A+ Certification for Dummies

Rating:
Summary: Needs to be updated and edited!
Review: Not only has the content of the A+ exam been updated in very important ways not (yet) reflected in this book, the testing procedure itself is now computer adaptive, so that the very structure of the exam is quite different than describe therein. Furthermore, the book is littered with typos and errata, often contradicting itself in different parts. That being said, some of the writing, especially in the core hardware section, is fairly well done. In such desperate need of updating and editing, this book should not be used alone, but only in conjunction with one of the many fine "CompTIA Authorized Quality Curriculum"-certified study aids available everywhere (including Amazon). But that begs the question: why use this book at all? The ...For Dummies format could actually work well for certification study, but the publisher will have to get on the ball. As it stands, this Dummies book will only confuse and frustrate a reader, leaving him or her an A+ dummy.

Rating:
Summary: C onfusing for rank beginners.
Review: Found too many errors in the book. It was so confusing in the first few chapters that I bought another book (A+ Jumpstart) and found it much better. I thought this was for real rank beginners and it wasn't. Very disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: Most bang for your buck!
Review: I tried to wade through the big red book and all the history and blah, blah, blah but had a hard time concentrating on it after a couple pages. This 'for dummies' book cuts right to the chase. It pointed me at just the things I needed to know for the exams. The CD with the practice tests were invaluable -- I took them over and over and then reread the subjects that I didn't do well on in the practice tests. I nailed the actual exams the first time out with pretty decent scores. I highly recommend this to my friends who are studying for the exams -- my copy is out on loan and I just sent one to another friend.
This is a good supplement to actual tinkering. The best way to prepare is to try the stuff in the books and get your paws into it. If you don't have a PC to monkey with, pick up an old 486 or pentium 90 at a garage sale and take it apart!

Rating:
Summary: Too Many Errors!
Review: This book and CD are filled with inaccurate information and errors. I wrote E-mail to Ron Gilster explaining all of the errors that I had found in the book by the time I reached chapter 10 and, of course, he never acknowledged me. If you don't know that much about PCs and are trying to get your A+, do yourself a favor and steer away from this book. If you take the information in this book to be true, it will only fill your head with inaccurate information and possibly cause you to fail the exams! Having said that, there are some sections that do contain good information, but you better know your PCs so that you can separate the good from the bad.

Rating:
Summary: Exploring Economical Options
Review: First, for the purposes of this review, I am assuming that by looking at this book, you are interested in economical options for preparing for the A+ certification exams. I used this book in conjunction with the self-test software from Dali Design from which I also purchased two discounted test vouchers. I did pass both tests, but please DO NOT use this book by itself and expect to pass. I cannot guarantee that you won't, but at the price of a test, I wouldn't chance it. This book, I consider to be well-written, but the test engine that comes on a CD with the book should have been subjected to some major peer-review prior to inclusion, in my opinion. For the sheer quantity of mistakes, I have deducted two stars.

Rating:
Summary: Not enough info to pass both exams
Review: This book is heavy on hardware and light on the operating systems. I destroyed the hardware exam with a 946, but then I've been working on PCs (building them, breaking them, putting them back together) for 5 years now. The OS exam was a lot different. I passed by one question. Probably two-thirds of the questions I had were not covered in this book and I had to draw on experience for the answers. This is a great book if you want to learn about PC hardware but not so great if you have little experience and are trying to get into the technology industry. The practice tests included with this book were only slightly helpful as I found a number of wrong answers and most of the questions in the practice tests covered items that weren't on the exams. Find a different book to read if you really want to pass the exams.

Rating:
Summary: Good enough to pass the test.
Review: And may be to learn a thing or two about PCs. If you are ready to take it to the next level and get Cisco certified, check out "Cisco IOS for IP Routing" by Andrew Colton. Unless you want to take the Microsoft Road...

Rating:
Summary: Great for Beginners, but won't help you pass
Review: This book was great at making the information easy to understand. The big problem with it though, was that it didn't give you enough information. I read this book from cover to cover, and only a fraction of what is contained in the test is covered in this book. Its a great book for people who dont know much or havent gotten much hands on experience, but consider it only a resource to begin your knowledge, you need to know a lot more than this book teaches.

Rating:
Summary: easy read if not 100%
Review: I thought the book was an easy read if not 100% for the test. I used it and the A+ Certification bible and also got the dali design software that was on the CD. Passed both tests last week.

Rating:
Summary: You will NOT pass with this book alone.
Review: This book does a good job of scrathing the surface of the A+ exam. I found it VERY lacking to content provided by All-In-One A+ book by Mike Meyers. I would suggest you go right to the Guru & get Mike Meyers books for any Comptia exam you are thinking about taking. And the Passport supplements are excellent also.