The MONSTER A+ Study Page

So you want to be a CompTIA A+ Certified PC Tech, huh? All you have to do is pass the tests and it's not as tough as it might sound. I studied using Michael Meyers' All-In-One A+ Certification Exam Guide (second edition) and Jeff Thorsell's incredible PREP! For A+ self-test software (HIGHLY recommended). I also used several of the braindumps listed below, but found most to contain inaccurate or at best, misleading information. As always, do some research on any of the answers listed at these sites to make sure you KNOW it's the right answer. I passed both exams within four days of each other with a 95 on the Core and a 96 on the DOS/WIN (missed 3 on each) using only the resources listed on this page (coupled with several years of actual in-field tech experience). Even without the experience though, you shouldn't have too much trouble passing as long as you study hard before you write the exams. Good luck and I hope you find something here that helps!

---Don, A+ Certified Technician

Here are a few notes and tips for the Core exam concerning some of the tougher areas. I haven't included any of the exact questions, but make sure you know these things before you test.

• Memorize default IRQ's! IRQ for the floppy drive [IRQ6], [IRQ3 for COM 2,4; IRQ4 for COM 1,3], cascaded IRQ's [IRQ2/9]. Just remember that if there is a device using one of these interrupts, the other can't be used.
• Know your COM and LPT port I/O addresses! Here's a little trick you can use to keep the COM I/O's straight: For the numbers (2,3) ODDS GO WITH ODDS (3 for COM 1 and 3, 2 for COM 2 and 4); for the letters (E,F) COM 1 and 2 are (F)irst COM 3 and 4 are (E)xtra. So COM 1 would be 0x3<-(odd) F <-(first) and then 8 or [0x3F8 (3F8h is the syntax used in the test)]. Props to Jeff Thorsell for this great trick! Also, know the LPT I/O addresses [378h for LPT1, 278h for LPT2].
• DMA for the floppy controller [DMA2]. The other device that commonly uses a DMA (sound card).
• Memorize CPU bus sizes. Just remember that the 386SX runs internally at 32 bits, but only 16 on the external data bus. The 386DX is 32-bit internal and external. The 486SX is 32-bit internal and external with a DISABLED math coprocessor, while the 486DX is also true 32-bit with the coprocessor enabled.
• WHAT DEFLECTS THE INK IN AN INKJET PRINTER? I answered multi-directional nozzle, but I believe the correct answer is ELECTRICALLY CHARGED PLATES. Check this out for yourself. Also, know the correct printing sequence for lasers. Here's the trick I used: CLEANING, CONDITIONING, WRITING, DEVELOPING, TRANSFERRING, FUSING are the phases or [CCWDTF]. Ever thought there should be a law against people using cell phones in their cars? (Can't Call While Driving The Freeway = CCWDTF) Hehe. Remember that the only thing you should use to clean a dot-matrix printhead is denatured alcohol.
• The most commonly replaced laser printer component is the ozone filter.
• The OPC (organic photo conductor) drum in a laser printer should NOT be exposed to light.
• The modem commands you need to know are ATH (for hang up), ATZ (for reset), and ATD (for dialing out).
• Remember that ESD is most likely to occur when it's COLD and DRY.
• The purpose of a thermal fuse in a laser printer is to keep the fuser roller from overheating.
• Remember that you can attach a maximum of 7 devices to a SCSI host adapter and that each device must have its own ID. A SCSI cable uses a 50-pin connector.
• The SCSI host adapter should usually be set at ID7.
• A floppy drive uses a 34-pin connector.
• Parallel ports use a 25-pin FEMALE D-Shell connector, while serial ports use a 9-pin MALE.
• BIOS is also known as FIRMWARE.
• Remember that the Pentium uses SOCKET-7 and the Pentium Pro uses a SOCKET-8 ZIF (zero insertion force). Pentium 2 uses SLOT-1 SEC (single-edge cartridge) and has an L2 cache in the cartridge along with the standard L1.
• When the computer boots, the first code read is in the ROM BIOS.
• CMOS (complimentary metal-oxide semiconductor) stores settings used by the system BIOS.
• A sector is comprised of 512 BYTES.
• Keep in mind that flashing (upgrading) the BIOS may be necessary for older systems to be able to use hard drives above 528MB.
• FDISK is the DOS utility for partitioning hard drives. NEVER perform a low-level format on an IDE drive.
• Know about handshaking. Modems transmit an RTS or READY TO SEND signal before sending data.
• Of course, always use a wrist strap while handling circuit boards, and NEVER while servicing CRT's. The resistor in the wrist strap is to protect the wearer.
• A multimeter will always read 0.0 ohms when testing a good fuse regardless of amp rating.

Continue on to the DOS/WIN section or check out these great A+ site links!

My notes and suggestions for the A+ DOS/WIN module
Neil's A+ Braindump, a great source of information.
A good free practice test site
The BEST self-test software I used for $30 AND discount exam vouchers. Save $$ and score HIGH