Customer Reviews

A+ Adaptive Exams (TestTaker's Guides)

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A+ has become the foundation by which almost all computer technicians are judged. Passing that exam, which is now adaptive, shows that you have the ability to work in most first level technical positions. Having taught the class several time over the past 10 years I am always looking for material to enhance the class.

This book, while only 360 pages, makes a great addition to my technical library and an excellent reference manual to work with before taking the actual exams. The book covers both sets of objectives and gives you the ability to learn as you test.

Section one of the book covers the 220-221 exam or the Core objectives, while section 2 covers the 220-222 exam or the operating system technologies. What the author does is accentuate the major points of the exams with review questions, tips and tricks throughout the book.

There are several practice exams demos include on the cd such as Transcender and Exam Essentials, however there is also Test Taker software with 4 exams for each major exam, which should provide you with a good amount of questions.

Overall with some study and practice from this book, you should have a very good chance of passing the exams first time.

I highly recommend this book. This is all you need to study for the exam. I read the book twice and practiced the exams on the CD and was able to score a 937 on the hardware portion of the the test, and the test stopped after 20 questions. This is an excellent study aid, however if you are interested in learning everything, I highly recommend Mike Meyers book as well. But if you are just interested in passing the exam, BUY THIS BOOK.

I think a lot of A+ students are looking for this kind of book: just what they need to study and know to pass the exams, without all the other background information and additional material.

A+ students just starting with computers really need something that is portable, instantly informative and gives them enough to get them started as a PC tech. This book does just that. Gives them what they need to pass the exams and get started working with computers.

The opening section on Computer Adaptive Testing really sets the standard for the rest of the book. This is critical information that really gives the student an edge in the exam room.

Finally an A+ book that covers Windows NT as thoroughly as the CompTIA exams!

Cherina Sparks
A+ Cramsession Author...

I just passed (January 2003) both A+ exams using this book! Knowing the information in this book will enable you to pass both exams. The nature and scope of the material and review questions are right on target when compared to the actual exam. The author claims that if you correctly answer all test questions and understand the theory behind the questions that you may possibly pass the test. I will say that you WILL pass the test after reading the book two or three times, understanding the theory, and missing no more than one or two questions on the final practice tests.

He arranges the A+ material differently than other authors: by subject rather than by CompTIA objective. Saw one review that said this is a weakness: I had no problem with his approach. This book has up-to-date hints about the test questions that I didn't read in any of the other books. Also, his one-line test tips for Windows 9x, NT, and Windows 2000 were good.

In addition to this book, I would buy one of more of the current A+ references, like Charles J Brooks' A+ Certification Training Guide, Mike Meyers' A+ Certification Exam Guide, or even the or even the Microsoft A+ Certification Training Kit. Even though you could pass both A+ exams with this book and a reference book, I would also buy other adaptive study guides, like Mike Meyers' A+ Certification book in his Passport series because although both book cover the required objectives, each book covers different topics in detail beyond the test requirements.

PS. I tried the several practice tests on the included CD but didn't find them their questions all that difficult or cover anything new.

PPS. Forget the other cram/Q&A lists on the Internet: they are a mixed bag. Lot of their questions seemed copied from the major A+ books. The rest of unique questions are good things to know, but about mostly outdated topics not on the current tests. The quality of my two A+ cram/exam sheets were fair at best: typos, correct answers with incorrect explanations, and incorrect answers with correct explanations. Spend your money on another major A+ book.

This is a good book covering all the A+ material quite well. What i liked was that in the OS technologies section of the book the author gives tips which are very handy because i saw many questions based on these tips. Another thing i liked was the practise software on the CD. There is 3-4 different companies with demo exams on the CD.

I did my actual tests today and i passed well. I got 1067 in the OS section. I used this book as the primary source and used cram sheets and various internet notes. Also the main thing is to do as many prac tests as you can to get a wide range of questioning used.

However this book gets 4 stars because it has some errors. Some you might be able to pick up some you might not. Like this on page 136 "For the exam, serial communications is not capable of full-duplex transmission" Well in fact it is because it contains 9 or 25 pins which have send and receive at the same time capability. All you have to see is a diagram on the inside of a serial cable and you will see my argument.

Anyway regardless it will help you pass if you read cover to cover and do all the practise questions.

I bought this book along with Ron Gilster's "A+ Certification for Dummies." The Dummies book is a great opener for the exam. It gives you a great glimpse over everything, and I'd say after reading it. You are 65% ready to pass. THIS BOOK WILL PUT YOU OVER THE TOP. I read this book by Chris Crayton about 12 times over two weeks. I passed the test yesterday 943 Core, 1048 O/S.

I probably would have passed both parts of the exam without any study. But because of this book, I scored PERFECT on both parts of the newer, Adaptive 2001 Objective version.

Even if you aren't an experienced PC tech, this book will give you 50% of the answers you'll see on the exam. I've never seen a book as close to the real exam as this one.

And it's a fairly good reference in general, despite it's lower cost and page count than most. The only thing missing are good graphics and pictures of components. But you shouldn't need those if you have at least a little hands-on knowledge.

In my opinion this book is a lot like the Mike Meyers "A+ Passport", it doesn't have a lot of fluff and gets right to what you need to know for the exams. I would suggest reading this one along with the Passport, and also supplement it with the Mike Meyers "All in One". Reading through this combo will give you every bit of info you need for the exams and make you feel confident you didn't miss anything.

This is an excellent exam cram book. A lot of the material in this book was actually on the exam! I was so excited when I passed my A+ exam. Becuase of the amount of questions I got right the test stopped before I got to the end. Great book!

I read this book in two weeks after reading A+ Certification Training Kit, Third Edition from Microsoft Press and this book definitely covers exactly what you will see on the exam with only a couple of surprises. I would highly recommend this book for anyone trying to finish up your 2001 A+. There were a few errors in the test engine but if you tested with all of the sample examples it was very easy to figure out. You definitely save money over buying a pricey sample test. Scored 912 on Core and 946 on OS. Very good. Randall (Randy) Hughes MCSE, CCNA, CCAI and now A+!!!