7 most important topics to study for CompTIA A+ certification
Certification: CompTIA CompTIA A+ - CompTIA A+
No matter how many times I say this, it never does get any less true. Studying for exams is hard. Not only that, studying for exams can be boring, a drag, studying for exams may feel like pushing a pyramid up a steep hill in the worst possible way imaginable. However, knowing what to study on, how to study, and more specifically, how much to study can greatly increase your study quality and reduce the all-round tiresome feelings related to studying. Once you get used to studying, the only thing that still bothers you while studying is the number of times the word “study” has been mentioned in this article. So, without much ad-do…
The CompTIA A+ certification
The exam itself is made up of two tests, the CompTIA A+ 220-801 and 220-802. Certifications issued from 2011 onward are valid for three years only, but can be kept current through continued training (Continuing Education Program).
The exam has a total of 90 questions, both multiple-choice and performance based. Performance-based questions are simulated problems that require the candidate to follow some steps to solve. There is a time-limit of 90 minutes to take the exam, so each question would have a time limit of one minute, but usually the multiple-choice ones take much less time to solve than the performance-based ones. While the performance-based ones do have a rather increased level of difficulty than the others, you can save your current progress, mark the specific question that you do not yet feel you can finish it in time, and continue on with the test, with the intention of reviewing it later. The maximum score attainable on either test is 900, and the passing score is 675 and 700 respectively.
It can be taken in a multitude of languages including English, Japanese, German, Thai, Spanish, Simplified Chinese, French, Arabic and Brazilian Portuguese.
While there are no formal requirements, CompTIA does advise that candidates have some experience in the field of IT, around 6 to 12 months of employment in the field, before attempting. The certificate will provide an immediate raise, or at least reason for a raise, to holders and will permit the employment in some firms in which interviews are granted only to individuals holding such a certificate, like Dell or HP.
What are the topics?
The topics are separated between the exams, with one exam focusing more on the PC hardware and its peripherals, and the other on the operating system and software. The hardware of a PC is 40% of the first exam’s questions, with the rest divided into Laptops/ Printers/ Networking/ Operational procedures almost equally. While for the other test, Operating system encompasses 33%, Troubleshooting 36%, and the other split between security (22%) and mobile devices. The total range of topics for the first test, not delimited by domains is around 44, while the second one has around 30. Not that much at first glance, no?
To each his own
While I can delimit 7 of those 70-something topics mentioned above as most important to pay attention to (although I would be safer just stating the domains), it is more efficient for each person to pick out the topics in which they think they are worse in. Take out a piece of paper and a pen and start grading yourself on each of the topics in the exam. (The topics for the two tests can be found at this and this links.) After that, start studying each topic from the one you graded yourself least in to the one you graded yourself most. Leave those that you are confident you know most in for last.
The big 7
That being said however, there are some topics that do deserve special attention. Those are either the more difficult topics, or the more vast ones. There are about 3 topics that are a must in the first one and 4 in the second, so be sure to know if you can handle them well:
- The first topic in the first test, regarding the BIOS is quite important. Not only is it quite lengthy, and filled with commands that must be known, but it is also elementary. If you can’t get past the BIOS, then your computer, or at least the aprt you actually use, can’t start.
- Motherboard components and RAM. You must know these things. As hardware is an important part of the first test you must know the specs and way around RAM and the motherboard, both for technical knowledge’s sake alone, and for customer service requirements.
- Networking: although it is more of a domain than a particular topic, you have no way around it. Networking must be known from the in-out otherwise there is no sense to it. Luckily, the notions are rather basic for the CompTIA A+, as it is not itself a networking certification, like those given by CISCO, however everyone that works with computers MUST know some things about networking, as working on a PC is translated to working with the internet nowadays, and the internet is itself a great-mother lode of networks.
- Know your Windows. When it comes to operating systems Windows is still the king in the market, and you cannot go anywhere without first knowing how to install and configure it. However, the exam also asks you to compare and contrast each version of Windows from Vista onward, as XP is somewhat obsolete right now. But not just general things, but also specific differences between let’s say Windows 7 Home Premium and Windows 7 Professional; I will also lob in the cmd/run commands here. If you work on a Windows, you must have at least basic knowledge of some command lines.
- Security. From firewalls and antiviruses to the viruses and malware themselves, accompanied with safe mode and system restore. Again, while it may be a domain rather than a topic, there’s no way around it. Know how to shield up the PC, or you will have grave problems with your PC yourself, not just with the test.
- Android vsiOS. I won’t say mobile devices as whole, but at least know the differences between these two, as these are the most widespread smartphone OSs. If you can tell the big differences between the two, and also know some technical knowledge of mobile devices, like what the accelerometer and gyroscope do, you should be off the right foot.
- Lastly, however weird this may sound, you need to know your acronyms and abbreviations. While this may not be a great topic in itself, you may find yourself stranded in the mud if you do not know what IP or LAN, WLAN, WAN, BSOD, POP3, and the like stand for. Writing IT titles and names can be a tiresome job, so most people use these. Know them, you can’t pass two questions without finding them.