Chiggy Posted April 14, 2007 Share Posted April 14, 2007 Ive been a little busy since September of last year as I decided to change career direction. I want to move into ICT Technical Support from Web Design. I`m about to take the OS exam on Thursday which I am not looking forward too since the questions could be about any OS from 95 to Vista. There is also a lots of useless material in the exam that I need to know such as 95 installation switches. I`m begining to wonder if I am wasting my time with A+ because at least if I went for the MCP exams they are more focused and there is a lot less material to revise. Also Ive been for a few job interviews in the UK and the managers come back with silly questions when they see A+ on my CV, such as "is that Microsoft"? So the big question is............do the ICT experts here think the A+ exams are valuable or not? How useful would it be for me, a person who lives in the UK to be registered in a guild of ICT Technicians in the United States? I`m interested in all opinions, even if you've never heard of A+ please say so.. Many thanks, Chiggy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amnot Borg Posted April 14, 2007 Share Posted April 14, 2007 The value of it is one of those geek things where it depends on the geek level of the prospective employer. The CompTIA A+ certification is hardly ever noticed or known about by the average pc owner or customer. I have never been asked about it from a customer. They basically just own a machine that lets them play games and write emails. To many, it's no different than using a car to drive. When it fails to work, they just want it to work again. They don't tend to ask about Microsoft certifications either. They want someone that can fix their problem and (possibly) explain what happened. The A+ certification is/was primarily a useful tool for employers and technicians to gauge the skill level of other technicians. It's a matter of effort to both take and pass the exams and to be able to afford them. This shows them that you have knowledge, interest, and aptitude for tech work. Employers, who know what the A+ means, know they have someone that can do the job. Some will even pay for the tests. I've been saving for 2 years to take both parts. Every time I get close, I have to redo my budget. The only Microsoft exam I have been able to take was for installation and maintenance of Windows XP. Of course, passing one is all you need to be a carded MCP. ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TetsuoShima Posted April 15, 2007 Share Posted April 15, 2007 Yup the real downside of all these certifications is price. However, once you're in with a good employer, they will usually pay the fees for you, since they are mostly tax deductable (employee training). A+ isn't well know where I'm from, it's all MCSA/MCSE/... over here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bones2097 Posted April 15, 2007 Share Posted April 15, 2007 just wondering how much these actually cost.... ??? tough i live in the uk, i don't know what these are, prob because i haven't looked... but i'd have thought if a name was attached to it, it would carry more weight.... like.. nortel, cisco, microsoft.... even sun... ::) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chiggy Posted April 15, 2007 Author Share Posted April 15, 2007 The exams are costing me 65 British Pounds each. There are two exams for the certification Hardware and OS Fundamentals. I have already passed Hardware. If anyones got any spare time and wonders how well they would do at the OS exam (the one I am about to take on Thursday) you can have a go at an online test here: http://www.proprofs.com/certification/comptia/a-plus/exams/index.shtml Follow this link: OS Technologies (Operating Systems) Exam.............under exam set 1 Let me know how well you do.........I did it last night and only got over half of it correct........a worrying result so close to the exam! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TetsuoShima Posted April 15, 2007 Share Posted April 15, 2007 W00t! I should take this certification, if even just for the fun of it (I like these kinds of tests). I did pretty good, better than I would have expected, though there are a lot of obsolete questions in there. Windows 98? Or even 95??? I can very vaguely understand the need to know a little of NT4, which is still occasionally used, but windows 95??? Windows 2000 and XP are standard knowledge of course! Anyway, I really rushed through it, but I still managed to get it done in about 25 minutes... Giving 90 minutes is a bit over-the-top imo, I'd bet that if you didn't now the answer in 60 minutes that the extra half hour won't help you either. (I admit I gambled (or guestimate as they say) a bit on a few questions about the older OS-es and older tech like dial-up, but it turned out good appearently). The MCxx certifications seem to pose more difficult questions at first sight though and are also more up to date on the required knowledge for OS-es (I'm pretty sure you don't need to know any windows 95 to get those certifications), maybe a good idea to take those when you're done with this one. The courses for them are really good if you want to learn a thing or two on how to configure windows 2003 properly (I haven't done them btw, but I did read a little in a few books that supposedly should help you prepare for the exams). I got 78 right, 2 wrong and score of 873, oh, I passed too. ;D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chiggy Posted April 15, 2007 Author Share Posted April 15, 2007 2 wrong :o I should have another go........it was late last night :D excuses, excuses ;D So how long have you been working in the industry TetsuoShima? