alt.certification.a-plus - Networks+ and certificate processing time

Author

Networks+ and certificate processing time

Barry Watzman

2002-09-27, 4:29 pm

Well, a couple of things .....

First, I received my A+ certificate today. I only took the test last
Monday (16th), so that's 11 days, if anyone else is wondering how long
it takes from exam to receipt of certificate.

By the way, if you join CompTIA as an individual member ($52), you get a
"one-forth off" voucher for any future exam. I didn't know that, but if
you are going to do A+ and then Network+ or Server+ in quick succession,
it's worth keeping in mind. However a good discount voucher (like the
ones that I got from www.ExamVouchers.com) is still probably a
better deal if you don't want the membership for some other reason (if
you buy one from them, please give my name and E-Mail address as a
referral, they give $5 referral credits)(Barry Watzman, Watzman@neo.rr.com).

Second, I took and passed the Network+ exam today, after 4 days of
studying for it (started on Monday), but, as with the A+ exam, I've been
doing this for 30 years (ok, not that long for Networks ....), and I
knew a lot of the material.

Although I got a high score on the exam (833 out of, for this exam, a
perfect score of 900), I thought it was a VERY difficult exam. There
was a LOT of stuff that I had not studied, indeed some that I'd never
seen before. I remember thinking on a few questions (just a few) that
"I don't understand even the question any more than would Joe six-pack
from off the street". I had no idea how I was doing, and I was not at
all confident that I'd even passed. As one example, there were
questions on sub-protocols within APPLE localtalk networks that I'd
simply never encountered. I thought it was a very difficult exam, not
withstanding my high score (which frankly surprised me). I don't know
what to tell anyone preparing for it, but I used the Mike Meyers books
(both of them, complete and Passport), and I'm not confident that, BY
THEMSELVES, they would be enough for someone without a fair amount of
experience and knowledge from other sources.

I did find that there were some questions which, if I "took a deep
breath and a step back", I could solve by using logic relative to the
exam presentation with no knowledge of the subject matter. Take your
time on the test, and see if there is logic unrelated to the subject
matter that will help you answer the question. This is a "test taking
skill" rather than an networking skill, but it definitely comes in
useful. I won't be more specific as I don't want to discuss specific
questions in detail.

Anyway, that's my A+/Network+ story, now I'm on to at least a few MS tests.

Two questions on the MS tests for MCSA:

1. Do you have to register with MS in any way to enter the "MS
Certification Program" before you begin taking the MS tests ?
[obviously, I'm talking about registration above and beyond simply
registering with VUE or Prometrics for the exams].

2. I had prepared for, but never took, the old MS "Network Essentials"
exam about 3 years ago. That exam no longer exists, but given that I
just took the Network+ test, and had prepared for that discontinued MS
exam, is the new MCSA test 70-218 (Managing a Windows 2000 Network) by
any chance similar to the old "Network Essentials" exam, and should I
just take that one next as it's most similar to the test that I just
finished studying for ?

Thanks,
Barry Watzman

Rick Wagner

2002-09-27, 9:28 pm

According to CompTIA, Microsoft is recognizing the A+ and Network+ exams for
the MCSA. This paragraph comes from the ComTIA web site:
Microsoft has selected CompTIA certifications as an alternative to passing
an elective exam in the Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator (MCSA) on
Windows 2000 certification. Microsoft recognizes that CompTIA credentials
have relevance and global recognition across the industry, and have a
robust, scalable and proven development process.

It is located at http://www.comptia.org/certification/mcsa/

Regards,

Rick Wagner

"Barry Watzman" <Watzman@neo.rr.com> wrote in message
news:3D94BBDF.6080600@neo.rr.com...
> Well, a couple of things .....
>
> First, I received my A+ certificate today. I only took the test last
> Monday (16th), so that's 11 days, if anyone else is wondering how long
> it takes from exam to receipt of certificate.
>
> By the way, if you join CompTIA as an individual member ($52), you get a
> "one-forth off" voucher for any future exam. I didn't know that, but if
> you are going to do A+ and then Network+ or Server+ in quick succession,
> it's worth keeping in mind. However a good discount voucher (like the
> ones that I got from www.ExamVouchers.com) is still probably a
> better deal if you don't want the membership for some other reason (if
> you buy one from them, please give my name and E-Mail address as a
> referral, they give $5 referral credits)(Barry Watzman,
Watzman@neo.rr.com).
>
> Second, I took and passed the Network+ exam today, after 4 days of
> studying for it (started on Monday), but, as with the A+ exam, I've been
> doing this for 30 years (ok, not that long for Networks ....), and I
> knew a lot of the material.
>
> Although I got a high score on the exam (833 out of, for this exam, a
> perfect score of 900), I thought it was a VERY difficult exam. There
> was a LOT of stuff that I had not studied, indeed some that I'd never
> seen before. I remember thinking on a few questions (just a few) that
> "I don't understand even the question any more than would Joe six-pack
> from off the street". I had no idea how I was doing, and I was not at
> all confident that I'd even passed. As one example, there were
> questions on sub-protocols within APPLE localtalk networks that I'd
> simply never encountered. I thought it was a very difficult exam, not
> withstanding my high score (which frankly surprised me). I don't know
> what to tell anyone preparing for it, but I used the Mike Meyers books
> (both of them, complete and Passport), and I'm not confident that, BY
> THEMSELVES, they would be enough for someone without a fair amount of
> experience and knowledge from other sources.
>
> I did find that there were some questions which, if I "took a deep
> breath and a step back", I could solve by using logic relative to the
> exam presentation with no knowledge of the subject matter. Take your
> time on the test, and see if there is logic unrelated to the subject
> matter that will help you answer the question. This is a "test taking
> skill" rather than an networking skill, but it definitely comes in
> useful. I won't be more specific as I don't want to discuss specific
> questions in detail.
>
> Anyway, that's my A+/Network+ story, now I'm on to at least a few MS
tests.
>
> Two questions on the MS tests for MCSA:
>
> 1. Do you have to register with MS in any way to enter the "MS
> Certification Program" before you begin taking the MS tests ?
> [obviously, I'm talking about registration above and beyond simply
> registering with VUE or Prometrics for the exams].
>
> 2. I had prepared for, but never took, the old MS "Network Essentials"
> exam about 3 years ago. That exam no longer exists, but given that I
> just took the Network+ test, and had prepared for that discontinued MS
> exam, is the new MCSA test 70-218 (Managing a Windows 2000 Network) by
> any chance similar to the old "Network Essentials" exam, and should I
> just take that one next as it's most similar to the test that I just
> finished studying for ?
>
> Thanks,
> Barry Watzman
>

Rick Wagner

2002-09-27, 10:28 pm

gr33nd4yg1rl

2002-09-28, 4:06 am

i'm having a hard enough time studying for the A+ exams...nevermind N+. i don't have much networking experience and i think i'm not going to attempt to take N+. i'm using mike's all in one book and his passport book to study for A+...there's so much to remember. and i'm not even sure if what i'm memorizing is going to be on the test. it's kind of discouraging...sometimes i think about just giving up studying computers altogether

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