A+ Practical Application 220-702 Exam

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Introduction:

A+ Certification is offered by the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA), a global association of IT industry companies with the common goal of standardized qualifications for professionals working in the industry.

Objective of A+ certification Exam Exam Code 220-702:

A+ certification is designed specifically for the professionals working in computer hardware and software support field.

Achievement of A+ Certification shows that a person has the knowledge, technical and customer service skills necessary to successfully support PC equipment and users.

Technical Expectations:
An A+ Certified Professional is usually expected to carry out the following tasks:

Installation and setup, Upgrading, Repairs, Troubleshooting, Maintenance of desktops, laptops, printers, and all other peripherals. Plus,needed to fully understand the network configurations and operating systems  users might be utilizing. And also the setup, training of users in the use of systems, as well as Software related tasks.

Software related responsibilities may include: installation of software packages, upgrade and update of software, troubleshoot application and system errors, advice users on software use, train users, writing of training/user manuals, overseeing PC usage and so on.

Exam Details:

A+ certification requires two tests to be passed: the A+ Essentials(220-701) exam and A+ Practical Application (220-701) exam.

Both of these tests must be passed in order to receive A+ certification . CompTIA suggests that one take the A+ Essentials exam before the other, but they can be taken in either order.

A+ Practical Application Exam Structure :

The CompTIA A+ Practical Application exam consists of approximately 100 questions. A passing score of 700 is required.

Exam Objectives:

Exam objectives are same as that of A+ Essentials, but the emphasis is on practical application (skill testing) rather than on theoretical knowledge.

Domain                           Percentage of Examination
1.0  Hardware                   38%
2.0  Operating Systems       34%
3.0  Networking                 15%
4.0  Security                     13%
Total                              100%
Important Information:

Time allowed:90 minutes
Number of questions: 100
Passing score: Minimum score required is 675
Exam Format: Linear
Exam conducted by: Vue

Resources:
Practice tests: http://www.simulationexams.com/exam-details/aplus-practical-application-220-702.htm
A+ Tutorial: http://www.simulationexams.com/tutorials/aplus/essentials/index.htm

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The exam objectives for A+ Practical Applications exam 220-702 are given below:

1.0 Hardware

1.1 Given a scenario, install, configure and maintain personal computer components
? Storage devices: o HDD:SATA, PATA, Solid state; FDD; Optical drives: CD / DVD / RW / Blu-Ray; Removable ; External
? Motherboards: Jumper settings; CMOS battery; Advanced BIOS settings; Bus speeds; Chipsets; Firmware updates; Socket types; Expansion slots; Memory slots; Front panel connectors; I/O ports: Sound, video, USB 1.1, USB 2.0, serial, IEEE 1394 / Firewire, parallel, NIC, modem, PS/2)
? Power supplies: Wattages and capacity; Connector types and quantity; Output voltage
? Processors : Socket types; Speed; Number of cores; Power consumption; Cache; Front side bus; 32bit vs. 64bit
? Memory
? Adapter cards: Graphics cards; Sound cards; Storage controllers : RAID cards (RAID array ? levels 0,1,5), eSATA cards; I/O cards : Firewire, USB, Parallel, Serial; Wired and wireless network cards; Capture cards (TV, video); Media reader
? Cooling systems: Heat sinks; Thermal compound; CPU fans; Case fans

1.2 Given a scenario, detect problems, troubleshoot and repair/replace personal computer components
? Storage devices: HDD: SATA, PATA, Solid state; FDD; Optical drives: CD / DVD / RW / Blu-Ray; Removable; External
? Motherboards: Jumper settings; CMOS battery; Advanced BIOS settings; Bus speeds; Chipsets; Firmware updates; Socket types; Expansion slots; Memory slots; Front panel connectors; I/O ports: Sound, video, USB 1.1, USB 2.0, serial, IEEE 1394 / Firewire, parallel, NIC, modem, PS/2)
? Power supplies : Wattages and capacity, Connector types and quantity, Output voltage
? Processors: Socket types, Speed, Number of cores, Power consumption, Cache, Front side bus, 32bit vs. 64bit
? Memory
? Adapter cards: Graphics cards - memory; Sound cards; Storage controllers: RAID cards, eSATA cards; I/O cards: Firewire, USB, Parallel, Serial; Wired and wireless network cards; Capture cards (TV, video); Media reader
? Cooling systems: Heat sinks; Thermal compound; CPU fans; Case fans

1.3 Given a scenario, install, configure, detect problems, troubleshoot and repair/replace laptop
components
? Components of the LCD including inverter, screen and video card
? Hard drive and memory
? Disassemble processes for proper re-assembly
o Document and label cable and screw locations
o Organize parts
o Refer to manufacturer documentation
o Use appropriate hand tools
? Recognize internal laptop expansion slot types
? Upgrade wireless cards and video card
? Replace keyboard, processor, plastics, pointer devices, heat sinks, fans, system board, CMOS
battery, speakers

1.4 Given a scenario, select and use the following tools
? Multimeter
? Power supply tester
? Specialty hardware / tools
? Cable testers
? Loop back plugs
? Anti-static pad and wrist strap
? Extension magnet
1.5 Given a scenario, detect and resolve common printer is
? Symptoms: Paper jams; Blank paper; Error codes; Out of memory error; Lines and smearing; Garbage printout; Ghosted image; No connectivity
? Issue resolution: Replace fuser; Replace drum; Clear paper jam; Power cycle; Install maintenance kit (reset page count); Set IP on printer; Clean printer

2.0 Operating Systems

Unless otherwise noted, operating systems referred to within include Microsoft Windows 2000, Windows XP Professional, XP Home, XP MediaCenter, Windows Vista  Home, Home Premium, Business and Ultimate.

