A+ Certification All-in-One Exam Guide

Rating:
Summary: A Great book for the A+ Study
Review: A great book that helped me to be A+ Certified. This book dont only give you the test specific info, it reaches beyond that with historical and also beyond A+ material that helps you understand how things really work.
The book is written in a way that made me wantto keep on reading, and it made me understand what happens behind the curtains in the world of hard and software. It makes learning easy. This was especially important because I am swedish, and it is quite hard to read all this information in a language other than your native one.
If you are going to get any book for the exams, get this.

Rating:
Summary: GOOD PRICE
Review: Course Materials - Fairleigh Dickinson University | PC Service & Support/A+ Certification YOU WILL NEED THIS BOOK

Rating:
Summary: doesn't measure up to the 4th edition
Review: DISCLAIMER: I haven't read the entire book, but rather made a thorough skim, and have no intention of taking the 2003 exams, any time soon.

Having said that, here's my opinion. I used the 4th edition of A+ All-In-One to pass both Core hardware & OS under the 2001 objectives. That book was about as close as you could get to being a perfect primer for those exams, AND was indispensable (at least for me) introduction to how computers work. It was a perfect balance between accademic and hands-on concepts.

It was so good, in fact, that I was inspired to buy the 5th edition. I'm sure glad I got it used because it just doesn't measure up to its predecessor.

First of all, there are quite a few words & abbreviations that are casually refered to with no explanation. Theses terms were well explained in the 4th edition, but not anymore. This, to me, appears to be some pretty sloppy editing, as updated information has not been properly coordinated with previous edition.

Second, The chapters covering OS concepts have been completely rearanged into a confused mess. Refering once again to the 4th edition, a clear explanation of the development of Microsoft operating systmes was presented, from DOS to Windows 2000. Each major operating system had an entire chapter designated for it. This was very convenient for quick reference, and made it very easy to understand the logic behind all major OS developments. (I imagine this is why many people are now falling short on the OS exam.)

Anyway, I think I've made it clear. If you really want a clear understanding of the PC and how it works, get the 4th edition of A+ All-in-one. It will be well worth your time if you are new to computers, and you can now get it used for less than half of the 5th edition. THEN study for the A+ 2003 objectives. But definately research other material. The 5th edition just won't cut it. Good luck!!!

Rating:
Summary: GOOD PRICE
Review: Fairleigh Dickinson University | PC Service & Support/A+ Certification YOU WILL NEED THIS BOOK

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic Read
Review: Great book! The 5th edition of Mike Meyers All-In-One A+ Certification Exam Guide book is what you need if you want to pass the 2003 A+ Comptia exam. I found the book to be excellent for review of the material necessary to prepare for both the Core and OS portions of the exam. The included CD comes with 3 practice exams and 3 Final exams, which helped me to get a clear idea of what would be expected of me on the actual tests. The 5th edition is also a superb reference guide that is a must for any technical library. I highly recommend it to anyone seriously studying for the A+ Certification tests.


Rating:
Summary: Excellent book!!!! Would recommend it to any one!!!!
Review: I am a beginner tech trying to get my A+ certification and I just bought this book last weeek. Since I bought it I can hardly put it down and I haven't even begun to look at the great CD that comes with the book of practice tests.
Only two things so far that I have noticed about the book; (1) the binary system is explained very well on how it works in the PC but the author doesn't go into any detail how you can work with the binary system, not that I have found as of yet anyways, and if you are a beginner tech like myself you could get very lost. I had to do searches on the web to find this info to give me explanations and teach me how to figure out binary numbers. (2) I have study the CPU Chapters and I did not find any information on the new Hyper-Threading technology that Intel has out now, I didn't find it in the index of the book or the glossary the CD includes. I would think that this is an important part since it is a newer technology, but not that new that the author couldn't include a section about it, and I would imagine that it may be on the Hareware exam.
Besides those two things that I have found so far the book is really good. It includes a chapter reveiw test at the end of each chapter, gives you the history of each part of the PC, where it could go in the future, and even gives you tips of how you should use the book to past the test. I would recommend this book to anyone starting out or trying to bone-up as a tech.

