The CompTIA A+ certification is an entry level certification for PC technicians. It is a very common certification, with a lot of companies, computer stores, and repair departments requiring an A certification for its employees.
If you are starting in the IT field, obtaining an A certification can help further your career by demonstrating this core knowledge required in technicians. There are two required exams for the A certification: A Essentials & one elective.
Choose an elective from:
- IT Technician
- Remote Support Technician
- Depot Technician
This tutorial will help you prepare for the exams and pass them to become A certified.
Steps
Review the free certification preparation information at learnthat.com and exampractice.com, both That Network sites (links below). Learnthat.com has long been the best reference for CompTIA A+ preparation material.
Read the CramSession.com preparation guide (link below).
Take free practice exams at ExamPractice.com (link below).
Create flash cards of the concepts you have difficulty with, test yourself.
Take a practice exam two days before the exam.
Rest the day before the exam. Get a lot of sleep, eat properly before you take the exam!
Tips and Tactics
Don't Assume You Know It. In real life, you will have resources available to you to research a problem. The Internet, Technet, and other knowledge bases will assist you along. CompTIA wants to test your body of knowledge, however, so they want you to know your stuff. Some of the topics on the test are more obscure than what you may normally deal with so you should study for the exam. For an experienced technician, the actual exams are fairly easy. There are some areas you may need to memorize things like memory addresses, startup files from older versions of Windows, or networking topics.
Relax Before the Exam. Get a lot of sleep and relax before the exam. Pick up a bagel or a muffin in the morning so you aren't testing on an empty stomach.
Focus Some Time on Customer Service. Unlike previous A+ certification exams, the new ones focus some on customer service and soft skills. Think logically about these questions and spend some time on the non-technical side of support.
