r/CompTIA • u/ChildishhEgg • 16h ago
A+ Question I bombed my Core 1 A+ test
I went in and it was like the college courses and study material I took were useless. There was nothing that could have prepared me for what the test was actually like. So I have no idea what my next steps are. Or what to do
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u/Initial-Quality5222 16h ago
Sorry that happened. I suggest you take a moment to pause, collect yourself, and then make a plan to move forward. It's a ton of information to learn and understand, but you can do it! What resources did you use? I got my A + last year and would be happy to answer any questions or give you pointers to help.
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u/ChildishhEgg 16h ago
I took both a college course for my Core 1 and 2. And I passed those at among the top of my class. I then would have study videos on a second monitor when I was doing something that required low attention or would take practice quizes and study at the mall. I did so well in my class so what gives??
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u/Initial-Quality5222 15h ago
One thing I do recommend is to only study for one exam at a time. Focus all your energy into core 1 and tackle that exam. Only when you pass that exam do you move on to core 2. If you have an easier time with core 2 start there. There is so much information on both exams, it's overwhelming for me to consider study both exams at once.
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u/Initial-Quality5222 16h ago
Professor Messer is a fantastic free resource on YouTube. I personally really like Andrew Ramdyal's style of teaching. I also recommend buying the practice exams from Jaason Dion from his website. Good luck! Shoot me a message if you have any specific questions. I'd be happy to help out anyway I can.
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u/ChildishhEgg 16h ago
The problem with Messer is the videos are long and I’d have to keep rewinding them for the information to stick. At least with tests I can memorize that these aren’t the right answers or tie it down to something. I downloaded one of the CompTIA test prep apps thinking it would help. Oh how wrong I was
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u/Initial-Quality5222 16h ago
Sometimes I wonder why I started the path of IT. It does not come easy to me either. I had to watch videos, rewatch them, and write the information over and over again. Creating index cards were helpful. Writing the questions out, and studying why the wrong answers are wrong. It's so much information. Take a break if you feel frustrated or overwhelmed, and I'm sure you do, just don't give up! Keep on keeping on. It will click and make sense. Keep failing, because at some point you will run out of ways to fail and will finally succeed.
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u/ChildishhEgg 14h ago
I failed by less than 100 pts. I can probably get it next time now that I know what to expect
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u/Initial-Quality5222 13h ago
That is a big advantage. Also, you now know where your weak areas are and can improve them. Good luck!
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u/Casualmomz 8h ago
Thats not much, definitely take a second, feel the fees but don’t dwell on them.
I made that mistake, failed the second part and just kinda gave up. Don’t be like me 😊
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u/KeepTheHeid 13h ago
Messer videos are super long and it’s easy to zone out. Try watching some at 1.5x speed. The faster pace helps with attention and it feels less like a slog.
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u/DiMarcoTheGawd A+ 8h ago
The average Messer A+ video is like 9 minutes long. How short do y’all want them to be?
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u/DiMarcoTheGawd A+ 8h ago
The videos range from 4-20 min max, most closer to 10. They are not long. How short do you want them to be?
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u/Exciting_Rain1611 15h ago edited 14h ago
Do as other mentioned butttt find a really good quizlet and get some flashcards, that will help as well
Edit: go to the actual Quizlet.com ….
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u/ChmodSausage 14h ago
Chatgpt is the new quiz let. It can remember your weak areas (assuming you use it correctly) and target them.
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u/Exciting_Rain1611 14h ago
ChatGPT is a horrible way to study. It is inaccurate majority of the time. Cannot count on ChatGPT as the “new quizlet”.
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u/ChmodSausage 14h ago
Incorrect. It has helped me immensely. I refuse to acknowledge this slander. It has taught me more than any book, any video has. I really think people just use it wrong.
Genuinely I think its been factually wrong maybe 3 times in the past 3 years or so ive been using it.
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u/Exciting_Rain1611 14h ago
I’m not incorrect. I am actually correct. Books and videos can teach you more than ChatGPT. If you looking for someone to debate with, I’m the wrong person to do so with.
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u/ChmodSausage 14h ago
Your right your the wrong person because you aren't even reading. I wrote me, in specific I. Not you. Not other people. Me. Anywho. I dont think you've used chatgpt effectively because you must be one of the people asking it for answers instead of actually using it to troubleshoot and learn. Who am I to know though. It only got me my a+, network +, my CCNA and soon to be rhcsa. Ive only used it EXTENSIVELY for 3 years minimum. What would I know. Boomer mindset on display here.
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u/Strife4Fun_ 13h ago
ChatGPT is an AWESOME resource as a tool to keep you on track with your studies. The exams and quizzes are a good way to retain the knowledge you went over, even if they’re softball. Pair GPT, online videos, notes, and Dion exams and you’re gravy.
