A+ Content Concerns

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Hello. I recently finished up the hardware section for the 220-901 A+ material. Before I jumped into the next section I wanted to do some studying, so I checked out the trancender flash cards. I was happy to see that you could break down the flashcards into each section, a very handy feature. What I wasn't happy about was that I was 20 cards in and had marked every single one for review because I didn't know the answer to any of them. These flashcards go into specifics that are not included in the ITproTV course. And it isn't just a few. I would say the majority. I can remember more than a couple times that the presenters actually said "comptia isn't looking to go that specific". Before I signed up for a membership last week I entered the chat and asked an associate if this program allowed you to bypass purchasing books. She said yes, and that the courses are designed to provide all necessary information to pass the exams. So I'm wondering if either that was not true or either transcenders info or ITpro's info is outdated with each other.

I would feel different if the presenters were forward about having to supplement the video material with additional information, but like I said, they say multiple times that comptia isn't going that specific on multiple topics. We didn't learn what a print spooler was, or how vertical and horizontal refresh rates work. We didn't learn about CPU throttling or the xerographic technique for printers. My first flash card asked me what the transfer speed of USB 1.0 is. The only thing they say in the coursework about USB 1.0 is that it was not widely adopted. The course did not prepare me to answer that question. One of many examples.

Can anyone comment on their experience with the A+ exam and how it was compared to the ITpro course and the Trancender practice questions?

Edit: "Which processors use LGA 1155 sockets?"

Trancender answer: Core i3/i5/i7, Pentium, Celeron, Xeon

ITpro course answer: Sandy Bridge, Ivy Bridge, Xeon

"Which processors use FM2 sockets?"

Trancender answer: Athlon X2 and Athlon X4

ITpro course answer: AMD Trinity

Hi Tyler,

When preparing to pass certifications I think most everyone would agree that a single source isn’t going to cover every single item that you may need to know. Therefore, it would be good to have multiple study sources. I recently passed the 901 and 902 on my first attempt and I felt that the ITPRO TV courses and transcender practice exams were sufficient to prepare me. ITPRO does a great job of setting context and taking a deep dive into each subject but transcender focuses you more on what to expect and memorize for the exam. That said, I couldn't have passed without both.

Good luck!

@Kyle-Kohl
Hey Kyle, thanks very much for the response. I agree completely about not expecting all the information to be from a single source. I don't mind that at all. I just wasn't expecting such a disconnect between the material. And now I'm a bit concerned about the inconsistencies between the material, as I edited into my first post. Those are two examples of a handful of conflicting answers between the material.

Would you happen to know where the material is that the trancender flashcards are based off of? That is what I would like to be studying. For now the flashcards are great.

Hey Tyler,

These are all great questions/concerns, when it comes to our A+ courses, they include information that is representative of the topics (samples and examples) but not necessarily completely exhaustive. The practice tests are meant to make exam candidates to study harder and can be extremely difficult as a final preparation for the exam.

For example in your comment:

"Which processors use FM2 sockets?"

Trancender answer: Athlon X2 and Athlon X4

ITpro course answer: AMD Trinity"

This is another great point, when you look at both answer neither are completely exhaustive as there are 14 or so CPUs that use the FM2 socket. The Trinity architecture covers a great majority, as example:

A-Series (A4, A6, A8, A10 )

Athlon Series (Athlon x2, Athlon x4)

FirePro Series

Sempron

FX-670K

Also you mentioned:

"My first flash card asked me what the transfer speed of USB 1.0 is. The only thing they say in the coursework about USB 1.0 is that it was not widely adopted. The course did not prepare me to answer that question."

This is a topic that Transcender is putting into their question bank but is not required by the official CompTIA 220-901 exam objectives. This is what makes the exam candidate study more. We always encourage viewers to use additional content, this is why we have practice exams and labs to give viewers additional information to help pass the exam.

We always appreciate the feedback and strive to bring better content. Thank you for watching and I hope this helps to clarify some of your questions!

@wes-bryan
Wes, I really appreciate the response. Thank you. Considering how expensive it is to get the vouchers to go take the exams, my main priority is to not be under prepared when I sit down to take the test. In other words, it isn't that big of a deal to me that the information within the course is not comprehensive, like I thought it was when signing up, but it is a big deal that I now know that the intention of the course is to lay everything out, go into detail about a number of things, but encourage reaching out to other sources for additional understanding.

I wonder if you had any recommendations for going about this? It is reassuring that user Kyle above had success by consuming the course videos and memorizing with the transcender flash cards, because that is what I'm currently doing. If you have any additional advice please include, and you can mark the thread solved. Thanks again.

Hey Tyler,

I have a few resources that I would and have recommended throughout the years:

Mike Meyers - CompTIA A+ Certification All-in-One Exam Guide, Ninth Edition (Exams 220-901 & 220-902) 9th Edition

https://www.amazon.com/CompTIA-Certification-Guide-220-901-220-902/dp/125958951X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1509541786&sr=8-1&keywords=mike+meyers+comptia+a

Exam Cram - CompTIA A+ 220-901 and 220-902 Exam Cram 1st Edition

https://www.amazon.com/CompTIA-220-901-220-902-Exam-Cram/dp/0789756315/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1509542193&sr=1-1&keywords=exam+cram+a

CompTIA A+ Complete Study Guide: Exams 220-901 and 220-902 3rd Edition

https://www.amazon.com/CompTIA-Complete-Study-Guide-220-901/dp/1119137853/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1509542278&sr=1-3&keywords=comptia+a%2B+certification

I want you to know that anytime you have a question about any of the topics you come across please do not hesitate to ask in the forums. You do not need to go at it alone, I would be more than happy to help answer any questions you have.

@wes-bryan
Excellent, will look into these, thank you again.