Product Description

The Essential Study Tool for the 2009 Edition of the CompTIA A+ Exams

The CompTIA A+ certification is the industry standard in terms of measuring a technician's hardware and software knowledge. As the most popular entry-level certification, it is particularly popular among individuals switching from another career to computers.

Organized by objectives this unparalleled study guide offers you a systematic approach to preparing for the CompTIA A+ certification, and includes real-world scenarios, chapter review questions, plus a CD with Sybex's propriety test engine to reinforce all of the concepts you learn.

Two Exams in One Book - Covers both the A+ Essentials (Exam 220-701) and Practical Application (Exam 220-702)

Featured on the CD

• Over 600 Practice questions
• Six practice tests (3 for the 220-701, and 3 for 220-702)
• Electronic flashcards
• Entire book as a searchable PDF

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6097 in Books
• Published on: 2009-10-05
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 1152 pages

From the Back Cover

Prepare for both A+ exams with this one, valuable guide

Prepare yourself for the 2009 version of CompTIA's A+ certification track with this complete, two-in-one study guide, that covers both the A+ Essentials exam (220-701) and the Practical Application exam (220-702). Study and practice with in-depth coverage of all exam objectives and a CD packed with leading-edge exam test software. Inside, you'll find:

• Full coverage of all exam objectives in a systematic approach, so you can be confident you're getting the instruction you need for the exam

• Practical hands-on exercises to reinforce critical skills

• Real-world scenarios that put what you've learned in the context of actual job roles

• Challenging review questions in each chapter to prepare you for exam day

• Exam Essentials, a key feature in each chapter that identifies critical areas you must become proficient in before taking the exam

• A handy tear card that maps every official exam objective to the corresponding chapter in the book, so you can track your exam prep objective by objective

Look inside for complete coverage of all exam objectives.

Featured on the CD

SYBEX TEST ENGINE:

Test your knowledge with advanced testing software. Includes all chapter review questions and bonus exams.

ELECTRONIC FLASHCARDS:

Reinforce your understanding with electronic flashcards.

Also on CD, you'll find the entire book in searchable and printable PDF. Study anywhere, any time, and approach the exam with confidence.

About the Author

About the Authors

Quentin Docter, A+, MCSE, CNE, CCNA, SCSA, is an IT consultant with over 15 years of IT experience. He has written several books for Sybex on topics including A+, Server+, Microsoft, and Solaris 9 certifications, as well as coauthoring Mastering Windows XP Professional and The Complete PC Upgrade and Maintenance Guide. Emmett Dulaney, A+, Network+, Security+, MCT, is an assistant professor at Anderson University. He has written several certification books, including CompTIA A+ Complete Review Guide and CompTIA Security+ Study Guide. He is also a well-known certification columnist for Redmond magazine and CertCities.com. Toby Skandier, A+, Network +, i-Net+, Server+, MCSE, CCNP, CCDP, CCSI, is founder of Talskan Technologies, LLC, a technical education provider based in North Carolina. He has coauthored numerous books for Sybex, including the bestselling Network Administrator Street Smarts and Network+ Study Guide.

Customer Reviews

This is more than a study guide for the exam!
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.

Only Study Guide needed for New A+ Exam Format
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.

Book prepared me well
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.