Author Interview: Mike Meyers

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CompTIA A+ certification is a great blueprint of real world, practical computer knowledge that will serve anyone who works with PCs well. In his latest edition of his excellent CompTIA A+ Certification Exam Guide, author Mike Meyers guides you through everything you'll need to know to earn what he praises as "THE entry-level certification."

In this book, Mike Meyers explains what the differences are between the exams, and how to study for each one. He'll walk you through everything from how to install new hardware to implementing security measures. Recently, he took some time out of his busy schedule to discuss his new book, and A+ certification in general, with GoCertify.com.

GoCertify: Why is A+ certification considered a good entry point into computer certification? After all, does everyone who works with computers need to know this material?

I think everyone but the most basic user gains a tremendous advantage by getting CompTIA A+ certified. The A+ is practical. It applies to anyone who ever finds themselves staring at an error message or a dead hard drive. You'd be amazed at the cross-section of readers I get for my A+ books: everything from casual home users to very high level network administrators. Do these folks need the A+ for their jobs? Heck, no! But A+ is known as practical and real world and people want the knowledge, even if they never take the exam. (By the way, this drives CompTIA nuts! They want everyone to take the exam).

GoCertify: What are the main differences between the previous A+ certification format of a hardware and an OS quiz and the redesigned program? Is this really a better design?

Mike Meyers: I think it's a much better design. The old A+ "Hardware" and "OS" was a throwback form the 1970's of "hardware" and "software;" the absolute worst way to divide up the learning of PC repair. Think about hard drives. In the old exams, the Hardware exam covered how to physically install the drive, set jumpers, configured CMOS and then it just stopped. If you wanted to learn about partitioning and formatting-the next steps in making a hard drive work in a PC-you then had to study for the OS exam. That was total non-reality. A PC tech doesn't make some mental separation between plugging in the drive and partitioning it. It's all one job that you do all at once. I could give a hundred examples like this. As a result, I told people always to take both exams at once so you could learn both the hardware and software at the same time. While I still believe taking both exams at once is the best route, I'm much more comfortable with those who like to do the one-test-at-a-time approach.

The new exams, and I want to concentrate on the Essentials and the 602 here, use a much more elegant separation. The Essentials exam covers the "Identify, Understand, and Install" aspects to PCs, while the 602 exam covers the "Maintain, Configure, and Troubleshoot" issues. Be aware there is some overlap; you'll find a few basic troubleshooting questions on the Essentials and you'll see a more advanced installation questions on the 602, for example. That said, this is a much more logical and intuitive separation than the old, artificial Hardware/OS separation.

GoCertify: About how long will it take for someone to study to become A+ Certified, and how much prior experience do they really need?

Mike Meyers: Good question! I dedicate the first chapter in my book to helping readers get themselves organized to take the exams. While you really need to take advantage of the charts and plans in my book to get an accurate idea, I'll ballpark that a total neophyte needs around 200 hours, while an experienced tech needs about 40. There are many, many variables.

Prior experience? A+ is THE entry-level certification so you're not required to have any prior experience. However, a person who is not comfortable using a PC would probably not enjoy my book as much. I assume the reader has solid user skills: they know how to use a mouse, can open files, manipulate Windows, run a web browser, etc. If someone is that new they should take a look at Certiport's amazing IC3 certification (www.certiport.com) before taking on A+.

GoCertify: What are the major differences between the IT Technician, Help Desk Technician, and Depot Technician exams and how should someone choose which one to take?

Mike Meyers: If you read the domains for all three of the "second" exams, you'll see that each of them breaks down into five to eight fairly standard sub-domains. They are:

Personal Computer Components
Laptops and Portables
Operating Systems
Printers and Scanners
Networks
Security
Safety and Environmental
Communications and Professionalism

In my opinion both the 603 (what you call the Help Desk Technician) and the 604 (what you call the Depot Technician) are simply subsets of the 602. There are a few very minor, very subtle exceptions. Here's how I mentally delineate between the three exams.

IT Technician - Operating System Topics - Professionalism and Communication - Most Networks = Depot Technician
IT Technician - Laptops - Safety and Environmental = Help Desk Technician

Personally, I'm not as bullish about the 603 and 604 exams. I think the subset aspect is going to present challenges for them in the industry. I'm worried about folks turning up their noses and saying things like: "Oh, you didn't take the REAL second exam" kind of thing. As these new tests mature, I may change my tune. I'm watching how this develops very closely. My A+ materials hit the Essentials and the 602 exam. I place a matrix in the book to tell you what not to read to cover the 603 and 604.

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