A+ Certification Training Guide, Second Edition (OTHER NEW RIDERS) [Textbook Binding]

Charles J. Brooks (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 21, 1999

A+ certification is a testing program sponsored by the Computing Technology Industry Association(CompTIA) that certifies the competency of service technicians in the computer industry. The exams cover a broad range of hardware and software technologies, but are not related to any vendor-specific products. The program is backed by over 50 major computer hardware and software manufacturers, vendors, distributors, resellers and publications. Over 50,000 people have taken the A+ certification exams over the past 2 years, and CompTIA says the rate of those taking the exams is increasing rapidly. There are more hands-on, computer-related jobs than ever before, and job candidates are eager to get an edge on the competition by becoming certified. The Training Guide series is designed to offer all the information needed to prepare for the exams. Training Guides offer solid objective-based content, along with sample questions and exercises so readers learn the information in depth.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

A+ certification is a testing program sponsored by the Computing Technology Industry Association(CompTIA) that certifies the competency of service technicians in the computer industry. The exams cover a broad range of hardware and software technologies, but are not related to any vendor-specific products. The program is backed by over 50 major computer hardware and software manufacturers, vendors, distributors, resellers and publications. Over 50,000 people have taken the A+ certification exams over the past 2 years, and CompTIA says the rate of those taking the exams is increasing rapidly. There are more hands-on, computer-related jobs than ever before, and job candidates are eager to get an edge on the competition by becoming certified. The Training Guide series is designed to offer all the information needed to prepare for the exams. Training Guides offer solid objective-based content, along with sample questions and exercises so readers learn the information in depth.

Product Details

• Textbook Binding: 1056 pages
• Publisher: New Riders Pub; 2nd edition (October 21, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0735709076
• ISBN-13: 978-0735709072
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 8.2 x 2.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,082,110 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Serious Guide for Serious People, December 26, 1999

By 

Charles Worton (edmonton, Alberta Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A+ Certification Training Guide, Second Edition (OTHER NEW RIDERS) (Textbook Binding)

Yes, the book is a bit skimpy on DOS/Windows training. Yes, it is exhaustingly comprehensive. But it is NOT incomprehensible. Some texts try to gloss over the author's lack of understanding of a topic with technical bafflegab; none of that here. It's pretty clear the Charles Brooks knows his topic, and can communicate that information clearly.

Something I've noted in previous reviews is that those who strongly condemned the book also displayed numerous typing errors, leading me to wonder how comfortable they were with the English Language. You WILL need to be able to read, and it IS work; this is not a book you'll take to bed with you. But the information - tons and tons - is clearly presented.

I spent a couple hours a day reading this book, and it took me 16 days to get through it. And I have an MCSE under my belt, so learning technical materials from a textbook is nothing new. This book is definitely NOT a weekend read.

I'd like to see more - many, many more - review questions in the book, and it would make sense to me to break the topics up into smaller chunks - 160+ pages in the first chapter is a bit steep.

For those who seek a monumental amount of information, want to fully understand the physical components of computers, and want to be thoroughly prepared for the A+ exam (and for employment as a junior technician), this book should suffice.

For those seeking braindumps, glossovers, and a quick guide to passing the A+ exam without understanding the topic... Look elsewhere.

Charlie Worton, MCSE

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Technically timid beware!, June 20, 2000

By 

P. Kneute "pkneute" (New Jersey) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A+ Certification Training Guide, Second Edition (OTHER NEW RIDERS) (Textbook Binding)

This book was the only textbook I used to study for the test. If I had not had technical knowledge prior to reading it, I would have been lost in Chapter #1. Chapter 1 presents too much content for a single chapter. I went back and read it three times. This is a great book if you are concerned with knowing the material, not simply passing a test. The information presented is highly relevant, although it covers a lot of things that were not on my exam. The practice questions included with the book comprised probably 75% of my exam. Using this book and a few online sources, I was able to get a 93% on the core exam. Try examnotes.net for a cram sheet and know your IRQ's, port addresses, and DMA channels. I would also recommend trying several different sources, because some information is different depending on the source you use.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good exam prep - scratch the surface, July 6, 2000

By 

Lincoln Han (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A+ Certification Training Guide, Second Edition (OTHER NEW RIDERS) (Textbook Binding)

This book by no means a quick reading if you want to go through it thoroughly as a beginner. However, if you have extensive experiences working with computer hardware you can finish it in less than 2 weeks. The author(s) tried to explain everything in simple language with sufficient graphics. For a beginner who doesn't have a lot of experience with hardware and DOS/Win, you might get lost after a few chapters of reading. For an advanced technician, you might find this book too slow. However, it will test your weak areas and teaches you the not-so-obvious concepts you thought you knew but you really didn't.

Advanced technicians should skip the chapters on their strong areas and focus on their weak areas to avoid wasting too much time reading the book.

The sample exam software is well-designed. It times your exam, let you mark any questions, scores it and even gives you statistics on how well you did in each area. You also get the printed version of the book in PDF format, which I don't think is very useable.

The book also comes with a special offer that takes $50 off your exam fee if you purchased the additional 800 questions for $50, makes it a fair trade considering you'll have to spend that money on the exam fee anyway.

This is the kind of book once you read you'll probably not going to ever touch again. It's not a troubleshooting guide but a very general way of covering PC hardware and OS. In the end, as long as you pass both exams, it's worth the money.