Need book suggestions for current A+ certification test (or is it tests?)

[Bleedingyamato]

I know I've asked about this somewhere before but I forget where so I'm making this topic.

 

@Ithanul

@DeadEyePsycho

@wkdpaul

@Oshino Shinobu

@LAwLz

@M.Yurizaki

 

 

If any of you in particular know of good A+ books and study materials to get I'd greatly appreciate it.  

 

Info on other basic certifications to get and study materials/books for those or computer hardware/software/etc. (whatever other useful stuff there might be) would also be useful but for now my hope is to see if I can get the A+ before worrying much about anything else.

 

Assuming I follow through getting this then I'll consider moving on to other certifications.  

[NTDaws]

https://www.amazon.com/CompTIA-220-801-220-802-Authorized-Guide/dp/0789748509/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1360110217&sr=1-4&tag=natava-20

[Ithanul]

I never did the A+, was not required by the military in my current career in Air Guard (they actually phasing A+ out as a requirement for all other IT career fields).  I can tell you two good books for Sec+, and send you my entire notes on both books.

 

Biggest thing with CompTIA test, time management.  Do the questions you feel for certain you know the answer is correct while skipping the others.  Then go back to do them.  Allow yourself a good bit of time though to do the lab questions which can take longer to do.

 

I hope you do know you have to renew every three years CompTIA certs.

[WkdPaul]

Newest edition if I'm not mistaken;

 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/125958951X/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_awdb_N5VDyb0G4Z4T0

 

Also agree with what @Ithanul said.

[LAwLz]

I have never studied or taken the A+ cert so I don't know of any good resources.

One thing I have learned however, is that how you study is very important for when you want to pass an exam/cert. When you find a way of studying that fits you, then everything becomes quite a bit easier.

[Bleedingyamato]

20 hours ago, Ithanul said:

I never did the A+, was not required by the military in my current career in Air Guard (they actually phasing A+ out as a requirement for all other IT career fields).  I can tell you two good books for Sec+, and send you my entire notes on both books.

 

Biggest thing with CompTIA test, time management.  Do the questions you feel for certain you know the answer is correct while skipping the others.  Then go back to do them.  Allow yourself a good bit of time though to do the lab questions which can take longer to do.

 

I hope you do know you have to renew every three years CompTIA certs.

Interesting.  I guess I'd have thought they'd keep the A+ as a basic requirement to help ensure people are familiar with the "basics" of PCs.  

 

 

Sounds good.  If I end up trying to get the Sec+ cert knowing some books to use and your notes would be big help.  ?

 

Thank you.  For the test tips too.  

 

 

 

Is it any cheaper or different for testing to renew?

 

 

Are these cert exams done online or would I need to find some local testing place? 

 

 

20 hours ago, wkdpaul said:

Newest edition if I'm not mistaken;

 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/125958951X/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_awdb_N5VDyb0G4Z4T0

 

Also agree with what @Ithanul said.

Thank you.  ?

 

16 hours ago, LAwLz said:

I have never studied or taken the A+ cert so I don't know of any good resources.

One thing I have learned however, is that how you study is very important for when you want to pass an exam/cert. When you find a way of studying that fits you, then everything becomes quite a bit easier.

It's not needed or helpful to have for your job?

 

 

My problem is idk how to study.  When I was younger I pretty much didn't need to so I sort of never learned how to study or what works best for me.   ?

[weberdarren97]

20 hours ago, Dawson Wehage said:

https://www.amazon.com/CompTIA-220-801-220-802-Authorized-Guide/dp/0789748509/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1360110217&sr=1-4&tag=natava-20

801 and 802 exams are outdated. You'll be better prepared and better impress future employers with the 901 and 902 certification.

