[Any tips] Studying for A+ Cert

M

maxf

Veteran X
From my studies so far I've found the test is a lot of brainless shit I already know, and then A LOT of information that isn't really practical.

Anyone have some tips on how to study for this? I've been given some e-books and practice tests from coworkers. I feel a little overwhelmed.

(Don't want to fail it, and go out ~$150)

Thanks TW!!!
 
From what I've heard (as in, reading some thread on some site with some comments from a Geek Squad employee), it's completely useless/impractical, and is at least 10 years behind current computer developments.
 
only real advice i can say is you will be competing with high school kids and people who were laid off and 5000X more experience for a job that pays like 10/hour. It's a waste of time and to get anywhere worth a shit pay wise you are going to need alot more then A+ certs.
 
I already have the job. (Been over two months since I started.) And my employer is paying for it.

So I definitely need to take the damn thing. :-/
 
they should have certifications for breathing and walking too


male+elk.jpg
 
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If it wasnt easy to get, you're in the wrong field.

Also, put it in the resume but dont make a big deal out of it just tuck it in there someplace out of the way, since its not an accomplishment but a tard-check. Do NOT bring it up in interviews for the love of god.
 
all i gotta say is: fucking. printers.

i never took the cert test it but I had a class while in high school. i really don't care how dot matrix printers work
 
yeah I took it back in like 2001 and even then it had ancient tech shit on the test

I wonder how updated it is now
 
I won't even hire someone that lists A+ on a resume.

Sorry, but if you had to learn that stuff and think it is important enough to place it on your resume, you aren't a tech. A+ is stuff you should already know.
 
I have never hired someone who was A+ certified. I've interviewed them; they just always suck too much to hire.
 
sample A+ questions.... :lol:


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Question 1
Which of the following is the local user with the MOST authority on a computer running Windows XP ?
A. BCM user
B. Power user
C. Network Configuration Operator
D. Administrator
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Question 2
Which of the following modes will provide retrieval of a previous computing session with the least amount of boot-up time ?
A. Shutdown
B. Hibernate
C. Standby
D. Restart
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Question 3
Which of the following will happen when a user plugs a third-party adapter which outputs alternating current (AC) directly into a laptop?
A. The laptop will start in Safe Mode.
B. The laptop will start, however it will not charge the battery.
C. The laptop processor will be overclocked.
D. The laptop components will be damaged.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Question 4
Which of the following is a way to identify which Windows operating system is currently installed ?
A. Click on Start > Run and type version/info
B. Click on Start > Run and type version info/detail
C. Right click My Computer > Manage
D. Right click My Computer > Properties
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Question 5
In Windows XP, which of the following utilities is used to partition the disk ?
A. Disk Management
B. System Configuration Utility
C. Registry Editor
D. Device Manager
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Question 6
An older printer is connected to a computer using a parallel port. Which of the following connectors is MOST likely used on the computer's parallel port ?
A. DB-50 connector
B. DB-25 pin connector
C. DB-9 pin connector
D. DB-37 connector
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Question 7
Which of the following IP classes is the IP address 200.168.212.226 an example of ?
A. Class C
B. Class A
C. Class B
D. Class D
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Question 8
The standard connector used for an UTP Ethernet connection is:
A. DB-9.
B. RJ-45.
C. BNC.
D. RJ-11.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Question 9
A user reports that the computer keeps freezing. Which of the following information should the technician obtain FIRST ?
A. The model number of the user's computer
B. Windows Error Reporting Log
C. The type of machine, whether it is a laptop or a desktop
D. What the user was doing when the problem occurred
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Question 10
A user reports an issue that does not occur while the technician is onsite. Which of the following actions should the technician perform while troubleshooting this issue with the user ?
A. Ask the user which web sites they have been viewing.
B. Tell the user that the problem is usually related to user training.
C. Ask the user a series of questions designed to narrow the scope of the problem.
D. Tell the user that the technician will solve the problem quickly.




