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UnixReview.com
July 2006
Certification: Changes to the A+ Certification
by Emmett Dulaney
A number of noteworthy changes have been announced to one of the most popular certifications currently in the IT industry: A+. So popular is this certification that there are currently more than 600,000 individuals certified worldwide. This entry-level, vendor-neutral certification is almost a necessity for anyone wanting to enter the field and work with hardware. Given the evolving nature of computer components, there is a need to update the exams for this certification every two to four years (the last update was in 2003), and there is nothing surprising about that. What is surprising, however, is the massive changes to the program that CompTIA has undertaken.
The Way Things Were
In the past, you have always had to pass two exams to become certified — one on the basics of hardware and another that was more focused on operating systems. Though the latter exam has always been termed an “elective”, it was really a requirement, because you had to take two tests and it was the only other one offered. While the first exam was truly vendor-neutral, the latter tended to favor Microsoft operating systems over all others.
In the most recent iteration, the “required” exam was called the A+ Core Hardware Service Technician exam and focused on six topic areas:
- Installation, Configuration, and Upgrading
- Diagnosing and Troubleshooting
- PC Preventative Maintenance, Safety, and Environmental Issues
- Motherboard/Processors/Memory
- Printers
- Basic Networking
The “elective” exam was called the A+ Operating Systems Technologies exam, and it focused on only four topic areas:
- Operating System Fundamentals
- Installation, Configuration, and Upgrading
- Diagnosing and Troubleshooting
- Networks
It will still be possible to become certified by passing these two exams between now and the end of the year.
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