[NTDaws]

5 minutes ago, weberdarren97 said:

801 and 802 exams are outdated. You'll be better prepared and better impress future employers with the 901 and 902 certification.

not getting a+, waste of my time

[weberdarren97]

1 minute ago, Dawson Wehage said:

not getting a+, waste of my time

I got them as a part of my schooling (also got Network+, Server+ and Security+). I can't say that there are many employers that aren't impressed with a 19 year old having all those certifications. Yes, I'm 19.

[NTDaws]

I'd probably just get Network+ and Server+

[Bleedingyamato]

57 minutes ago, weberdarren97 said:

I got them as a part of my schooling (also got Network+, Server+ and Security+). I can't say that there are many employers that aren't impressed with a 19 year old having all those certifications. Yes, I'm 19.

Are those certifications (A+, Network+, Server+, Sec+) hard to get?

 

 

@Ithanul What's your opinion about the difficulty for Sec+ or other certs you're gotten if any?

 

I forgot to ask about that in my first reply to you.  

[weberdarren97]

If you only study out of the books, it'll probably be pretty difficult. I recommend either getting equipment to tinker around with as you go through the books, or attending a school that offers these certs as a part of their regular courses.

[Ithanul]

23 hours ago, Bleedingyamato said:

Are those certifications (A+, Network+, Server+, Sec+) hard to get?

 

 

@Ithanul What's your opinion about the difficulty for Sec+ or other certs you're gotten if any?

 

I forgot to ask about that in my first reply to you.  

The Sec+ is probably very hard if you don't study.  Even though I study for two weeks (how much time military tech school gives), the test was not an easy one.  The thing with Sec+ is it is more theory base instead of like A+ and Net+ which are based on actually hardware, troubleshooting, and network configuration.  Sec+ will definitely touch on network and basic computer knowledge since it is recommended to be taken after A+ and Net+ and two years in the IT field (I have none of that).

 

Reason military is moving away from A+, a lot of money to pay and they go pretty much over fundamentals the first week or two in tech school.  They going to Sec+ since it is a requirement now to work in most of the military IT fields.

 

You can do CEUs to put toward renewing the cert.  I am not sure if it the same amount for A+, but Sec+ requires 50 CEUs and you are required to pay 50 dollars a year for a total of 150 bucks for the renewal.  So, certs are not cheap to maintain.  Though, if you get A+ then later a higher CompTIA cert, that cert renews the lower one.

 

Here CompTIA's info on renewing.  https://certification.comptia.org/continuing-education/how-to-renew

 

[Bleedingyamato]

On January 13, 2017 at 6:59 PM, Ithanul said:

The Sec+ is probably very hard if you don't study.  Even though I study for two weeks (how much time military tech school gives), the test was not an easy one.  The thing with Sec+ is it is more theory base instead of like A+ and Net+ which are based on actually hardware, troubleshooting, and network configuration.  Sec+ will definitely touch on network and basic computer knowledge since it is recommended to be taken after A+ and Net+ and two years in the IT field (I have none of that).

 

Reason military is moving away from A+, a lot of money to pay and they go pretty much over fundamentals the first week or two in tech school.  They going to Sec+ since it is a requirement now to work in most of the military IT fields.

 

You can do CEUs to put toward renewing the cert.  I am not sure if it the same amount for A+, but Sec+ requires 50 CEUs and you are required to pay 50 dollars a year for a total of 150 bucks for the renewal.  So, certs are not cheap to maintain.  Though, if you get A+ then later a higher CompTIA cert, that cert renews the lower one.

 

Here CompTIA's info on renewing.  https://certification.comptia.org/continuing-education/how-to-renew

 

So A+ and maybe Network+ would be the two basic ones to get?

 

I doubt I'd ever be using certs to specifically qualify for a job but rather to put on a resume to make myself more valuable for basic IT stuff.  

 

 

Aside from getting other certs where else could I do CEUs?

[Ithanul]

2 hours ago, Bleedingyamato said:

So A+ and maybe Network+ would be the two basic ones to get?

