A+ Certification

[pugdog13]

I told you so. That test if for total low end computer users.

[|_053|2]

i'm new to the A+ certification and all... i took a cisco pretest for it and scored about 450 out of 1000 possible and the passing score was like 700 or something...

and then i read that jagojago12 said "All you need is a 46% to pass and I'm sure someone with minimal computer knowledge can achieve that" and "Anyone who has been tinkering around with computers should be able to pass this without much problem."
now i'm confused... is he talking about a different type of certification?... i probably look n00bish for asking this but oh well
flame me all you want

[Isezumi]

Originally posted by |_053|2
i'm new to the A+ certification and all... i took a cisco pretest for it and scored about 450 out of 1000 possible and the passing score was like 700 or something...

and then i read that jagojago12 said "All you need is a 46% to pass and I'm sure someone with minimal computer knowledge can achieve that" and "Anyone who has been tinkering around with computers should be able to pass this without much problem."
now i'm confused... is he talking about a different type of certification?... i probably look n00bish for asking this but oh well
flame me all you want

NO Jaggo is correct.

Its really rather sad that now-a-days to pass a certification exam requires a score that IS statistically a failing effort.

[jagojago12]

Originally posted by |_053|2
i'm new to the A+ certification and all... i took a cisco pretest for it and scored about 450 out of 1000 possible and the passing score was like 700 or something...

You took a Cisco pretest for the A+ certification? I think you might be confusing Cisco with CompTIA. CompTIA certification exams are non-vendor specific while Cisco certifications primarily focus on Cisco hardware and Cisco-related configuration. It sounds to me like you might have took a Cisco pretest instead of an A+ pretest.

For example, the Cisco CCNA you need an 849/1000 to pass. With the A+ certification, you'll need a 600/1300 to pass. As far as I know, the only thing that Cisco has a "pretest" for is the Network+ exam (also from CompTIA) where they cover some Network+ topics in Semester 4 of the Cisco Networking Academy curriculum in the CCNA 2.1.4, I believe the CCNA 3.0 curriculum no longer discusses the Network+ exam, as you'd expect since Cisco and CompTIA are independent companies.

[Voodoo 5 5500]

What is the test like these days? When I took it in 1997(I think) it was mostly multible choice and I had just started using compuetrs and passed with 80% or so.
Is it still multible choice or is it written?
Also I heard that today it covers mostly Printer support and OS basics is this true?

I think this cert is good to get for young people 14-18 because it will allow you to easily get a job at your local comp shop. When I got my cert in 97 It landed me a 70k a year position working for the school district as a network admin; I had no idea what I was doing.

[Isezumi]

Originally posted by Voodoo 5 5500
I think this cert is good to get for young people 14-18 because it will allow you to easily get a job at your local comp shop. When I got my cert in 97 It landed me a 70k a year position working for the school district as a network admin; I had no idea what I was doing.

See, 2 years ago, you would have been my hero.

Now that I am a crotchity old computers user, the thought of someone with JUST an A+ cert running an entire Network makes my sorta light headed.

Nothing against you personally; most of us know that was the heart of the dot Com boom, but it just shows how pathetically desperate someplaces were for some technical assistence.

[Tekime]

WOW, 46%? Unreal!

I think A+ is more valuable as a learning tool than a career tool. If you skid by with 46% you shouldn't have even bothered, IMO.

[shox]

I got a+ a year ago, but actually what really counts most is where you go after that. Tech companies per say I don't care for. They come and go, better have tour resume ready all the time. I had been with a bank for a while anyway, so I used my connections in the bus, and got a lan analyst job with another bank. Pays well, do tech work on side. More stable than any outside tech job, great insurance, bank holidays, and I have what i used to do for the bank to fall back on should I lose this one, or get tired of it. I moved ahead of most of my tech friends with $$, many of them having BAS, and MCSE. It's who you know, and EXP in a real established company that can get you there IMO.

[jagojago12]

Originally posted by Voodoo 5 5500
What is the test like these days? When I took it in 1997(I think) it was mostly multible choice and I had just started using compuetrs and passed with 80% or so.
Is it still multible choice or is it written?
Also I heard that today it covers mostly Printer support and OS basics is this true?

I wouldn't say that the test is mostly about printers and OS basics, but they were definetly mentioned in the test. I think out of the 20 questions I recieved on the hardware portion of the test, 2 were printer questions. I had more questions on IRQs and I/O addresses.

As for the OS part, a large portion of it was to identify system files and it's uses and some questions on file systems. Oh, and it is still multiplie choice for the most part. I had to click on some diagrams to identify some hardware though. Unlike Cisco, I don't think they (CompTIA) have included any fill-in-the-blank questions yet.

[|_053|2]

Originally posted by jagojago12
You took a Cisco pretest for the A+ certification? I think you might be confusing Cisco with CompTIA. CompTIA certification exams are non-vendor specific while Cisco certifications primarily focus on Cisco hardware and Cisco-related configuration. It sounds to me like you might have took a Cisco pretest instead of an A+ pretest.

hmm, i guess it was the CompTIA pretest or something then, i know that name sounds VERY familiar, but yeah my computer hardware class i'm in now is taking come sort of cisco test and the A+ test or something... school is killing me this year and i can't think straight at times so i probably don't make sense but it's all good