What are /r/CompTIA's favorite Products & Services?

From 3.5 billion Reddit comments

I've just started studying for this so I'm certainly no expert, but have you tried the Professer Messer videos? He's touched on legacy stuff a good bit up to where I'm at, I don't know how much more in detail he goes into it though.

Microsoft provides Windows XP/7/8/8.1/10 virtual machines for non-production use:

https://dev.windows.com/en-us/microsoft-edge/tools/vms/mac/

There are pre-built VMs for all of the major desktop virtualization software packages, so all you have to do is download and start learning. To get started for free on Mac OS X, I recommend VirtualBox:

https://www.virtualbox.org/

Congrats! CBROPS or even a practical cert in SPLUNK may be fun and beneficial. To get the ball rolling for FREE on the SPLUNK training.

I am pretty sure I absolutely bombed one of the PBQ and just best guess on log questions on security+. Still passed so you don't have to know all of it.... just enough to pass. Experience will solidify the learned material anyway not just a one time test.

As far as you study resources I have never used ucertify or Mike Meyers but at least Mike Meyers is highly recommended on here from others. In my opinion examcompass is shit. For the main reason the material is not similar to real questions so it seems to mimic the shit that is certmaster; it is either too vague to be useful on the real test or way too in depth to be useful on the real test. I found the two best resources to be crucialexams.com (which has an app which makes it handy on the go) and the Darrell Gibson app from the Google play store that is 7.99 is so worth the money. That was one of the very few things I bought to study with and it was easily the best single resource I have used on any CompTIA cert. (Link here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.learnzapp.securityplus ). The questions are the absolute closest to real test questions as any resource I used. Did you use professor messer stuff at all?

You can certainly pass OP! If how you studied to pass before didn't work this time just change your strategy. You will test again before you know it and pass.

just some hints here

you exam results have the areas and fields you lacked in so you can focus in weak areas.

professor Messer is free video course for a+

Mike meyers and jason dion has a+ video courses as well down to 10bucks on udemy.com right now

examcompas.com has quick 20 questions quizzes for free as well combined with wikipedia search your can easy spot and fix some weakpoints there as well.

So, I'm not sure what resources you are using to learn this information, but I will just leave this here. IP Addressing Once you follow this link, the information pertaining to most of your questions will likely reside in "1.3 – IP Addressing". Professor Messer does an excellent job explaining binary math and conversions for subnetting in these videos.

I would also recommend breaking out an old notepad and trying a bunch of examples yourself. I for one am not a big fan of Math, however binary math is relatively straight forward and simple and with a good explanation and a little bit of practice I guarantee you it will 'click'.

I also came across this pdf file while on the hunt for a subnet workbook, I can't attest to its quality because I didn't end up using it, but you might try your luck. Subnet workbook

Messers videos are good as they are laid out in the same order as the exam objectives, i did get this book to read and make notes from (also laid out in the same order as the objectives), i use a flashcard app to make notes and ask myself questions. with regards to the ports i did them in reverse also - what port is FTP ? or what protocol uses tcp/21 so i learnt them both ways

I would recommend his notes aswell, they are just a printable version of the videos, but i referred to this when i was reading the book and making my own notes to see if he had something i missed.

All the things he mentions have a chance of coming up on the exam, so i did my best to try commit as much of it to memory as i could.

This: SYBEX

and DION

Just passed my A + yesterday! You are welcome to my quizlet notes on the Core 2 exam! Dont have any on Core 1 cus thats before i started using quizlet.

https://quizlet.com/568750253/comptia-a-220-1002-flash-cards/?x=1jqU&i=3hv0cr

I used professor Messer, Mike Myers, Jason Dion on udemy, and used 2 studying apps including quizlet. This is the other app i used. Great resource for practice tests. Little pricey, but worth it.

Check out "IT & Cybersecurity Pocket Prep" https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.pocketprep.android.itcybersecurity

This is the one i got!

You also get 10% off the voucher

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1119432278/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

His Linux Essentials is free today on Amazon. Make sure to buy it, not use the Amazon Unlimited link. The US link: https://www.amazon.com/Linux-Essentials-010-160-Compressed-Resource-ebook/dp/B08D7T1TXZ/

You're on the right track. You seem to understand the basic concept of DNS, and understand that it's used to translate IP to website.

In terms of that within the enterprise, the concept continues to hold true. Most enterprises have an internal network used for resources. the internal DNS does the same thing as the external DNS you are familiar with. When bob tries to access an internal website to download something, bob's computer asks the internal DNS where the internal website is.

For Example:

Comptech has an internal DNS for it's intranet. They host stuff at internal.computech.com. Bob wants to get a resource from internal.computech.com, and queries the internal DNS for the IP of internal.computech.com. Google's DNS doesn't have a record for this, because it's internal.

This is a crude example, to get you starting to think in that direction. This article should help as well:

https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/a-comparison-of-dns-server-types-how-to-choose-the-right-dns-configuration

You can create virtual machines for free and install evaluation copies of older Windows OS and practice on them.

• Evaluation Copies of Windows: https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-edge/tools/vms/
• VirtualBox: https://www.virtualbox.org/

In terms of a Cat6 termination to a wall jack, a punch down tool is correct. See Section 2 of this page (wiring a wall network port) for the reason why.