 

I doubt I'd ever be using certs to specifically qualify for a job but rather to put on a resume to make myself more valuable for basic IT stuff.  

 

 

Aside from getting other certs where else could I do CEUs?

Pretty much the only places I know of that like certs are IT fields under a contract company working for the military or government.  Even then, if you don't have the certs but show that you have the knowledge and experience.  They will still hire you then help you get the certs that are mandated.

 

Civilian side, I would think the job experience would hold higher in the end.  There is probably some places that like seeing certs, but I would think those are the higher certs or specialized certs geared to servers, redhat, linux, cisco networking, etc.

 

There should be a list on CompTIA site for courses that provide CEUs, not sure about all the civilian side courses that provide CEUs.  The only ones that come to mind is some college courses or workshops that feel the requirements.

[Bleedingyamato]

52 minutes ago, Ithanul said:

Pretty much the only places I know of that like certs are IT fields under a contract company working for the military or government.  Even then, if you don't have the certs but show that you have the knowledge and experience.  They will still hire you then help you get the certs that are mandated.

 

Civilian side, I would think the job experience would hold higher in the end.  There is probably some places that like seeing certs, but I would think those are the higher certs or specialized certs geared to servers, redhat, linux, cisco networking, etc.

 

There should be a list on CompTIA site for courses that provide CEUs, not sure about all the civilian side courses that provide CEUs.  The only ones that come to mind is some college courses or workshops that feel the requirements.

I don't have much of any IT experience beyond basic troubleshooting of games by googling fixes or asking on LTT about stuff.  Along with anything I might've learned from working on my computers which basically amounts to knowing that matching cable connectors probably go together.  lol

 

I also have zero job experience since I haven't bothered or felt mentally suited for a job during college so having literally anything to stick on a resume besides my undergrad history degree and my MLIS graduate degree seems like a good idea if I can manage to get any of these certs.  

 

I know IT stuff won't be strictly required for working in either a library or archive but both use computers like pretty much anything nowadays so having something might not hurt.  I figure it's worth a try anyway.  If I can deal with some stuff rather than having to call IT they might like me better than someone else who panics the moment his mouse won't move.  That's my hope anyway.  

 

What's Redhat? 

[Ithanul]

16 hours ago, Bleedingyamato said:

I don't have much of any IT experience beyond basic troubleshooting of games by googling fixes or asking on LTT about stuff.  Along with anything I might've learned from working on my computers which basically amounts to knowing that matching cable connectors probably go together.  lol

 

I also have zero job experience since I haven't bothered or felt mentally suited for a job during college so having literally anything to stick on a resume besides my undergrad history degree and my MLIS graduate degree seems like a good idea if I can manage to get any of these certs.  

 

I know IT stuff won't be strictly required for working in either a library or archive but both use computers like pretty much anything nowadays so having something might not hurt.  I figure it's worth a try anyway.  If I can deal with some stuff rather than having to call IT they might like me better than someone else who panics the moment his mouse won't move.  That's my hope anyway.  

 

What's Redhat? 

Redhat is a server distro of Linux.  Pretty, the big boy of server OSes.  Only other OS I know that is customized for military and higher end systems is BSD (NetApps SANs run that as their OS).

 

Hmmm, then studying the certs' material would be good reading for you.  Also, look up Professor Messer's videos, he goes over the material for the certs.

[Bleedingyamato]

3 hours ago, Ithanul said:

Redhat is a server distro of Linux.  Pretty, the big boy of server OSes.  Only other OS I know that is customized for military and higher end systems is BSD (NetApps SANs run that as their OS).

 

Hmmm, then studying the certs' material would be good reading for you.  Also, look up Professor Messer's videos, he goes over the material for the certs.

Idk about server stuff but thank you for the info.  ?

 

Not to get too off topic but what makes a server OS different from a standard OS?

 

 

Ok.  I'll try to remember to look up those videos.  Are they something you pay to access or like something on YouTube/a different website?

