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A+ Exam Cram, Second Edition (Exam: 220-221, 220-222)
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Author: James G. Jones, Craig Landes, Craig Landis
List Price: $34.99
Our Price: Click to see the latest and low price
ISBN: 1576106950
Publisher: The Coriolis Group (23 March, 2001)
Edition: Paperback
Sales Rank: 54,733
Average Customer Rating: 3.6 out of 5
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Customer ReviewsRating: 1 out of 5
This book has been replaced - The Author
The 2nd Edition Exam Cram has been surplanted by "A+ Exam Cram 2," a thoroughly revised and updated version of the book. The new book takes advantage of our new partnership with Que Publishing, and includes an interactive CD-ROM with, not only practice tests, but the entire book in electonic format. --Craig Landes, Author (11/02)
Rating: 2 out of 5
I would have failed.....
I recently took the CompTIA A+ certification tests and I quickly realized that if I'd relied on the info in the Exam Cram book, I would have failed.What is missing:
- Full background explanations: Example; Their summary of the evolution memory is seriously lacking and difficult to understand. Basic fundamental concepts are not spelled out or simplified for the beginner.
- Lack of diagrams: Some concepts can be easily explained by showing a diagram, but this book lacks the creativity to do so. Abstract concepts often require graphical assistance to ensure the notions are conveyed, but out of 500+ pages, less than 20 graphics are used. This means that in order to see what they mean when they speak of OS windows or control panels, you will need to find machines running DOS, Win 3.1, Win 95, 98, NT and 2k, or you'll have to imagine it.
- Depth on important topics: Concepts critical to being a computer technician are skimmed by. No discussion on different pin structures of RAM, local network issues or memory. Spills a few facts and expects the user to make sense of it.
- Their test questions lack relevance: The paltry sum of exam questions at the end of each section *really* don't prepare you for the exam questions. Their softball questions, where the test can and will try to throw you some curves. I bought the book to review, but if I was a beginner, I would have failed. A better book to try is the "A+ Certification Bible". Much more in-depth and explanitory, especially of the abstract concepts. My advice is to consult several books, but if I could only choose one, this wouldn't be it. My advice; spend the extra bucks and get the A+ certification bible....you'll walk into the test MUCH more prepared.
Rating: 1 out of 5
"A+" Hardware "D-" Operating Systems
The first half (Hardware) is concise and to the point, an excellent hardware review or learning tool. If the Hardware chapters are "A+ Exam-Cram" then the Operating System chapters are "D- Exam-Ramble" The Operating System half of the book reads like 10,000 word term paper that should have given up at 500 words. Suffering from writing "by the pound" this disappointment offers little of value. Some one should have told the author (or at least the Editor) that DOS and Windows 3.1 are no longer on the test. (Ch. 10-11, p.221-342) Exam-Cram normally publishes great material--concise, valuable review books. Just not this one. I grew to loath this title because of the poorly written second half. Each chapter has ONLY 6 review questions, and a single test of 50 questions at the end of the book. Compare this with Global Knowledge's A+ book which has 20 review questions per chapter and a CD which includes video demonstrations of simple hardware operations, and over 220 (yes, two hundred twenty) sample test questions.
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