For Security+ I would suggest setting up Hyper-V with the Kali Linux build on it. It will allow you to play with the Security tools covered by the course and Linux syntax if you are Windows user.

https://www.kali.org/

Hi Karuragi, I know HowToNetwork.com provides access to Live Cisco Racks. I haven’t personally tried the racks myself. I am not skilled enough just yet.

You can learn more about the racks here: https://www.howtonetwork.com/live-cisco-racks/

You could also play around with Cisco Packet Tracer software: https://www.netacad.com/courses/packet-tracer

Hope this helps!

I also failed SEC+ twice before passing on the third try. I got a 690 and a 740 before passing with an 820. You might want to try going with CBT Nuggets as well, which is primarily what I used, i find their delivery a bit more entertaining, I also went with Darril Gibson's book, and his flash cards/practice questions, which includes good examples of the performance based questions. I think that made probably the biggest difference, I think I paid about 20$ for access to his stuff. There's also lots of pre-made free flash cards out there that you can use. Here is one that I found. http://www.cram.com/flashcards/comptia-study-guide-security-301-1958110

I'm not an expert by any means, but I'm going to take a swing at this anyways since I'm taking my Network+ test tomorrow and need to have some understanding of this.

RADIUS is used for general authentication to get onto the network, but its not necessarily used as a database the way LDAP is for other things like groups and permissions. It might be useful to delegate and separate some functions of authentication to a RADIUS server which then gives a thumbs up to the LDAP server to allow you whatever permissions you have in your particular group.

You might go, "Hey, RADIUS server, can I get onto the network? Here is my username and password."

RADIUS will be all like, "Alright, bro. You're good. Let me just hit up LDAP real quick and let it know you're solid."

RADIUS will hit up LDAP and be like, "Yo. LDAP. I just authenticated this dude wolfman5091 to get onto the network. Can you like do your thing and figure out what they are allowed to do now that they are here. Because I got like...other stuff to do."

LDAP will then be like. "Sure thing, dog. I got it from here. I know who that is, I'll take over from here."

That way you kind of have the RADIUS server isolated somewhat. I guess kind of like a bodyguard. You're trying to get into the club and then RADIUS either lets you in or doesn't then it lets LDAP know if you're on the list. Then once you are in, LDAP will show you around and will let you know if you're allowed in VIP or if you have free drinks or whatever cool stuff you have access to. It manages all that for all the people in the club."

I have no idea if this answers your question, but I did my best.

Edit: I found an article that is pretty helpful

https://jumpcloud.com/blog/ldap-vs-radius

Reading books is the best way to learn for me, but everybody is different i watched all of professor messer videos(http://www.professormesser.com/). and printed out the Network + objective (https://certification.comptia.org/docs/default-source/exam-objectives/comptia-network-(n10-006)_examobjectives.pdf) and used a highlighter and started on domain 1 and watched the corresponding proffessor messser vid. and did that until i had the whole domain's covered I used Sybex network + deluxe study guide I passed last year about to take my Sec + 3/28/17

Good luck friend

I have my A+ from 801-802... my new tech who just took his 901 told me all about it and it sounds like a bit has changed...

http://www.professormesser.com/after-class/whats-new-on-220-901-and-220-902/

Messer lays it all out.

http://www.professormesser.com/free-a-plus-training/free-a-plus/

MeasureUp, I seem to find people who do not think its worth much and other (like me) who find it fine. Multiple sources do not hurt however. I got my A+/Net+ in 2009 and basically ran through the Exam Cram books and MeasureUp. I'm actually attending WGU right now (just started) and my first class in Net+ (since my cert is over 5 years old... I have to redo it). They use Test Out and uCertify, but I also bought MeasureUp so I have 3 sources for test prep. (also looking at specific videos of Professor Messor) I think these have set me up to pass pretty well but I have to wait for my voucher.

How well were you doing on the MeasureUp practice tests?

Find a legit practice testing site (MeasureUp is one) and keep testing yourself until you are getting 90% or higher consistently. If you feel you need/want more info, I like this dude: http://www.professormesser.com/

As well as the "Exam Cram" book series. I got my A+ in 2009 and I think I basically read an Exam Cram, and used MeasureUp. Same with Net+. Good luck!

To answer the main question: No calculator, and you wont need one.

I actually work for a comptia partner IT company in Canada. I am currently a PC service tech on bench, it was a requirement for my employer for me to get the cert. I also used Professer Messer videos for self study. I currently make 16 (Will be 18 since i am now certified) an hour just a bench tech, but can make alot more working up and being promoted with the company. The onsite techs i talked to make 25 to over 30 currently. I got hired with only 4 years experience working at Mcdonalds, the A+ will get you interviews, then you have to sell yourself and your ability to learn on the job and problem solve to get hired. I was lucky enough to find this great employment opportunity before i got the A+ cert, but it will help me make more money and be more confident in my work knowing i am certified. You are ahead of the game if you already have Post secondary education and the exam should be a breeze! Just sell yourself man and you will get the job. As for the exam a few things, make sure spread the 801 and 802 out and study for each individually, and i recommend buying Professer Messer study guides, they are great! they are $10 each http://www.professormesser.com/220-801-802-study-guide/.

You can expect to earn probably 14 to 16 an hour to start just like me, also depending where you live, but don't settle for anything under 13 to start IMO, you are worth more! Dont be afraid to ask anymore questions, and GOODLUCK !

There is an all in one A+ book on amazon (https://www.amazon.com/CompTIA-Certification-Guide-220-901-220-902/dp/125958951X) This book is a good read through for general concepts - read it quickly, don't go super hardcore study mode on this book, its quite long. This along with professor messer (free, google it)after quickly reading through was all I used to get my A+.