[Ithanul]

3 hours ago, Bleedingyamato said:

Idk about server stuff but thank you for the info.  ?

 

Not to get too off topic but what makes a server OS different from a standard OS?

 

 

Ok.  I'll try to remember to look up those videos.  Are they something you pay to access or like something on YouTube/a different website?

Nope, all his videos can be watched on Youtube.

 

Pretty much the only difference between server and standard.  Falls down to what the computer is geared to.  I can actually turn my W7 Ult into a media and print server if I want.  Usually the distinction for server by most is a system with multiple physical processors serving several hundred of users of several thousands of users.  Examples: search engines, cloud storage, email servers, back end routers, domain name servers, etc.

 

You can usually do small scale with an standard OS to a few users, but once you are pushing something like several hundreds or several thousands that when a OS geared towards that is a better choice.  Plus, server OSes can utilize greater amount physical processors in a system.  Pro, Enterprise, and Ult can handle a two physical processor system but no higher.

[Bleedingyamato]

2 hours ago, Ithanul said:

Nope, all his videos can be watched on Youtube.

 

Pretty much the only difference between server and standard.  Falls down to what the computer is geared to.  I can actually turn my W7 Ult into a media and print server if I want.  Usually the distinction for server by most is a system with multiple physical processors serving several hundred of users of several thousands of users.  Examples: search engines, cloud storage, email servers, back end routers, domain name servers, etc.

 

You can usually do small scale with an standard OS to a few users, but once you are pushing something like several hundreds or several thousands that when a OS geared towards that is a better choice.  Plus, server OSes can utilize greater amount physical processors in a system.  Pro, Enterprise, and Ult can handle a two physical processor system but no higher.

Nice that those videos don't cost anything.  

 

Thank you for the info.  I've seen people mention "freeNAS" but I wasn't sure what was different about a server OS and a regular one.  

[LAwLz]

7 hours ago, Bleedingyamato said:

Nice that those videos don't cost anything.  

 

Thank you for the info.  I've seen people mention "freeNAS" but I wasn't sure what was different about a server OS and a regular one.  

The difference between a server OS and a regular OS is mostly what software it comes with out-of-the-box (and in the case of Windows, some first party software simply only works on Windows server, like Microsoft's Active Directory, their DHCP program and so on, because they are baked into their server version).

 

Other differences can be:

How they get updated. Servers typically don't like getting updates every week because they usually need to be on at all times. So they don't get the same updates as their client counterpart.

 

They can also have different looks. For example the client OS might have fancy graphics and such to make it look better, but those cost computing resources. For a server, performance is more important than looks, so they will often have a different GUI (if it has a GUI at all).

 

In the case of Windows, Microsoft has also added several limitations to the client version. For example the server version supports more CPUs and memory.

 

Server OSes also manages resources a bit differently (usually). Since most server tasks are processes running in the background, background tasks are often given a higher priority. In client OSes, you want whichever program you got in the foreground to be snappy.

[Ithanul]

?  Um, Windows server OS pretty much look darn similar to the standard OS with basic installation.  Pretty much has everything the standard OS has.  Just a few extra services focused toward servicing clients.

 

Spoiler

Current Windows 2012 server looks like W8 and W10 GUI.  Old 2008 looked like Vista and W7 GUI.

 

 

Now, there is headless Linux servers, but you can have GUIs with those too or even turn standard Linux distros into headless as well.

[NumLock21]

The problem with the A+ exam is the how the questions are worded. Most of the time they are so poorly written it confuses you the hell out and then it don't make any sense. The other problem is the answers to those question. You know for sure the choices you picked are correct, but some how you got them wrong, as if the correct answer is based on what they think, and now what it's actually is. 

You need to take both hardware and software and it's $200 usd per test, so total is $400. I think you can retake it again if you failed, not too sure if that's the case. After you failed the 2nd time, you'll have to pay again.