Server+ 'd to the face

jafarNarnar

Instead of looking through all of the threads i figured why not see if anyone has some direct input to my situation. Making a long story short my current contract is in the bidding process and hopefully renewed by the end March. My boss just informed me (today) that I need this cert to basically keep my job (short notice is an understatement). I'm not new to the IT cert world and have been through the painful studying process numerous times but all in all I know very minimal about this cert thinking i would never actually need it. Any feedback on how i should tackle this with the twoish months i have would be great.

How hard is the test (if possible comparison to my current certs Sec+, CCENT,CCNA)? Will two months of brutal studying get me the gold? Study tips (hopefully selling my boss on a cram course)? And most importantly what is the value to employers when this is on my resume with my current experience (7 years) and certs? Once again any feedback will be much appreciated, thanks!

lawrence_of_arabia

Just scheduled Server+ today. The book I've been studying along with company resources is 'CompTIA Server+ Certification by ILT.' Here's the link to purchase from Amazon.

CompTIA Server+ Certification (ILT): CompTIA: 9781426019050: Amazon.com: Books

I'll keep an eye on this thread to hear from someone who has taken it and can perhaps explain its value.

Mike-Mike

your subject made me laugh....

I dont have this cert, so I can't help you, but I may get it too, so I'm interested in replies

OG Maverick

I took this exam because I found a voucher for dirt cheap on eBay. The catch was it had to be taken like a week after I bought it. I literally didn't study anything for it. I did have my A+, Net+, and Security+ at the time though so previous knowledge from those helped.

ChooseLife

I don't have the cert myself, but it is a CompTIA, how difficult could it be? I'd imagine it is on the Sec+ level.

If you have 7 years of experience, and it includes servers, there should be no problems passing this exam. Instead, I wonder why they'd want someone with 7 years of experience to have a CompTIA cert?..

In any case, good luck

ptilsen

All reports are that difficulty is around the same as Sec+ or Net+. It is A+ hardware for servers. It should not be difficult. Pick up the best-rated $30 paperback from Amazon. I would be shocked if you can't pass it in two weeks. Two months is plenty of time. It's going to be a heck of a lot easier than CCNA.

Whatever you did for security+ should be sufficient. The only big difference, from what I've seen, is that Server+ is much more about practical server knowledge, while Security+ is almost entirely theory. If anything, this should make it easier if you have experience with or knowledge of server hardware and software.

Slowhand

I took the beta of the new version a while back, and I found it to be quite a straightforward experience. If you've got plenty of experience, in particular with some hands-on work done on servers, you should have no trouble at all. Have a look at the exam objectives on the CompTIA site, see if there are any topics that make you scratch your head, but otherwise it'll feel like you're doing your A+ with a focus on things like RAID and server CPUs instead of desktop hardware.

dragonshiz

Here is the book I used:

The Concise Server+ Study Guide (SK0-003): Jonathan Lau: Amazon.com: Kindle Store

Read through it a couple of times and reviewed RAID levels and was able to pass with 2 weeks of studying. As far as difficulty I would rank it more difficult than A+ but not as difficult as the Network + or Security +.

ThePawofRizzo

If you've tackled Sec+ and CCNA, and you have all that experience, with some read and review I would think you could knock this one outta the park.