If you have some knowledge of computers and perhaps built your own you could be ready for a helpdesk role already. I know all I had was "customer service" and some basic technical knowledge before I got my first job. Just be sure to word your customer service skills as if you were on the phone doing customer service - since this may be a large portion of the job. Asides from that - google common helpdesk interview questions, their answers, and then google the specific terms like dhcp and dns to understand how they work.

My primary core material learning for security+ was professor messer videos. Many others on here recommend Mike Meyers stuff or Darrell Gibson book/app. I didn't use Mike Meyers and didn't use the Gibson book but I did use the Gibson app to study ( link https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.learnzapp.securityplus). It wasn't free but only 7.99 however I would 100% recommend that app. The questions on it are extremely close to real test quests and you get 3-400 of them.

I did use certmaster for sec+ but don't recommend it. Most the information is either too vague to be helpful on the real test or crazy in depth so it isn't helpful for the test. The small amount of information on it that is accurate and helpful can be learned from one of the other two study resources I recommend. I wasn't aware that there are different kinds of the certmaster course but the one bought with the bundle from CompTIA is the one I used so can't comment on how they differ.

As for the ebook that comes with the certmaster bundle I also wouldn't recommend it. The topics are all over the place so the lack of organization makes it confusing to follow and is no more in depth than professor messer videos.

As far as a free study resource I would recommend crucialexams.com. it has pretty good questions and extra tools besides just practice questions. They also have a mobile app so you can study on the go.

If I had to redo this cert I would be 100% confident to pass with professor messer videos, cruicalexams.com, and the Gibson app. If you absolutely want a book I would go for the Gibson book since it is so highly recommended on here.

Good luck OP and if you have anymore questions please ask! The sub is a wealth of knowledge and most are happy to help.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.pocketprep.android.itcybersecurity

Buy the subscription as I’m sure A+ won’t be your last cert. I’ve used it for 4 ComTIA certs, CISSP, and CEH. You get access to 16 certs with the one subscription. Best of luck

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.abc.comptiasecurityplus

Someone on this sub recommended it and I tried it. Some questions I think are a little more advanced than what is actually on the test but it helped me focus on particular areas and just for the sheer volume of questions.

Safaribooks

Access to all the books and videos that you will need for any cert, business, and technology you can imagine. It's a little expensive $399/year or 39.99/month, but I think for the price and the amount of information you gain access to is worth it. Plus you can write off the subscription on your taxes.

On top of that, you can register the books at the various publishers sites to gain access to various resources as well.

You can also find "Rough Cuts" of books that have yet to be released.

They should really update the Server+ exam. I mean it hasn't changed since, what, 2009?

Any of the CompTIA books will most likely work. You are likley just looking for review materials. Maybe even pick up the CBT Nugget video

Make flashcard for well-known ports. I made them for FTP, SSH, Telnet, SMTP, DNS, HTTP, POP3, NNTP, NTP, IMAP4, HTTPS, RDP, TFTP, DHCP, and SNMP.

Here you can use the ones I put into Cram.com. I have found this site/mobile app very helpful for studying for exams. http://www.cram.com/flashcards/net-well-known-ports-4947460

This is a totally new beast for you. Be patient and take your time. Professor Messer is great, though I find him a little dry at times. Everyone is different, and I found I like Mike Meyers videos on UDemy.com. Mike's a hoot, and explains things more simply sometimes, but may not always be as technically complete as Prof Messer. I found Mike's videos much more engaging, so maybe that's a better starting point.

For UDemy, look for discounts, and use a clean browser (no cache/history). If you go look, the initial price will be cheap, say $30 for a NET+ course, but if you go back a few days later, the price will double or triple.

FWIW, I didn't use the study guide books from my SEC+, at all, but I am also working in an IT field. That said, I also did a lot of "googling" to help understand certain things.

I just passed Net+ this week and honestly felt Mike's book could be better. I used Prof Messer much more heavily than the book. You're correct the content in Mike's book seems fluffy at points.

FYI: Read MM book cover to cover. then Prof Messer's video series, multiple practice exams, (crucial/exam compass), Anki flashcards, and the pot o' gold was the $10 Net+ notes on Prof Messer's site: http://www.professormesser.com/n10-006-course-notes/

worth. every. penny.

Professor Messer has practice quizzes.

Also crucial exams.

You are well prepared and have experience! It's okay to be nervous, take a deep breath, you got this.

Sounds like the A+ certification is going to be a good starting point for you. Besides working in the industry; the resources that helped me pass the exam are: Professor Messer IT Training Videos, CompTIA A+ Complete Study Guide: Exams 220-901 and 220-902 3rd Edition, access to practice tests, and as much hands on experience as you can get.

I'd recommend Mike Meyers' CompTIA Network+ All-In-One Exam Guide N10-006. You also get a CD with the book that has a PDF copy of the book and some practice tests.

Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/CompTIA-Network-All-In-One-Edition-N10-006/dp/0071848223

Between that and Professor Messer's videos and study notes I managed to score a 795 on the exam last week.

Messer link: http://www.professormesser.com/network-plus/n10-006/n10-006-course-index/

Like /u/OSUTechie said you can download Professor Messer's video/audio but it is not free see this link.