A+ IT Tech 220-602
Question 1
A computer will not perform power-on self test (POST), also no lights or sounds are emitted. Which of the following components should be checked FIRST ?
A. Display adaptor
B. Power supply
C. RAM
D. Motherboard
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Question 2
A technician observes that a computer's performance has decreased, and accessing large files takes more time than before. No additional programs are running, and system resource utilization is unchanged. Which of the following should the technician do to improve the computer's performance ?
A. Format the hard drive
B. Perform a system restore
C. Add more RAM to the system
D. Defragment the hard drive
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Question 3
Which of the following expansion interfaces can be used to plug into a wireless network adapter and provide wireless network access for a laptop computer ?
A. PCMCIA
B. Serial
C. LAN
D. PCI
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Question 4
Which of the following are major components of an LCD ? (Select TWO).
A. Video card
B. Screen
C. Inverter
D. Brightness
E. Contrast
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Question 5
Which of the following Windows commands can be entered to display the working directory ?
A. TREE
B. CD
C. CHKDSK
D. RMDIR
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Question 6
A computer running Windows XP has three primary partitions and an extended partition. Which of the following partitions can be added with Disk Management Tools when creating another partition ?
A. A primary partition
B. An enhanced partition
C. An extended partition
D. A logical partition
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Question 7
Which of the following commands is used when trying to write a new boot sector to the system partition when using the Windows XP Recovery Console ?
A. FIXMRB
B. FIXBOOT
C. BOOTCFG
D. FORMAT
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Question 8
Which of the following should be replaced in a laser printer when documents have lines through the text ?
A. Toner cartridge
B. Heads
C. Drum
D. Cylinder
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Question 9
Fiber optic cable uses which of the following connectors to transmit signals ?
A. BNC
B. MT-RJ
C. RJ-11
D. RJ-45
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Question 10
A technician is diagnosing a customer's computer and observes that the computer is sluggish and unresponsive. Which of the following actions should the technician take ?
A. Explain to the customer that the computer is outdated and the technician needs to take it back to the shop to fix it.
B. Explain the problem to the customer and show the customer how to defragment the system.
C. Perform a system restore on the computer.
D. Explain the problem to the customer in basic terms and recommend a solution.





A+ Remote Support Technician 220-603
Question 1
When performing disk defragmentation in Windows XP, which of the following is the minimum percentage of free space that should be available on the drive ?
A. 5%
B. 15%
C. 30%
D. 40%
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Question 2
To boot Windows into Safe Mode, which of the following keys should be pressed while booting ?
A. F9
B. F8
C. F3
D. F1
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Question 3
A user is reporting that their Window's XP computer is slow. When a technician arrives, they find many unwanted programs running at startup. Which application will allow the technician to keep the unwanted programs from running at startup ?
A. MSCONFIG
B. SYSTRAY
C. WINLOGON
D. REGSVR32
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Question 4
A technician wishes to make changes to a system file, but the file is set as hidden and read-only. Which tool could they use to make the file writeable and viewable from Windows Explorer ?
A. MSCONFIG.EXE
B. REGEDIT.EXE
C. ATTRIB.EXE
D. SFC.EXE
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Question 5
A user is scanning a document and changes the settings to scan the same document in color. This will cause the uncompressed file size to increase by:
A. two times
B. three times
C. four times
D. eight times
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Question 6
Which of the following file types would be the BEST to transmit a scanner image file that would be a suitable size to transmit through e-mail ?
A. PPT
B. DOC
C. TIFF
D. JPEG
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Question 7
Which of the following is the fastest wireless standard ?
A. 802.3
B. 802.11g
C. 802.11b
D. 802.5
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Question 8
Which of the following provides the ability to mask internal IP addresses while mapping those addresses to a common external IP address ?
A. IMAP
B. NAT
C. DNS
D. WINS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Question 9
A user reports that they are not able to save changes to a text document they have opened from the company file server. Which of the following is MOST likely to be causing the issue ?
A. The user is trying to overwrite a file with a newer timestamp than the locally cached file.
B. The file server has gone down for planned maintenance.
C. The user's permissions do not allow them to write to the file.
D. The file server is out of disk space.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Question 10
An angry customer has called and is upset about a delay in the repair of their computer. After answering the phone, which of the following actions should a technician take FIRST ?
A. Place the customer on hold.
B. Listen to the customer's concerns.
C. Tell the customer that it is the part supplier's fault and provide the supplier's number.
D. Ask the customer to call back later to speak with a supervisor.