Rating:
Summary: 5 Stars because I can select 10!!
Review: I am currently teaching the A+ course and this mean coverage of the newest CompTIA exams, the 220-231 and 220-232. The material in these updated exam requires the best possible training guide and once again Mike Meyers is leading the pack.

Making sure that the material is the most up to date this release is not the first on the market but it one of the best on the market. I had the opportunity to help create practice questions for this book so I can say the material is first rate.

Meyer's once again leaves no stone unturned as he covers far more than the exam calls for. His ability to blend humor with knowledge is what makes this book so successful. Meyers take apart every objective and breaks it down into comprehendible and manageable information; all you have to do is pass the exams.

In the over 1100 pages there is the complete exams right before you. This book is one of the first I have seen to cover all the Operating Systems including Windows Me and NT, again Meyers take you beyond the standard cut off point.

Meyers has set the bar that all others will have to exceed and judging form the amount of information this is going to be very difficult. One of the things that always impress me is that Meyers gives you the history, this allows you see where things began and how we got where we are today.

The cd includes hundred's of practice questions, practice exams and videos to help you study and pass the exam first time. Overall about the only to add is a virtual lab included, however with all that is included this is a very complete package.

Rating:
Summary: This book *might* help you pass the A+, don't count on it.
Review: I have heard rave reviews about the Michael Meyers All In One A+ Certification Exam Guide. Everyone (most people had used the 3rd or 4th editions though) told me it was the only thing they needed to pass the A+ with flying colors. Obviously, none of them had passed the 2003 Objectives with the 5th Edition though.

I've spent the past 2 months studying and taking notes from the book and eagerly signed up to take the test as soon as I finished. I felt fairly confident that the book had prepared me, and after taking the exams in the back of the book, I also felt fairly prepared.

I went ahead and downloaded a few PDF files from the site where I bought my voucher from, but they only went over the 2001 Objectives. Needless to say, there was a *LOT* of information missing from the 5th Edition book that was covered in those PDFs. Specific command line diagnostic tools and switches, modem diagnostic codes, a lot more in detailed stuff, etc.

Mainly, the book in general was too broad. It covered and hit all the topics, but nothing in-depth detail, except for maybe SCSI, the history of CPUs, and network types. Granted, if you're trying to become A+ certified, you should obviously at least be somewhat decent with computers and know some of the information.

However, the A+ is all about testing you on a wide variety of different scenarios, with scenarios being the key word here. Meyers claims the A+ is for a tech with less than 6 months of experience. I'll throw the book at any tech with less than 6 months of experience, and can guarantee 85% will not pass. The A+ consists of "John Doe has a problem with component X, what's wrong with it?" along that sort of lines. The book only really prepares you for the conceptual information. The conceptual in turn does help you with those scenario questions, but much more emphasis could have been placed onto that than just concepts.

A very good way to describe this book is as follows: imagine picking up a book to become a mechanic. If this Meyers book was a book about cars, it would teach you the history of cars - the big block high HP days of the '60s and early '70s, the need for fuel efficiency in the late '70s, the SUV/truck boom in the '90s, and the return of high HP/high performance cars in today's world. It would teach you what a tire does. It would teach you what springs and shocks do, and what aftermarket coilovers do. It would teach you how to work the radio, and how to identify the coolant reservoir, the radiator, the AC compressor, the engine, the engine mounts, the rear sway bar, the driveshaft, headers, etc.

You read the book, you take the test, and your heart drops in your throat when the questions are about how to diagnose the car not starting up, what the clicking sound is coming from the right front wheel well when you turn, why the car drips water when you turn it off on a hot day, etc. You're unprepared because the book decided to focus more on the basics than the bread and butter. The book covers the basic troubleshooting, but the number of pages devoted to it a 1100 page book is probably less than 75. That is exactly what the Meyers book does in terms of computers and the A+. It is NOT to say that every troubleshooting question you have no idea about. Obviously, through practical and real world experience, you will know how to do a lot of troubleshooting, or else you wouldn't be trying for your A+. Some of the more in-depth ones or ones you don't deal with on an everyday basis, or ones with a particular solution you'd only know about if you read about it, are the ones I am speaking of.

