New to the forums

Hello everybody as you can see I am new to the forums. I wanted to introduce myself and let you all know why I'm here.

At a young age I had a interest in computers and always wanted to be in the IT field. I'm currently a intern at Freddie Mac in Mclean Va as a Desktop Support Specialist and would love to stay as an employee. My manager has suggested that I get the Comptia A+ certification which could solidify a position for me. I am terrible at studying for test and would love to hear from other IT professionals on how they prepared for this certification and other certifications that you all might have.

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kurosaki00

hey, welcome

What exactly troubles you when studying for an exam?
reading? memorizing? on hands?
Sadly for A+ there is a lot of reading to do, not much action going
You should watch CBT nuggets vids first, maybe that will wake you up a bit more towards the A+ material.

TCainnn

kurosaki00 wrote: »

hey, welcome

What exactly troubles you when studying for an exam?
reading? memorizing? on hands?
Sadly for A+ there is a lot of reading to do, not much action going
You should watch CBT nuggets vids first, maybe that will wake you up a bit more towards the A+ material.

For me it's memorizing the material. Can you give me more information about CBT nugget I've never heard of em before

kurosaki00

Here's the link for the cbt A+ site
CompTIA A+ 220-701, 220-702 Video Training Online | CBT Nuggets

They are probably the #1 IT Video training resource around
Not all of their series are that good, but the A+ one is pretty good

You can also try Professor Messer which has a free video series on A+ and its pretty good
Remember this is video training, its usually not enough to pass certifications. It just adds up.

About the memorizing stuff, I recommend to study when well rested, develop a study plan (and stick to it!), read 20-25 pages then rest for a couple of minutes, read a few more, rest etc
dont overload yourself in one sit

paul78

Welcome to TE. Getting an A+ is a good step if you are unfamiliar with what area of IT you may want to pursue in the future. Do you have any thoughts about what interested you about computers? Is it programming, systems administration, networking, IT support? If you are not sure, starting with the A+ is probably a good place to start.

TCainnn wrote: »

For me it's memorizing the material.

One thing about certifications, it's not really about memorizing facts and regurgitating answers on an exam. To get the long-term value, it's best to digest the materials and understand how it knits together and is applied in the real world.

People learn and absorb information in different ways, for example, I'm a tactile learner (sometimes called kinesthetic) so I need to have hands-on activities.

If you have trouble retaining material, perhaps you could benefit from a blended approach such as videos. The CBT Nuggets mentioned by kurosaki00 does offer good materials. Start by seeing if their material is for you - look on YouTube for their free materials. You can also find their web site here - CBT IT Training Videos Online, Certification and Education | CBT Nuggets

twodogs62

They give you a sheet to write on before exams.
A tip is to not memorize certain items, but learn to write these items as a lookup list during the test.
examples would be IP port numbers, serial, parallel addresses, etc.
As you go through material and read study books and take practice tests you can figure out where you may trip up on numbers, etc....
With time many of these items will be automatic, But with all the material, don't try to memorize.
i like to take notes as I go thru material. And then review my notes.

Roguetadhg

Welcome!

TCainnn

kurosaki00 wrote: »

Here's the link for the cbt A+ site
CompTIA A+ 220-701, 220-702 Video Training Online | CBT Nuggets

They are probably the #1 IT Video training resource around
Not all of their series are that good, but the A+ one is pretty good

You can also try Professor Messer which has a free video series on A+ and its pretty good
Remember this is video training, its usually not enough to pass certifications. It just adds up.

About the memorizing stuff, I recommend to study when well rested, develop a study plan (and stick to it!), read 20-25 pages then rest for a couple of minutes, read a few more, rest etc
dont overload yourself in one sit

Thanks. I'm having a hard time sticking to a study plan. I usually read my A+ book during my lunch break at my internship but lately I haven't been focused on it. I want to take my test before my internship is over (January 25th) and I know that I will have to fully dedicate myself in order to be ready by then.

TCainnn

paul78 wrote: »

Welcome to TE. Getting an A+ is a good step if you are unfamiliar with what area of IT you may want to pursue in the future. Do you have any thoughts about what interested you about computers? Is it programming, systems administration, networking, IT support? If you are not sure, starting with the A+ is probably a good place to start.

One thing about certifications, it's not really about memorizing facts and regurgitating answers on an exam. To get the long-term value, it's best to digest the materials and understand how it knits together and is applied in the real world.

People learn and absorb information in different ways, for example, I'm a tactile learner (sometimes called kinesthetic) so I need to have hands-on activities.

If you have trouble retaining material, perhaps you could benefit from a blended approach such as videos. The CBT Nuggets mentioned by kurosaki00 does offer good materials. Start by seeing if their material is for you - look on YouTube for their free materials. You can also find their web site here - CBT IT Training Videos Online, Certification and Education | CBT Nuggets

Thanks for the reply. I actually LOVE the hardware aspect of computers and i LOVE working with my hands. I'm acually a tactile learner as well and learn best when being taught instead of trying to teach myself. I think that videos would be a great resource as a study tool for me to use.

TCainnn

twodogs62 wrote: »

They give you a sheet to write on before exams.
A tip is to not memorize certain items, but learn to write these items as a lookup list during the test.
examples would be IP port numbers, serial, parallel addresses, etc.
As you go through material and read study books and take practice tests you can figure out where you may trip up on numbers, etc....
With time many of these items will be automatic, But with all the material, don't try to memorize.
i like to take notes as I go thru material. And then review my notes.

Thanks for the tips. I rarely take notes when I study I usually re-read the material and try to memorize it but I will start to take notes while I study.

Ivanjam

@TCainnn - welcome to TE!

As kurosaki00 said, you can try the free Professor Messer's videos as an introduction to the A+.

Good luck on your endeavors!

Joshuab009

You're already off to a running start just by finding this forum. Welcome to the site.

Chitownjedi

Joshuab009 wrote: »

You're already off to a running start just by finding this forum. Welcome to the site.

Spot on

EV42TMAN

I agree with the CBT Nuggets videos, I've used them for every certification I have. They are well worth the time and money if you have trouble focusing with textbooks.

danny069

Welcome to the boards and getting the A+ is a great start, that's what I did, you show great enthusiasm and that is what is going to drive you to succeed. Good luck.