Passed (09 edition) Woohoo!

powder21 · November 2012

Took my A+ exams in September and passed (I know, I should've posted this then). Essentials: 885, Practical: 893.

I studied the following material:

Myers All-In-One Exam Guide + Guide to Supporting Windows 7 (Highly Recommend)
Sybex Complete Deluxe Study Guide (Good as additional material)
Professor Messer (Depends on your current level of knowledge)

The first book I read was the Meyers book (and then the supplemental Win7 book). I LOVED these books. My only issue was how it was structured (rather loosely/abstract it seemed to me). However, his method of presenting information in sort of a "conversation" kind of way was something I wasn't expecting at first, but wound up liking much more than a text book. The Sybex book is a text book, and I liked that it was structured in an A+ objective sort of way (which helped when going back to review things), but it was very boring in comparison. I found that, for me, Prof Messer's videos only really covered what I mostly knew already in that, the videos just weren't very in depth. But that's just me.

If I had to recommend a strategy, I would read the books by Meyers and then take practice exams. Afterwards, go into the Sybex book to find what sections you still need help with and read what those authors had to say about it, then look that up again in the Meyers book(s) and be sure to compare the two and maybe do a bit of digging on the net if you run into any conflicting information. Hope that helps!

Keep in mind, that this was for the 2009 test, but the same strategy would apply to the new ones, just use the substitute the material with the upgraded material by the same authors.

DoubleNNs · November 2012

Congrats on the pass! And HOLY MOLY on those scores!! haha

Has the A+ certification helped you in any way since passing in September?

powder21 · November 2012

Thanks!

Not really as of yet, because I haven't been pursuing employment. I was waiting to complete the Net+ exam as I had been given the opportunity to focus on studies until I'd gotten both certs. The knowledge I gained has helped my confidence though for sure.

Betrayal · November 2012

Congratulations, I am taking my A+ in two months, currently watching Professor Messor videos, I will be finishing the 220-701 videos in 2-3 hours from now. I've been studying for 4 months.

Do you think Professor Messer videos are enough to pass or can you recommend me to something else that is free?

Bryzey · November 2012

Betrayal wrote: »

Congratulations, I am taking my A+ in two months, currently watching Professor Messor videos, I will be finishing the 220-701 videos in 2-3 hours from now. I've been studying for 4 months.

Do you think Professor Messer videos are enough to pass or can you recommend me to something else that is free?

I would suggest getting a kindle version of a book as they are very cheap and just reading it on your pc if you don't have a kindle.

The professor messer videos are a great resource but you should get your information from multiple resources IMO.

DoubleNNs · November 2012

I def agree. Professor messor has an amazing site but it'd be best to get your material from multiple places.

However, 6 months of study for the A+ seems like a lot Betrayal. Whatever additional materials you get, try to keep them from postponing taking the test even longer. Remember - the sooner you take and pass the A+, the sooner you can start working on higher level certs.

powder21 · November 2012

I very much agree with the last couple posts. I highly recommend a book for more in depth coverage of the material. You might be able to pass with just Prof Messer, but your confidence will be increased dramatically with a higher level of understanding. I really liked the Mike Meyers material. Look for his work on Amazon.