To give a fair assessment of how much in particular the book applied to the test: my breakdown is:

2003 OS Core Objectives: 30%
2003 Hardware Core Objectives: 50%

That is my honest assessment of what the book covers and/or is useful to the exam. It's a nice reference tool and taught me a lot (historically speaking) about computers that I wasn't aware of, and even taught me a few things I should have known but didn't. But the book is seemingly useless to the exam. The passing scores were a 505 and a 515 on the OS and Hardware, respectively. I received a 652 on the OS and a 696 on the Hardware. I can honestly say - I would *NOT* have passed if I had not done outside studying. I spent this entire week cramming and learning so much from the few other sources I had access to. I would have taken the test later; unfortunately, the vouchers I bought were set to expire in less than 2 weeks after purchase, so I couldn't put off taking the test because Mr. Meyer's book ill-prepared me for the test.

I crammed for the test as much as I could using other resources. Given time, with those other resources/other books, I would have done a lot better. The OS portion - my score was expected, but not the hardware. I only had to stop and think about maybe 7 of the questions on the hardware. Maybe I just rushed through the test too fast because I had a false sense of security. It would be completely unfair to blame my scores solely on the Meyers book, but it is one reason why I didn't do as well as I had hoped. (If you pass the test, you have to wait a minimum of 1 year before retaking it again for a higher score)

In summary, the book only prepares you for the conceptual parts of the test, and a little bit of the troubleshooting. (Percentages listed above) The majority of the A+ is about troubleshooting. Meyer's book only devotes a very small percentage to the end of every chapter to troubleshooting. Maybe 10% of the chapter is devoted towards it. That's it. 10% doesn't cut it when probably 75% of each test is about troubleshooting. I believe the previous editions were a lot more indepth in terms of the information it covered, which is why so many people raved about the 4th Edition. (2001 Objectives) Meyers took a step back with the publication of the 5th Edition. This book was released as a poor effort to cash in on someone studying for the A+ 2003 Objectives.

I can't say what other books available are better than this one, or which one would guarantee/help you pass the test better, but this is not the one to get. If you read all the other reviews of this book - the ones that gave it a positive "yea it's great" - the majority of them haven't even taken the test. They seem to offer little more than "oh it's a thick book so it must be good!" The ones that did "pass" the A+ noticeably didn't list their score. The scores I had were average - I expected at least in the 700s/800s. Sure you can make the point that I passed with 150+ points over the passing grade, but that was in addition to the cramming from a few other sources before the test. My experiences in IT have been probably 8+ years, including building/fixing computers for family/friends, admining and being the sole tech support guy for a Win2K Domain (2 servers) + WinXP client computers, and working in the IT department of a fiber optic drafting branch of Verizon. I would consider myself fairly knowledgeable, and am also currently studying for my MCSA/MCSE.

This book is nice to have for a general overview or a "I never knew that about computers". To pass the A+, if you do insist on using this book to study for it, being that you ignored everything I wrote in my review, do yourself a favor and find at least one other source to review/study. The tests are $91 a piece using a voucher, and $58 for a retake. You can buy this book only, but be prepared to shell out that $58 for the retake voucher. Or, you can buy a totally different book, pass it on the first try by a sizeable margin, and be proud of your accomplishment. Shame on you Meyers, for trying to pass off this book as (in your own words): "...a proven strategy for preparing to take and pass the A+ exams. Try it. It works." Sorry Mike, you failed your readers. You should take your 5th Edition back to the drawing board, actually sit down and look at the A+ w/ 2003 Objectives, and then come back with a 6th Edition that lives up to the "supposedly" legendary status your books have when it comes to the A+.

- Melvin Chu
- [e-mail]

Rating:
Summary: 5 Stars for Mike Meyers!
Review: I highly recommend the All-In-One A+ Certification, Fifth Edition. I have been a computer teacher for approximately 10 years. I incorporated A+ Certification courses into the curriculum in June of 2000. The Mike Meyers All-In-One A+ Certification books have always been my first choice for text. I credit Mike Meyers for my own success in A+ Certification. I own every All-In-One A+ Certification book starting with the one published in 1998, some used for personal use, majority for in the classroom use. I only purchase quality.