2.1 Select the appropriate commands and options to troubleshoot and resolve problems
? MSCONFIG, DIR, CHKDSK (/f /r), EDIT, COPY (/a /v /y), XCOPY, FORMAT, IPCONFIG (/all /release /renew), ? PING (-t ?l), MD / CD / RD, NET, TRACERT, NSLOOKUP,  [command name] /? , SFC

2.2 Differentiate between Windows Operating System directory structures (Windows 2000, XP and Vista)
? User file locations
? System file locations
? Fonts
? Temporary files
? Program files
? Offline files and folders

2.3 Given a scenario, select and use system utilities / tools and evaluate the results
? Disk management tools: DEFRAG; NTBACKUP; Check Disk
? Disk Manager: Active, primary, extended and logical partitions; Mount points; Mounting a drive; FAT32 and NTFS;  Drive status: Foreign drive, Healthy, Formatting, Active unallocated, Failed, Dynamic, Offline. Online
? System monitor
? Administrative tools: Event Viewer, Computer Management, Services, Performance Monitor
? Devices Manager: Enable, Disable, Warnings, Indicators
? Task Manager: Process list, Resource usage, Process priority, Termination
? System Information
? System restore
? Remote Desktop Protocol (Remote Desktop / Remote Assistance)
? Task Scheduler
? Regional settings and language settings

2.4 Evaluate and resolve common issues
? Operational Problems
o Windows specific printing problems: Print spool stalled; Incorrect / incompatible driver / form printing
o Auto-restart errors
o Bluescreen error
o System lock-up
o Devices drivers failure (input / output devices)
o Application install, start or load failure
o Service fails to start
? Error Messages and Conditions
o Boot: Invalid boot disk; Inaccessible boot drive; Missing NTLDR
o Startup: Device / service failed to start; Device / program in registry not found
o Event viewer (errors in the event log)
o System Performance and Optimization: Aero settings; Indexing settings; UAC; Side bar settings; Startup file maintenance; Background processes

3.0 Networking

3.1 Troubleshoot client-side connectivity issues using appropriate tools
? TCP/IP settings: Gateway ; Subnet mask ; DNS ;DHCP (dynamic vs.static) ;NAT (private and public)
? Characteristics of TCP/IP: Loopback addresses; Automatic IP addressing
? Mail protocol settings: SMTP; IMAP; POP
? FTP settings: Ports: IP addresses; Exceptions; Programs
? Proxy settings: Ports, IP addresses, Exceptions, Programs
? Tools (use and interpret results): Ping, Tracert, Nslookup, Netstat, Net use,  Net /?, Ipconfig, telnet, SSH
? Secure connection protocols: SSH, HTTPS
? Firewall settings: Open and closed ports, Program filters

3.2 Install and configure a small office home office (SOHO) network
? Connection types: Dial-up, Broadband - DSL - Cable - Satellite - ISDN
o Wireless : All 802.11; WEP; WPA; SSID; MAC filtering; DHCP settings
o Routers / Access Points: Disable DHCP; Use static IP; Change SSID from default; Disable SSID broadcast; MAC filtering; Change default username and password; Update firmware; Firewall
o LAN (10/100/1000BaseT, Speeds)
o Bluetooth (1.0 vs. 2.0)
o Cellular
o Basic VoIP (consumer applications)
? Basics of hardware and software firewall configuration
o Port assignment / setting up rules (exceptions)
o Port forwarding / port triggering
? Physical installation
o Wireless router placement
o Cable length

4.0 Security

4.1 Given a scenario, prevent, troubleshoot and remove viruses and malware
? Use antivirus software
? Identify malware symptoms
? Quarantine infected systems
? Research malware types, symptoms and solutions (virus encyclopedias)
? Remediate infected systems
? Update antivirus software
o Signature and engine updates
o Automatic vs. manual
? Schedule scans
? Repair boot blocks
? Scan and removal techniques
o Safe mode
o Boot environment
? Educate end user

4.2 Implement security and troubleshoot common issues
? Operating systems
o Local users and groups: Administrator, Power Users, Guest, Users
o Vista User Access Control (UAC)
o NTFS vs. Share permissions: Allow vs. deny; Difference between moving and copying folders and files; File attributes
o Shared files and folders: Administrative shares vs. local shares; Permission propagation; Inheritance
o System files and folders
o Encryption (Bitlocker, EFS)
o User authentication
? System
o BIOS security- Drive lock, Passwords, Intrusion detection, TPM

Note: Please check with the CompTIA site for latest changes to the exam objectives.

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Exam notes: Install and configure laptops,
https://www.swregn.com/Products/APlusEssCramNotes/Laptops-1.html#Install%20and%20configure%20laptop