A+ Certification Exam Guide, w. CD-ROM (All-In-One Certification) [Englisch] [Gebundene Ausgabe]

This is not just another exam cram book. In fact, I recommend this book to everyone, from total newbies to experienced technicians. even if you are not planning on becoming A+ certified, you will learn a great deal from this book.

If you are planning on becoming A+ certified, this book outlines the subjects that will be covered on the tests, and includes many practice tests that will let you know what areas you need to study.

For those totally new to computers, you cannot just read this book (or any single book) and expect to pass the exam. I recommend reading this book thoroughly, and then doing at least 6 months of hands-on work with PC hardware / software. Then, read the book again.

For those that are experienced technicians and power-users, who have installed memory and hard drives before, or even build PC's, I recommend you just read this book completely to brush up on some details you might know completely, then take the practice tests. When you consistently pass the practice tests, then go take the real exam. You will pass I guarantee.

Nothing short of amazing is the amount of detailed and technically accurate information presented in this book in the over 1100 pages. One thing I was impressed with was the Pre-Test that starts this book, this gives the candidate a more accurate account of the skill set required to pass the exam.

Breaking down the book is the first 8 chapters covering hardware, while chapters 9 through 12 deals with DOS, Windows 9.X and 2000, I think NT workstation should be included, but this does not detract from the book whatsoever. Chapters 13 through 19 are more hardware and finally chapter 20 for networking.

As I have come to expect there are review questions with each chapter, which far and away tougher than the actual exam. The book is well organized and documented making this the perfect study tool for both self study and classroom teaching.

The cd included has a number of tools and utilities, plus over 1 hour of training videos, 500+ questions in adaptive format to work with as well as 6 full practice exams. With everything include about the only thing it doesn't do is take the exam for you.

Most chapters begin with a section called "Historical/Conceptual". This section contains interesting information that is not specifically part of the exam. I urge all readers to read this section because it makes subsequent sections easier to understand. Each chapter ends with review questions so you can check your progress frequently. The book is organized into twenty well-defined pages. Even though this book is over 1100 pages long, it is easy to find any topic you need to review.

The book includes a CD with several practice exams. Each question includes an explanation for the correct answer. When I took the real exam, I was surprised at how many questions seemed exactly like the practice questions.

The book has many practical tips and tools that will help PC technicians with their day-to-day work. One example is the list of files to put on a Windows boot disk. This book will stay in my office as I expect to refer to it often.

In summary, this book is very readable and is designed for a wide range of experience levels.