You can also sign up for Youtube Red for $10 a month and gain the ability to save Youtube videos for offline viewing. I would go this route, it's cheap and you have a virtually unlimited number of choices.

I would recommend the comptia app, there a few other free sec+ apps. Good for when you dont have access to a computer. http://www.examcompass.com/comptia/security-plus-certification/free-security-plus-practice-tests http://www.professormesser.com/security-plus/sy0-401/sy0-401-course-index/

Honestly I found the 802 easier. The 801 felt more about a bunch of numbers to remember, where as the 802 was the uses of the numbers. As long as you have a good understanding on how things work you will do fine. Professor messers study guide was VERY helpful to me http://www.professormesser.com/220-801-802-study-guide/

Well don't just rely upon the working experience...

http://www.professormesser.com/n10-005-study-guide/

http://www.amazon.com/CompTIA-Network-All---One-Guide/dp/0071789227/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1421872668&sr=1-6&keywords=network%2B&pebp=1421872676529&peasin=71789227

Everyone's working experience is different and there are probably things you don't know that will be in the exam.

I have found, from my experience with them, that the Exam Cram book is a good companion to a main study text. Also, I'd recommend the Exam Cram practice tests book and videos from /u/professormesser

You might find this helpful. http://certification.comptia.org/Training/testingcenters/policies/unauthorized.aspx

I had not heard of examcollection before and basically found the above list by googling for "examcollection site:comptia.org". As TechnoBabbles has said, avoid these people and braindumps in general. It's just not worth it.

My advice to you would be to avoid even the appearance of cheating or performing even seemingly unethical behavior. If you want a legit job in IT, you should always endeavor to preserve your integrity. In my first IT job they cared more about being able to trust me with privileged access than they did about my technical prowess.

Now a resource that I think is okay that I have recently discovered through Reddit is Professor Messer. Though CompTIA warns the list is not complete, he is not listed there. http://www.professormesser.com/n10-005/free-network-plus/

At any rate, congrats on the A+ and good luck with Net+.

I would definitely recommend Dion's other practice tests, but don't take them back to back. Take one at a time to identify which objectives you need more study on and go back and study those sections before taking the next practice exam.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.learnzapp.securityplussub

This app also had a lot of good practice questions.

You got this!

I hope to take Net+ right after Sec+, so Im watching a Net+ vid at the same time I prep for Sec+ as Dion stressed that you need that info.

For sec+ I think the Neil book is very focused, not what some would call wordy. I would like to have bought the Pearson guide, but it wont be available for another month.

https://www.amazon.com/CompTIA-Security-Certification-Complete-coverage/dp/1800564244/ref=sr\_1\_6?dchild=1&keywords=comptia+sec%2B&qid=1625463935&sr=8-6

Good luck,

For me the biggest help was the All in One book by Mike Meyers people complain that he is long winded in the book. But I think the stories that he tells give insite and the full context needed to pass the 1002 exam. I'll add a link below.

https://www.amazon.com/CompTIA-Certification-Guide-220-1001-220-1002/dp/1260454037/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=a%2B&qid=1623521696&sr=8-1

What are you using to study right now?

​

I have my second test today, but I've used Mike Meyer's book as well as his Udemy course. Then I used Jason Dion's practice exams. Those are all very popular resources to get started.

​

Another popular (and free) resource is professor Messer on Youtube.

I like the way the Exam Cram books are written, not very dull like some other books. Should be this one:

Amazon Exam Cram Security+

As others have said, This + Professor Messer's videos and his study guide = pass IMO.

I read the Sybex book (https://www.amazon.com/CompTIA-CySA-Study-Guide-Packaging/dp/1119348978/ref=nodl_ ) and their practice tests come with the book and they were the best. I did not like Jason Dion’s practice tests compared to the actual test. I recommend reviewing all the videos with CLI tool examples. Especially vulnerability tools or malware detection labs. Let me know if you have questions.

I generally don't recommend IT fundamentals unless you know exactly Jack squat about Technology. I have never seen it as a 'preferred cert' for an entry level position. The most common one by far to see requested is the A+ for helpdesk or technician 1 positions. Net+/Sec+ will pop up on more entry level jobs for networking or security position. From people I have talked to with ITF who went on to get A+ most say it covers almost everything in the A+ just in less depth. Making it much more redundant and useless due to the heavy overlap compared to other certs. (All certs have some overlap when acquiring them in a progressive method but overlap from ITF to A+ seems extreme).

As far as the study resources you mentioned:

I only used certmaster for the security+ and found it rather useless. The questions seemed to be either far too vague or far too in depth compared to questions on the exam. The ebook that came with the package I purchased may have covered all the topics but were in no way organized at all. Maybe the material is better in ITF certmaster course. I can't say for certain. I have seen some posts on here they thought certmaster was accurate and helpful too. So to each there own. I can only give the example of the experience I had with it.

If you do decide to skip IT fundamentals and jump in A+ or any trifecta cert my top suggestions for all 3 are professor messer's videos to learn the core material (free), cruicalexams.com to study (free), and specific to security+ is this study app (link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.learnzapp.securityplus ) this costs 7.99 but easily worth every penny. Are there other resources on here and all over the web to use? Sure are. I used many of them and wouldn't recommend anything else. Just because they were not helpful to me doesn't mean they might not help you though so it might be worth to check out some others. Good luck OP.

