives thats all theres so many on the net as well as i have buyed which are too easy nothing like the real exam then again websites like omega are quite difficult.

EastCoastShattas

I am rinting exams on Tuesday any advise