Hello all, which is better?

coloradogeek99

So I am getting ready to purchase a book so I can start studying for the Net+. I was wondering what book is the best? I used exam cram for the A+ and I really like it. The only downfall was that the spine of the book was weak and ripped. I noticed the mike meyers edition can be purchased as a hard back. In your opinion which book is better? I don't mind getting the exam cram again if everyone thinks it is better than the mike meyers one.

bhcs2014

I'm going to purchase the Exam Cram book for Net+. I read the A+ exam cram and I like how it didn't over-explain the concepts. Explained everything just enough.

coloradogeek99

I am with you on that. Like I said my only problem with the exam cram books is that the spine broke. It made it more difficult to take notes without having the pages flip automatically to where the spine broke. I will probably go with the exam cram again though. Just wanted to see what other people thought

rht

Both are good books in my opinion.

I found Mike Meyers book to be too detailed for A+ and therefore i bout EXAM cram for network+. I started with EXAM cram but found that it presumes you know the basics which makes understanding concepts difficult. For example it started talking in chapter 1 or 2 cant remember about MPLS without explaining what it does etc. I had to keep goggling certain expressions to be able to understand what the writer was saying and so i felt lost. I then bought Mike Meyers book and read it twice which helped me grasp the basic concepts for the exam and provided me with the bigger picture. Mike meyers Network+ book is much better than his A+ book it provides just enough for you to understand the material. It does go a little overboard with certain concepts like IPv6 tho but nothing like his A+ book.

So in conclusion both are good it depends on your previous knowledge. My vote goes to Mike Meyers book.

Hope this helps and Good luck

DoubleNNs

I hated Mike Meyers for A+ and used Exam Cram instead. But I loved Mike Meyers for Network+.

I actually read Mike Meyers Network+ 1st then quickly scanned thru the Network+ Exam Cram.

coloradogeek99

When you quickly scanned through the exam cram what did you think? I am just wondering now if maybe I should get both or can it be done with just one of them and professor messer?

Plantwiz

This is not a comparative poll.

You are asking whether or not a complete text is better than a quick review text. They are each geared toward a different type of candidate. So, not a fair comparison. Both have their merits, but it depends on whether the candidate needs a more comprehensive review, or if they need a mere overview of the matieral.

DoubleNNs

Plantwiz wrote: »

You are asking whether or not a complete text is better than a quick review text.

Even tho the 2 are geared towards very different audiences, I think you could use the Exam Cram as a primary study source if wanted. I did when I took my A+. It wasn't that I knew the material already and needed a review - I just didn't like the writing style of the alternatives and thought of the straight-forward tone in the Exam Cram as a benefit, at least in comparison.

coloradogeek99 wrote: »

When you quickly scanned through the exam cram what did you think? I am just wondering now if maybe I should get both or can it be done with just one of them and professor messer?

You could def pass with just one resource. If you had to pick only 1 resource for the Net+, I'd recommend the Mike Meyers.

However, if you don't mind spending the money on both, as well as the time needed to read thru them, get both. It's always better to use multiple resources, if time and money permits it.

coloradogeek99

That was one thing I really liked about the A+ Exam Cram, you got the feeling the writer was having a conversation with you, instead of at you. Thank you for your input though! I will take it into consideration for sure.

Plantwiz wrote: »

This is not a comparative poll.

You are asking whether or not a complete text is better than a quick review text. They are each geared toward a different type of candidate. So, not a fair comparison. Both have their merits, but it depends on whether the candidate needs a more comprehensive review, or if they need a mere overview of the matieral.

The poll is to find out the opinion's of different users. I know that they books are geared differently but I like to compare the results of the poll and my own personal perception of the reviews. If this was a site that was comparing the best overall, I would agree with you. But this is a forum posting that I am just using as a reference so I can make the decision on which book is best for me. I am sure a lot of people that have voted have not read both books, so it would be hard to judge strictly based off the poll. It is only a small chunk of the research that I do before purchasing a book. Which one did you like more?

coloradogeek99

I apologize if that last post came off as defensive. I did intend for it to be that way by any means. Just trying to use all of my available resources.

SnackyJ

I too used the exam cram for the A+, but I bought the Mike Meyers book for N+ because I have only, well, an A+ level understanding of networking. So I chose the book (Meyers) that I felt would go into a bit more depth.

Aeterna

I have both books! I've read through Mike Meyers N+ a couple times and it is much more thorough and enjoyable for someone starting out. The Exam Cram I only bought to help me study for the days leading upto my test (Which is next week). It is great for going over what I learned in Mike Meyers booik, and easier to actually study from, thus the "Exam Cram" name haha.

coloradogeek99

ya i am starting to think that maybe both books are the best choice for me. sure it may cost a little extra money, but from someone who only has networking experience through the a+ it may be best to use as many sources as possible

Aeterna

REMOVED UNNECESSARY QUOTED REPLY FROM PREVIOUS POST
You can't go wrong with that mentality, the more resources you pull from the better!

Plantwiz

coloradogeek99 wrote:

The poll is to find out the opinion's of different users. I know that they books are geared differently but I like to compare the results of the poll and my own personal perception of the reviews....

Not a problem, however a poll isn't necessary for that type of a question. Survey's are good for comparing a list of similar items.

Again, each book targets a different type of audience, so selecting a 'best' book is not possible given the lack of input about the applicant.

Both books are very good, but they serve different target audiences and therefore cannot be adequately compared on an either/or basis.

stryder144

Here is my input: buy both, if you can. If you go to an interview for a networking job and you didn't really, truly know the OSI model, how to subnet effectively, how a web request goes from the computer through the network to the server and back again, etc, then you will have a hard time getting a job. That is the benefit of Mike Myer's book. Read it through a time or two, then, as your exam gets closer, read through the Exam Cram book. That will reinforce the core knowledge that you need to have to pass the exam. Unfortunately, there is a huge difference between the knowledge necessary to pass the exam and the knowledge you need to pass an interview.

Cheers

coloradogeek99

Plantwiz wrote: »

Not a problem, however a poll isn't necessary for that type of a question.

The poll was just an experiment of mine to see if it got people to interact more with the forum post. The real question was in the actual post itself. where I asked what people's opinion of the best book was. But I see your point and I will note it for future reference.

stryder144 wrote: »

Here is my input: buy both, if you can.

So here is my question to you. Say I already purchased the exam cram edition and it is on its way. I also have a CCNA book from the past that I was planning to study for before I realized it was probably best to build a foundation of certs before I go after the CCNA. Do you think that reading the CCNA book along with the exam cram would help give me a better understanding? or should I get the Mike Meyers book to help go in depth about the network+? I have only read a chapter or two from the CCNA book and I know that it focuses on Cisco products but does it go in deptch about Networking?

DoubleNNs

If you don'tr plan on taking the actual Net+ exam, you'll be fine just reading the Exam Cram then jumping straight into the CCNA.

If you plan on taking the Net+, I'd recommend to get the Mike Meyers.

However, if you have an older CCNA book, check to make sure it's not out of date for the new exams.

sys_teck

you must concentrate on just one thing. If your goal is Net+ use Network+ book and then you can go for Cisco CCNA. There is no harm in using many resources as you can when you learn either one. I personally use Craig Zacker and Todd Lammle books and Professor Messer videos for Network+.

good luck