CompTia A+ 901/902

[nathans8823]

So I am trying to get certified from CompTia to get my 901/902 and I am taking the test November 4th... have any of you guys taken this test yet?

CompTIA A+ 900 FAQ | CompTIA IT Certifications

If you have no clue what I am talking about ^

 

[WizardHawk]

So I am trying to get certified from CompTia to get my 901/902 and I am taking the test November 4th... have any of you guys taken this test yet?

CompTIA A+ 900 FAQ | CompTIA IT Certifications

If you have no clue what I am talking about ^

Haven't taken it in quite some time as I don't currently have a job that requires it, but I have taken it before.

The study books/guides do a good job of preparing you for the types of stuff it covers. I didn't find the test to be that hard, but then I had been working with computers for many years before I took it the first time. The only stuff I had to study on was the stupid facts they require you to know that no one ever uses like which Ram went with which chipset back in the day and dumb crap like that. If you've worked with PC's at least 3/4 of the test is pretty common sense.

 

[nathans8823]

Haven't taken it in quite some time as I don't currently have a job that requires it, but I have taken it before.

The study books/guides do a good job of preparing you for the types of stuff it covers. I didn't find the test to be that hard, but then I had been working with computers for many years before I took it the first time. The only stuff I had to study on was the stupid facts they require you to know that no one ever uses like which Ram went with which chipset back in the day and dumb crap like that. If you've worked with PC's at least 3/4 of the test is pretty common sense.

Thanks for the advice... I have also heard that they put LOTS of printer questions on there.

 

[WizardHawk]

Thanks for the advice... I have also heard that they put LOTS of printer questions on there.

I found the practice tests to be very accurate in the overall breakdown of the types of questions.

You go in to a room full of computers with other people taking tests. No notes, no devices, no talking, you are being watched the whole time. Still, it's all multiple choice and you can skip questions and come back later or go back and modify anything you want before it's over. The modules are timed, but I think I took maybe half the time they allotted? And used some time to go back over things I might not have been confident on.

In the end the test was easier than my worry suggested it should have been. Just prepare well for it and it's not that bad.

 

[nathans8823]

I found the practice tests to be very accurate in the overall breakdown of the types of questions.

You go in to a room full of computers with other people taking tests. No notes, no devices, no talking, you are being watched the whole time. Still, it's all multiple choice and you can skip questions and come back later or go back and modify anything you want before it's over. The modules are timed, but I think I took maybe half the time they allotted? And used some time to go back over things I might not have been confident on.

In the end the test was easier than my worry suggested it should have been. Just prepare well for it and it's not that bad.

Did you use the ExamCram practice exams? I use TestOut right now as a study and learn course.

 

[WizardHawk]

Did you use the ExamCram practice exams? I use TestOut right now as a study and learn course.

I don't remember which one I used. The first one I took was 10 years ago. I downloaded a few different practice exams and study guides and spent maybe a week going through them before taking the test.

I just kept taking tests and spending time studying the stuff I didn't pass on those samples until I was acing them. As I said, it was mostly memorizing some of the more dumb crap no one ever needs for their IT jobs when you can look that stuff up online in seconds.

 

[nathans8823]

I don't remember which one I used. The first one I took was 10 years ago. I downloaded a few different practice exams and study guides and spent maybe a week going through them before taking the test.

I just kept taking tests and spending time studying the stuff I didn't pass on those samples until I was acing them. As I said, it was mostly memorizing some of the more dumb crap no one ever needs for their IT jobs when you can look that stuff up online in seconds.

Luckily enough I have awhile to go before I take it so lots of studying time.

 

[arkansas89]

IMO, credentials are a waste of time in IT. I've been programming for almost 5 years, and i don't have a degree at all. in fact, i dropped out of high school to sell drugs, and some bizarre twist of fate lead me to a computer where i discovered the magical world of programming. I had other exposure to it previously in highschool, I took CE 1&2 and Networking 1&2 at the votech, as well as EastLab Introduction to Computer Science & Algorithms which was a special class offered by my high school, before eventually, dropping out to pursue a career in the sell of narcotics. In this day and age especially, you can learn to do practically anything with google and youtube, and what you can't learn there you can learn in books like "Mathematics for Engineers" and "Algorithms". For simply working on computers as a service technician, i think it's a joke to be CompTIA certified. Every person in my classes at votech was encouraged to take it, and all but me and one other student actually took it, even it was offered at a discounted rate, but my instructor was very cunning, and he was adamant about the fact that he had absolutely no credentials at all and thought that the certification was a sham. Credentials only matter to the old money. the new school is more of a meritocracy. At the end of the day, what do you want out of life?

