Study Question

zach1288

I am currently studing for the A+ exam. I have been reading mike meyers A+ book(its a great book). My problem is there is so much information how do you guys remember all of it(all the details)? Is the test very detailed?







-Zach

shadown7

Just don't be in a hurry to take your exam. Study the material at a slow pace until you understand all the topics on the exam. That book does have a lot of information in it. The key to taking in that much info is to try to take your time on it and if possible use an old PC and do some hands-on.

Don't worry, you'll get it!!

zach1288

Do you have your A+?

shadown7

No, I've studied for that exam and took my time and learned all the objectives. But, I'm more interested in learning Cisco so I put that off and never took the exam. I may or may not take exam after I get my CCNA.


But, regardless it I'm A + or not, the study habits I suggested has always worked well with any exams or tests I've taken.

zach1288

ok

keatron

Shadown7 is correct, take your time, and make sure the concepts are clear to you. Obviously you won't be tested on all the material in the book and Meyers does a good job of pointing that out. However, most of the material is important to grasp before you can truely have a handle on the test objectives (which is why some of the stuff you wont be tested on is included). I feel that I should mention that some of the material may not be on the test, but it's very useful if you ever plan to perform in a break/fix role. Even if you're a high powered Systems Engineer for a fortune 500 company, it helps to know how to troubleshoot RAM problems.

Plantwiz

zach1288 wrote:

Do you have your A+?

shadown7 wrote:

No, I've studied for that exam and took my time and learned all the objectives. But, I'm more interested in learning Cisco so I put that off and never took the exam. I may or may not take exam after I get my CCNA.

But, regardless it I'm A + or not, the study habits I suggested has always worked well with any exams or tests I've taken.

I hold an A+ as far as how do I remember the stuff? Well, I worked with hardware since Apple IIe days (so that is about 1983) and over the years converted in PC's.

My early years were filled with working on my own equipment, helping out at school and even in college (unfortunately, I was focusing on Accounting and not CS ). I received invaluable experience that I held onto and continued to use over time.

Changed Career paths, worked for companies with various hardware and was the go-to person for tech support. I worked with outside technicians on printers/copiers/faxes/servers/workstations/ etc.. and at each company they needed to call outside support less and less (except on warranty items) and relied more on myself (the unoffical IT person).

In addition to all that, I worked in retail (computers) almost 2 years before every bothering to take the A+ in 2000. I was the only person who held the A+ and I followed that up with 2 years of working with a company who services networks before sitting for the NET+ (in addition to the historical training I had).

I knew nothing of support sites like this one, nor did I realize there was information to help prepare for the exam other than Meyer's book (and never bothered using the CD with the book).

As far as remembering stuff....when you get sick of looking it up, you'll store it in your head

Obscure stuff, from time to time everyone needs to look up (even me ), but the time necessary to look something up is minimal when it is something you understand and work with. New topics, of course require 'study' as to be expected.

Is my path the way to go? Not necessarily, but I only see the point of working on the certs I use or will be using in the near future.

While many people are working on their Cisco certification, I do not work with enough Cisco products to justify the time and at this point it will not benefit me nor the company I work for to put it onto a resume just to say I have it.

The people I work with are intelligent and can troubleshoot networks/design networks in ways no book can teach. Some have certifications and some do not. Their skill is what keeps us going, not the paper.

As it has been mentioned, it just takes TIME - no getting around it.

Best of Luck

zach1288

thanks man