Taking Each Test 1 at a Time Question

AW177

Hello all,

New to the forums and new to taking the A+ exam; I am thinking of taking each test one at a time instead of both at the same time/date; however, how long do you have in between each exam? For example, if I take the 801 today, does CompTIA give you a time limit before you can take the 802? I can't seem to cram all these tiny mundane details into my head to prepare for both exams at the same time. Thanks!

Plantwiz

I cannot immediately locate anything specific, but it use to be until they retire that portion of the exam.

However, I am an advocate for taking the exams the same day. The knowledge is needed to survive a work-day, so why not take the exams in the same manner they would be used on the job?

Plus, I have a difficult time making time away from work to take exams, so my time is too valuable to be away from the office for two separate mornings simply to take an exam. Bring up the question, of why do you need a lot of time between your exams? For those folks who take them on separate days, it varies from the next day up to about two weeks of time. Longer than this, I think you'll just scare yourself into not passing it.

If you have the option, and the recommended experience, I do not see why you could not take the tests back-to-back. My 5 cents.

techwizard

You can take both the 801 and 802 the same day, there is no time limit, however: pearsonvue will not allow you to attempt to take an exam "concurrent" with another, that is just a "safety" feature so you don't accidentally schedule 2 exams at exactly the same time on yourself. You can schedule 2 exams, back to back, so long as the testing facility has time permitted, and its not the "same" exam. For example I dont believe you can schedule yourself to take the 801 twice the same day, CompTIA might not allow that, and that would be foolish, if you passed it anyways, the first time, then what do you do about the second exam? You can even see what times are available at your local testing facility(s), without actually scheduling, at pearsonvue.

There are a lot of factors at play when deciding to take the A+ exam all at once or spread out. A lot of people, seem to think spreading the two exams out is best. Some people say a few days, some people say a week. Personally, I think this heavily depends on your actual technical experience/expertise level. For example, I already have almost 9 years of exp with hardware and software and building computers and repairing them and all that stuff, so I felt totally confident taking both exams in one day. I would not recommend that to someone who is completely new at this, by that I mean 0 exp to begin with. Even if you have some exp, a few months to a couple years, I would advocate going same day, and get it done. Other factors in play, such as how far away your "local" testing facility is, makes a difference in how you choose to schedule your exams. In my case, I had to drive over 175 miles one way to take the A+, so for me, in addition to my prior experience with computers and technology, it was a no brainer. I took the A+ exam 801, and 802 same day, and passed both.

Thats my 2cents. Add my 2cents and mods 5cents, you are at 7cents so far.

AW177

Thank you all for your answers, reason being is that I've been away from IT for a few years now, got laid off, did something else, and want to go back into doing it again but am a bit rusty. I feel w/ A+, this would be a way to show what I can do but am nervous of shelling out so much money for an exam only to fail it. That's why I'd like to take each exam one at a time and give me time in between to study and make sure I know everything.

It just seems ridiculous the amount of memorization for some parts of the exam; I cannot remember the distance of 802.11a indoors and outdoors, lol.

Plantwiz

@AW177,


I'll play devil's advocate...what happens when you fail the first test? Do you stop? Do you reschedule and pay the fee again to retest? I do understand your apprehension, but if you have experience (rusty or not) I think you can use a text like Meyers A-I-O and get yourself up to speed quickly (within 4-6 weeks). If two tests in one day seems too much, split them, but I would not wait more than a few days. Waiting will just increase the anxiety for no reason. This material is designed to be used in tandem in the field, so you likely already have a good understanding of it - simply need to brush up on the newer technologies.

CompTIA exams are vendor neutral. You need to know the contents on the objectives and lots of definitions, but the exam is 'general'. Don't second guess yourself.

CoolITnow

I did the 2 different days approach and going by your comments I would recommend the same. Having never taken one of these exams before I had no idea what to expect. So trying to conquer 2 of them back to back 90 mins each I would not suggest. It was ice cold in the testing room and since I was in there by myself I asked the guy if he could turn off the AC. He said yes but it would heat up real quick. So when I went back for part 2 I wore a sweater and a hat...and it was still cold. Couldn't imagine staying in there for 3 hours. Also I was more "relaxed" when I took the 802 because I had been there before. The 802 info was fresh in my head. I scored 832/900 on 801 and 850/900 on 802. I took each test about a week and a half apart. If for some reason you schedule both on the same day and fail 801 how will you feel while taking 802....a little nervous? Fail both and be out hundreds? If that were to happen and you retake both tests that will cost you 752 bucks at full price in the end if you pass both the 2nd time around. I guess there are a lot of different variables for everyone. That was my thought process and how I approached it. If you have the time spread them out. They are 2 different exams so no harm in treating them as such. Ask yourself this..Why did CopmTIA break them up into 2 separate exams? Good luck and let us know how it goes.

Plantwiz

@CoolITnow and @AW177,

The first step is to stop worrying about failing. Get that thought out of your head. Anyone who takes a number of exams over many, many years (their career of IT) will likely fail an exam or two. Yes, it is a bit of money, all of us who have take the A+ shelled out similar amounts of money...but in the end, it is usually worth it. I have yet to hear of someone failing both exams, though I'm certain it has happened a time or two. Very rarely, someone will fail one part or the other of the A+, reschedule and pass it.

Do not let fear run your decisions. You know the material or you don't. And the A+ has the lowest passing score out there, so focus on passing and the next adventure rather than getting bogged down with A+. For most IT techs, A+ is a cert they rarely need after the initial emotional/mental boost of success. There are so many more exams out there to focus energy on that A+ is kind of like a Band-Aid...rip it off and move on.

Get a voucher to offset some of the expense. See the link on the left-hand side of the forum <

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SnackyJ

I'm taking both tests tomorrow and I just want to knock them both out.

But I also have a lot of experience. Studying for the A+ just filled in the gaps of info I was missing/forgot.

Honestly I'm excited, and like Plantwiz says, I'm already looking ahead to the N+.

However... if I didn't have the experience and was starting fresh I might be a little more hesitant in scheduling the two tests back to back.

In the end you have to do what's right for you. If you feel you need to schedule them apart, do that. If you think you can pass both in a day, do that.