Don't get me wrong, I understand the idea of having hard copy print materials to have and to hold dearly while studying and learning.

However, I'm in such dire financial straights, I'd rather not spend $50 on a book that says everything I'll already know after watching the Professor's outstanding videos?

What are your thoughts? Do you believe you can get through the A+ with only the Professor's videos, or would you highly recommend a study book as a companion?

I think you are not looking at the bigger picture. I agree that these videos are a great help, I see even the free videos as being better than many I've used in past business libraries (provided by past employers) many of which, were highly touted "Brand name" products.

The problem is videos are notoriously subject to one persons opinion of what is important, where most books, manuals, (product catalogs have new products, which the books never touch on - I go through them to learn what is selling - leading edge and on the shelves) ... the stuff is out there with a lot more info in between the covers and allow you to absorb the information at a slower pace when you need to do something like review a command line or skim over parts you have a lot of OJT expereince doing.

Example; if you go to a movie, the director puts on the screen what he wants you to see... maybe you wanted to know more about one character who he only used as a walk-on?

The price of a book is not really that much. If you are lucky, you may be able to ask around, go to the Public library, drop around some local college campus - talk to friends, many of microsoft folks hold on to manuals (because they do cost so much - much longer than we should). When it comes to A+ you can get a lot out of old books, since much of the exam is based on history, standards as you said - lots of stuff is obsolete in a year or less. So getting the latest copy in not as important as understanding stuff which doesn't change. Get the basics in your head and you 70% of the way there. Hands on and reading blogs, trade magazines and internet research will get you most of the rest of the way... Plus these vid's...

I'm not sure I agree with that premise. CompTIA exam requirements are very well documented. There's very little room for opinion, and there are so many people taking the exam that the exam objectives can be easily verified.

The biggest reason you should get a good book to go with your videos is time and motion. It's a physics problem; you can read content from a book much faster than watching a video containing the same information. This isn't anything new, it's just the nature of the medium.

Learning when you read and learning when you watch are two very different experiences, and you should take every advantage you have. If you don't want to buy a book, then visit the library and get a comparable study guide. Even if you used Wikipedia to cross-reference every exam topic, you'd be much farther ahead than simply watching my videos.

People send me messages all the time telling me they only used my videos to pass their exams. I'm glad they passed, but I'm not sure I agree with their methodology. If you're planning to invest in a certification, wouldn't you want every opportunity to pass?

The difference between what you are saying, which I agree with, from my point of view - is one of degree rather than contention. I love your videos, they are great.

But, as some recent posts have complained ... especially on the Microsoft forums (as well as this one) that the exams may quiz more on command line syntax where as most video tutorials tend to cover GUI interfaces and screen shots.

Thats why I prefer the a text or manual for the grunt work, heavy lifting - however, whether it comes to studying for an exam or absorbing the details that I want to stick in my memory when I can't go get a reference book having a few choice, text commands in my head are priceless, unlike a lot of people I have to do them hands on, several times before they stick. One example, I have used GUI utilities to subnet, a lot, but I finally got frustrated one time too many and actually took the time to read, practice, finally understand how to subnet by memory (and the use of an occasional pen and paper exercise). GUI and vids are not with you or available all the time. maybe my expereinces can help the 1 out of 100 who learns the way I do? With IPv6 starting to take its place in Data Centers - I'm starting to kick myself for taking IPv4 seriously - just a little too late. But I'm sure it'll be around for another 10, 15 years, so I'll get enough use to make it worthwhile - no knowledge is every really wasted.

I'm out of my depth when it comes to disputing what works for other people, but I'm farly good at figureing out what works for me. Just presenting things from my perspective - readers can take it or leave. We all have our own ways of making it stick.

This gap in training detail isn't due to any type of opinion by the instructor; it's because Microsoft's exam requirements are practically non-existent. For very specific reasons, Microsoft doesn't tell people what they need to know to pass the certification exam. Microsoft gives you a very high-level concept as an exam requirement on their web site, but they don't give you any context or details around that concept.

Of course, Microsoft Press books are very well detailed. Since they are produced and published by Microsoft, they're the best source for exam-ready study materials and they follow the exam requirements to perfection. It's not out of realm of possibility that the exam requirements are kept vague so that Microsoft can promote their own training classes, books, videos, and online services. It's a pretty smart business model, but it puts students at a disadvantage.

It's worth mentioning that this lack of information affects any non-Microsoft training materials, not just videos. If you look through a non-Microsoft book, you'll often see too much information included because the author thought it best to cover every possible contingency. Unfortunately, this means that students are required to memorize and train over information that they'll never see during the exam.

I've yet to see a commercial IT video training course that was slanted due to the opinion of the author. If you have some examples you can point me to, I'll take a look.

My professor requires that we buy the Microsoft books and MOAC for the MCITP classes. I took the Windows 7 config class last semester. Now I'm taking Active Directory class. I like the Microsoft books because of the detail and while reading the chapters I can do hands on exercises at the same time. I used Professor Messer vids last semester to reinforce concepts that I didn't understand completely.

The instructor at college lists Prof. Messer vids as a resource.

Frank Hayden

You might be able to get through both exams by purely watching the Professor's videos but I personally couldn't do that when I did the A+. I had to read Mike Meyers book (the handy almost pocket sized version. Doesnt cost that much) and watch the professors vids in order to pass.

If money is a major problem then you could try borrowing a book from your local library. I don't know where you are from but I believe over in the USA libraries are excellent (or so i have heard). Over here in the UK, we are not so lucky compared to the USA where getting a book that isn't available locally can be hard work. UK public libraries are often neglected. All the money gets poured into colleges,schools and unis. OK if you're a student but bad if not. i digress.

Thanks for your input everyone. You are all right, more sources of information is better. Plus, I enjoy it, and want to make a career out of it! After much toiling, I'm going to get Mike Meyers 7th edition A+. Great reviews everywhere. I see there's an 8th edition coming out in June, hopefully there won't be drastic changes between versions.

And Fizzy, I'll have to check into the pocket version. I only saw the bible-sized version.

All the best!

Here you go mate
this is the almost pocket sized version
http://www.amazon.co.uk/CompTIA-Certifi ... 378&sr=8-4

It also comes with a CD which exams on it although from memory I can't remember how many questions it gives you.

It is very good and to be honest if you already have some PC knowledge and experience then using this book along with Professor's videos is really all you need. Mike Meyers also offers (or at least the last time i checked) A+ questions for sale on his website. Its a downloadable thing. It is expensive but the questions are very good and the closest to the real thing I found with the A+

Man.... I wish I knew about the Passport book before. I have the massive All-In-One book by Mike Meyers! Too late to change it now though, I'm on chapter 18 at the moment. 9 more to go! I'm going to try and average 2 chapters per week. I read 2 chapters on Sunday while taking notes (takes most of the day), then watch Professor Messer's vids and take notes, and top it all off by reading the corresponding sections of David Prowse Exam Cram. I review the material for the week before starting new material on the following Sunay. Seems to be a good system and I'm soaking up the information nicely. I hope to have my A+ cert before the summer time.

Thanks Fizzy for the link, and nirv, that sounds like a great study regiment.