A+ certification

**amd_man2005** · 07-17-2003

Okay, I wasnt sure where to put this, so I put it here.

With being summer an all, Im sorta bored and I was wondering, if there was a minimum age ya have to be to try to get an A+ certification (Im 13), because my parents and I are gonna look into it, and I was wondoring if I shouldnt even try it yet, or does anyone here think I have a halfway decent chance of doing it, and Passing the class. Or any other info on it

Thanks

**Birdkiller** · 07-17-2003

a+ is a piece of piss, if you know what a computer looks like they will give it to you

Beefy · 07-17-2003

Which one is higher, N+ or A+? Either way, just grab a couple text exams online and take a look through them. If you don't know any of the questions, you can usually learn all about it pretty quickly, especially by browsing / asking around here.

**amd_man2005** · 07-17-2003

i dunoo which is higher Beefy Thanks for the opinions, Im gonna try your adive Beefy and see what happens.

Anyone elses opinions would be appreciated, especially rthose who have been around longer than me, and saw my advice, and sorta know what level im at in this.

**minibubba** · 07-17-2003

N+ and A+ are to different things

N+ deals with Networking specifically, A+ is a more general IT cert. that deals with Windows and PC hardware mainly but also has some light networking and printer knowledge as well

but A+ usually comes before N+ so I guess in a way N+ is higher

Birdkiller, have you taken the A+ exams? If they were a "a piece of piss" then more people would pass it the first time. I thought it was easy only because i had a good deal of hardware and OS knowledge before I took it.

A+ is a good certification to start with, but don't stop there. Use it as a starting point to build other certifications on.

amd_man2003, from your posting I think you could pass the A+ exams (there are 2) but I would highly recommend you get yourself a book and do some studying

A+ is a good certification to have, but you have to know what you are doing to pass it

**amd_man2005** · 07-17-2003

You really think I could pass them, especially if I did some studying? Damn, I fugred Id need to do LOTS and LOTS of studying

**minibubba** · 07-17-2003

you do need to do a lot of studying ;)

there are a number of things on those tests that techs never really need to remember, and trivial stuff that may not really be that important to remember in the real world... but you need to know it for the test

and keeping all the OS strait is a bit of a pain too... if M$ would just stay constant from one OS to another it would help a good bit

how much do you know about the different kinds of printers, including laser printers?

you are going to need a very broad range of PC hardware and Windows OS knowledge to pass it. You seem to have a good handle on hardware that you have personally used and a good grasp of Windows XP but you will also need to know a good bit about win98 and win2k and even a little about winME

best way I know to learn and keep fresh with all the Windows OS's is to get an old 20 gig hdd and multi boot it with win98, 2k, and xp and spend a little every day with each one until you take the tests... and even afterward is a good idea to do it from time to time... there is still a lot of ppl out there using 98, ME, and 2k

not only do you need to know what hardware is important to a PC and what they are used for, but you will also need to know how it works and how to repair it

so like I said, you do need to study. If you can I'd recommend taking a class. Taking the actual tests is not usually part of a class though. I say take a class because you will usually learn much more than is in any book that way.. assuming of course that you have and good instructor and the class is more than just a lecture

lol, someone stop me from writing so much next time...

Beefy · 07-17-2003

Like I said, go over some exam papers and brain dumps and so on from people, to see what you need to cover, then think whether or not you'd know it well enough to try.

Also, being so young, I'd personally hold off until you're about 16-17, when certificates will be useful in looking for work. Most certs now have expiry dates a couple years after you get them, so it would be a wasted effort at the moment.

**minibubba** · 07-17-2003

unless CompTIA has changed the rules, once A+ certified always A+ certified

but even in that case it is still good to take it again evey couple years or even every year if you can afford it (the test's aint cheap)...it forces you to stay current