CompTIA A_ Certification All-In-One Exam Guide, Seventh Edition - Michael Meyers [13]
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NOTE Those of you who just want more knowledge in managing and troubleshooting PCs can follow the same strategy as certification seekers. Think in practical terms and work with the PC as you go through each chapter.
Some of you may be in or just out of school, so studying for exams is nothing novel. But if you haven’t had to study for and take an exam in a while, or if you think maybe you could use some tips, you may find the next section valuable. It lays out a proven strategy for preparing to take and pass the CompTIA A+ exams. Try it. It works.
Obligate Yourself
The very first step you should take is to schedule yourself for the exams. Have you ever heard the old adage, “Heat and pressure make diamonds?” Well, if you don’t give yourself a little “heat,” you’ll end up procrastinating and delay taking the exams, possibly forever. Do yourself a favor. Using the following information, determine how much time you’ll need to study for the exams, and then call Prometric or Pearson VUE and schedule them accordingly. Knowing the exams are coming up makes it much easier to turn off the television and crack open the book. You can schedule an exam as little as a few weeks in advance, but if you schedule an exam and can’t take it at the scheduled time, you must reschedule at least a day in advance or you’ll lose your money.
Set Aside the Right Amount of Study Time
After helping thousands of techs get their CompTIA A+ certification, we at Total Seminars have developed a pretty good feel for the amount of study time needed to pass the CompTIA A+ certification exams. The following table provides an estimate to help you plan how much study time you must commit to the CompTIA A+ certification exams. Keep in mind that these are averages. If you’re not a great student or if you’re a little on the nervous side, add 10 percent; if you’re a fast learner or have a good bit of computer experience, you may want to reduce the figures.
To use Table 1-3, just circle the values that are most accurate for you and add them up to get your estimated total hours of study time.
Table 1-3 Analyzing skill levels
To that value, add hours based on the number of months of direct, professional experience you have had supporting PCs, as shown in Table 1-4.
A total neophyte usually needs a little over 200 hours of study time. An experienced tech shouldn’t need more than 60 hours.
Total hours for you to study: _____________.
Table 1-4 Adding up your study time
A Strategy for Study
Now that you have a feel for how long it’s going to take, you’re ready to develop a study strategy. I’d like to suggest a strategy that has worked for others who’ve come before you, whether they were experienced techs or total newbies. This book is designed to accommodate the different study agendas of these two groups of students. The first group is experienced techs who already have strong PC experience, but need to be sure they’re ready to be tested on the specific subjects covered by the CompTIA A+ exams. The second group is those with little or no background in the computer field. These techs can benefit from a more detailed understanding of the history and concepts that underlie modern PC technology, to help them remember the specific subject matter information they must know for the exams. I’ll use the shorthand terms