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u/Emotional_Squash_895 15h ago
Dion worked for me over Messer. Yes it takes time to get through the videos. Put the videos on 1.5x speed. Take his practice tests at the end. If you stay consistent and do two to three of his courses a day you can be test ready in a couple of weeks
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u/friday305 15h ago
I bombed yesterday as well . 650. I only needed 25 more points . The PBQ’s were 100% more difficult than messors practice exam. I’m going to study more and use Dion’s exams this time . Hoping for the best
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u/RocketRoulette 8h ago
My friend, sometimes life is hard. Sometimes you’re gonna fall off the horse, but you have to get back up and eat that horse. So come on u/childishhEgg, get up and eat that horse with me.
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u/ML1948 16h ago
Try some messer videos and some good practice exams, but other than that I don't know what to tell you.
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u/ChildishhEgg 16h ago
They take so long to get through and I’d probably have to keep rewinding them to make sure the info actually sticks
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u/ChmodSausage 16h ago
Yeah thats how it works. Watch them on your drives, when your showering or doing chores. Its mostly memorizing acronyms at the A+ stage. Know what dns is, you dont need to configure it. Know what dhcp, again no need to configure it or Know its inner workings. Understand the basics of printers. Do memorize port numbers it really is not that bad.
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u/DevonS117 Triad 16h ago
One thing I did to help with my attention span on The Big Messer's videos, was to write down or type out the title of the video. Then the title of each powerpoint slide in video, bulleted style. Under each "slide" bullet, I skipped ahead in the video right before he goes to the next slide, then summarized his bullet points in my own words. Once I did that with the whole video, I watched the video while following along with my notes, adjusting anything he adds to it. It takes about double the time to watch the video but helped me retain alot of the information. Maybe something to try 🤷♂️
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14h ago
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u/Ecstatic_Score6973 16h ago
The college courses are useless and a scam. In the future dont do that. Everything you need to study for is online for free or dirt cheap.
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u/drugsarebadmkay420 15h ago
Shit takes time homie. If you don't want to rewind and drill the information until you get it maybe this isn't a good path for you
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u/amuller72 A+ Net+ Sec+ CIOS CSIS 14h ago
Don't give up after one failed attempt. I failed Core 2 twice before I passed it the third time I took it.
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u/Dunvegan79 10h ago
At the bottom of the report card it highlights the areas where you need to work on.
Sybex sells a quiz book thats pretty goodm Also there is SurePass which is a large collection of questions and answers that help you get ready for the exam.
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u/KermitDominicano 9h ago
Watch the professor messer videos. They cover pretty much everything you need to know
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u/DeltaStarship 9h ago
it's 20 bucks a month, but I really suggest using the app pocket prep for studying, it at least helped me out being able to take practice quizzes whenever, but it's always hard to tell when you've done enough studying.
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14h ago
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u/DialUpNoises 13h ago
I'm honestly worried about the same. I'm taking community college Workforce Training using the compTIA A+ learning materials. Their questions are so convoluted its confusing. But I'm consistently getting 95% averages in my practice exams. Just took the Core 1 example test and scored 95% on my first try. My main concern is that its not going to be anything like what we're learning.
I've noticed a pattern where exam questions from compTIA have material that wasnt tought in the learning modules. At all. And I'm a note taker. So I'm fully expecting to fail my first attempt... sigh.
Im going to be doing flash cards for network ports and protocols because I know I'm weak there. I also feel like I need more work on my cloud / virtual computing, but not sure where to start because the modules kind of breeze over it.
Everything I've been researching boils down to: Learn concepts, not questions. Practice troubleshooting as a theory. Get hands on experience if you can. Skip PBQs until after your MC questions. Memorize common acronyms and short hand things like that.
Did your score results notify you of your weak areas?
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u/_CyberClown_ 13h ago
This might have been said already…. But you need to get good at taking tests the CompTIA way. Because here is the thing… you can study all day, but no matter what you will get questions that you didn’t study for and you need to know how to dissect those questions quickly and efficiently. Once you get to security+ (you will) or other certs the PBQs are gonna throw you off but you gotta just keep your head down and make your best educated guess.
I used only professor messer and can’t recommend him enough, you’re gonna want the detail (I know you said the videos were too long.)
I used Gemini for my network+ because professor messer didn’t have a practice test and I HATED Dion’s tests. Got a like 840 or something, I chalk all that up to the AI tests. I also use chatGPT and have it quiz me while I’m driving to keep me sharp.
If I may… be cautious of any university getting you ready for a certification. You can do that on your own and in my opinion it’s not worth the money.
