A+ passing grade

[Larommi]

In simple terms, what is needed to pass. I figure as long as I am not working I should get some certs. I have been taking practice tests and I do real well, so I am not concerned about failing but I am curious.

[shamus]

As I remember you need to answer 85% correctly. Is that what you needed to know?

[crtlaltdel]

I used A+ for dummies and the A+ complete study guide by David Goth, should ace this test if have a couple years experience with computers. Check www.examnotes.com (http://www.examnotes.com) for some more help

[Larommi]

Originally posted by shamus:
As I remember you need to answer 85% correctly. Is that what you needed to know?


Yep, that means I am ready to take the test then. Thanks.

[barryjo]

If you have ben working with PC's for over 12 months, and your good at it... You can pass without studying... The A+ exam's are VERY easy if you are already in the field....

[Larommi]

Originally posted by barryjo:
If you have ben working with PC's for over 12 months, and your good at it... You can pass without studying... The A+ exam's are VERY easy if you are already in the field....

Its not the not passing that worries me, it is the expense of the test...if I choke. I score around 95% on practice tests so I am not concerned.

Thanks for everyones input

[Polychronopolis]

Ok, when I took the A+ test in May of 2000, the passing grade was 64% and 65% (Remember that there are 2 tests). I was insulted that the passing grades were so low!!

Three months later I took the Network+ and was happy knowing the passing grade was 85%.

--So says Polychronopolis..
A+ and Network+ Certified (Just an FYI)

[computron99]

I used the A+ for Dummies as an outline. I found that I was ready for the test when i started finding discrepencies (sp?)in all the books I used. I hardest part was waiting to use the test terminal at Ikon. I'm using the i-Net+ for Dummies right now.

Good Luck.

[Geek #1]

I took the new adaptive tests for my A+ and walked it, both exams in less than 20 minutes.

The trick with these types of exams is it's either pass of fail, therefore don't worry so much about getting 100% right.

If your scoring that high, the real exam won't be a problem.

[reap]

I just took the test about 2 months ago. I beleive the passing score was 70%. They have also switched to adaptive testing so it is not the same as it was 6 months ago. Depnding on how many answers you get correct and the difficulty will depend on how many questions you get asked. There should be 30 questions tops.

[i_shot_bigbird_6969]

Just a question i was wondering if someone might be able to get me a copy of a practice exam or something im really looking at taking the tests, Ive been in this field for well over 6 years so i feel with a few notes i should be fine. If ya can help thanks. :rolleyes:

[tecboy]

I took the tests(1 hardware, 1 software) in Sept of 99. Each test approx 60-70 questions,a little over an hour to complete.
Passed both, recommend working with computers and study of upgrade & repair 1st, then study
and take test. I used the Comptia study guide
as well as flash cards. Put notes on 3x5 cards, keep them with you when you have a spare moment study. I also teach basic computer hardware to electrical students.

[cuda1969]

I have about 3 years practical hardware/software experience in an educational environment, I bought an A+ Exam Cram guide and also a book of practice tests, I took the Core Hardware and OS Technologies exams about a week ago and passed no problem. I highly recommend buying a decent A+ book (always good to have around) and going over the concepts that you're uncertain on. Each test ran 70 questions. Be aware, the OS Technologies had many more questions on Win2K than I had anticipated, so know your stuff!

[sdrawkcab]

Originally posted by Larommi:
<STRONG>In simple terms, what is needed to pass. I figure as long as I am not working I should get some certs. I have been taking practice tests and I do real well, so I am not concerned about failing but I am curious.</STRONG>


This depends if you are taking the traditional (paper) test or the new adaptive (computer program) test. In the adaptive test, the passing score is 540/900 in Hardware and 560/900 in DOS/Windows. The test will shoow you another question in the same genre if you miss one. There is really no way to get a 900, as the score reflects not only how many you got correct, but the difficulty of the questions as well. I only got 680 in Hardware but I got 800 in DOS/Win and the lady at the testing facility said that was the highest score since adaptive began there, so don't feel bad if you don't get perfect. You also will NOT find out what questions you missed or how many, only what kinds of questions you missed.

[idfx]

I just passed the Core Hardware test about 2
weeks ago. I took it on a computer, through
a VUE setup. In the smallish print that only
I seem ever to read, it stated that the test
I would be taking would _not_ be the adaptive
version, as they had not yet administered
the test enough times to score their
questions' difficulty.

That said, out of a possible 900 I scored 777,
and as I recall, the passing threshhold was
at 683. I, too, finished it in just under
20 minutes.

My only warning is that what little trouble
I had, wasn't with questions that were
_Hard_, but with questions that were just
*_Bad_*. <IMG SRC="smilies/mad.gif" border="0">

to wit: (paraphrased)

" Johnny has 2 hard drives, one 2.1 GB
drive and one 8.0 GB drive. He has made
partitions on the 2.1 GB drive: a 500 MB
main (primary) partition, and a pair of 750
MB drives in the extended partition.
He wants to use both th 8.0 GB drive and the
2.1 GB drive for storage, but since that's
the faster drive, he wants to boot from that
one. If that one is set as master on the
IDE channel, and is formatted in FAT32, how
big will the largest possible partition on
the other (slave) drive be? "

Do you kinda see what I mean?
BAD questions.
Not technically challenging, just poorly
written.

(nb, unfortunately, I didn't make this
question up, it's here as exactly as my
brain can manage...)

========================================
{
x = pi*sqrt(det(FnMatrix)) / (11 * e^4)
// insert miracle here
x = true
return x
}

[sdrawkcab]

Yes, I would agree that a couple of questions were badly written and I would actually argue with one that I missed, it was sort of a "no right answer" question... Something about "Someone's printer won't print, what should you check first?" and I said network communication, but I guess the question didn't say it was a network printer...
<IMG SRC="smilies/rolleyes.gif" border="0">