The CompTIA® A+ certification
is the industry standard validating the vendor-neutral
skills expected of an entry-level computer technician.
So, you want to become A+ Certified? Good decision. Having
this certification will open doors not available to those
who lack it.
There are two sections to the A+ Certification test:
Core Hardware (Test 220-301) and Operating System Technologies
(Test 220-302). Each section is composed of 70 questions,
in a non-interactive, multiple-choice format. You can
choose studying for the exam by using either of the following
options:
Having an A+ certification proves that you have
a broad base of knowledge and competency in core hardware
and operating system technologies including installation,
configuration, diagnosing, preventive maintenance and
basic networking.
A+ Certification affirms that you are capable of
assembling a computer, installing operating systems and
applications, and successfully troubleshooting them when
the inevitable happens (a user gets their hands on it).
IT
Managers Say CompTIA A+ Certifications Help to Improve
Business Bottom Line
A+ is a solid certification that employers look
for and is the industry standard for entry-level computer
technicians. Every business uses computers and skilled
technicians are in demand. An A+ certification
opens the door to an exciting career in computer technology
at an affordable price.
Companies like Best Buy know the value of the A+ certification
and require their supervisors to be A+ certified.
Many other companies like Sears, Radio Shack and State
Farm insurance also have A+ certification requirements
for their IT employees.
IT
Professionals See CompTIA Certifications as Key to Career
Advancement, Job Satisfaction
Many companies require A+ certification of their
new hires, and for many others A+ will be what
makes your resume stand out from the competition. Even
if your line of work isn't directly related, you'll benefit
from this kind of knowledge. A programmer who is helpless
in the face of a blue screen, waiting for a tech who is
busy elsewhere, is a nonproductive programmer.
Sure, there are those who denigrate A+ as "just
another useless certification" which won't make a difference
in the grand scheme of things, but these people already
have jobs. Perhaps you don't, or you're interested in
changing careers. Maybe you're not in a position to spend
big cash and two-to-four at a college for your degree.
Maybe you're 16 and looking for a leg up on the summer-job
competition. Having this certification will open doors
not available to those who lack it.
Transcender
training videos are an excellent way to learn material,
whether you want to enrich your understanding of the subjects,
master technology on the job or tutor yourself with an
informative and entertaining training tool.
You, the potentially certified, must make some choices
about how you'll acquire the knowledge for your certificate.
You can attend an adult technical school course. These
courses are designed for people with few computer skills,
and will basically teach you everything you need to
know to become a decent technician. There is much hands-on
time, and some schools allow you to keep a computer
which you build in class. Most schools accommodate student
grants/loans. Many states have public funds available
for retraining laid-off, unskilled and disabled workers.
I recommend this path for those who are serious about
entering the IT industry, and lack a base of computer
knowledge to build upon.
There are also the "cram-type" courses or bootcamps.
The basic orientation is direct test preparation, and
you're not going to gain a lot of practical knowledge
from a course like this. It is possible for someone
who has very little computer knowledge to take one of
these courses, pass a certification test, and go out
into the field with no hands-on experience using the
equipment for which they are certified.
Another possibility is studying on your own time, using
your own resources. This is obviously much cheaper than
paying someone to teach you, but it has its' drawbacks.
Nobody's going to supply either the curriculum or your
motivation. Many attempt this process, and few manage
to carry it through.
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Breakdown
of the A+ Core Hardware Exam |
The A+ Core Hardware Service Technician Examination
objectives fall into six domains.
Installation, configuring and updating (30% of exam)
Identifying basic computer subassemblies like motherboards,
power supplies, CPU, RAM, storage devices, add-on cards,
firmware, BIOS and CMOS.
You need to know how to identify proper function, their
role in the boot process, and how to add and replace
them in the field.
Standard software parameters such as IRQ, DMA and I/O
settings for common hardware and software configurations,
and how to adjust these settings during installation.
Common peripheral ports and the cables & connectors
associated therewith like DB-9/25, RJ11/45, BNC, PS/2,
USB and IEEE-1394. Installing and configuring IDE/EIDE
and SCSI devices to include Primary/Secondary/Master/Slave,
SCSI types, addresses, cabling and jumper block settings.
Peripheral installation, configuration and troubleshooting
for monitors, USB devices, and IEEE 1284/1394 devices.
Portable system components. This will be mostly notebook-related.
Know PCMCIA card types and implementation of card services.
Familiarity with replacement of components like RAM,
hard drives and batteries. Care and feeding of docking
stations and port replicators.
