CompTIA A+ Certification All-in-One Exam Guide, Exams 220-901 & 220-902

by Mike Meyers

This bestselling on-the-job reference and test preparation guide has been fully revised for the new 2015 CompTIA exam objectives for exams 901 & 902Written by the leading authority on CompTIA A+ certification and training, this self-study set has been thoroughly updated to cover 100% of the topics covered on the latest edition of the exam. New topics include managing and maintaining cellular devices, including tablets; configuring operating systems, including Windows 8, Android, and iOS; and enhanced, mobile-centered security and troubleshooting procedures. The All-in-One Exam Guide enables you to take the test with complete confidence. It also serves as a practical reference for IT support and technical personnel.

Bonus electronic content includes:


Practice exams with hundreds of accurate questions
More than an hour of video training featuring Mike Meyers
Performance-based simulations that prepare you for the performance-based questions on the exam
A collection of Mike's favorite free PC tools
Key Features include:


Written with the "in the trenches" voice and clarity Mike Meyers is known for
Features pre-assessment tests, exam tips, and "Try This!" sections to reinforce difficult topics
Includes a coupon for 10% off of the exam fee, a $37 value

Genres: Nonfiction, Technical, Technology, Textbooks, Reference

1473 pages, Hardcover

Published January 4, 2016

About the author

IT Author and tutor, and President at Total Seminars. LLC

Reviews

[Steven Bennett]

The book starts out informative, and ends in the weeds.

The Monologue
It's written as if the author is talking to you, so much so that if the author made an audiobook, you could close your eyes and it would probably sound similar to his Udemy course. With many side jokes, and empty sentences peppered into overdrawn paragraphs, this book takes a ridiculously long time to finish. By the end of the book I felt like I was sitting in a class counting down the time to when the professor would let us go.

For reference, or lack thereof
A good technical book—particularly when it's 1632 pages—is one that can really explain the nitty-gritty of what may seem like magic to a newcomer into the world of computers. Though the book is more broad than it is deep, and that lack of depth is technically a good reflection of the exam itself. That said, this book can be much more condensed than what it is. So with how long it is, how come there isn't a good break down of each chapter for a quick reference?

My suggestion: Skip the book and make your own study guide.

The book doesn't always relate an explained concept with whether or not it's relevant today, or how you can use your personal devices for experimentation. For that reason I believe that creating your own comprehensive guide would be much more effective. This would include reading NIST documents for standards, downloading official Intel/AMD documentation for Virtualization, finding accurate diagrams for MOBO components, or maybe creating walkthroughs for enabling/disable different features on your PC components.

No matter what you decide to do, make sure that you take many practice tests, from many different sources. You may be surprised, that the more diverse your practice tests are, the more likely you are to encounter similar actual exam questions.

This review does not take into account other books or content created by Mike Meyers.

[Brian]

Paired with Professor Messer's Notes and Video Series on Youtube are a winning combination to pass both of your A+ certification exams. I used this book as a backup reference (way more info than you need to pass the exam) and chapter quizzes along with Exam Compass and Jason Dion's exam series on Udemy. For anyone that doesn't know, the A+ is an internationally recognized certification acknowledging that you understand basic computer software and hardware troubleshooting and is used to land a job in Help Desk in the IT field. Though, don't be surprised if you have to snatch a few more before landing a worthwhile position since so many people have more knowledge than what is required for this certification.

[Kris]

Most certification related books are dry as coprolite. Sometimes you just want drop those books in a steel wastebin, douse them in gasoline and drop in a match.

Mike's books and videos however do not elicit the same feels. He always brings a little levity to the table and takes the same approach with his videos so you can hop between book and screen with ease.

Informative and enjoyable read.

[Michael Gallagher]

Recommend to any one interested for beginning computer science. If you're looking for the book to begin your IT career, look no further. Mike M. Lays it all out in an easy to follow explanation of basic computer hardware, Windows OS, Linux OS, MacOS X, basic Windows Security, and basic Networking. Once you've learned the content of this book, the basics of computing, it leads you to many paths and choices you can choose to pursue in the vast IT industry.

[Steven]

It's a good refresher text and useful for studying up for the A+ assessment. I won't give it 5 stars because Mr. Meyers does enjoy seguing into unnecessary information that will either not be covered on the A+ exam or is so far into legacy information that the likelihood of ever encountering the technology in question is unlikely.

[Chris Hayes]

Excellent book for anyone who wants to brush up on their basic computer knowledge. I'd recommend it to anyone who wants to learn about desktop, laptop, tablet, or cell phones. It doesn't go into the nitty gritty details on a lot of things, but it'll leave you knowing more than you started with.

Not sure how well it'll help with the A+ certification though, as I haven't taken the test yet.

[Jose Rivas]

I have to say, the book has way more information than you actually need for the test, but this is because it really goes into details and on all you need to know for it, this while keeping it simple.

I'm confident I could have passed the test with the knowledge I already had from my work experience, but I'm glad I read the book; I learned a lot from it.

[Jahaz Matiaudes]

This book is full of inaccurate deceiving information. I cross referenced the content about the operating systems with the actual software and it doesn't match up. It's very confusing and frustrating. It seems that Mike Meyers doesn't want readers to pass.

[Eres]

Excellent material if you plan on taking the exam

[Shirley]

Best A+ exam prep guide on the market.

[Evangeline]

Good read, useful information

[Moeng Mabuse]

This is the best book for anyone who wanna ace their computer architecture courses

[Will]

This book led to a series of life and career changes I never thought could be possible.

[Ralph Julsaint]

One of the best for CompTIA cert prep.

[Moni Watters]

Great reference for those looking to study before the exam