I followed this guide https://blogs.getcertifiedgetahead.com/day-by-day-study-guide/

The app is by the author's company and is $7.99 https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.learnzapp.securityplus

If you are talking about the ebook that comes with the package deal from CompTIA I can comment on that. It sucks. There is zero organization to it at all. Everything in it can be learned from Professor Messer for free.

Hindsight for the Sec+: Messer's videos, cruicalexams.com, and the 7.99 app from Google play store ( link here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.learnzapp.securityplus ) I believe would have been enough to pass easily. I passed it by a large margin and all the other things I used didn't help me on the actual test.

If you are talking about something else I can't comment since I didn't use it.

I bought the certmaster package for sec+ but not the other two. I would definitely not recommend using just that. The questions are very different from what is actually on the test.

Best resource to learn everything by far is professor messer videos in my opinion but many people on here recommend Mike Meyers stuff as well.

Best practice tests I found was the app from Darrell gibson: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.learnzapp.securityplus

It does cost money like 8$ but out of any testing resource I have used for comptia tests the one is as absolutely close to the questions as you will get.

Summing up would just say I have passed 4 comptia tests. Do not ever rely on a single study source. Understand the material well. Understand how to troubleshoot. You will likely do fine as long as you do these things.

> I’ve taken the 401 once and scored a 700 but now I have to take the 501.

Have you watched through all the Professor Messer videos? Did you take any notes?

(Edit to add: I recommend buying his notes PDF for $20, print it out, then add your notes onto that printed copy as you watch the videos)

> Does anyone have advice or links to free study materials for the test??

If you're determined to not spend a penny, you could look at the CompTIA exam objectives PDF, and then read the Wikipedia articles about each thing listed there.

Otherwise, the Darril Gibson ebook only cost $10 in Kindle format.

I would take the objectives ( and your test results) and any you do not know well; drill them using Professor Messer and then read your book ( same objective) and then take practice tests. Repeat this process every waking moment or chance you get. Understand why you missed a question and why other answers are wrong.. If you guess and get it right-- do the same thing.

Darril Gibson materials seem to be the go to for S+. His app is worth it as well. CertMaster is a poor life choice according to people who pay for it.

You are cutting it close... Good luck!!

CompTIA Training is a nice companion app when studying. Has a lot of questions for various CompTIA exams and even flash cards for select exams.

I think a great cheap (free!) option would be using Amazon Cloud Services. You can download the Microsoft Remote Desktop app for Mac too, so you can connect to the remote server instance from your Mac.

I concur.

The following are recommended:

• Javascript
• Java
• Python

Below are some recommended Python courses:

• Introduction to Python Programming
• Learn Python

my plan is studying this book and it should work, google professor messer for help as well

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/p/comptia-a-certification-all-in-one-exam-guide-ninth-edition-mike-meyers/1124293814/2675421657423?st=PLA&sid=BNB_DRS_Marketplace+Shopping+Textbooks_00000000&2sid=Google_&sourceId=PLGoP20438&k_clickid=...

> I feel like an absolute failure because everytime I think I have everything in my stupid little brain ... I seem to mess up !

Don't feel so bad OP! Not everyone is great at taking tests. When you get stuck flag for review and move on, some questions might become obvious after doing a few more. Or if you start feeling nervous take a few deep breaths. And get a good night sleep before hand.

For studying: As one commenter suggested Flash cards are great for memorization. I recommend Anki It's cross platform so you can copy/paste review questions from Ebooks or websites into the flash cards and transfer them from your pc to your phone(that's what I did). You can adjust the amount of new cards per day to fit your needs. I would check this out too. It has a lot of great information and helped me change my study habits.

You can download a free vm (virtual machine) of Windows 7 with a 90-day limit on use. After 90 days, you delete it and reinstall it for 90 more days to get all the practice you need!

• https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-edge/tools/vms/

Read the 'installation instructions' on the same page.

You would install it using a hypervisor. Hyper-V comes buit-in with Windows 10. Or you can download other free ones like virtual box.

• https://www.virtualbox.org

Post any questions you still have about this.

You’re welcome!

• If a UTM is your only appliance, if it goes down for some reason, all those services become unavailable and your network becomes vulnerable
• You can fine-tune a single-purpose appliance more granularly than a multipurpose appliance
• You want to have vendor diversity in your selection of security devices and use a layered approach
• UTM does not negate firewalls. You want to have host-based firewalls
• UTM can include IPS as one of its functions. Taking a layered approach would be safer
• An “endpoint” product would likely be made for a client, not a network
• I am not aware of top vendors myself. Here is a list https://www.g2.com/categories/unified-threat-management-utm

I remember taking Dion's exams and thinking the exact same thing, but he does it for a reason. Whenever you go take the actual exam there are going to be a handful of questions that come out of nowhere and you just have to make an educated guess.

I've used Dion for Network+ and Sec+ and have been successful, I recommend sticking with Dion.

Dion actually posted a video on loom on why he does his exams like that but I don't remember exactly where it is, I remember its in the Q&A section of one of the exams

EDIT: here's the vid https://www.loom.com/share/85e129529d09484f8c7893c8258c129c

cybrary It advertises that they train you to be SOC analyst. You could look at their site, im not pushing you to pay for that , but in their training, they list preparing you to get the Sec+,Net+ an Linux+... so those might be a consideration.

https://www.cybrary.it/catalog/career-path/soc-analyst-level-1.

Well, now I dont see Linux+ listed, but that page should give you a lot to consider.