A+ Depot Tech 220-604
Question 1
A technician needs to test a power supply but does not have a dedicated power supply tester. Which of the following tools could be used to test a power supply's output ?
A. Digital multi-meter
B. Loop-back plug
C. RJ-45 crimper
D. CAT5 tester
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Question 2
Which of the following types of disk arrays provide the MOST fault tolerance ?
A. Striping
B. Mirroring
C. Extending
D. Spanning
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Question 3
A customer reports that their laptop's screen has suddenly become dim and barely readable. The video output is correct when the laptop is hooked up to an external monitor. After verifying that all user settings are correct, which of the following components should be replaced FIRST to attempt to repair the problem ?
A. Graphics controller
B. Inverter board
C. Video memory
D. Motherboard
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Question 4
A technician is upgrading the memory on a laptop that has a front-side bus speed of 400MHz. Which of the following memory module types has the minimum data transfer rate necessary to support this upgrade ?
A. PC2700
B. PC2100
C. PC3200
D. PC1600
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Question 5
Which of the following is the maximum number of devices that may be connected to a single USB port ?
A. 4
B. 63
C. 127
D. 511
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Question 6
When a screw is dropped inside a printer during a repair, which of the following tools should be used to retrieve the screw ?
A. Chip extractor
B. Vacuum
C. Extension Magnet
D. Long needle-nose pliers
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Question 7
A work order states that a laser printer is not properly affixing toner to paper. After the paper comes out of the printer, the toner falls off of the page. The user has changed the toner cartridge twice with no improvement in print quality. Which of the following is MOST likely the cause ?
A. The imaging drum is not fully discharging.
B. The fuser is malfunctioning.
C. The primary corona wire is receiving no power.
D. The laser scanner is defective.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Question 8
A technician is working on a laser printer. After printing several pages to replicate the problem, the technician unplugs the printer and begins repairs. Which of the following should the technician avoid touching to keep themselves from being burned ?
A. Separation pad
B. Pickup roller
C. Drum
D. Fuser
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Question 9
A technician is about to service a computer. Which of the following steps should they take first ?
A. The technician should disconnect the hard drive to avoid file corruption.
B. The technician should open up the case with a properly sized screwdriver to avoid stripping the screws.
C. The technician should move the computer to a carpeted area to avoid impact damage.
D. The technician should put on an anti-static strap to avoid electrostatic discharge (ESD) damage.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Question 10
When the fan in a power supply fails, which of the following actions should be taken ?
A. Replace the fan inside of the power supply.
B. Add an external cooling device.
C. Repair the fan inside of the power supply.
D. Replace the power supply.
 
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Don't listen to anyone here that says A+ is worthless. DoD contractors pays pretty well for a entry level tech and it isn't a dead end and a CompTia cert is a DoD requirement.
 
Why is everyone all uppity about the A+? I don't see how it can be a bad thing to have, it just doesn't count for much.

Zanthious said:
Only real advice i can say is you will be competing with... people who were laid off and 5000X more experience[d] for a job that pays like 10/hour.
Click to expand...

Damn, I thought it was only my area. I only have 1/2 years of experience and every job I apply for I get beat by those guys with 10 years more experience than me (even entry level shit, GTFO let me start somewhere). :(
 
Bughead said:
Why is everyone all uppity about the A+? I don't see how it can be a bad thing to have, it just doesn't count for much.



Damn, I thought it was only my area. I only have 1/2 years of experience and every job I apply for I get beat by those guys with 10 years more experience than me (even entry level shit, GTFO let me start somewhere). :(
Click to expand...

Simply put, people who think they need it generally aren't good enough to go anywhere in the field.

And I'm saying this from experience. I've interviewed probably 50+ people and have looked at hundreds of resumes. The people with A+ certs have been shitty with 100% accuracy. I've never hired a single person with an A+ cert for an entry level technician position.
 
krustyy said:
Simply put, people who think they need it generally aren't good enough to go anywhere in the field.

And I'm saying this from experience. I've interviewed probably 50+ people and have looked at hundreds of resumes. The people with A+ certs have been shitty with 100% accuracy. I've never hired a single person with an A+ cert for an entry level technician position.
Click to expand...
I got mine just because it seemed like an easy cert and my school paid for it (got my Net+ too for the heck of it).

It worries me that it's viewed so negatively though... I have a hard enough time getting a job as it is, much less with that dragging me down (if it truly is).
 
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