Customer Reviews

A+ Certification for Dummies

5 star:		(41)
4 star:		(57)
3 star:		(29)
2 star:		(22)
1 star:		(24)

 

 

Mr. Gilster's 2001 edition of "A+ Certification for Dummies" is a comprehensive preparation guide for the new A+ examinations. It stays true to the "Dummies" concept of serving as an introduction to anyone wanting to learn more about computers, but it is a serious read and study guide for anyone wanting or needing to obtain A+ certification.

The final chapter in the book categorically lists other web sites that contain simulators or other test prep information (one of them, ..., will send you a test question each day). The software that comes with the book contains an excellent test simulator.

In preparation for my A+ exams I also read the 2001 edition of Ron Meyers' "All In One A+ Certification Guide." With so much material floating around I did not want to rely on just one source to prepare for the exams; I wanted to pass these tests the first time around. Mr. Meyers' book is comprehensive but weighs in at about twice the size of the "Dummies" book (and you need to load a patch to get the software to run properly). My point is that I write this review with the benefit of having read two separate -- and excellent -- guides on the new A+ examinations. If, like me, you have a lot of experience with PC's then the "A+ For Dummies" book might be the only guide you'll need to pass the exams...

After buying the book as my sole study aide for the A+ test, I then came to this site and read the reviews. I started to panic and rightly so. The core portion of the book is nicely written and easy to understand. If you actually read the words that make the sentences that make the paragraphs, you'll have a good grasp of not only the answers but the concepts as well. Those that take only the study tests at the end of chapters, memorize the "Instant Answers" and use the bold face method of studying run the risk of flunking the Core test. No matter what web site you go to, those attempting to cram for the test and simply regurgitate the "knowledge" at test time are those that fail the test and wonder why.

That said, the Dos/Win portion of this book is insufficient enough for the publisher to simply pull the book from the shelves. You WILL NOT pass the Win/Dos portion if this is your only aide, unless you retain ample personal experience. I don't know how this book was even published with so little information on a 65 question test.The test will delve deeply into troubleshooting Dos and Win 95, and this book only gives you 37 pages and mostly on boot sequences. Only by luck did I pass the Dos/Win with a score of 69% A score to be embarrased of on the one hand, while bordering on embarrased of being certified by a company that hasn't udated it's test in so many years that it's painfully outdated. The Dos/Win is more of a history test than a technolgy test as (regardless of what people will say) Dos will finally meet it's end with the release of Win ME. Most computers in the workplace are either 98 or NT, neither of which are mentioned and won't be until the end of the year when CompTia will revamp the test and remove the Dos, Win 3.x and 95 from the testing.

Be careful of websites that offer practice test and brain dumps. Most braindumps give wrong answers and many of the practice test have errors as well. You can simply stop reading this book when you finish with the Core section.

Yet another testament to this book. I used it as my one and only source for the A+ test and passed it on my first try. A friend of mine spent some serious money at the same time to attend a specialized A+ school and took the test with me. We spent equal time studying for the test. I passed both portions and he bombed the hardware portion of it. We both invested about one month of study, he using his class materials and me using this book. The book is not perfect and has a handful of typos, especially in the practice tests. However, if you study it carefully you should have no problem finding these errors and correcting them. The author is right on target when he states that he streamlined the material to prepare the reader for the actual test. The included CDROM also has some great practice test material worth every penny of the cover price alone. The book is well written and flows easily from one topic to another. The wording is simple and direct and stays within the realm of the average layperson's grasp. By carefully studying this book one should have no problem passing the A+ tests. A minor update correcting typos would help, but the book still delivers as it is. I highly recommend this to anyone serious about trying to gain their A+ certification.

This really is THE book for dummies. I went from knowing zip about computers to building my own PC. I couldn't take the technical jargon of other books. I sure had fun through this one!

All Dummies books follow the same format and you can start anywhere in the book (In English that means that the author doesn't assume you've read a previous chapter).

The jokes, humor and cartoons do a good job at keeping you awake. After reading, I played the Quiklern game on the CD after going through the lessons and, Voilá! I felt ready and went and took both tests on the same day. Now I have my A+ Certification from CompTIA.

You DO have to study and give the test the seriousness it deserves. Whipping out over a couple of hundred dollars for a test is no laughing matter.

Study the exam objectives, learn the content of the questions and not the answers and you should do well on the test.

