I was unemployed for so long, that I had an idea to just get a certification while I kept sending my resumes to many companies. I chose the Comptia A+ as I thought I could easily get the certification in less than 2 months. The goal was to study the 220-901 information for 4 weeks and take the test in January. Then, study the 220-902 objectives for 3 weeks and take the test in February. The goal was to get a score around 800 of 900, use free Android apps, and see what good websites that offers free or cheap online training.
At the end, it was doable. So, let me tell you what free training I choose to get my certification.
Cybrary is a good place for free online training that consist of many hours of videos. Its good, but my only minor complaints is that the videos are not offered in HD and some practice test are offered to premium users (INSIDER PRO is like less than $100/month, if you use the code) and I did not have the money to spend. Still a good site for A+ videos.
I purchase a bundle in 2018 during Black Friday and paid like $40 for a bundle for online training for CompTIA certifications. I like the bundle as it includes Network+, Security+, Cloud+, etc. The special offer was purchase at Stacksocial.com and the website sent the codes to my email. The code is redeemable at iCollege.co.
So how was the experience? Well…
iCollege.co offers many courses that cost like hundreds of dollars. Lucky for me there was a huge discount on Stacksocial. The problem that I kept having is slow speed connections. It takes a while to connect to the server and to login. The videos are offered in 720p. There are some flashcards and one giant test, but I could not recommend the online test as there are better apps out there that does better job. The instructor was was easy to follow.
I like CoCo’s Comptia A+ Practice Test that can be downloaded at Google play. I had fun and you can see what levels you can practice on. This app is free, but it has some ads on the bottom that distracts you from the questions. I just wished that it had like 20 or 30 more questions.
RetroSoft’s CompTIA Certification: 220-901 and 220-901 app also did a good job testing my knowledge. Although not polished as Coco’s app, it had plenty of questions.
So how did I do? I passed, but I did not like the scores. I got like 750 of 900 on the 901 exam and 726 of 900 on the 902. I was hoping for 800, but I knew that some questions that I was tested was not found on the material that I studied on. Another thing that I was not prepare was the simulation in the 902 exam and how 3-4 weeks was not enough to learn everything.
Do I recommend this method to get your certification? It depends. If you have good study habits and do study every night, then yes you can have a certification in less than 8 weeks. But if you never touched a computer, always busy with work or school, or you prefer a teacher, then no. Also, the 901 and 902 will be retired on July 2019. Your best bet is to do it ASAP or wait for cheap220-1001 and the 1002 study guides/books. If you are planning to take the certification then do it quick! There are plenty of free or cheap training for the 901 and 902, but they will be less useful in fewer than 4 months.
So in total, the training to get the A+ cert was like $40 + $200 for both test (student discount) and 8 weeks of studying. It can be done, it just depends if you have the will to study. I going to do this again and see if I can get another certification by using free or cheap online training.
quick edit (3/5/2019)
I almost forgot these online quizzes did help me with passing the test:
special thanks to reddits's /CompTIA for these links.
jesueRocha, Jesue Rocha
Just another programmer/network/security person
Loves technology and retro video games. Likes to program on his spare time and rides a Kawasaki Ninja to the sunset 24/7.