So, realistically...

Michael.J.Palmer

What should be the areas that I focus on most when it comes to the A+. I've got my MCDST and I'll have the MCTS: Win 7 Config next week (I'm confident, lol) and I feel that I'm fairly knowledgable when it comes to hardware of a desktop and laptop. So far the in class study looks like a re-hash of what just went over for the past three months, maybe that was the plan of having the A+ last, but has anyone else been in my shoes where they had about 10 years of recreational (messing around with computer insides) plus other certifications before taking the A+?

Just curious so I can start planning a study schedule at home.

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Plantwiz

What sort of experience with the material do you have now?
What material are you using to prepare?
Know the objectives!

CompTIA A+
Getting Ready for the Test

Study the entire objective set.
Invest more time on the areas you feel you struggle with.
Review the % of that topic that might be on the exam and decide how critical that topic is to your study prep.

CompTIA exams are pretty straight-forward. You'll know the material or you won't. Experience is a huge plus, so get as much as you are able.

Meyer's book is Great!

Michael.J.Palmer

I'm currently enrolled at MyComputerCareer.com where I have class two days a week for four hours a day. In class we do a lecture and then some labs to help bang the knowledge into our heads, outside of class I study about 15-20 hours a week via the online books on books24x7.com that they gave us access to and I've also got access to Exam Force/Cram Master and OnlineExpert.com material through the school (the OnlineExpert.com material is very good from what I can tell, including several hours of video lectures by Mike Meyer).

I've been tinkering around with computers for about 10 years now and just finally jumped into IT as a career. The first week of lectures I was bored out of my mind as everything was pretty "elementary" as far as computers were concerned IMO. My teacher did say that after the first three months of lectures we've done (MCDST prep and MCTS: Win 7 config prep) a lot of it would feel like a refresher than anything else, throw on top of that the fact that I have prior experience (even if not professional) and I'm trying to figure out how much time I should really invest in studying over the long haul, the last thing I want to do is over-extend myself into minute details that may never show up on the exam.

Was mainly looking for other's opinions regarding the exam, should I sweat it like it's a college final? Or treat it like a weekly quiz or at the very most a mid-term.

earweed

Considering the cost of the exam you should sweat it some..lol
The A+ was pretty straightforward in my opinion. Make sure you know about printers, CRT's (refresh rates and stuff) and the rest is really kind of basic. I used just the Mike Meyers All in One book and his learkey videos while studying for the exam.

Plantwiz

Michael.J.Palmer wrote: »

Was mainly looking for other's opinions regarding the exam, should I sweat it like it's a college final? Or treat it like a weekly quiz or at the very most a mid-term.

Do you find Calculus fun?

Not to be sarcastic, but I thought Calculus was a snap and if you'd asked me how much time to study for that exam, I'd have told you a light review should be appropriate.

Hardware/Software is that way for me as well. I do much better diagnosing what I can see and touch compared to online discussion, but again, I'd tell you (based on my experience) a light review is appropriate.

HOWEVER, I don't know you nor know how well you understand the objectives...neither does anyone else here. So, the question (which unfortunately is asked frequently) cannot be answered better then "it depends".

Do you understand the objectives?
Do you have experience?

If so, the Meyers IIRC, recommends at least 40 hours of review before the exams. If you don't know that material well, then you'll want to invest considerably more time.

Michael.J.Palmer

Plantwiz wrote: »

Do you find Calculus fun?

Not to be sarcastic, but I thought Calculus was a snap and if you'd asked me how much time to study for that exam, I'd have told you a light review should be appropriate.

Funny, I actually excelled at Calculus in college and never saw what the big deal was with it and why people were always so afraid of it.

Thanks for the advice guys, I suppose I'll stick to listening in class (not gonna take notes unless it's something that is way over my head) and watch the LearnKey Mike Meyer's videos I've got access to. I'll have a couple of practice tests provided by the school at my disposal as well and I'll probably run through those the weekend before I test.

Thanks again.

Plantwiz

Michael.J.Palmer wrote: »

Funny, I actually excelled at Calculus in college and never saw what the big deal was with it and why people were always so afraid of it.

....

Well, I'm not comparing A+ to Calculus, but I think you get my point. "Difficultly" is relative to ones experiences (I could have used Russian Literature or Organic Chemistry, point being, some say it's difficult, some say it's 'not bad' (and even they struggled) and others think things are a breeze). "It depends"

Best wishes and happy