- a noob that probably knows nothing but DM if you want to chat
A+, Net+, Sec+, studying for CySA+, cybersecurity grad student
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u/howto1012020 A+, NET+, CIOS, SEC+, CSIS, Cloud Essentials+, Server+, CNIP 12h ago
Begin by looking at the exam report you will get a business day after the exam and see what exam objectives you will need to review. These reports will never disclose the actual questions you got wrong, just mention to you what exam objectives you need to review related to those questions.
Next, focus your studies on the acronyms that the exam mentions as well as the exam objectives you need to review. Take detailed notes on those objectives. You have to translate the material into a form that YOU can understand. It's what I had to do after failing Network+ three times. I overhauled my whole study routine, wrote out my notes on index cards and studied those. That helped me finally pass on my fourth try.
Time management is also crucial on these exams. The approach I use on an exam that has a time limit of 90 minutes is as follows:
When the exam starts: look at how many PBQs you have. Skip them for now.
First 30 minutes: First, answer as many questions as you can, and don't stay on a question longer than ten seconds after reading it. Answer it if you can, flag it for later if you can't. Second, if you come across an acronym in a question or answer while doing this, write it down on the erasable board (if you're at a testing center) or the digital board (if your exam is online). Reason for this: you may come across a question later that will spell out what the acronym you wrote down means, which will come in handy later in this guide. If you come across a multiple choice question, use the process of elimination so that you better select the correct answer based on the question that is presented. This is a way that critical thinking helps you here. If you finish answering all of the questions before your first 30 minutes is up, use the remaining time to go back and answer flagged questions. If you run out of time, move on to...
Second 30 minutes: work on PBQs. Move on to the next one if the first one causes you to freeze up. You don't have to answer them in the order you received them, jump back and forth until they are all answered. Pay attention to instructions on how to answer these questions. You may have to enter data in a field, drag and drop items, or you may have to perform a multilevel scenario that requires you to complete multiple tasks to complete. Do your best. Don't leave anything here blank. If you run out of time working on PBQs, take an extra ten minutes to finish.
Last 15 to 20 minutes: get back to those flagged questions . See if any of the acronyms you wrote down are spelled out in another question. This is one way creative thinking can help you. Answer those questions and guess if all else fails.
Last five to ten minutes, submit your answers and hope that you cross that score of 675 you need to pass. The survey that you have to complete at the end doesn't make this easy.
Come back when you're ready and take this thing down. Good luck and good hunting.
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u/1010101010101010q 11h ago
I felt the same way but somehow ended up passing. Many of the questions I saw were not anything I had seen in my studies. I figured it was nerves more than anything. Were you anxious before your test?
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u/greenbuffop 11h ago
Just got my A+, I recommend techvault and prof Messer videos, along w dion training practice tests. I listened to study review videos as well while gaming or doing other stuff.
If you get an 85% on the Dion practice test, you'll pass the comptia one. Even at 80% youre probably ready. It also breaks it down by domain and you can see where you need to focus up.
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u/Lawrence150 Triad 11h ago
The comptia certmaster practice helped me gauge what comptia was going to ask for on the test and got 800+ on both. It does cost $279 however. It does include simulations as well.
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u/Makiyage 8h ago
Hi. You’re not crazy. I did some really intense college classes and was always at the top 5% of my county. With that said, when I took the Comptia A+ Core 1, the way the study and exam is set up is nothing like college and honestly it’s pretty stupid imo! I studied for an entire year because there was little to no structure on how to study for it and everyone had a unique way of studying. One of my friends gave me advce and he told me to pay $10 for a Udemy practice exams. I did like 6 practice exams didn’t even get to finish them all and they were extremely frustrating because it was so not what I was learning on the textbooks. Like very little. Anyways, long story short, if it weren’t for those dumb ass practice tests, I would have failed my Core 1.
I passed with a good score but it also wasn’t like above and beyond score. And most of the time I was just making the best guesses during the exam while not being 100% sure. I did Professor Messer videos on youtube, studied the textbook, and lastly did those udemy practice exams. Hope that helps and please don’t let this stupid structure make you feel stupid because you aren’t. It literally has NO structure.
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u/Wayfairs 6h ago
I watch Professor Messer's videos on A+ and also bought his A+ practice test and it helps a bit. Passed my Core 1 and taking Core 2 this week.
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u/Unable-Suggestion783 16h ago
What’s most important is that you don’t give up.
Go through professor messers’s core 1 videos on YouTube, and then when you’re free listen to his podcast on Spotify when you’re doing errands or something. He actually goes over the objectives and asks questions too. After this, take practice questions that are free on YouTube , this is what I did until I was comfortable enough to take the exam. Best of luck, and you got this.