Yep, I did [this](https://www.cybrary.it/course/comptia-aplus-archive/) A+ course of theirs by Anthony Harris. It's now archived (I guess as the new A+ curriculum is out, but it has a lot of content and he is a great teacher.

From what I understand, their A+ course was the 800 series that "updated" to meet 900 series requirements. Their latest promo is a completely different course - not by Anthony Harris - and it's for the 900 series.
They have a 902 course too https://www.cybrary.it/course/comptia-902-2018/

Here is an article by Cybrary: https://www.cybrary.it/2017/02/showcase-certifications-resume-3-reasons/

Here is an article by CompTIA: https://certification.comptia.org/it-career-news/post/view/2014/05/19/write-in-specifics-to-get-your-resume-read-not-just-scanned

You could buy his videos from his website.

There is also the Cybrary.it which has mp3 versions of their videos that you can download as well.

Let me start off by saying you will not be able to pass the exam just by reading a book. Not going to happen. I took the exam yesterday and it was insane.

However to answer your question, Georgia's book is very good. I bought and read it. The first 3 chapters go over setting up a virtual lab. I ran into what you mentioned in your post. Finding some of the files to download was difficult due to the age of the book. I was able to search and find everything though.

I would suggest to also sign up ( for free ) on Cybrary and take Georgia's class on pentesting which follows the book pretty closely.

https://www.cybrary.it/course/advanced-penetration-testing/

This alone will not get you to pass the test but you will at least understand most of the questions and make some logical guesses.

> Use as many different information sources as you can!

I agree, as expensive as these vouchers are, you want to try to ensure you don't have to retake any tests as much as possible.

Here's another free A+ course: Cybrary.it https://www.cybrary.it/course/comptia-aplus/

Cybrary has a free 901/902 course https://www.cybrary.it/course/comptia-aplus/

I wouldn't buy the Mike Meyers Udemy courses. They don't go in depth in areas where it's needed. I got my money back on them. Those courses are basically paid-for teasers products designed to get you to buy his other products. But maybe buy his practice questions (I don't know much about them, I just heard they are pretty good).

When it comes right down to it, the A+, especially the 901, is all about a bunch of illogical info you just have to memorize. Don't spend too much money on resources. You will forget most of the info after you pass your tests. Most IT techs don't know that useless info, they just look it up when/if they need it.

No use in spending money on info that's freely available. If you're going to spend money, I think sinking your money in practice tests is your best bet and maybe a lab for the 902. The test vouchers themselves are way overpriced to begin with. You start buying all these books and courses and the next thing you know you're forking out $1000 for what really amounts to an entry-level cert (Comptia doesn't label the A+ as entry-level, but in all actuality it really is).

Good luck

I found this link where someone is sharing their Security+ notes on Cybrary as a PDF document. You might find it helpful. I do not know Security+ myself.

https://www.cybrary.it/forums/topic/security-notes/

Good luck!

https://www.cybrary.it/course/comptia-aplus/

here is something new i found today i also recommend the messer pop quiz collection and the crucial exams questions

http://www.gocertify.com/quizzes/comptia/

Just an idea, until you land that Helpdesk job maybe you could land a job in a electronics or computer store fixing PCs etc? Better exp anyway than Office store. :) Plus remember that Helpdesk is also very much softskills, ie, customer service whether the customer is a fellow employee in another dept or a civilian :). Pluralsight.com has a good course on helpdesk, you could just get a months sub for it. Also be sure you can type and knowledge of WORD or such would be good. If by chance you have a Mac or are interested Apple hires helpdesk to work at home. You have to be able to type 40 wpm and have a dedicated cable line. Might be worth considering, best of luck.

Look up Professor Messer A+ and use Mike Meyers course for A+. These courses are great to use and will help you get your A+. Professor Messer's course is free and has practice exams for $25. Mike Meyers has his courses on Udemy.com and are around $10 when it is on sale. Udemy has sales constantly and he also has practice exams on their as well for about $10.

The A+ is an exam that covers a broad scope so it's not just a test of what you know, you also have to prepare and know how to pass the exam, which is challenging. This is why Reddit has many stories where 10 year IT vets fail the exam. Step one: Print off a copy of the objectives for review. The objectives are the roadmap to success. This is a vital step that many discount and afterward, fail the exam because they spent time studying things they didn't need to.

Prof Messer on Youtube is what most people use to study. The course is free and each of his videos is directly tied to one of the objectives so it makes studying more organized as you can digest in smaller pieces. Go directly to his website vs youtube as the courses there are more organized and there are no annoying youtube ads every 2-3 mins.

Some also use Mike Meyers from udemy.com but while Meyers gives a ton of great info, it's just general info and it is more difficult to tie his lessons to the objectives without some hoop-jumping. Whatever you choose, take good notes! After studying Messer or Meyers, once you feel you have a handle on the objectives then use Jason Dion's test prep from Udemy. His course is about $15 (don't pay more than this) and it has a couple of very "exam-like" practice tests/PBQ's you can take. Take the tests, review the objective lessons on the questions you missed, then repeat until you are consistently scoring in the 70-75% range. Do this and you should pass the actual exam easily.

A lot of people think that a certification exam validates how well you know the material. It's partly that, but largely how well you know how to take a test.

There's a lot of tips and tricks on test taking. How to look for key works, how to eliminate wrong answers, how to figure out what knowledge they are trying to test you on.

As I said I said in another post, if you know half the questions for certain, and can narrow the other half down to a 50/50 change, that's a 75%. and that's enough to pass the first A+ exam.

