I was wondering if anyone knows if the Coriolis books (Exam Cram & Exam Prep) books are any good.

I have used them in the past for MCDBA study guides and I found them to be quite good.

I have seen mixed reviews from Amazon.com regarding the Linux study books though.

The reason I ask is because Coriolis is selling these books at 75% off. (Only at their website)

RHCE
LPI
SAIR Linux

If you go to Amazon, you will only see the normal 20-30% off. But if you go to the Coriolis site, you will see it at a whopping 75% off.

If they are good then it seems like a good deal.

Any comments?

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Coriolis has filed Chapt. 11 bankruptcy. Better get any Exam Crams or Preps while they are still available. After that, they're gone. I have always liked them and I have several. They are better than a lot of the books people are rushing to market with these days. Sad but true.

hang loose.

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Tcat's Security+ PDF
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ExamCram books I never liked much. They always seemed to be focusing on the test itself and helping you to memorise answers with not really understanding the subject in depth. Coriolis Black Books have lots of good info, but they are quite dull. I usually stick to O'Reilly books for *nixy type subjects.

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If you have a little Linux experience, all you need is a quick read through the exam cram book...

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Raph

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I really Like the Exam Cram Books. Short, concise and to the point. I do agree w/VMS Kid about Memorizing questions, in the long run it will do you no good. I feel Exam Cram guides, along with other sources,ie, Sybex study guides,O'Reilly books will help you understand the subject matter, rather than memorize test questions. I do feel practice tests have their place, and if applied correctly they will help grasp the subject. Take the test, identify weaknesses and study harder in the area you are weak in. As I said in my 1st post in this forum, I wish I had read through my "Linux System Administration", By Marcel Gagne a little more before I took the Linux+. This is an excellent resource for Vets as well as Newbies in the Linux OS field.
Theodore

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Thanks for the info. I was have taken the Linux+ exam, passed and now I have taken the LPI Exam 101 and passed.

I was wondering if the Coriolis books would be good for that since these texts were more focused on the Linux instead of the hardware.

Well, I can tell you that the LPI Exam 101 is lot harder than the Linux+ exam. The questions were more fair though. I used the LPI Linux Certification in a Nutshell. This book was okay but it did miss some things required for that test.

I might look at the Exam cram book for exam 102 since the price is quite low now. Also, I wanted to get more practice questions as this helps me keep focused on the topics. Although these prep guides can't give you everything, they at least get you thinking about it.

Good luck to those who pursue the LPI linux certs.

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I think I might try for those but wasn't sure what to expect. So you would recommend the "Nutshell" book?

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The LPI Linux Certification in a Nutshell book is good. It gives you a defined path of study. It has some gaps in the the information provided as some things I found in the test for LPI 101 was not in the book. I would assume that they expect you to have some experience with Linux already when you take the test. Also the author took the beta exams and patterned his book on the types of questions ask there.

It has been the only book I have been using thus far for the Linux Certs with the exception of the other Nutshell books from Oreilly and some practice tests from Cert21.

According to other reader comments from Amazon - they pick this book over others.

And I have to aggree with them.

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Thanks for the heads up, I think i will try for that one after my HP-UX. I think the "Nutshell" title made me worry about it as I usually associate these books with stuff that is topical and not overly detailed. Thanks again.

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