Diagnosing and Troubleshooting (30% of exam)
Common symptoms and problems with hardware. Isolating
problems using error codes, POST audible/visual codes,
and troubleshooting instruments like multimeters. Troubleshooting
procedures. Eliciting information from users/customers,
determining whether the problem is hardware/software
related, isolating problems by eliminating possibilities.
Preventive Maintenance (5% of exam)
Types of maintenance tools/materials, and their use
in the field. Cleaning compound requirements and non-static
tool use. Field procedures for protecting yourself and
your equipment. UPS/Suppressors and signs of power issues.
Component storage. Hazards from high voltage/laser exposure.
Disposal procedures for batteries, toner kits, CRT's,
etc. ESD precautions and symptoms of damage.
Motherboards/Processors/Memory (15% of exam)
CPU chip types and characteristics. Size, voltage, pin
counts and slot types. CPU families and basic history
including clock speed progression. RAM categories and
characteristics. Generations of system RAM: EDO/FPM/SIMM/DIMM.
RIMM (Rambus) types. Video memory technology such as
VRAM/WRAM. Memory banks and requirements based on processor
generation/8-, 16-, 32-bit width. Parity versus non-parity
chips.
Motherboard types. AT and ATX form factors, port types
and locations, RAM type needed, processor sockets, cache
memory. Bus architectures like ISA, PCI and AGP.
Compatibility guidelines concerning what hardware works
with which generation of motherboard. CMOS knowledge.
Basic CMOS settings for com/parallel ports, hard drive
type, basic memory settings, boot sequence, date/time,
passwords and Plug & Play.
Printers (10% of exam)
Basic types and operational concepts for laser, inkjet
and dot-matrix printers. Interface types such as parallel,
USB, network, infrared, serial. Service techniques and
common problems. Feed jams, printed/displayed errors,
print quality. Safety precautions and preventive maintenance.
Basic Networking (10% of exam)
Network types and topologies. Cable types, physical
architecture, half- and full-duplex, infrared. Setup
such as configuring network cards, hardware protocols
and recovering network function when repairs are performed.
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Breakdown
of the A+ Operating System Technologies Exam |
OS Fundamentals (30% of exam)
OS functions, structure, major system files and help
functionality. Components like Windows Explorer/My Computer/Control
Panel. Contrasts between Win 9x and Windows 2000. Contents,
use and location of files like io.sys, boot.ini, win.com
and the command prompt.
Memory management methods including himem.sys. Win 9x
files such as win.ini, system.ini, user.dat, system.dat,
msconfig, regedit.exe. Windows 2000 files such as boot.ini,
regedit/regedit32, ntldr. Some command prompt procedures:
dir, ver, attrib, mem, scandisk and others.
File/directory/disk management procedures. File attributes
and naming conventions, backup/restore procedures, Windows
2000 Compress/Encrypt. Partitioning/formatting/file
systems used with Windows. Utilities such as ScanDisk,
msconfig, regedit, defrag, fdisk, asd, hwinfo. Installation,
Configuration and
Upgrading (15% of exam)
Install procedure for Win9x and Windows 2000. Appropriate
setup utilities, partitioning and formatting, loading
drivers.
Upgrade procedures within Win9x OS's, Windows NT 4.0
to Windows 2000, replacing Win9x with Windows 2000,
dualbooting Win9x/WinNT/Win2k. Basic boot sequences
and methods, including the creation of an emergency
boot disk for Win9x, WinNT and Win2k.
Use of Startup disks, Safe Mode, NTLDR, boot.ini, making
an Emergency Repair Disk (ERD). Loading and configuring
device drivers. Win9x Plug and Play and Win2k hardware
drivers, installing and launching typical Windows and
non-Windows applications. Setting up and configuring
the Windows printing subsystem for Default Printer,
spool settings and network printing.
Diagnosing and Troubleshooting (40% of exam)
Common error codes and startup messages from the boot
sequence. Safe Mode, No OS Found, Error in Config.sys,
Command.com and Himem.sys errors, Windows Protection
Error, Device Referenced in System.ini/Win.ini. Recognizing
and resolving common problems.
Diagnostic procedure involving the customer, identifying
recent changes, printing problems. General Protection
Faults, Illegal Operations, devices not functioning,
inability to log onto network. Virus activities, types,
sources, determining the presence of a virus.
Networks (15% of exam)
Identifying network capabilities and connection procedures.
Protocols, Ipconfig, Winipcfg. Sharing drives/printers,
network type and Network Interface Card (NIC), installing/configuring
browsers, configuring OS for network. Setting up Internet
access. ISP's, Internet protocols, E-mail, Ping.exe,
HTML/HTTP/FTP. Domain names, Dial-up Networking.
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