So If I had two pieces of advice they would be to 1: Spend 3-4 hours reading up on strategies for test taking.

And 2: Take as many practice tests as you can get your hands on. There's nothing as good for practicing test taking as taking practice tests. If you go to Udemy.com you can pick up practice test packs by Jason Dion and Mike Meyers, 3-6 tests per pack for 10-15$ for each package. If you're going to be shelling out several hundred dollars on test vouchers it is 100% worth it to spend another 25-30$ to get 9 practice tests to work through before you take the actual one.

ExamCompass has free test questions as well, but the format is different and requires frequently going back and opening a new section, so I'm not a huge fan of that one.

I used Mike Meyers on Udemy.com for my recently passed Network+, course and the practice tests. Looking at $20 there and I felt like they were both worth it.

Comparatively I bought his HUGE N10-006 book and never cracked it once. Which is my problem for being a slacker. I usually don't use the books much other than using the practice quiz/study material in them.

I bought Professor Messer's Study PDF for $15 -- never really looked at it, but I reviewed it after the test and felt like it was pretty valid study material.

Professor Messer's Videos and Notes are a great place to start for the certifications you mentioned..just make sure to take notes during videos and take practice exams afterwords

http://www.professormesser.com/free-a-plus-training/220-901/comptia-220-900-course/

You've got this. :) As for a cram sheet, I know everyone swears by Professor Messer and his course notes. Those are about as minimal as you're going to get. That's maybe 30 pages or so. It's the kind of thing you can take to the test center and skim over while you sit in the car before going in or whatever. http://www.professormesser.com/sy0-401-course-notes/

I took 901 and 902 today.

Felt great doing 901. Got 735.

Did the 902 and the first half felt horrible. The last half of the exam felt great. Went over the 1st half again and changed some answers. Got 783.

With 902 the upgrade Windows questions got me. Linux commands got me. Even the simulations were like hmm.

I didn't study much but am older and have like 17 years of personal computer experience and worked 6 months in IT now part time.

I did use the professor messer notes. They were big help and have a lot of stuff in the notes that were on the exam.

http://www.professormesser.com/220-901-902-course-notes/

And CBT Nuggets Comptia A+ 220-901 220-902

The CBT Nuggets 202-902 has some good videos. Some things in those videos were on the exam.

Good luck!

There's a ton of free videos and guides for A+, Network+ and Security+ at the Professor Messer website. He keeps it up to date with all current Comptia certs, runs 1 online study (quiz and workshop) session each month for each cert, and sells some pretty killer notepacks pretty cheap ($10 for each, last I recall). Very worth checking out if you need cheap yet quality study materials.

What I've found is that any online practice test is not comparable to the actual test. I'm thinking I might purchase Professor Messer's Pop Quiz collection on his site for $10. From what he shows in his study groups, this seems the most practical. You can also download a sample and check it out.

I'm using the Sybex Complete Review Guide book to study. The end of chapter questions ask you to basically define an application or an acronym (ie. What is the BIOS used for?) , don't expect these questions on the test. Expect to see scenario based questions where you choose the "best" answer, rather than the "correct" answer, if that makes sense.

This is just my take on it.

Study the 901 first, take the exam, study the 902, take the exam. It seems overwhelming because there are two tests worth of information in your book and in the study notes.

Here's an idea:

Use the A+ Objectives list as a study guide. Make yourself a calendar and mark which objectives you're going to study for which days. The Professor Messer videos line up almost exactly with the A+ Objectives list. And you can read the Mike Meyers book before, during or after you're done with the videos.

Also, schedule your appointment to take your test. Whether it's one week from now or one month from now, it'll give your calendar a timeline and help you reach your goals.

It sounds like examcompass is going in to a little too much depth.
When I passed, I treated the following as the absolute minimum of what I needed to know. It is the perfect companion to his training videos.
If you know all of that info, you'll pass no problem at all. Same goes for Network+ pretty much, just watch his videos and memorize those course notes.

http://www.professormesser.com and http://www.examcompass.com are what I used to pass A+. If you have no experience I'd also use other material in addition to messer. I used exam compass, took the tests, then looked up anything I missed.

We have some flash cards that may be what you are looking for, here. Professor Messer has some course notes with an insane amount of details, here. I dont have a link, but Quizlet has a lot of A+ flash card decks available as well. Hope that helps!

It is important to understand that CIDER is an IP address. It is a "classless" IP address.

You might start with the videos here: http://www.professormesser.com/free-a-plus-training/220-801/tcpip-addressing/

There is a comprehensive CIDR chart here: http://www.tardyslip.net/2015/01/21/cidr-subnetting-chart/

This is a perfect example of 'real world' vs. 'test world' ... I believe you'd be wrong on the test and the BEST answer, given NO details is to go with the most likely to fix the problem which is replacing the drive, rather than to reformat a drive that is possibly dying. Especially on RAID 0 that has no data backup. Of course in the real world, we would do SMART checks, chkdsk, etc. personally before spending.

http://www.professormesser.com/free-a-plus-training/220-801/an-overview-of-raid/

Do these random quizzes: http://www.professormesser.com/?random&random_cat_id=8

Buy and look over this 10 page study guide a couple/bunch of times: https://www.professormesser.com/220-801-802-study-guide/ It brought me from a long term study type person to super confident in like 1-2 weeks. And I passed first try. I also used Mike Meyer's book's CD which has a program with a good amount of practice test questions.

