Mike Meyers' A+ Certification Passport, Third Edition (Mike Meyers' Certification Passport) (ISBN 0072263083) Book Reviews 1-14 Sorted By Most Recent, at VeryWellSaid.com

Great cram !!!

I came from a unix background with a desire to get the Redhat Certified Technician (RHCT) certification, however, I really felt deficient in Intel-based hardware. In an effort to bridge the gap, I used this book in order to prep for the A+ exams. I read this book twice and had no problems with the Essentials and Technician exams. This book is well-written and very straight-forward with almost zero filler. I enjoyed this book so much that I got the Linux+ book in the same series. Get this book and with a little work, you'll be A+ certified in next to no time. Good luck!

(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-08-27 05:01:40 EST)

06-04-08

1\1

Pretty good

Let me just start off by saying, unless you already have experience building computers, do NOT rely on this book as your only source of study for the exam. I had the "official" curriculum books from COMPTIA which took me about 9 weeks to get through, took the test and I failed. As anybody knows, most of these study books are boring as hell and it's easy to feel like your brain will explode.

So after I failed, I picked up this book and read it in one week. Mike Meyers has a way of making you learn stuff without making the material dry, and this is exactly what I needed. Next time I took the test I passed with flying colors. Only reason why I didn't give the book 5 stars is because there is some material on the A+ exams that isn't in this book.

(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-07-20 08:43:49 EST)

12-08-07

(NA)

Gerald Pauler, MCSE, CompTIA A+, NET+, Sec+, Proj+ Trainer

This book is suitable for an A+ or Bootcamp style course with A+ for passing the two new A+ exams, along with some custom slides and Instructor value added material.

(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-06-05 21:32:53 EST)

11-30-07

(NA)

Easy Book

This book is user friendly. It doesn't have a lot of off track story's or go into great detail about subjects. It's simple and will give you a basic understanding. I agree, this book alone will not help you pass the test.

(Review Data Last Updated: 2007-12-14 04:56:57 EST)

11-20-07

(NA)

Good support for someone with experience.

Make sure you get the Third Edition of this book. Many stores still stock the old versions. The core essentials test was numbingly easy, the 602 Exam had some good tech questions. The book will prepare you for the logical and ethical issues (don't yell at clients, don't be rude)
If you have a few years of tech and troubleshooting experience with mixed Windows environments, you should pass the exam with no problem. I did not use the included CD-Rom as part of my study. I did not use any other resources. I have about 9 years of supporting and building systems of all Win flavors-

(Review Data Last Updated: 2007-12-14 04:56:57 EST)

10-05-07

(NA)

"A+ Certified!!"

All hail the "Alpha Geek" Mike Meyers!! I took the A+ Hardware exam in September 2006 and the OS Technologies exam in April 2007 and passed both easily using this Passport book and Mike Meyer's bigger book the "All In One A+ Certification" Guide. Everything that is written in the Passport book will be covered on the exam. Read through the whole book carefully about two times and you will do just fine. I've been doing hardware/software support now for about 5 years, and even I've learned some new things thanks to the help of Mike Meyer's book. If you are very new to hardware or software, I would recommend getting some hands-on experience in addition to reading the material. Do some volunteer work at your local charity/non-profit organization. Offer to help your friends or neighbors with their computing problems. You won't believe how much more proficient you will become the more you actually do it. Practice does make perfect, especially when dealing with hardware and software issues. Good luck to everyone pursuing the A+ Certification. :)

(Review Data Last Updated: 2007-12-14 04:56:57 EST)

08-22-07

1\1

Don't bother reading the reviews, they are for the old book.

Amazon has all the old pre 3rd edition reviews posted. These reviews are for the old books and the old exams.

(Review Data Last Updated: 2007-12-14 04:56:57 EST)

08-09-07

2\2

It's OK

I wish people would take the tests before rating these books.

My scores are 810/900 and 840/900 for Essentials and 602 respectively. Passing scores are 675 and 700 with 100 being the minimum.

