700 series vs 800 series certification

TheOx

I am planning on starting at WGU next year and my first step towards that goal is to get my A+ certification. I am just now getting started studying for the cert. My question is does it matter if I take the 700 or the 800? I have seen that there is more information for the 700 series certification than there is for the 800.

I'm also planning on beginning my search for an IT job after I get my A+. Do employers care which version of the certification I get?

ptilsen

It doesn't matter and no one -- I really mean no one -- cares which version you get. It has always made the most sense to me to get the latest version, but study material availability is of course a legitimate concern. Still, a lot of the information won't have changed. Some of it is still true and relevant nearly a decade later.

TheOx

I guess I'll give the 800 series a shot. Any idea how long it should take me to study for the tests?

ptilsen

It depends how much you know now. Maybe 10 hours, maybe 60. It takes most people at least a few weeks.

TheOx

Thanks for the info!

Darril

@TheOx, welcome to the forums.

I agree with ptilsen that it depends on how much you know when you start. It also depends on how much time you have to study regularly. The biggest thing you can do is study for some amount of time every day, such as one or two hours daily. If you can study more, great. However, if you stay consistent, you'll be able to take and pass both the exams.

If you do this for two months (8 weeks) you'll rack up between 56 and 112 hours of study and it's entirely possible that you'll be ready to take both the exams within two months. Depending on your current level of knowledge and the amount of time you can devote to regular study, you might be done sooner.

eansdad

Does it matter which version for WGU ... No as long as it was taken in the last 5 years.
Does it matter to employers ... No, they usually don't know the difference between exams.
Would you rather push yourself and take the most current exam which is harder and has more up to date information ... I would hope so. If your not willing to push yourself now then what do expect you'll do later?

Some people don't care if they take the older/easier exam and some don't care what they score since a pass is a pass but hold yourself to a higher standard and really work to do as well as you can instead of shooting for the minimum score. Remember, all knowledge from any level can be useful at any point.

GPIT

eansdad wrote: »

Does it matter which version for WGU ... No as long as it was taken in the last 5 years.
Does it matter to employers ... No, they usually don't know the difference between exams.
Would you rather push yourself and take the most current exam which is harder and has more up to date information ... I would hope so. If your not willing to push yourself now then what do expect you'll do later?

Some people don't care if they take the older/easier exam and some don't care what they score since a pass is a pass but hold yourself to a higher standard and really work to do as well as you can instead of shooting for the minimum score. Remember, all knowledge from any level can be useful at any point.

Maybe I am missing something, but where are you seeing that the 800 series is the "harder" of the two? As far as more up-to-date, then yes I would agree on the 800 series. However, both the 700 or 800 series, in my mind, validates the knowledge required to be A+ certified.

@TheOx - Good luck.

eansdad

I sat on 3 of the workshops to create it

GPIT

eansdad wrote: »

I sat on 3 of the workshops to create it

Okay, I can see from your perspecitve why you might consider it harder. I would consider "harder" - in general - to be relative though. Someone might find a test on more current topics easier than a test on older topics. In any case, without enough studying or preparation any test will be hard.

ie. Study and prepare and you'll do fine on either.

eansdad

The 800 series has new topics, was changed from 3/6 months exp to 12 months and interactive questions. Not to mention you shouldn't see the same questions on the 801 as the 802 like you did the 700 series. Unless something changed, it should be harder.

GPIT

700 or 800... Nothing is hard.... if you know the answer.

Darril

@eansdad, interesting input.

From an experience perspective, how did you like the workshops?

eansdad

Darril wrote: »

@eansdad, interesting input.

From an experience perspective, how did you like the workshops?

I liked it, the CompTIA people are great and the other SMEs all had some very interesting input/ideas.

TheOx

Great news everyone! I have passed both of the A+ exams and now I'm certified. It took me longer than I planned to get ready for the tests. But I've passed none the less.

My next step is signing up with WGU!

Tenor

Congrats!

Darril

Congrats on the pass. Good luck on your WGU journey.