WGU IT Security student studying for A+ and running out of time

razz2525

My initial plan with my student mentor was to try to knock the 701 and 702 out by 8/31 since he said the exam was going to change dramatically with the 800 series and rely more on tablets, mobile and other technologies as well as more hands-on work. Since I have zero hands-on experience with hardware or troubleshooting for that matter, we decided it'd be best for me to try to get this done before the retirement. Now I feel the crunch. I'm still scoring poorly in hardware and operating systems although I'm doing well in networking and security modules (since I started working in this area several months ago). The COURSE mentor wanted me to switch over to the 800 series and revise my plan but she put it into motion without my student mentor's approval so that caused a big blow-up. Should I just cut my losses and tell my mentor I'm more comfortable going for the 800 given the more relaxed timeline? Problem is I feel like I've almost wasted 2 months of studying because it's been all 700 material (watching Messer's videos and practice questions). Is anyone else in the same boat? Is the 800 series going to be much worse for me because it includes practical application of which I have no experience? LabSim is just horrible.

I also have Meyers' All-in-One which is way too dense for me at this point and Prowse's cram book which is much better.

Bundiman

It has not been a waste of time. Most of the what you have covered will still be good for the 800 versions of the exam. I would suggest moving to the 800 version.

DoubleNNs

Most of what you learn on the 70x exams will be on the 80x exams. I think which one you take is up to you.

How far into the PM videos have you gone? Have you watched ALL of them and taken notes?
How far are you into both of the books you have? How much studying have you done using other methods?

Personally, I used nothing but the Exam Cram and Pm videos to pass my A+ a few months back.

razz2525

For 701, I've done all of Sections 1, 2, 5 and 6 of PM's videos, and for 702, I've started Section 1 as well since I'm trying to study for both exams at the same time - so basically, I've covered hardware, troubleshooting hardware, safety and security. I still have to tackle operating systems and hardware and I've been trying to set up a VM so I can play around.

I also got Darril Gibson's new A+ 800 iPhone app that I've been using for flash cards and questions whenever I get a free moment so that has helped also.

eansdad

Just remember that even though a lot of the information is the same the 801/802 are not direct updates to the 701/702. Check the exam objectives for the exact changes. If you have been studying for 2 months then you should be fine. Biggest difference between the 700 and 800 series is the addition of mobile and the sims. Again you should be fine.

chipcreep

I'd say take your time and go with the 801/802. Rushing seems like a bad idea.