Customer Reviews

A+ Certification Study Guide (Syngress Inc)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

I would definately recommend this to anyone taking the A+ certification. It is well laid out, and easy to work through. My only issue is the fact that the practice tests and questions were quite different from what was on the actual test. Other than that, I would recommend to anyone looking at an A+ certification. I will continue to use Syngress books for my Net+ and MCSE track.

The information in this book was good, though it could've been better. It covered alot of stuff that was unnecessary for the A+ test. The exams in the book were absolutely AWEFULL! If you get this don't even use the practice exams. For exam questions I also got Coriolis A+ Exam Cram. I took and passed the A+ today w/ 84% Core and 89% Dos/Windows, and I fill the Coriolis book was very accurate!

Good Luck!

For the record, I did pass both of the A+ exams, using just this book, but looking back, this book did have a couple glaring problems that costed 1 star each. If you are taking the hardware exam, this book is actually quite useful, but for the OS exam, you must take it with a grain of salt.

The first problem with this book were the test questions. The types of questions asked by the A+ exam were quite different than the ones asked at the end of each chapter in this book, so while the questions can help you remember important information, don't expect the test to be like what you see in the book.

The second, and more glaring problem was the fact that the OS exam chapters were much lighter in content than the chapters devoted to the hardware exam. TO give you an idea, the hardware exam has 7 chapters in this book, but the OS exam has 4 chapters. After studying for both exams vigorously, I passed the hardware exam with flying colors, but I failed teh OS exam. There were questions on the exam dealing with content that was totally absent from the book (NT stuff, some troubleshooting stuff, and some networking stuff). I had to study for the exam even harder using this book, and even then I barely passed for the same reason: some stuff just wasn't covered in this book.

To the credit of the authors though, the hardware exam portion of this book is excellent. They cover quite a bit of useful content, and the CD that comes with the book really helps with this exam too. I think this book can be used as a good reference for PC hardware and troubleshooting even if you finished the A+ exam.

In summary, the book was lop-sided in coverage and the test questions could be formatted differently, but as far as the hardware exam goes, this book was great. For the OS exam, try looking at other resources.

I have been through more than 7 of this series and this A+ book keeps up with the positive reputation of Syngress. Very well written, to the point and comprehensive. Used it to pass my A+ exam with a 96. Even if your not heading for the A+ exam, this one will give you a good understanding of computer hardware and troubleshooting.

This has to be the worst A+ study guide in existence. It tells you *what* to do but not *how* to do it with regards to installing, configuring and repairing computer components. This will doom you to failure when you're presented with in-depth, real-life scenarios on the exam and likely result in unemployment when your employer discovers that you don't know what you're doing on the job. It may prove useful as a brief, shallow overview of computer technology before moving into a deeper, more effective study guide, but that's about the only positive comment that I can offer for this book.

This book provides inadequate information concerning the A+ Certification Exam. I read this book cover to cover and understood all of the concepts being taught. The problem is the book does not cover any of the tested material (expect IRQ, I/O, DMA). If I hadn't cross-referenced study guides I would not have had any idea how bad the preparation really was. PLEASE purchase another book so that you do not waste your money on the book or the exam.

I concur with most of the other reviews performed about this book. I was fortunate enough to borrow my friends Exam Cram book, and also access other web sites such as abctesting.com, before actually taking the test. The way questions are formatted on the real test is almost 180 degrees different than the books method. I do not recommend this book as your only test preparation material.

Good overview of overall concepts, but not as final prep for test. Does not emphasize the specifics needed for to past the test.

Great book to start for someone with little or no computer background. Not good for tech who is studing up for test.

I read this book in preparation for the A+ exam. It is a waste of your time. Go pick up a copy of Mike Meyer's All-in-One A+ Certification, it's a much better book. If I would've taken the exam after reading only this book, I would've failed, without a doubt.

it is a book that clearly conveys to the reader how to install upgrade and do complex things you would regulary get confused by large words in other books, but this is the most down to earth english book.