This book helped me prepare for and PASS the A+ Certification Test (Core & Win/DOS modules). Some hands-on experience building/upgrading PC's and a good backround in Windows 95 is a definate PLUS!

This was my first "Dummies" book. The reading is easy to understand and flows smoothly. I really enjoyed reading this book, and it provides good information. There are some errors in the book, including the practice questions, but they were few and minor. The book could have covered the section on multimeters a little bit better.

I just passed the 2 tests, a 71% on the Core (low, but hey, I passed!), an 89% on Win/DOS, and 5/6 cust. satisfaction. Having my MCP (Win95) helped, especially with the Win/DOS module.

Overall this is a great book to help you achieve A+ Certification.

I am MCSE, A+, and CCNA certified and used this book as part of my preparation for the CompTia A+ exams.

This is a typical "Dummies" book that serves a great purpose for introduction to a subject, but does not go into sufficient detail to rely upon solely as a preparation for the A+ exam. I would use this book if I knew next to nothing about the A+ exam and was interested in finding out what all the fuss was about. Otherwise, I would skip this one. Either way, do not rely solely on this book for your test prep. Use it in conjunction with other guides by Sybex or Exam Cram.

The cheat sheet included in this book is virtually worthless, as the reminders are too brief and vague to be of any real value, instead, use Exam Cram's book ISBN: 078983043x. the book covers both aspects of the A+ exam (hardware and OS), but has limited graphics with hardly any photos. I found the exam required identifying parts and components from pictures, so this book won't help you there.

This book overall presents a decent, but minimal, overview of both the hardware and operating system exams and should be used in conjunction with Mueller's "Upgrading and Repairing PCs" classic (ISBN: 0789727455).

This book is a good effort at condensing and organizing the material it presents. However, it suffers from some (apparantly) typographical errors, some of which create substantive confusion (such as giving an incorrect address for one of the COM ports in one of its tables). The CD in my copy did not have, or could not find, the executable module for the Quicklearn game. I didn't spend much time looking for it, as the other material was easily accessible.

The author's organization is clear, well-planned, and logical and does help the reader stay focused on the objectives. The writing style was smooth and enjoyable to spend long stretches with. Mr. Gilster's community college instructor background comes through in his assessment-content-practice test format for each chapter. It's a sound pedagological basis for teaching this type of material.

In sum, it seems to be a better bet for those with some inital background and experience rather than for a complete novice looking for a one-stop shop to get their A+ knowledge.

Here is the low-down on the book. First of all, the book is very very well done as far as being consise,easy to read and on the point of what you 'need' to learn for the test. It's organized into many chapters, i believe this is very effective. Read it, you'll see why I say that. Secondly, the book will actually tell you that "you need to know" this and that for the Exam. It has special icons even pointing these items out. If your looking for a deeply detailed book telling you every aspect of a computer since day one, dont by this, this is purely a A+ prep book, and somewhat a Tech's reference book, but I wouldnt use this as the only reference book if i were a Tech. And the Windows/DOS part of the book is not a lot, but some of it is mentioned within the CORE section of the book. Things do overlap in this book some. Anyways, buy this book guys, it's not boring at all to read, the author makes sure of that. Good luck on the A+ exam

pardue77@yahoo.com

This book is an excellent introduction for the A+ exam, but if you rely on it as your only resource, you will score lowly and perhaps not even pass the test. There are several mistakes, both in the text and on the exam questions on the CD, which will cost you on the test. Also, it doesn't go into enough detail in several areas, particularly printing and Windows operation. Buy this book for the very good introduction to key terms and concepts, and especially for its handy tables and charts for memorization. But, buy a more detailed and professional exam guide to guarantee a passing and better score.

This book was suppose to be the latest updated version but it looks like an older edition was reprinted just to sell this book. Once you start reading this book, it won't take you very long to see what I mean when you read about things that are now no longer being used in the PC world. The Dummies series was excellent for beginners when they first hit the market several years ago. Now they have over-expanded and are trying too hard to write a book on every possible subject, thus not being able to publish quality updated versions. Don't buy this book! Read the other reviews! If you are planning to buy only one book to assist you with the A+ or if you are just a curious novice then buy "Absolute Beginners Guide to A+" isbn 0789730626. That book is loaded with many photos and charts and is written with CURRENT information necessary for your A+ exam. The tests on the CD are excellent! Just compare the two books side by side if you don't believe me.