How hard is it to get an A+ Certification?

[Shawn]

I just graduated with a Bachelors Degree in Biology and I can't find work so I was thinking about looking into a computer related field. The jobs I was looking at require an A+ certification. I'm looking at the test questions and they don't look that hard. I'm thinking I may just go and take the test without any prior courses. Has anyone else done this?

 

[Shawn]

did you pass?

 

[thecoolnessrune]

This is ATOT.. Everyone has 20+ Certs and read 50+ 1000 page books for each in the matter of a month or so.

 

[ViviTheMage]

I got my A+ back in high school...easy man, easy.

 

[Chronoshock]

They are easy to get, and not worth very much (in the IT world, experience is 90% of the game). I would save your money, I think the testing fee is a few hundred bucks.

 

[TruePaige]

Mmm I looked at a copy of a book called the A+ Passport for about a day, and got near a perfect score. But I also love computers.

Later in the year I took Network+ exams and IC3 just because it was free.

A+ I got a total reimbursement, same with IC3, and Network+ I had to pay half and the school paid the other half.

 

[indamixx99]

I took it last year. They revised the test, and this new test is a joke. Seriously, if you know how to use a computer and have some common sense, you'll pass

 

[sonoma1993]

When i took the A+ test about back in the fall of 2007. It had alot of general computer technical questions, field technician questions (how to behave at a customer house), stuff like that. It 's a pretty easy test to pass if you understand the general computer technical stuff.

 

[nageov3t]

I'm reasonably comfortable I could probably walk in off the street and pass it.

the only thing that might throw someone off is legacy technology if it's still on the test and shit about printers and stuff.

 

[sonoma1993]

Originally posted by: loki8481
I'm reasonably comfortable I could probably walk in off the street and pass it.

the only thing that might throw someone off is legacy technology if it's still on the test and shit about printers and stuff.

when I took it, they had some questions on there about laser printers. Can't remember what they were though.

 

[foghorn67]

Originally posted by: thecoolnessrune
This is ATOT.. Everyone has 20+ Certs and read 50+ 1000 page books for each in the matter of a month or so.

No, seriously. It's easy as sin.
The only thing I did was cram all the SCSI specs right before I took the test.
It's the only thing that needs to memorized. The rest is just common sense crap.


And for those who have SCSI specs memorized already, I don't work with it everyday. I mean I do, but setting up a new array doesn't even require that kind of memory.

 

[TruePaige]

Originally posted by: foghorn67

Originally posted by: thecoolnessrune
This is ATOT.. Everyone has 20+ Certs and read 50+ 1000 page books for each in the matter of a month or so.

No, seriously. It's easy as sin.
The only thing I did was cram all the SCSI specs right before I took the test.
It's the only thing that needs to memorized. The rest is just common sense crap.


And for those who have SCSI specs memorized already, I don't work with it everyday. I mean I do, but setting up a new array doesn't even require that kind of memory.

They don't put the SCSI specs on there anymore.

I was sadly disappointed that after memorizing the IRQ's they weren't on mine. Now they are gone forever too.

Latest revision doesn't deal with any of our great old technologies. =p

 

[TruePaige]

Originally posted by: sonoma1993

Originally posted by: loki8481
I'm reasonably comfortable I could probably walk in off the street and pass it.

the only thing that might throw someone off is legacy technology if it's still on the test and shit about printers and stuff.

when I took it, they had some questions on there about laser printers. Can't remember what they were though.

Laser Printers talk about the basics of the corona, and the (five?) steps to printing a document.

It was rather...well I didn't like it, thought it wasn't very real world like the A+ bills itself.

 

[FreshCrabLegs]

Not hard. Not hard at all. Easy-peasy.

 

[foghorn67]

Originally posted by: TruePaige

Originally posted by: foghorn67

Originally posted by: thecoolnessrune
This is ATOT.. Everyone has 20+ Certs and read 50+ 1000 page books for each in the matter of a month or so.