I personally didn't use any books.

I looked over the 220-802 objectives, and circled anything I hadn't had much/any experience with, then watched the related messer videos.

I then bought and read over professor messer's 220-802 notes (you should memorize the commands from this).

Finally, I did all of the practice tests on exam compass.

>but Professor M. was only part way into the vids for 006 as of like a month or two ago as I saw.

My N10-006 course is complete, with over 164 videos and 15 hours of content:

http://www.professormesser.com/network-plus/n10-006/n10-006-course-index/

>He mentioned before there's some overlap

This is correct. I create a complete course for each exam edition, so there's no jumping around from one course to another. If you're taking the N10-005 exam, you should watch the N10-005 videos. If you're taking the N10-006, watch the N10-006 course.

I just kept watching all of Professor Messer's videos until I couldn't find something I didn't know. Then I cycled through his pop quizzes until I knew every question. Then I studied off some brain dumps, which I kept fresh on my mind for the exam.

Basically, I made it a game of hunting the internet for questions related to A+ that I didn't already know. When I couldn't find any more, that's when I knew I was ready.

Edit: I say you should study until you don't get those "mixed signals" anymore.

hadn't heard of before the test? No. Hadn't heard of before studying? yeah, probably 30% of the terminology was completely new to me, and more that I had heard of but didn't really know about.

as for the test, http://www.professormesser.com/?p=17482 this is a great into to things like the number of questions, scoring, etc. This is for the newer version, N10-006 that came out a couple months ago. I took the N10-005 which is still available until august, but there isn't a ton of difference between the two test wise, the new one is just of course updated material.

No worries. Shoot me a message if you want that Actual Tests pdf. It's like 400 pages (1036 questions total).

EDIT: Also check out Professor Messer. Better than CBT nuggets for SEC + IMO. (http://www.professormesser.com/security-plus/sy0-401/sy0-401-course-index/)

I'm in a similar situation as yourself, studying for A+ and onward from there. I've heard Micheal Meyers All-in-One Exam Guide (8th edition) is very good. I'm not nearly through it enough to give my opinion on it, but I have never heard someone speak poorly of it.

I'm also going through Professor Messer's A+ videos. You can buy them, or you can watch them all totally free right on his site. I think it's a very good resource, and again I've only heard good things. They're broken down very well, and easy to handle in small chunks.

Beyond that I'm just a noob myself and can't offer much else.

I'm recently A+ Certified after about 9 years in IT. My experience was that the OS stuff is almost all windows, with a few iOS and Android questions. The hardware questions are tough because you need to know specific pin counts and configurations. There are a lot of specific questions that you would just Google to find the answer at work, but you need to memorize them for the exam.

http://www.professormesser.com/

To study, I watched all the free Professor Messer videos and picked up the study guides for $20 and read them over before the exams. It took me a good amount of time but I passed well above the cut score. Originally I only bought the study guides because I thought it was cool that he posted all that stuff for free and wanted to support him, but I also think it was helpful to have all that content on a few pages to study.

As for renewing the certification, you can do so by taking other certifications within a three year period and you won't need to retake the A+. If it expires, I'm not sure but I think you need to take A+ again.

Some certifications you can get to renew are Linux+, Network+, Security+, Server+, as well as Microsoft, Cisco, Oracle, Red hat, and many other industry certifications. Here's a list of certs that work towards renewal.

http://certification.comptia.org/stayCertified/cecerts.aspx

​

Try this one , which is the same, but see if their coupon FLASHSAVE40 still works, if so you get 40% off,

https://stacksocial.com/sales/the-master-comptia-training-bundle

You can always use Microsoft Word, but I've found that Evernote has proven to be extremely useful. Everything is saved both online and offline so you can access any of your saved documents from any device you have (phone, PC, etc).

Here's an example of a page of notes from ProfessorMesser's first section of videos.

Hope I could shed some light on your situation; best of luck!

I used this one: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.prestigio.ereader

It was a little clunky but worked and you could pick the accent so that made the voice sound a little less robotic.

I'm sure there are a ton of other text reader apps out there but this one worked for me 2yrs ago for A+

Just keep track of where you left off on the text reader so you can easily pickup where you left off if you decide to actually read the book yourself.

CompTIA Security+: SY0-601 Certification Guide: Complete coverage of the new CompTIA Security+ (SY0-601) exam to help you pass on the first attempt, 2nd Edition https://www.amazon.com/dp/1800564244/ref=cm_sw_r_u_apa_glt_fabc_SSK1WMH053BJ3KFZ8ARY

The book was honestly really good and Practice questions and PBQs I used from https://gcgapremium.com/security-online-study-materials/

I was pretty knowledgeable, the book and the practice tests helped alot, the questions explain why the answer is right or wrong and why it isn't the other answers, the questions do prepare you, but the problem was how the questions were asked on the test kind of confusing.

I tried to watch Itprotv on their free weekend and felt like that guy was far too scattered, especially for an accelerated course. Perphaps examdigest or examcompass might be some helpful practice. Just trying to be helpful, I havent passed it yet either.

Also some of the study guides come with practice questions and practice pbq's...

https://smile.amazon.com/CompTIA-Network-Certification-Seventh-N10-007-ebook-dp-B07FMJJ7KZ/dp/B07FMJJ7KZ/ref=mt\_other?\_encoding=UTF8&me=&qid=1627321895