If you're planning on taking the new A+ exams (220-801 and 220-802), you know that they cover an extensive amount of knowledge and will take you some time to prepare. Your best bet is to get a comprehensive book such as the CompTIA A+ Training Kit (Exam 220-801 and Exam 220-802) (ISBN- 978-0735662681) by Darril Gibson. The book covers all five domains of the 220-801 exam and all four domains of the 220-802 exam. It includes a CD with practice test questions and the entire book in a searchable PDF format.
The book takes you through the inner workings of a computer in simple to understand language. Chapters 1 through 10 focus primarily on hardware components. Chapters 11 through 17 cover the specific Windows operating systems mentioned in the objectives. Networking topics are covered in chapters 18 through 24. Last, chapters 25 and 26 cover some security topics.
Each chapter includes a list of the specific objectives covered in the chapter to help you remember what is important for each exam. At the beginning of the book, you’ll find a listing of all the objectives along with the specific chapter where the objective is covered.
Most chapters start with a real world scenario illustrating how some of the knowledge directly relates to real world and on-the-job situations. Exam tips are sprinkled throughout to remind you of key information you’ll need for the exams and notes are occasionally used to provide amplifying information about a topic. At the end of most sections, you’ll find two or three Quick Check questions and Quick Check answers to help you test your knowledge of the key information in the topic.
At the end of the chapter, you’ll find a chapter summary along with some practice test questions. All of the practice test questions (on the CD and in the chapters) include detailed explanations so you’ll know why the correct answer is correct, and why the incorrect answers are incorrect.
Of course, there are also some great courses that many people find valuable to help them prepare. Infosec Institute hosts a five-day CompTIA A+ Boot Campwhich includes the cost of the exams and on-site testing. They also have A+ Online Training in two separate formats depending on your needs.
You can view the full excerpt on the Infosec Institute site.
