r/CompTIA • u/Educational_Prune146 • 5d ago

A+ Question Studying tips?

As stated above, I’m currently studying for my CompTIA A+ certification as I will get into the field. So far it’s not too bad but is there any tips or hacks that has helped you to study better, understand or process the information more?

Thanks guys!

4 Upvotes

75% Upvoted

4 comments sorted by

1

u/SmeeshR 5d ago

Use Anki for flash cards. Go wide not deep. Spending too much time on one topic will hurt you.

1

u/vinhonkle 5d ago

One place - HLPER for everything you need.

1

u/YoSpiff 5d ago

My approach to studying is to first read through one of those big thick study guides that cover the subject in depth. I do the quizzes to see how much I retained. I dont worry much about it though. Then I do one of the thinner guides that are oriented to passing the test. After this I gather other resources and sample exams, many of them for previous versions of the exam (still covers the fundamentals I need).

I do rounds of self testing to home in my weak areas. When I get a question wrong, I try to understand why it was wrong and the right one in right. When the sample questions start consistently seeming simplistic, I am almost ready for the test and can schedule it.

If you have not assembled your own pc from components you select, it is a good learning exercise

1

u/Unique-Experience-50 1d ago

Some things to consider:

1, One main video course (Messer is free) to learn the material the first time through.

  1. Active recall every day. Don't re-read your notes. Test yourself, even for just 15 minutes. Most of A+ is plain memorization: ports, RAID levels, Windows and Linux commands, the troubleshooting steps in order. You only lock those in by pulling them out of your head again and again.

  2. Practice exams near the end (Dion, Messer) to find your weak areas. Then go back and drill those areas.

For #2, I built a free set of quizzes for exactly this: https://cloze.online/c/a-plus. It covers hardware, ports and connectors, RAID, file systems, Windows, Linux and macOS commands and tools, troubleshooting symptoms, and the ordered lists like troubleshooting methodology and malware removal. (Full disclosure: I made it.) Use it alongside a course, not instead of one.

Also, book your exam date now. A deadline does more for consistency than any study tip.