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amnot Borg Posted April 15, 2007 Share Posted April 15, 2007 43right/37wrong of 80, I think I need to study again. It's been awhile. ;) could be it's because I've been up all night with a storm over my head. nah, I really need to study again. :P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TetsuoShima Posted April 15, 2007 Share Posted April 15, 2007 I think I got a bit lucky with the 2 wrong, I did guesstimate a couple that turned out to be correct calculated guesses. :D I'm not actually working in the industry (though I do occasionally work for a computer retail/repair shop when I've got time and they've got work for me). I'm still a college student (only part time though, the rest of the time a do multiple jobs to earn my pay), people often laugh at me when I say that, considering my age. Computers are my hobby really, especially hardware. I love looking over all those specs and keeping up with the latest developments (never having the money to buy any of that latest stuff is a bummer), finding what's compatible and what are the optimal settings. I used to consider myself an overclocker, but nowadays, I'm just happy to keep everything running at stock. Reliability and silence have become my new allies, since for most things I do on my computer, even a p3 would do (gaming and encoding excluded, but I don't do either of those very often anymore). I'm sure you'll score better on a clear head. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chiggy Posted April 15, 2007 Author Share Posted April 15, 2007 TetsuoShima.........well if you can score like that with out any revision you should seek out your nearest testing centre and get the A+ Certification, ditch all your other jobs and perhaps start working your way up the ladder in an organisation that offers ICT support.......maybe start on first line (I know head phones are shitty) but if you could jump straight to second line then good luck to you. If you have your own transport your laughing! Its clear to me that you could make a lot of money out of your knowledge. Why waste time with part time jobs when you can go for the one uber job. Would you say you earn more than 50,000 Dollars per year in your current jobs? Anyway.............i`m going to have another go at the test. Will post back with my score. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chiggy Posted April 15, 2007 Author Share Posted April 15, 2007 12 wrong the second time....hardly a fair gauge since I knew what was coming. Compared to OS the Hardware exam is easy....I got 70 out of 80 in the actual exam. I was given three questions all with the same answer! Your right in that you dont need the extra minutes. You either know the answer, or you dont. In the real exam you can go back to a question if your not sure of the answer. Something you cannot do in the ProProf exam. I`m still really woriied about this exam especially since Ive never even used NT or had experience of configuring all these operating systems on a network. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kyran Posted April 16, 2007 Share Posted April 16, 2007 most employers actually rate the A+ as something they like their techs to have although the wages paid do not seem to rate the expense of the exam did you do Itessentials first? if you usually get around 85% on the test exams you'll pass the real one the trick is to do the tests a lot running up to the real one so as to be 'in the groove' good luck and no i dun have any vacancies yet :) where in england are you ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bones2097 Posted April 16, 2007 Share Posted April 16, 2007 haha 35 worng.... many silly mistakes... didn't take my time lol..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Megalith Posted April 16, 2007 Share Posted April 16, 2007 lol i did the hardware one, the way they mark these questions is weird, i got things like picked 3 and they expected 2 the 3rd one was right but i got no marks at all! who knows oh yeah i did the test in 10 minutes too which didn't help, should have taken my time. others i got wrong where from misreading the questions. i failed lol shhhhh ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chiggy Posted April 16, 2007 Author Share Posted April 16, 2007 40 Percent of people who take the OS exam fail. A+ is supposed to be an entry level exam for those wishing to start a career in ICT support....honest. I really need to pass because very soon Vista will enter the pool of questions and I really dont want to be revising 3.11 to Vista.....3.11 to XP is bad enough. If you dont hear from me after Thurday........I failed :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kyran Posted April 16, 2007 Share Posted April 16, 2007 ok lol i got 32 wrong :) am i taking money under false pretences? most of it you dun need to know except on the occasion you take the test Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chiggy Posted April 17, 2007 Author Share Posted April 17, 2007 Kyran.........I agree you dont need to know all this to be an ICT Technician........you only need to know it if you want the A+ Cert :D Hope you can understand why I`m worried. 'Entry Level' is indeed an understatement. I am however all set for this exam, I have long hair, a beard, a bobble hat and a complexion not out of place in Dawn of the Dead. I am a super geek. Must go, I have another 13 Hour revision session in front of me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chiggy Posted April 20, 2007 Author Share Posted April 20, 2007 I passed the OS last night. I scored 644...which wasnt a great score but was well above the 505 needed to pass. It feels nice to be an 'entry' level technician. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kyran Posted April 20, 2007 Share Posted April 20, 2007 WELL DONE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TetsuoShima Posted April 20, 2007 Share Posted April 20, 2007 congrats :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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