Exam Format and Grading

hudlee

So I hear the test is computerized. I hear there are 80 questions. I can't seem to find out exactly how the grading and question selection works....

0. How much time do I have to take the test? Can I finish early and start the next part (os test) right away?

1. Do I need 80% correct to pass (like I do on the practice tests?)

2. How many questions can I get wrong and still pass?

3. Do I have to answer all the questions, can I answer 10 questions correct and end the test with 100% ignoring the rest?

4. Is it better to leave some questions blank or guess?

5. Do I get partial credit for a question with 3 right answers if I only pick two of them?

6. Is there a big standard pool of publicly available questions that are repeated verbatium on the actual test but with the order of choices changed like on the ham radio license tests?

7. Do the practice tests in Total Tester from http://www.totalsem.com (came with my vouchers) have questions I will see on the actual test? Are compTIA practice exams better?

Here is what I have done to prepare. I bought Mike Meyers A+ passport last week and read the book in 2 days. Than I bought some vouchers and did 2 practice tests (1 for each part of the exam) than I reread parts of the book in detail filling in gaps in my knowledge and memorizing all the inane details like irq/io addresses and the finer points of laser printing. I memorized what all those .sys .ini .com files do in different versions of windows. I took several more practice tests in total tester. All in all I was pleasantly surprised that the test has been updated so I didn't have to learn nearly as much old cruft as I suspected.

After that I can repeatedly score above 80% (passing in total tester) on a core hardware practice test with questions I have never seen before. But sometimes I score in the 70's and with the os test I usually score in the 70's. Is 70% good enough to pass the real test? It fails me in total tester.


[Start Rant]
I HATE the spirit of this test! It seems there is nothing else I can study which will save me from new os exam questions I have not seen before. Random trouble shooting questions like "What are some common reasons for modem problems?" where there is more than 1 right answer and "The volume is turned down" is one of the correct answers. Those are always going to throw me if I haven't seen them before. It's really the wording that gets me most of the time although in this case I have to say: I have used modems with the speaker turned off for years and never had a problem! The test ain't hard because it tests important knowledge it's hard because the questions are random and poorly written. Please help me by answering my questions above the rant.
[End Rant]

Webmaster

0. 90 minutes
If you take core and OS on the same day, it depends on the test center whether you can finish one early and start with the other test because you registered both test separately for a specific time.

1. no, far less than 80%.
www.techexams.net/co_apluscore.shtml
www.techexams.net/co_aplusos.shtml

2. only comptia knows. Not all questions are graded and some may be worth more than other. This is not information that CompTIA discloses.

3. Wouldn't anyone do that if that was possible... No, you have to answer all questions.

4. Never leave a question unanswered. Blank questions are marked incorrect.

5. No partial credit

6. No, the pool is not 'that' large and is not made publicly available by CompTIA. Using, buying, selling actual exam questions is illegal and a violation of CompTIA's non-disclosure agreement.

7. You are not supposed to read any actual exam questions before trying to get certified (see 6). I don't have experience with totalsem, but they should cover the same topics as on the exam, not the exact same questions.

After that I can repeatedly score above 80% (passing in total tester) on a core hardware practice test with questions I have never seen before. But sometimes I score in the 70's and with the os test I usually score in the 70's. Is 70% good enough to pass the real test? It fails me in total tester.

Probably, but just to be safe I'd make sure I'd get at least 85-90%.

hudlee

Thanks alot I was wondering how that all worked. I knew #3 was a stupid question but I couldn't resist asking. I think I need to start looking at practice tests from other people to get a sense of if it's just totalsems questions that bother me

I had read those pages that you linked to but I didn't understand that only compTIA knows how many questions you can miss. That grading system is evil, at least they give you plenty of time.

Does everybody get asked all 80 questions? I recall hearing somewhere some people get less and some people get more. I feel like 80 questions gives me a much nicer buffer for error than the 50-65 on the practice tests I've been taking. Even if they don't all count.

I also hear the test is adaptive, meaning if you get questions wrong it gives you more of the same type so you can get them wrong too. Is this true?

Webmaster

Yeah, you should indeed try different practice exams to get a good idea where you stand.

No, the exams are not adaptive.