do you want a (relatively) stable and cushy job at some backwards thinking IT/Enterprise company? Or do you want to be on the cutting edge working at a startup, like i do? The former loves credentials and references. The more the better. The latter only cares about a few things:

1. team player
2. demonstrable skill or area of expertise
3. ability to learn

my 2 cents on the matter, and really i think the bar is way too low. swing for the fences and see where you land

 

[nathans8823]

IMO, credentials are a waste of time in IT. I've been programming for almost 5 years, and i don't have a degree at all. in fact, i dropped out of high school to sell drugs, and some bizarre twist of fate lead me to a computer where i discovered the magical world of programming. I had other exposure to it previously in highschool, I took CE 1&2 and Networking 1&2 at the votech, as well as EastLab Introduction to Computer Science & Algorithms which was a special class offered by my high school, before eventually, dropping out to pursue a career in the sell of narcotics. In this day and age especially, you can learn to do practically anything with google and youtube, and what you can't learn there you can learn in books like "Mathematics for Engineers" and "Algorithms". For simply working on computers as a service technician, i think it's a joke to be CompTIA certified. Every person in my classes at votech was encouraged to take it, and all but me and one other student actually took it, even it was offered at a discounted rate, but my instructor was very cunning, and he was adamant about the fact that he had absolutely no credentials at all and thought that the certification was a sham. Credentials only matter to the old money. the new school is more of a meritocracy. At the end of the day, what do you want out of life?

do you want a (relatively) stable and cushy job at some backwards thinking IT/Enterprise company? Or do you want to be on the cutting edge working at a startup, like i do? The former loves credentials and references. The more the better. The latter only cares about a few things:

1. team player
2. demonstrable skill or area of expertise
3. ability to learn

my 2 cents on the matter, and really i think the bar is way too low. swing for the fences and see where you land

What a story man... drug dealing can be dangerous if caught lol good thing you didn't when you were younger. Thanks for the advice though, I'm not too sure what to look for in the job field yet so many possibilities when it comes to IT. Ya know what I mean.

 

[WizardHawk]

I was already in the tech field for some time before I got my A+ and network +. I created my own business and did pretty well with it. Slowdowns caused me to look into contract warranty work and you don't get those without the creds. That was really the only reason I went and got them and as I said, I was already well enough versed that it didn't take much study time or prep work to pass them.

They do help get your foot in the door for hardware related jobs. Far more than programming.

 

[arkansas89]

I was already in the tech field for some time before I got my A+ and network +. I created my own business and did pretty well with it. Slowdowns caused me to look into contract warranty work and you don't get those without the creds. That was really the only reason I went and got them and as I said, I was already well enough versed that it didn't take much study time or prep work to pass them.

They do help get your foot in the door for hardware related jobs. Far more than programming.

Fair enough. I've never really worked in the hardware side of things.

 

[arkansas89]

What a story man... drug dealing can be dangerous if caught lol good thing you didn't when you were younger. Thanks for the advice though, I'm not too sure what to look for in the job field yet so many possibilities when it comes to IT. Ya know what I mean.

Of course it was dangerous... I was young and wanted to look cool. The point of the story is that you can be a developer without any real credentials. I guess as the other poster stated, not the case if you want to be IT guy/tech.

 

[WizardHawk]

It's not that it is impossible to get into IT without a degree or certs, but it sure does open more doors and raise your near term earning potential. I mean if you want to go into a help desk kind of entry level thing and work up from there you probably can if you have an aptitude for it, but you are going to earn near minimum wage and have to take a lot of lumps to get there.

It takes FAR less time to just go get a cert and not have to start out entirely at the bottom.

I first started working with computers in the early 80's. Basically no one had degrees in computers back then. Those that did were probably in a government or science related field or maybe high end enterprise stuff. I could easily get away with not having any sort of piece of paper. I did go to school, but not for computers. Go figure.

Now I'm the IT Director for my company and certs are entirely useless. Yes, I would hire someone with one over one without if everything else is equal. And I don't work for some stuffy massive enterprise. Small business in the gambling industry.

 

[Lions=TeHsUcKs]

Are you going for A+ certification, personally I would go for something like CCNA and Network+ instead. Most firms hold those in higher regard. Probably should learn a few programming languages, like Java, PHP and SQL back end.

 

[nathans8823]

Are you going for A+ certification, personally I would go for something like CCNA and Network+ instead. Most firms hold those in higher regard. Probably should learn a few programming languages, like Java, PHP and SQL back end.

Well I want to start with A+ Certification then expand onwards.