I passed the A plus 220-902 using CertBlaster practice tests and other resources – Part 3 of 3

Share This Post

Passing CompTIA A+ 220-902 with A+ Practice Test – Part 3/3

Click here for Part 1 of 3
Click here for Part 2 of 3

First the Formalities

At the test center, you will be asked for two forms of ID. Each has to be bearing your signature and one of them must include your picture. Once your identity is confirmed you will be asked to fill out some pretty straightforward paperwork. Then you will be sitting for an ID picture that CompTIA will use for your grading summary so look sharp!

Your testing environment

You will be taking the test in a closed room containing well-spaced enough workstations to give you a near private environment as you are sitting at your login screen.

No objects are to be brought into the exam room. However, knowledge cannot be left outside although it often is… You will have a pen and a few sheets of paper provided to you by the testing center. The first thing to do is to take your writing material and write down any memorization aids you’ve worked on (see Part 2 of 3) including any lists or charts you may have made and memorized.

Testing is strictly timed. However during the initial introductory period where you are shown your workstation and give your writing implements. This is when you write down any memorization items and mental triggers. DO NOT BRING ANYTHING TO COPY. Know that you will be on camera the entire time of the exam!

As soon as you click on your log in the exam timer starts. First 15 minutes (not counted against the examination time) is set aside for you to enter your demographic information. As soon as you have completed the demographic information, the 90-minute examination timer begins.

The A+ 220-902 Exam

The CompTIA exam specs list the test at a maximum of 90 Questions to complete in 90 minutes maximum. My test bank was 80 questions in 90 minutes but yours may differ. Provided you are well prepared and you manage your time properly this is ample time. The exam is front loaded with performance based questions that have the potential to use a lot of cycles and so clock so be careful. Unless you are comfortable you can easily answer these performance based questions immediately, just mark the question for later and move on to the multiple choice (the entire rest of the exam). Doing this allows you to answer all of the questions you know (and get the points for them), leaving more time for the tough stuff later. It is especially important to knock off all the multiple choice questions since the represent about 90% or more of the exam. If you are not doing that great on the performance-based it becomes all the more critical to answer the other questions to rack up as many points as fast as possible.

“Two and a half” question types

Performance-Based Questions (PBQ): You can expect three to four or so of this question type (the CertBlaster A+ practice test had a lot more). These questions require relational application of concepts in situations that require a specific outcome that can only be achieved one way. If you end up going in circles and feel unsure about what you are doing then just use the reset feature to reset the question anytime you are not comfortable with what you see. There is nothing sneaky or covert about these they’re just a lot tougher and more time consuming than a multiple choice.

Multiple Choice: These are not really two different question types per se but you do have MCSA (Single Answer) and MCMA (Multiple Answers). You will see the traditional radio button response where you click and a dot populates a small white circle to indicate your single response to the question. The MCMA applies when there is more than one correct response. Here you will see boxes beside each response and when you pick any of them you’ll see a check mark. Whenever you face a Multiple Answers the question text will let you that you need to choose more than one response. On any question that specifies “Choose two”, selecting anything other than two will generate a warning message so you won’t be able to accidentally miss out!

The Final Review

Once your session is over you will be informed of any incomplete questions and reminded of any questions you marked for later. This is a good time to check your timer and see how much time is left. Hopefully, you have some time left to review your answers. For a performance-based question, I needed about three to five minutes each (compared to less than a minute each for multiple-choice questions…). Depending on how much time you have left, you should try to review each question. An exam tip from one test-taker to another- when you do that last review of your questions you will have the benefit of having been exposed to all the subsequent questions. You may have found information in the formulations of those subsequent questions that help you now answer questions you had a hard time with at the outset.

Summary

Once you are done you’ll click “end exam” and the “check the missing/incomplete” questions screen will appear. You’ll get some variations of this but they are all meant to make sure you didn’t accidentally miss anything and also let you know that after this you forfeit any “Do-overs”.

I have been doing this for a great many years, using these methods and the CertBlaster A+ practice test products on fellow educators and students, I have personally helped over 800 candidates become CompTIA certified professionals!

GOOD LUCK ON YOUR QUEST FOR A+ CERTIFICATION!!!!

An example of a Performance Based Question in the CertBlaster for CompTIA A+ 220-902 Practice Test
One example of a Performance-Based Question in the CertBlaster for CompTIA A+ 220-902 Practice Test

___________________________________________________________________________

FULL DISCLOSURE: I am an employee of dti Publishing Corp. and so work on a variety of its educational products. This means that although I believe my advice is sound it may apply differently to you depending on your background and experiences.

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

Get updates and learn from the best

More To Explore

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Pass the exam on the first try guaranteed

By continuing to browse this site, you accept the use of cookies and similar technologies that will allow the use of your data by CertBlaster in order to produce audience statistics- see our privacy policy.