CompTIA A + has a total of two exams and study sections, and you have to get your exams in each area for qualification purposes. Training courses in A+ teach diagnostic techniques and fault-finding - via hands on and remote access, in addition to building and fixing and working in antistatic conditions. Should you fancy yourself as the kind of individual who is a member of a large organisation - fixing and supporting networks, you should include CompTIA Network+ to your training package, or follow the Microsoft route - MCP's, MCSA or MCSE to give you a more advanced experience of the way networks operate.
Often, students don't think to check on something that can make a profound difference to their results - the way the company breaks up the training materials, and into how many separate packages. You may think it logical (with a typical time scale of 1-3 years to pass all the required exams,) for a training company to release a single section at a time, as you pass each element. Although: It's not unusual for trainees to realise that their providers standard order of study doesn't suit. Sometimes, a different order of study is more expedient. And what if you don't get to the end inside of the expected timescales?
For the perfect solution, you'd get ALL the training materials right at the beginning - so you'll have them all to come back to in the future - irrespective of any schedule. This also allows you to vary the order in which you complete each objective if you find another route more intuitive.
The right sort of package of training will also offer fully authorised exam simulation and preparation packages. Due to the fact that a lot of examining boards for IT tend to be American, you must be prepared for the way exams are phrased. You can't practice properly by simply answering any old technical questions - they must be in an exam format that exactly replicates the real thing. Simulated exams will prove very useful as a tool for logging knowledge into your brain - then when the time comes for you to take the real thing, you don't get uptight.
Many trainers provide a shelf full of reference manuals. This can be very boring and not ideal for studying effectively. Long-term memory is enhanced when we use multiple senses - educational experts have expounded on this for years now.
The latest home-based training features interactive discs. Real-world classes from the instructors will mean you'll learn your subject through the demonstrations and explanations. You can then test yourself by practicing and interacting with the software. Each company you're contemplating should willingly take you through samples of their courseware. You should hope for instructor-led videos and a wide selection of interactive elements.
Choose disc based courseware (On CD or DVD) every time. You're then protected from the variability of broadband quality and service.
Proper support is incredibly important - ensure you track down something offering 24x7 direct access to instructors, as anything less will not satisfy and will also hold up your pace and restrict your intake. Beware of institutions who use call-centres 'out-of-hours' - where an advisor will call back during normal office hours. This is useless when you're stuck and want support there and then.
It's possible to find professional training packages that give students direct-access online support 24x7 - at any time of day or night. If you opt for less than support round-the-clock, you'll end up kicking yourself. You may avoid using the support in the middle of the night, but what about weekends, early mornings or late evenings.