I find the All-In-One A+ Certification, Fifth Edition, to be the best book yet. Mike Meyers presents easy to understand analogies that even the most beginning student can understand and apply toward the computing. The students appreciate the easy to read format of the book and find the examples such as "the man in the box" to be very helpful (if you really want to understand CPUs and registers you really must become acquainted with "the man in the box"). The All-In-One A+ Certification, Fifth Edition clearly presents learning objectives, illustrations, notes, tips, and warnings as well as areas that are historical and conceptual, test specific, and the areas beyond A+. I have found both personally, when I was studying for A+, and for my students that this type of format is invaluable.

No book is going to be the perfect book. I find the All-In-One A+ Certification, Fifth Edition to be as close as you are going to get to a perfect study guide. I do not understand those who complain about this book. A+ Certification test preparation takes effort. The All-In-One A+ Certification, Fifth Edition provides an excellent study tool. If an individual takes time to read the book and put their own effort into assimilating the material presented they should have no problem passing the test. Those who I see fail, want everything handed to them - they want to memorize questions and answers. They do not really want to actually learn the material. The computer field is very inductive/deductive and you must be able to think for yourself. The All-In-One A+ Certification, Fifth Edition book aptly covers both core hardware and operating systems A+ topics, as well as providing an excellent overall picture of the computer field, that provides the serious computer student or technician the perspective needed for success. The test questions at the end of the chapter tend to highlight important learning objectives, and the CD included with the book provides test questions that are excellent representations of A+ test questions.

After incorporating the All-In-One A+ Certification, Fifth Edition text book in January 2004, many students have returned to report that they have passed both A+ tests and that they couldn't have done it without the Mike Myers All-In-One A+ Certification, Fifth Edition book. I say this success speaks for itself. I highly recommend this book, and as the rumors start to circulate about new Comptia A+ test changes I look forward to Mike Meyers All-In-One A+ Certification, Sixth Edition.

Rating:
Summary: Good source for exam preparation.
Review: I purchased this book to use for a+ exam prep (2003 objectives) after conducting a lot of research on Amazon.

My background: 8+ years of application development, technical troubleshooting, production support and PC/server maintenance experience.
My story: I am working on filling out my resume with more hardware and networking training. Before my a+ studying I was very weak at hardware related topics but somewhat proficient in Microsoft Windows OS topics. Now I am stronger in both areas.

I used two books for a+ test preparation.
A+ Certification All-in-One Exam Guide by Michael Meyers, Scott Jernigan (this book)
A+ Training Guide, Fifth Edition by Charles J. Brooks (please see this book on Amazon for my review)

I found the A+ All in One Exam Guide valuable for the historical and conceptual material it offered on the included hardware and os topics. The author writes with some interest and humor just like the reviews stated on Amazon. The book has a real-world feel. It is detailed in many sections and provides tips to note for topics which may be covered on the exams. This book also included 2-3 practice tests for each exam (hardware and os). I found the practice tests to be VERY valuable in studying and preparing for the exams.

I read this entire book one/two chapter(s) at a time over a period of time. I then went back over the book chapter by chapter taking notes and as I covered each chapter, I worked through the practice questions at the end of each chapter making sure to understand the details surrounding the ones which I missed. Once finished with this I took all of the practice exams in the back of this book. I was careful to study the items and explanations which I missed on the practice tests.

I would state that another book should be used with this one in order to practice and prepare for the a+ exams (2003 objectives). I believe that both of the books which I used helped my exam preparation and ability to learn the actual topics in different ways. Both books contained numerous practice questions, for study and for the exams, and the more questions you can use to learn the material the better off you will be in preparation for the actual tests.

The only complaint I have for this book (the reason for 4 stars) is that it condenses most of its information into textual descriptions rather than tables of items for direct comparison. I liked the A+ Training Guide due to its concise tables of data which allowed me to see the various comparisons of topic items such as microprocessors for example.