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1. CompTIA A+ Certification All-in-One Exam Guide, Tenth Edition (Exams 220-1001 & 220-1002) by Mike Meyers
This is one of the most popular of the CompTIA A+ books, and it’s not hard to see why. If you’re an absolute beginner, or just getting into the world of Information Technology, I highly recommend starting out with this Mike Meyers book. Meyers is a renowned educator of the Comptia A+ exam prep as he also has video training available. Through the use of simple analogies, this book explains computing concepts in an easy to understand manner. Meyers interjects a humorous and sarcastic tone into his writing to make for easier and entertaining reading. I didn’t find myself falling asleep reading this as much as I did with other study books. And that’s saying a lot because this book is thick with a lot of pages, which just means that you get more bang and info for your buck.
The book is organized by concepts rather than following the objectives list. So if you are already familiar with IT, and just wanted a quick and dirty review book with just the facts, then you should seek a different book. This book does have a guide that will point you to where each exam objective is covered. It’s just a little bit of hassle to keep flipping back and forth if you want to study mainly based off of the objectives.
This is a great high level book to help you get familiar with the concepts. But this book should be complemented with another book or study resource that goes more into depth and detail to get to the level of knowledge required to pass the Comptia A+ exams.
2. CompTIA A+ Complete Study Guide: Exam Core 1 220-1001 and Exam Core 2 220-1002 4th Edition by Quentin Docter and Jon Buhagiar
Just like the Mike Meyers book, this is quite a hefty book containing a lot of great information. The structure of the book generally follows the exam objectives so it’s helpful when studying with the exam objectives. This book doesn’t simplify things as much as the Mike Meyer’s book, but it is still easy to understand if you’re new to the subject, and covers topics in depth.
Bonus is that the book comes with an offer for a 10% off voucher for the exam. (For other tips on saving money on the exam see: ).
3. CompTIA A+ Core 1 (220-1001) and Core 2 (220-1002) Exam Cram (2nd Edition) by David Prowse
At the time of this post, this 2nd edition of the Exam Cram book has not yet been released for the CompTIA A+ 220-1001 and 220-1002 series. However, this book recommendation is based on the 1st edition of the book for the 220-901 and 220-902 series.
If you’ve spent any time on forums regarding the CompTIA A+ exams, you’ll see that this book comes highly recommended by posters who have gone on to get their A+ certifications. It’s a straight to the point study guide and reviewers have said that they used this book alone to pass the exam.
What makes this book stand out from the others are the practice exams and quizzes that come with the book. Two practice exams are included in print in the book. But there are also real time practice tests through Pearson’s test engine. The Exam Cram book also gives you access to real world scenario case studios and video simulations.
4. CompTIA A+ Practice Questions Exam Cram Core 1 (220-1001) and Core 2 (220-1002) 1st Edition
Exam Cram also offers a book that is solely dedicated to Practice Questions. Use this book once you feel you’ve prepared enough and want to test your knowledge.
With enough time, dedication, and the help of any one (or many) of these books, you’ll be sure to get your CompTIA A+ certification. If studying just by reading books does not appeal to you, then be sure to check out our recommendations for CompTIA A+ video training and other tips on how to study for the CompTIA A+ exams.
As a final tip, if you’re tight on money and can’t afford to purchase these books, then check your local library to see if they have any of these books available. Most libraries even offer digital copies that you can read through Kindle, OverDrive, Libby, or other e-readers so you don’t even need to physically go to the library if you already have a library card.
The library may not have the latest editions of a study book, but generally exams don’t change too drastically. Therefore, you can review an older edition to brush up on topics still covered under the current exam. That means you don’t even need to the time and effort to physically go to the library to borrow physical books that have been manhandled by countless strangers.