Faculty Resources
Many businesses today require employees to become CompTIA certified. Whether it’s A+, Network+, or Security+, all these certifications have one thing in common: The exams! While sitting for an exam may send shivers down the spine of even the most experienced IT professional, it is important to realize that these certification tests all share a common format. CompTIA’s A+ exams include performance-based questions and multiple choice questions. The exact number for each question type vary from exam to exam. Though there is no shortcut to knowing the technical information that will be included on these exams, there are test taking approaches that will improve your chances to pass.
Relax before exam
In order to avoid last minute stress, make sure that you arrive 10 to 15 minutes early and relax before exam.
Familiarize yourself with the exam
Before taking the A+ exam, you are given an option to familiarize yourself with the way the exam is carried out (on the exam interface). Take advantage of this option.
Manage Time Spent On Each Question
The duration for the exam is 90 minutes. You must determine how much time you will spend on each question and keep track of the time. Take into consideration that some questions are weighted more heavily and may take more time to answer.
Be Sure of Exam Question
Clear your doubts, in case you have any, regarding the rules for the A+ exam or using the testing computer/software with the test administrator after he/she sets up your machine and before you start the exam. Remember that the exam is timed and you may lose your valuable test time for such questions, which you could have asked earlier.
Jot Down Important Points Before the Exam
Before you start the exam, ask for scratch paper and jot down points that you may require to recall when taking your exam. This is always allowed and proves to be very helpful while taking the exam. These may include:
Error codes
Laser Printing Process
Any mnemonic or table committed to short term memory
Mark Answers for Review
When not sure, instead of spending a lot of time, mark the question for review and re-visit it later. Doing so will ensure that you have time to read each question carefully (watch out for the double negatives) and don’t have to rush through the exam at the end. However, do make sure you answer all the questions before the time limit expires.
Don’t Panic. There Is No Negative Marking
There are no negative marks for a wrong answer. The A+ exam does not penalize you for a wrong answer, so never leave any question unanswered. If you are not able to find out the correct answers to some questions, eliminate the possible answers that cannot be correct and narrow down your guess.
Performance-based questions require you to complete various tasks. Drag and drop, configuring an IP Address, and building a Personal Computer are a few examples of the Performance Based Question tasks. CompTIA states: “These Performance Based Questions test your ability to solve problems in a simulated environment.” And I suspect that we will see more Performance Based Question’s as CompTIA rolls out new versions of its exams.
Tip 1
Before your students schedule their test, read and prepare them as much as you can on the Performance Based questions.
CompTIA provides descriptions and samples of Performance Based questions. Generally, the Performance Based Questions are the first questions presented. Do not lose time because you did not do your pre-test homework. Know what actions are required by you to complete the Performance Based Questions.
Tip 2
If you are having trouble with a Performance Based Questions, mark it and move onto the next question.
This can be said for both the Performance Based Questions and the multiple choice questions. CompTIA exams allow you to mark a question for later review. The Performance Based questions are challenging, and you do not want to spend too much of the allotted 90 minutes on these questions.
Tips for Multiple Choice Questions
The number of multiple choice questions will vary from exam to exam, but they will be multiple choice. There will be no true/false, no short essay, and no fill in the blanks. So the good news is that the correct answer (or answers) is/are there; you just have to find it/them. Being familiar with the technical jargon will go a long way to help you pass the exams.
Take advantage of the acronym list from this GetCertified web site. Reviewing this document will be invaluable.
Tip 3
Identify a key word or phrase in the question.
Sample Question: Which of the following must be available to host a virtual environment?
A. SAN
B. KVM
C. VLAN
D. Hypervisor
If you identify virtual as a key word, you can look for an answer that pairs nicely with that key word. If you familiarized yourself with the A+ acronym list, you know Hypervisor is the right answer.
Tip 4
Capitalized words in the question are there for a reason.
Sample Question: Which of the following requires a MINIMUM of three hard drives?
A. RAID 0
B. RAID 1
C. RAID 5
D. RAID 3
MOST, LEAST, MINIMUM, MAXIMUM, FIRST. These words are VERY important. RAID 0 can utilize three hard drives, but only RAID 5 requires at least three hard drives.
Tip 5
Know the vocabulary
Sample Question: Why would you use plenum rated cables when installing new cabling in your office?
A. Efficiently reduces EMI and cross talk in STP cabling
B. Allows cabling to be easily bent without snapping
C. Reduction in hazardous fumes if cable is on fire
D. Ensures an intruder cannot wiretap your cabling
If you reviewed CompTIA’s A+ Essentials Objectives, you know about plenum-grade cables, and you also know they are used to reduce the emission of harmful fumes in case of a fire.
Tip 6
Generally, you can eliminate at least two answers.
Sample Question: You are setting up a small office with five clients running Windows 7. The clients will access the network through a Wireless Access Point. Which of the following encryption methods is the MOST secure?
A. WEP
B. WPA2 Personal
C. Ad hoc
D. Infrastructure
If you reviewed wireless networks, you know that ad-hoc and infrastructure have nothing to do with encryption methods in a wireless network. WEP and WPA2 Personal are wireless encryption methods but WPA2 Personal is the MOST secure.
Tip 7
Generally, you can eliminate at least two answers.
Sample Question: You are setting up a small office with five clients running Windows 7. The clients will access the network through a Wireless Access Point. Which of the following encryption methods is the MOST secure?
A. WEP
B. WPA2 Personal
C. Ad hoc
D. Infrastructure
If you reviewed wireless networks, you know that ad-hoc and infrastructure have nothing to do with encryption methods in a wireless network. WEP and WPA2 Personal are wireless encryption methods but WPA2 Personal is the MOST secure.
Tip 8
Knowing the wrong answer is a good thing.
Sample Question: What port does Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) use?
A. 80
B. 443
C. 389
D. 25
You studied common port numbers, but cannot recall LDAP’s port number. However, you do know port 80 is HTTP, 443 is HTTPS and 25 is SMTP; therefore, the remaining answer, port 389, must be correct.
Tip 9
Anticipate the answer as you read the question.
Sample Question: A co-worker wants to purchase an external hard drive for her PC. Which of the following could you recommend? (Select TWO).
Before you actually read the possible answers, think: What are examples of external hard drives? Now, when you see the answers, picking the correct one(s) will be a snap!
A. SATA
B. PATA
C. eSATA
D. USB
The only external hard drives listed are eSATA and USB.
Tip 10
Later questions may help with earlier questions.
Sample Question: A co-worker wants to add an internal hard drive for her PC. Which of the following could you recommend? (Select TWO).
A. SATA
B. PATA
C. eSATA
D. USB
This question is almost identical to the earlier question. But the key phrase in the earlier question was external hard drives, and this one is internal hard drive. You know SATA and PATA are internal hard drives and are the two correct answers; therefore, eSATA must be an external hard drive. If you were unsure about eSATA, you can return to the earlier question and mark the correct answer.
Tip 11
Do not leave any answers blank.
A blank answer is worth zero. If all of the above tips fail, guess. You can mark any question and return to it if you have time left before the exam ends, and this leads us to the final and perhaps most important tip.
Tip 12
DO NOT CHANGE YOUR FIRST ANSWER UNLESS YOU KNOW YOU ARE WRONG.
Use all of your knowledge and test taking skills to answer the questions. Mark those questions that have challenged or confused you. If you have time, go back to those questions, but remember your first response is usually correct.
To pass a CompTIA exam, you must master the technical information presented in the test. CompTIA classes, books, and videos will help in that area, but there is also a skill to deconstructing the test questions to compliment that knowledge.