I bought this book and A+ Certification All-in-One Exam Guide, Sixth Edition (A+ Certification All in One Exam) by the same author. I also bought the exam vouchers from them which came with 300 practice questions. Both books come with practice questions both in the books and additional ones on the accompanying CDs. However, the CDs and the downloaded questions were mostly repeats and nothing like the actual exams (same goes for the books).

I have over twenty years of tinkering with computers. I was an aerospace engineer and an Oracle database programmer. I just wanted to get this Certification for kicks. There is a lot of fluff in both books which has nothing to do with the exams. Neither book really tells you how the actual exam questions are like. Actual exams are generally much simpler and test you mostly on your broad knowledge rather than the fine details (the exams does not ask which socket Pentium II uses, but it does ask what does a series of long beeps mean after you boot up). If you know the basics and understand the logic, you will pass. You still need to know some details, but they are not the hard ones. There has to be better book out there.

Even though I already knew 80% of the subject matter, I studied real hard. There is more stuff in the other book worth knowing though (not for the test). But personally, fluff puts me to sleep. Just keep it brief and to the point and pertinent to the test, that's what the books are selling.

If you buy these books, make sure you already have some experience in the field and that you really study these books like a text book.

(Review Data Last Updated: 2007-12-14 04:56:57 EST)

01-25-07

(NA)

GREAT BOOK!

I PASSED WITH ONLY THIS BOOK!, THE A+ SERIES FROM MIKE MEYER'S ARE THE BEST!

(Review Data Last Updated: 2007-08-09 04:51:19 EST)

09-23-06

(NA)

Good book, but too many errors

I just passed my A+ tests; both in the 700 range, so I have to give Mike Meyers kudos for a really good book. The reason I gave this book 3 stars though is because there were too many errors in it. Words used that shouldn't have been used, sentences that made no sense, figures that were misnumbered, etc. I also used the 1100 A+ questions and those were also screwed up. One question said that ME can use NTFS. I emailed Mike Meyers about the book and he blamed the publisher for all the mistakes in the book. I've heard that other authors and publishers are just as bad so I guess we don't have much of a choice here. I did pass the tests so
even with all the mistakes, I am getting his Network+ book since it was rated so high. There really is no excuse for all the mistakes in books like these. In chapter 17 you will see "An NIC" instead of "A NIC" over and over again. That is just one out of many mistakes. I don't know how that could be the publisher's fault but I'll give Mike Meyers the benefit of the doubt.

(Review Data Last Updated: 2007-07-11 08:07:53 EST)

05-16-06

0\1

Very informative!!!

Im a computer science grad and is working in the I.T. industry for several years now when i decided to get A+ certified i got this book, read and took the practice exam included on the CD for a month and passed my A+ Hardware Exam, I noticed that some of the questions in the companion CD are included in the ACTUAL A+ EXAM.

I will be taking my A+ OS Exam next week and i think this book is a big help as a reviewer. I would recommend this book to any one who want to get A+ certified.

(Review Data Last Updated: 2007-07-11 08:07:53 EST)

01-27-06

(NA)

Excellent book to prepare for certification.

After reading several books and resources to help me study for the A+ Certification, I found that this book was the key to my success. This is because whoever edited this book had a clear understanding for what it takes to pass the exam. All the writing is clear enough for an average Joe to understand, but it is technical enough to give the reader an excellent foundation to work throught the certification questions. The book as comes with an excellent pratice test cd.

(Review Data Last Updated: 2007-07-11 08:07:53 EST)

09-08-05

(NA)

Fluffy... but informative

Apparently the author, Michael Meyers, is renowned for his IT certification study guides, but I don't see why. The book is informative and does definitely have significant test coverage. Unfortunately, it is full of a lot of fluff and unneeded information, which makes it hard for those simply looking to pinpoint key exam information. I give it three stars for decent formatting and overall good exam coverage, but I enjoyed the FastPass series much more.

(Review Data Last Updated: 2007-07-11 08:07:53 EST)

08-29-05

0\1

Great source for reference!