Customer Reviews

Network+ Study Guide (2nd Edition)

5 star:		(50)
4 star:		(32)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I just passed my Network+ exam today and I owe it all to David Groth for writting such an excellent book! I passed with a sccore of 801 out of 900 (89%) and I am only 15 YEARS OLD! I used this book plus Sybex Network+ Test Center, but I owe passing all to this one book. It is written very well, and makes everything easy to understand. All you need is this one book to pass the Network+ easily.

I read this book through about 3 times, first just cover to cover, second cover to cover highlighting important concepts, and the third time just read my highlights. After reading it about three times, I scored a 85% and 89% on the two included practice tests and felt like I was ready to go (most recommend getting at least 90% before trying though). I used two tests from the Virtual Test Center, but those questions were MUCH HARDER than the ones on the real test and didn't help much for the actual test.

This book is split into 10 detailed chapters, about everything you need to know to get started in a Networking carrer. I just complete my A+ Certification two months ago, and if it weren't for school I could have got my Network+ in less than a month. This book covers everything and more that you will see on the test (well, maybe except for 2 or 3 questions, but that's out of 65). The questions are all farily simple, but the hard part is that you need a 752 out of 900 (around 83%) to pass, which is much higher than other IT Certifications. But with this book, you will REALLY understand all the different things and as long as you memorize a few of the essentials (IEE groups, TCP/IP Addresses, TCP/IP Switches, etc.) you will easily pass. Just make sure to read the book a few times, because to get that 752 you NEED to know nearly all of the book.

In addition to the book being awesome, the 20 practice questions at the end of each chapter and the two COMPLETE practice tests on CD (one of them is also in the book) are really what prepare you. More than 3/4 of my test were questions that I had seen before from those practice questions. All the practice questions and detailed answers and really help you grasp the concepts and prepare for the test. There are over 500 questions included with the book, so it's all you need to pass (don't make the mistake I did and waste money on the Virtual Test Center). In addition, to get you started there is an Assesment Test, which really helps you see how much you have to study and in which areas.

Overall, the combination of an excellent book with over 500 practice questions that are nearly identical to the questions from the real thing, this makes for GREAT VALUE and necessary tool to pass the Network+ test. You can spend less than 40 bucks on this book with the practice questions and easily pass if you put your mind to it. Forget wasting $1000's of dollars on classes, this is all you need to succeed!

I was hired by a client to teach a Network+ class, and the client had no idea what book to use, we decided on the book based on the reputation of the author and a previous version of the book.. After watching the entire class pass the exam first time I can now see why David Groth is an industry expert on the subject matter.

With over 550 pages, Groth has made very short work of the exam and the exam objectives. Beginning with the fundamentals of topologies, hardware and basic network elements. Groth then spends the next 50+ pages on the OSI model, the key element in networking.

Again as with the 2nd edition there are over 100 pages just for TCP/IP. Groth covers each objective of the newest exam, N10-002, and his detail and documentation are excellent, something that had become a standard with his work.

There are over 200 questions in the book to work with plus essential exam information has also been included. In the front of the book there is an objective breakdown quick reference card that you can refer to at anytime, there by allowing you to keep track of your progress.

As with previous versions, there is a cd with practice exams to give you a chance at the exam before going live. Also included is flashcards both for the pc and palm and like other books from Groth this one is sure to be a winner.

In the world of Network+ there are certain names that comes to the top of the list when deciding what material is best. David Groth is one of the most respected names in the industry and his second edition of Network+ is another example of why.

Groth improves on his previous edition right from the very beginning with a handy tear out network+ study card. Also to make sure that you are ready there is exam objective and an assessment test in the front of the book.

Once that is completed the book then goes on to covers topics like the OSI model, Fundamentals of LANS, WANS, topology, cables, network hardware, and NOSs like Netware, Unix, NT and OS/2. All this is covered up to chapter 5.

Chapter 6 through 10 takes on the areas of Network installations, upgrades, remote access, security, disaster recovery and troubleshooting. Groth covers the objective in a logical easy to follow order and give you more information than the exam calls for.

Typical to most books Groth writes, there are review questions, figures, diagrams, tables and a practice exam. Included in the book is a cd with hundreds of questions. Also are electronic flash cards, a self-assessment test and an e-book for both the pc and palm tops. No there are no more excuses - excellent job!

Sybex recently released an updated fourth edition of David Groth's highly acclaimed Network+ Study Guide. The new book covers exam # N10-003, which is scheduled to go live on May 1, 2005. Enter "0782144063" in the search field to find the book page for the fourth edition.

Good luck in pursuit of your Network+ certification

Neil Edde
Publisher--Certification
Sybex, Inc.

