Does the A* exams really prepare you ?

[Jennifer]

I took the A+ exams back in 1999. Since then I have built/rebuilt and trouble shot most all computers. I still run into problems with certain things thanks for "PC Guide" I have been walked threw some of them. If I were to take the exams again I would probably flunk! A+ doesn't necessary focus on conflicts or the many other problems some have with computers. It's just to bad that all the training and dollars one might spend, it really doesn’t prepare you for "Computer Repair) ?

Comments excepted......

[zerocommazero]

no. but then again, does a drivers license course really prepare you for real life driving? All a drivers license proves is that you passed the minimum requirements to get that paper.

[PrntRhd]

There is no substitute for Aptitude, Experience and a positive Attitude, and it helps the experience if one enjoys working with computers to begin with.
:)
Some of the local electronics superstores hire only techs with A+ certs but that does not make them great repair shops.

[saphalline]

A+ certainly doesn't prepare one for fixing common computer problems, but then again is there really a course one could take for that? Computers are constantly changing, and it doesn't help that the old stuff is still functioning, complicating a repair person's job even more so! How could there be a universal test/course that would prepare you for fixing a high-end SLI gaming system one day, and an old 486 system the next day? Not to mention all the aspects of fixing a computer, of which none of us are experts on everything: hardware, software, Windows, security, spyware/adware, peripherals, proprietary issues, networking, gaming, system tweaking, mixing old & new, etc. This list is already daunting and it's not even finished! :eek:

With all the info that A+ intends to deliver, it doesn't do too badly. But it can only be updated so often, and it can only cover so much. And of course, no test can prepare you for experience. ;) I don't consider someone good at computers simply because they have A+ certification, but I won't count them out, either. Likewise, not everyone who's good at fixing computers has A+ certification. I don't, and I'm not too shabby when it comes to hardware and fixing general problems.

[deddard]

Like many courses, the A+ should prep you with a knowledge of the basics. This sounds like you'll only know the simple stuff, but it isn't the case. Knowing and understanding the fundamentals behind hardware and software configuration, and the problems that can arise is the simplest way to solve complex problems.
Whilst it is often easy for a specialist to jump straight on a specific problem they are familiar with that would baffle even the most experiened technician, if that person were to step outside their own specialist area they would be foxed.
Knowing the nuts and bolts gives you a good basis on which to start. I certainly don't think the A+ is the be all and end all of certification (I am A+ certified) I do think the knowledge required is a good start.
I don't like CompTIA exams particularly though - they like shifting the goalposts and you're never quite sure where you need to aim.

[Kernel sanders]

If you had to actually know what you were doing when you got certified, there probably wouldnt be that many A+'s or Mcse's. it will get you a job though.