Absolute Beginners Guide to A+ Certification. Covers the Hardware and Operating Systems Exam

The night before, make it your primary goal to get a good night's sleep. Don't "cram," although a last swing through your weakest objective or two is okay.

Give yourself plenty of time to arrive at the testing center, especially if it's in an unfamiliar city. The zoomable maps and directions provided online are handy, but use them along with reliable directions and a "real" map. If you forgot to call ahead, take a moment and do it now to make sure there are no last-minute glitches. If you need to arrive at the test center early in the morning, consider traveling to the area the previous night if possible. Traffic jams, accidents, and trying to navigate through an unfamiliar area could make you late for your exam if you try to make a long trip during rush hour .

Arrive a half-hour early to allow for restroom breaks, general relaxation, and to register with the test center. Have a driver's license and a second ID (such as a major credit card) with you: No "ringers" are allowed!

Where I took the exam, the exam center was a small room with a single aging PC. The test center provides a few sheets of paper (which you return at the end of the test) and some pencils for taking work notes. That, plus your brain, is all you have.

Practicing with the Simulated Test First

You're offered the opportunity to take a brief simulated test before you take the real thing. Don't be cocky ”take it. It will help you get accustomed to the testing format.

Some questions have a single right answer ( chosen from four listed); some have multiple correct answers; and some ask you to display an "exhibit" (a picture with labeled components ) that you can choose from. The simulated test has an example of each of these.

My Testing Strategy for the Linear Exam

After you start the real test, the timer starts. Here's the strategy I used (and I got a 93%!):

• Answer the questions you know "cold" right away.

• Use the "review" option to mark questions you want to think about or those you're not sure about.

• Remember that you can go back at any time to a question to change your answer until you finish the last question and continue from there; after that, you can only work with the review questions.

• If you're concerned about how you're doing, look at the unanswered questions ( marked for review) and do a bit of calculating to see how important they are. After I answered the "sure bet" questions, I only needed to answer 50% of the questions I was unsure of to pass. Figure the percentages and relax a bit.

• Watch out for trick questions; if you're unfamiliar with the area covered in the question, don't lunge blindly at the "obvious" answer. By putting aside this type of question for further study, I answered nearly every one correctly. It became clear after reflection that the "obvious" answer on some questions was dead wrong.

• Don't be afraid to apply what you learned in real life to this test. My real-world experience with electricity was very helpful in the safety portion of the test. Common sense plus computer knowledge is the key to passing.

• Use any notepaper and pencils provided to make notes and doodles; sometimes a bit of scribbling will help you understand the best answers.

Getting the Test Results

At the end of the test, the exam scoring is done by computer, and you'll have a printout of your results in just a couple of minutes. Although you won't get a printout of the questions or answers, the printout you get to keep provides both your overall score and a breakdown by A+ Objectives for that exam. By using this study guide carefully and completely, you should have a comfortable passing grade. Congratulations!

Because the test results are broken out by objective, you'll know where you need to improve. Make it a personal objective to study your weak areas, as well as to continue to improve your mastery of your best subjects.

Use Chapter 1 to help you use this book as a guide to reviewing particular topics. The CD-ROM “based tests included with this book also enable you to test yourself on specific objectives.

A+ Certified for Life!

After you receive A+ Certification, nobody can take it away from you. However, we encourage you to see this achievement as a milestone, not a destination. The more you learn, the more valuable you'll be to your employer, and the more you'll enjoy working with computers in any capacity.