I can't even begin to start on how much this book helped me for the Network+ exam. This book has great detail and explanations regarding networking and I would recommend this book 100% along with the Network+ Exam Cram book by Coriolis and the Network+ Practice Exams by Syngress/Osborne. These 3 books should guarantee you a passing score on the exam othewise hit the bookstore and start out with the A+ exam first. This book should be read from start to finish while going through all practice exams at the end of each chapter. Then hit the CD and practice all the questions on there while using the book as a reference until you get a clear understanding of the question. Finally after going thru the Book and the CD move onto the Syngress/Osborne book for the additional questions to give you a feel of how the questions will appear on the actual test. Last but not least read or skim through the exam cram book for last minute preparation and you should ace the test with no problems. Follow this way of studying and you will pass guaranteed. The best thing about the CD is the fact that it comes with an ebook which you can easily use on your work computer or a laptop. This is the best study guide for the Network+ exam.

Network+ by David Groth will prepare you to pass the exam! This book covers exam objectives very well and Groth writing style is easy to follow. It certainly deserves five stars for that alone and if you fail the exam then it's not because of the book but rather the lack of experience. What I don't like in this book is too much detail on some topics (twenty pages to show abend.log is waste of paper) or almost no information at all on another (where is description on LMHOSTS files?). I don't agree with official amazon.com review that this book can also prepare you to pass Networking Essentials - get another book!

Nevertheless I would recommend this book to anyone preparing to take Network+. Good luck!

Ales Kavsek

I bought this book in preparation for my Network+ exam. I am A+ certified and used a computer based training program that cost me $500 (I was less than impressed!). I decided to try books for my network+ exam, I am not a big reader so I needed a book that was interesting and clear in it's explanations because networking can be a daunting subject. What I'm trying to say is that this book was EXCELLENT. I got 91% on my Network+ Exam today. It is excellent for beginners as well as those who have some idea about networking. The practice questions in the book as well as those on the CD are very good for exam preparation. Ensure that you get at least 98% on those practice exams before you attempt the actual exam. THIS IS THE ONLY BOOK THAT YOU NEED TO PREPARE FOR THE N+ Exam.

I just passed the Network+ exam with a 94%, using this book, the Coriolis Network+ Practice Tests book, and the NetG Networking Essentials course (I did pass the Networking Essentials test a year ago, and that provided a good foundation for this exam). I also work in the IT field as well.

The Network+ test is pretty straightforward, and Groth's book has most (if not all) of the info needed to do well on the test. He presents the information in a nice format that isn't dense or convoluted. Experience helps though, especially in the troubleshooting and TCP/IP sections of the exam.

However, I still recommend that you use other study sources in addition to this book - or any single book, for that matter. In my experience, seeing the same information presented in a different format can help the info "click."

Anyway, this is a good book, and will be a decent networking reference beyond the test. Good luck!

Erik

On Thursday June 6, 2002, I passed the network+ with a score 793 out of a possible 900. The passing score is 646.

Even though I used this book to study for the test (and I passed), I strongly recommend AGAINST this book. It does not cover many topic on my exam

1. It says amost nothing about security protocol (L2TP, IPsec,
SSL, Kerberos). I had to face 8 questions about these
security protocols on the exam.

2. It doesn't mention the port of HTTPS, which I was asked on
the exams

3. It says next to nothing about MAC OS & AppleTalk, which my
exam covered 4 questions about it.

4. Not enough about Unix. 2 questions about Unix.

First off let me say that I managed to pass the Network+ test with a 715 (thats about a low "B" but a pass is a pass). I also used the Exam Cram 2 book as well because its always a good idea to study from at least two sources. One of the sources may cover something in more depth or is easier for you to understand then the other and vice versa.

This book is great and is not a dry read due to the touches of humor added here and there. One of the most helpful pages in this book is the Layer 1 cabling chart that list one of the hardest parts to remember: cable lengths, speeds, transmission lengths, ethernet name (100BaseTX, 1000Base-LX, 10GBaseER, etc), and connectors with notes on each one all on two pages!.

Other features that I liked were the bolded titles, bulleted notes, and flags to get your attention about specific information.

The included disc featured the book in PDF format, two practice test (which were very hard as I only managed to get around %50 on both of them), and flash cards.

If your planning on taking Security+ soon I would also recommend you get the Exam Cram 2 Security+ as it's first chapter is dedicated entirely to what to expect on a CompTIA cert test, test stratigies, and loads of helpful info to help you get over test anxity and gain confidence in your knowledge.

Sybex and Exam Cram 2 (although I dont like the title of their series as cramming is most definitly NOT the way to STUDY) is a great combo when it comes to certification.

Keep in mind with any certification that the piece of paper is the BY-PRODUCT of your knowledge and that knowledge makes that piece of paper mean something other then just a piece of paper.