No, seriously. It's easy as sin.
The only thing I did was cram all the SCSI specs right before I took the test.
It's the only thing that needs to memorized. The rest is just common sense crap.


And for those who have SCSI specs memorized already, I don't work with it everyday. I mean I do, but setting up a new array doesn't even require that kind of memory.

They don't put the SCSI specs on there anymore.

I was sadly disappointed that after memorizing the IRQ's they weren't on mine. Now they are gone forever too.

Latest revision doesn't deal with any of our great old technologies. =p

lol. I might as well take it again just for fun.

 

[Shawn]

How many do you need to get right? I've been taking the sample tests online and get about 8/10 right on each.

 

[indamixx99]

Originally posted by: TruePaige

Originally posted by: foghorn67

No, seriously. It's easy as sin.
The only thing I did was cram all the SCSI specs right before I took the test.
It's the only thing that needs to memorized. The rest is just common sense crap.


And for those who have SCSI specs memorized already, I don't work with it everyday. I mean I do, but setting up a new array doesn't even require that kind of memory.

They don't put the SCSI specs on there anymore.

I was sadly disappointed that after memorizing the IRQ's they weren't on mine. Now they are gone forever too.

Latest revision doesn't deal with any of our great old technologies. =p

Lol, I also spent time memorizing IRQ's and other legacy technologies since they were on the practice exams from a few years ago. But now the questions are like what's the maximum speed of a usb2.0 connection. Or - for a laser printer, if the page comes out all white, or all black, what do you check?

 

[VinylxScratches]

Can someone post a sample test site?

 

[rh71]

Originally posted by: indamixx99
I took it last year. They revised the test, and this new test is a joke. Seriously, if you know how to use a computer and have some common sense, you'll pass

I took the old version and you needed to know IRQs, printing phases, etc... unless they dumbed it down even further (which would defeat the purpose of updating an exam), you don't pass just knowing how to use a computer. It's easy, but not that easy. At least crack a book.

 

[Shawn]

Originally posted by: VinylxScratches
Can someone post a sample test site?

http://certification.comptia.o...ces/practice_test.aspx

 

[Shawn]

What do you need to know about IRQs? It's been a while.

 

[core2slow]

I got one back in 2001. It was a good stepping stone into the IT field if you were in high school, no doubt. Eight years later, I don't think it has as much as an impact as it did back then. If I were you, I'd spend more time studying and getting something like CCNA/CCNP or even an MCSE. A+ is too generalized in this day and age and its concepts are pretty much the basic fundamentals of using a computer which everyone knows how to do.

 

[TruePaige]

Originally posted by: Shawn
What do you need to know about IRQs? It's been a while.

That they cut them off the test.

 

[rh71]

Originally posted by: TruePaige

Originally posted by: Shawn
What do you need to know about IRQs? It's been a while.

That they cut them off the test.

I just checked the sample questions... it looks like it's actually easier now... a byproduct of technology evolving... nobody really needs to play with IRQs anymore. You should still crack a book though, so you don't miss questions like this:

A technician is upgrading the memory on a laptop that has a front-side bus speed of 400MHz. Which of the following memory module types has the minimum data transfer rate necessary to support this upgrade?

A. PC2700
B. PC2100
C. PC3200
D. PC1600

I've been around computers a long time but I don't know this off the top of my head right now. Those who've recently upgraded may but that's not the point.

A user is scanning a document and changes the settings to scan the same document in color. This will cause the uncompressed file size to increase by:

A. two times
B. three times
C. four times
D. eight times

 

[rudder]

Originally posted by: Chronoshock
They are easy to get, and not worth very much (in the IT world, experience is 90% of the game). I would save your money, I think the testing fee is a few hundred bucks.

People in HR are not that bright. Many times they have no way to gauge experience other than by asking if an aplpicant has an MCSE or A+ for example. No A+ (as worthless as it is) means your resume gets tossed. Some times it can be that simple.

So although many feel it is worthless, it will never hurt to have it on a resume.