Learning More About the Exams

Now that you're reading the best A+ Certification study guide on the market, it's time to learn more about the process. Start by going to the CompTIA Web site at www.comptia.com.

Good news! If you have passed either of the 2001 versions of these exams, you can take the 2003 revision of the other exam and also receive your A+ Certification.

However, it's too late for you to take just one exam if the only A+ Certification Exam you passed was based on the 1998 or earlier revisions to the test.

CompTIA is the organization responsible for the creation of A+ Certification and the development of the A+ Certification Exams.

Follow the Certification link to continue. The Certification page provides a brief overview of the A+ and other certifications that CompTIA offers. Use the A+ link at the top of the page to proceed to the A+ portion of the site.

After you reach the A+ Certification page on the CompTIA site, you can learn more about the test, read the objectives (which are also listed in Chapter 1, "A+ Objectives for the 2003 Exam Revisions"), and choose an exam center.

The test codes for the 2003 revisions to the A+ Certification Exams are 220-301 (A+ Core Hardware) and 220-302 (A+ Operating Systems). You should allow two hours for each exam (including 15 minutes for the candidate agreement and 15 minutes for the exam survey).

tip

At one time, you needed to pass both exams within 90 calendar days to receive your A+ Certification. However, this is no longer true. Consequently, you should study for one exam, pass it, and then study for and take the other exam (you can take them in any order).

Initially, the 2003 revisions to the CompTIA A+ Certification Exams are given in a linear format of no more than 90 questions. However, the 2001 exams switched from a linear format to the adaptive format before they were retired in November 2003, so don't be surprised if this happens with the 2003 exams in the future. What's the difference?

• A linear-format exam requires you to answer a fixed number of questions correctly to achieve the minimum passing grade, and the same number of questions are used for each exam. This is the format that is used at present.

• An adaptive format adjusts the difficulty of questions according to your skill level: You are asked questions until you achieve a passing grade, run out of time, or have reached the maximum number of questions possible. Thus, two people who take an adaptive exam might answer a different number of questions. You see only one question at a time and you can't skip it and go back to it later. This format might be used in the future, but is currently not in use.