Customer Reviews

CompTIA A+ Complete Study Guide: (Exams 220-601/602/603/604)

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Let me start off with just one word: Wow. When I was going through my training for A+, I would've loved to have had this book for studying. While I have not read the book cover-to-cover, I have gone through a lot of it and actually found myself being sucked in and reading more and more of it. Throw in the changes for the new A+ exam and I was blown away. The format of the book really works for someone getting a foot in the IT door by taking the A+ exam. Not only that, but as it stands now with the current trends, this (currently) very up-to-date tome is a good standby reference tool.

Having been only accustomed with the Mike Meyers universe of A+ study, this book was like walking into a different culture. It begins with my favorite part of the book: the Real World Scenarios. Often I found myself shuffling through the book looking just for these, some were a bit lacking but for the most part I found them to be relevant, insightful and in a lot of ways bringing the classroom to the reader. A great part of having any type of teacher is how they are able to impart to the student contextual knowledge, thereby putting everything in perspective. I think the Real World Scenario does a great job of accomplishing this. This also helps out in something friends and I have discussed that I happened to notice in the book.

A part that's almost worth the price of admission is the introduction, all in all, it's a mini study guide. I believe someone could use the intro for some last minute recognition and cramming. I believe this will come in handy for prospective A+ test takers.

As far as the negatives, while I have previously complimented much of the format used throughout, I do have a couple of qualms. For starters, when it comes to the OS-es, I think it would be a tad bit easier if it was separated by chapter. Command-line gets a chapter, 2K gets a chapter and XP gets a chapter. In some ways it seems a bit mashed together. The other les with the exam itself.

Instead of two clearly defined exams: OS and Hardware, there are 4 exams, but you only have to take 2: The "core" exam: Essentials and from there you can choose one of 3 tests. While I could go into more details, just looking at the outline and objectives, they all seem the same but just vary on the amount of customer interaction. It's nice to go the route of Microsoft and others with paths to certification, but it seems like it's more hype than anything else, almost irrelevant. Of course, without having ever taken the test, I can't be entirely sure. We'll just have to wait for the first victims to find out if I'm right or not.

All in all, the format is friendly and inviting. I thought that I would dread going through another A+ book, but I thought the approach was a breath of fresh air. It brings the classroom to the reader. The labs/exercises, scenarios, tips and notes do a marvelous job of getting the point across. I was even impressed by some of the technology covered. The various printers, scanner and media technology got some page time, so while it may, in some cases, give too much information, the book will stand the test of time on a shelf for easy reference.

I would have to say it isn't much better than A+ for dummies but it's not bad. The main thing that really annoyed me is that many large chunks of text are simply repeated verbatim in different sections. The repetition accounts for a good deal of the material in this book. If you can get it at a good discount go ahead but don't pay full price for this book.

This was the only study guide I needed for the new A+ exams (Essentials, IT technician, Remote). I passed both the Essentials and IT technician tests easily with scores in the 835 range. I spent about a month studying with the book for each exam module. The book does a great job of laying out the information for each particular exam. In addition, it guide is an excellant easy to ready reference manual.
If you are looking for one study guide to pass the new A+ exam format, this is the one to get.

To begin the book is well organized and well written. The flow of the book is easy to understand, and easy to take notes from. The CD-Rom includes an electronic copy of the book (which in my opinion is something that all paper copies should come with these days) which is very helpful for working professionals whom commute.

Cons: Unfortunately the book will miss a thing here or there as it relates directly to the exam itself. As an example: You will find that the study questions, while good at reinforcing the material you just read, do not line up with the flow, format or difficulty of the actual exam questions. They are really there to cement what you've just read and reinforce that to you.

Another example is the Professionalism and Communications section does not go over enough material in detail. It rather uses broad terms and concepts to go over that particular domain.

Conclusion: I feel this is a very good primary study guide. I would recommend however that you use supliments to your studying such as Transcender exams to help prep you for the actual testing enviornment as well as the Exam Cram book to compliment and really drive home the material.

The book is definately worth the purchase and you will be 75%-80% read to take the exam after completetion of studying.

Finally an A+ book that doesn't drown itself in tech terms without actually explaining what it is they are trying to convey. This is as user-friendly as one could hope to get in a study guide. It doesn't go over one's head, if it the subject matter does the author brings it down to earth.

The companion CD is pretty good as well, offering the whole book in .pdf form for downloading on one's iPod or PDA.

Definitely the best book I saw to review. I studied from this book only, knew everything in it, and I got 830/900 on the essentials exam, and 850/900 on the IT exam (passing scores were 675 and 700 respectively).

Only complaint is that the CD that comes with it is buggy. Although it provides many extra questions which are helpful, several of the questions are filled with bugs, like they mark the wrong answer right, or on one of the practice exams one question was repeated a dozen times.

Still the best book and definitely worth it.

I haven't read through the whole book, but some things already seem off base. For example, a question in the beginning asks the reader to differentiate between a USB 1.0 and a USB 2.0 visually. There IS no difference, (look up a USB cable on Amazon!) but the answer in the book claims that the insulation on a USB 2.0 cable is clear. I feel bad for the newbie who reads this and tries to memorize it. It is a good book, just remember to question whatever doesn't sound right

This book does cover A+ exam objectives, moreover the chapters are arranged well according to the objective which made me feel easier to find the topic of interest or the topic that i need to study further.

With the chapters arranged and written according to compTIA objectives, I found it easier to review what I should study more after I take the test, since the test result will give you explanation in which area you need to review.

As I was an experience technician, I did feel it easy to follow and understand this book and pass the exam just by using this book, but i think this book lacks in the troubleshooting area. The author does give you quite a lot of troubleshooting example from his experience, but ff the author can give a lot more real world example of problems and solutions, i think this book will be perfect for exam preparation as well as on the job reference.

Sybex has published quality study guides for years and this book is no exception. The PC hardware and Windows information in this book maps very well to the 2006 CompTIA A+ exams and provides "above and beyond" coverage of printer troubleshooting, networking, and network security. Unlike other books of its kind, this may have value as a reference once you pass the A+ tests, especially if you are considering other related CompTIA certifications. The absence of an introduction, its textbook-like tone, and minor errors on some practice questions are why I withhold my fifth star... the book is not perfect, but it is quite good.

This book is available by itself or as a part of the CompTIA A+ Complete Certification Kit; let price and your own experience with PC troubleshooting determine which is the best value for you.

I would highly recommend this book. Not only did it help me pass the exam, it also taught how to apply what I learned to my every-day job.

I have to respectfully disagree with the previous review. This was a very comprehensive study guide, and covered all the topics I expected to find on the exam. I thought it was very well organized, followed a logical order, and had the the extras I expect to find from Sybex: Exam Essentials, Hands-on Exercises, Review Questions, and so on.

It was also very easy to read. Unlike some books--Mike Meyer's for one--the authors are not pompus or over the top. They are straight forward, not making any assumptions about the reader's intelligence or sense of humor.