Studying A+ Essentials with Advent

[zabar_ullah]

Hi Everyone,

Thanks in advance for reading my thread.

I'm Zabar just registered on the forums today. I am studying A+ Essentials 220-601 with Advent Computer Training using the manual they sent me.

They also sent me a Trancender CD with practice questions. When I tried the questions the first time I always failed, so I printed the questions and explainations for the correct and wrong answer. I then studied the printouts and done the practice exams again and now I tend to pass with 90% above easily.

I am slightly nervous, infact I am very nervous that I might not have the full grasp of the theory behind the exam. Could anyone please answer the following questions to relieve some stress:

Are the questions on the transender CD very similar to the real thing? (By this i mean when i prepared for my Driving theory test years back the questions in the book were more or less as the real thing, maybe worded differently).

I seem to find questions in the transender CD that I havent studied in the Advent Manual!! Has this occurred to anyone else? or am I not studying hard enough?

Is anyone here studying with Advent passed the 220-601 exam using the Advent Manual?

Does the second exam (220-602, i think!!!) look at the essential 220-601 in more detail or are the topics completely different? The reason why I ask this is because most people here have passed the first exam and plan to sit the next within a couple of weeks!!!!!!

I will leave it as this for now, and get back to studying.
Thanks again for reading.

Regards,
Zab

[hbroomhall]

Hi and welcome to CF!

The problem with using the practice exam in the way you did is that you have now effectively memorized those questions. No wonder you are getting 90%.

But the real exam won't have those questions. Practice exams should be similar in style to the real questions, and cover the same material. But there are many ways of asking questions!

I would recommend getting the Mike Meyers All-In-One book as a backup to the material you have. This also includes practice tests, but they will be different to the Transcender ones.

Harry.

[zabar_ullah]

Hi,

Thanks for the response. I think i might as well get this book!

You are correct, I think i might have just memorised the questions, Although I do normally look at why the other answers are not the correct ones before I select my answer.

Regards
Zab

[BosonMichael]

What Harry said.

Welcome!

[zabar_ullah]

Will the Meyer's book be sufficient for the UK exam? (well!! if it is different in other countries).

By the way I have ordered the book, can afford to fail and then waste more time preparing again.

Thanks for advice

[skieslord]

That's rite. I used logprep practice test, the questions were similar but the way the ask on the real exam is very different. Get a book like the one they recommend here, n u'll be alrite.


Rob Camacho

[Markyboyt]

Hi and welcome to CF.
I am currently studying with the mike meyers book and although i am yet to finish it or sit the tests i would reccommend it.
As for your questions which you have memorised, the only thing you can now do is go through them and on each one mentally test yourself in that area, so look at the topic asked i.e. RAM compatability, and challenge yourself to list some of the main options and their merits, that way you can determine if you know the material or just the question.
Im trying to resist the practice tests until ive finished my first read of the book but i have run through a practice test i found on the internet, i cant remember where it was, have no idea how much relevance it has to the actual exam or whether it was a brain dump, i think the best way to approach a practice test is with a pen and paper at hand, if you look at the question and arent sure quite quickly what the answer is then note down the topic and move on, that way you can get an idea of where you need to brush up without actually remotely memorising the question

[BosonMichael]

Originally Posted by Markyboyt

...but i have run through a practice test i found on the internet, i cant remember where it was, have no idea how much relevance it has to the actual exam or whether it was a brain dump...

If you want to know whether an exam is a braindump or not, check here.

That said, if you found it on the Internet, chances are extremely high that it's a braindump.

[Markyboyt]

Originally Posted by BosonMichael

If you want to know whether an exam is a braindump or not, check here.

That said, if you found it on the Internet, chances are extremely high that it's a braindump.

I cant even remember where i found it to check lol. I dont mind too much if it was because as i said i didnt take in the questions themselves, ive no intentions of cheating myself out of a genuine cert pass because I want to know the material

[AndiC]

Originally Posted by zabar_ullah

Hi Everyone,

Is anyone here studying with Advent passed the 220-601 exam using the Advent Manual?

Does the second exam (220-602, i think!!!) look at the essential 220-601 in more detail or are the topics completely different?

The Meyers book one of the best, I also use the Advent Manual, plus a number of sources.

602 covers the same, however, more geared to repairs and problem solving, the advent material is better for this, however, there are still a number of books i would recommend on the side.

PS I bet you didn't go to the workshops !!!!

Andi

[BosonMichael]

Originally Posted by Markyboyt

I cant even remember where i found it to check lol. I dont mind too much if it was because as i said i didnt take in the questions themselves, ive no intentions of cheating myself out of a genuine cert pass because I want to know the material

Doesn't matter how you use it - if you use it at ALL, it's still cheating - and that's how CompTIA looks at it as well. No different than studying a professor's final exam taken from his/her desk. I understand that it may have been accidental this go-round... if so, no harm, no foul. Just be sure to knowingly avoid them next time.

[del_port]

i think the reason some of as are waiting to do the second exam is the sheer amount of questions in the exam,there is 100 questions in 601 and having to do one exam after the other is a bit much if you don't have to.
My test centre is only a few miles so it's easy to book exams anytime.
Plus there is the cost factor at £130 per exam,not everyone can afford £260 in one go.

[Markyboyt]

Originally Posted by BosonMichael

Doesn't matter how you use it - if you use it at ALL, it's still cheating - and that's how CompTIA looks at it as well. No different than studying a professor's final exam taken from his/her desk. I understand that it may have been accidental this go-round... if so, no harm, no foul. Just be sure to knowingly avoid them next time.

Yes i know it is really and i wouldnt knowingly use one, im happy that even if it was it has in no way influenced my knowledge, at the same time i wouldnt condone usuing a BD nor would i choose to. Ill be sticking to the mike meyers practice tests in future either way, although only once ive finished the book, if that test proved anything it was that theres no point doing a test before youve covered all the material at least once (why didnt that seem so obvious the other day)

EDIT.
I found the website. It was www.proprofs.com, cert guard show this as safe. Phew.
In fact they list it in a box saying about the certguard seal of approval so i presume they have that, but they dont seem to flash it about on the main page which you would think they would to make the statement that there legit.

[BosonMichael]

Whew! One of the safe ones!

[zabar_ullah]

andiC,

Thanks for your reply!

I have ordered the Meyers Book, so will give that a good read when it arrives.

I did go to the advent workshops (two days) and found it simple enough.

Would you advise me to read the Meyers book first or try the questions that come with it to test my current knowledge First? Maybe I havent just memorised the questions on the transender CD....

Thanks
Zab