CompTIA A+ 220-701 and 220-702 (Exam Cram)

I had been studying off-and-on for the A+ exam for about a year. Mostly, I just browsed through books here and there. However, when I decided to 'get busy living or get busy dying' (Thanks Red!), I decided to schedule my exams and take the time to really go for it. The main book that I had for the exam was by a few folks (including this author, Mr. Prowse) I knew so I decided to give it a try. My plan was to read the whole book in a few days in order to be as prepared as possible. So, that is exactly what I did; along with doing the practice exams on the CD from both books that I had and reviewing the questions in this book as well. The actual exam was somewhat different than the approaches from these texts--but not in a bad way. I definitely felt that this book, and the other one that this author contributed to, were very, very helpful in my preparation. I also had an online course that I paid $500 for and felt that it did very little for me other than for practice questions. You can get these online from many different places--and most give you answers and explanations. Seek out texts like these to give you questions about Windows 7, because most of the online stuff only goes up to XP--and you will be asked primarily about Vista/7--mostly 7 (at least this was the case for me. What frustrated me about this book's questions were that they occasionally would ask about old, old processor or socket information. Like knowing that a type A socket is for this kind of processor. You don't need to know this today. You do need to know that socket 1155/1156/2011 are all Core i7 sockets--the actual exam focused on current technology. It did ask about it in interesting ways--had to read it carefully. The test may just write "iX" as "IX" instead of i3, i5, or i7 (substituting X for the number)and not having the easy-to-identify lower-case "i" in the naming as we are all used to seeing it.Otherwise Mr. Prowse, I feel, did an excellent job with the book and it helped immensely. His 801/802 book also looks very helpful. You may want to pick this one up at this point, because the exams will be changing soon. Double-check what exam you will take and then pick up the appropriate text. Not sure when the 801/802 texts change--his book does come out soon, however--in relation to when I am writing this, of course. If this is 2014 or whatever, assume the tests have changed!

For those weighing if this is the right book for them... I have a bachelors degree in accounting and no formal IT experience. My only exposure to computers and networks is from playing around with them when troubleshooting with Google as my guide. I am 39 years old and entertaining a career change so why not start with the A+.I purchased the book, read it twice (some chapters three times - 7 thru 10, 14, 15) and created index cards for areas that I had trouble remembering (i.e. PCIe speeds, Ports, Registry Hives, etc.). I took all the practice exams until I scored in the 90's on all of them. Once I was "ready" I took 220-701 on a Saturday and then 220-702 the following week and received scores an 754 (675 is a passing score) and an 814 (700 is a passing score) respectively.No, the book does not cover everything on the exam and I feel that it could provide a little more depth on Windows 7. HOWEVER, the book does provide you with enough knowledge to be able to answer most questions and on those that you are uncertain of or unfamiliar you are able to eliminate at least two of the four multiple choice options.This very inexpensive investment provided me with enough knowledge to become A+ Certified without having to spend a great deal of money on a course or invest in a much thicker A+ book which would have taken me forever to read.I hope this helps...

I purchased this book to use in the final 30 days of my A+ exam prep. I love this book and I really wish I had purchased it sooner. It has information in it that I have not run across in other A+ prep material. It includes Windows 7 so it is more up to date than some of the other books. The material is pretty condensed which makes it an easy review. It also does a really good job of pointing out the differences between different items such as multi-core and hyperthreading. It points out the key differences in a concise, straight to the point way that makes it easy to remember. It includes questions at the end of each Chapter that are specific to the Chapter. It also has 3 practice exams at the end of the book that appear to be made up of the same questions found at the end of each chapter.The included CD has a PDF containing all of the Chapter quiz questions and solutions along with explanations. It also contains a Cram Sheet. It contains the usual ExamGear2 practice question software application that is very easy to use.I expect to continue to use this book as a reference even after I pass my A+ certification exam.I have not taken the certification exam yet so I don't have any input on how well the book prepped me for the exam.

A worthwhile investment to someone who is in a hurry to get certification, but now you'll need newer version. But would recommend this range as an essential tool for quick study for technology gurus or covering all the bases for newbies.

Took this in holiday with me, along with some basic knowledge in this area. Which is now common sense for most people. I came back and took the test. Passed 1st time. Seemed better laid out than most, with good diagrams. Would recommend highly.

CompTIA A+ 220-701 and 220-702 Exam Cram (Exam Cram (Pearson))CompTIA A+ 220-701 and 220-702 Exam Cram (Exam Cram (Pearson)) Brilliant little book very to the point and easy to understand . I passed my a+ first time using this book and i must say im not the most techy guy in the world CompTIA A+ 220-701 and 220-702 Exam Cram (Exam Cram (Pearson))CompTIA A+ 220-701 and 220-702 Exam Cram (Exam Cram (Pearson))

Before buying this book, I had read a few others, either partially or entirely. Out of all of them, this one has the least amount of problems. That said... there are some basic copy-editing mistakes (ex: answer key not corresponding with the question). There is heaps of severely outdated information (ex: Celerons *are* 64-bit, some as far back as 2004). And lastly, endless amounts of just plain wrong information (ex: AC power fluctuating between 113 and 121 volts will not be changed or "regulated" by a typical UPS).I actually started keeping notes of these mistakes, but gave up by chapter 6 after filling three pages. I realized what should of been obvious--the author doesn't care.