CompTIA IT Fundamentals (ITF+) Study Guide: Exam FC0-U61 (Sybex Study Guide)

Before I get to the review, if you aren't aware the CompTIA IT Fundamentals (ITF+) Exam (Exam Code:FCO-U61) launched September 4th, 2018.With a retirement date of usually three years, so supposedly this book will cover the domains of the exam up until September 4th, 2021.CompTIA Exam Vouchers are valid for 12 months from the date of purchase.Please take this into consideration if you buy the book in early 2021 and plan on studying for months before taking the exam.The above information can be verified on CompTIA's website.Please look into it. Don't want you to buy an outdated book, or one soon to be replaced by a new edition.With that said, the following is my review, which will be for a good part in list format.1) Book includes a practice assessment at the beginning, which I did not pass.2) Book gives you access to an online learning environment where you can access the following.* Book list 250 electronic flashcards, but when I logged in there were actually 278! Nice surprise.* 2 Practice exams that are 50 questions each. Note, these exams are not in the book, only online as well as the flash cards.* The online portal has a 20 question quiz for each chapter. Note! These quizzes are the same as the 20 Review Questions in the book at the end of each chapter.* It was an undertaking accessing the online portal. You have to create a account, get an email, ... and so on. The instructions provided to access the portal need updating.* The 10% Exam Voucher Coupon is obtained by accessing the online learning environment. Once you select the "Product" (this book), you'll be shown an "Overview" page with the word "Overview" at the top in bold red color. Scroll down and you will see in bold blue font "CompTIA DISCOUNT VOUCHER". Follow the instructions. They don't make it super easy to find.3) IMO, I did find the book easy to read. I knew relatively little about IT, hence my initial assessment score. There is some fluff, but I appreciated it. The authors writing style came across as more of a conversation than a dry technical study guide. He even throws in some humor from time to time.4) The "Exam Essentials"(which is essentially a summary), "Written Lab", and "Review Questions" at the end of each chapter are great.5) There is an Index, but no Glossary. Not a complaint, because the index will direct you to where the words are located.*There is a Glossary on the online learning environment portal, and it can be downloaded, which is nice. But to get to it you'll need to start a "Quiz", and click the resources option in the top right of your page to access the glossary. Again, they don't make it intuitive, IMO.6) There are "Exercises" and "Figures (pictures)" in every chapter.* One gripe, the pictures are in black and white, so many are almost useless when you need to differentiate between differently colored parts/hardware.So, with all that said I know there is a probability that you're wondering, "Did you pass?"Yes, and on the first attempt. But I will be honest, it was a modest score.My process was two weeks from date of receiving the book in the mail to date of getting my "Exam Score Report" from Pearson VUE.I read intensively.Indeed, thorough and true.If you want to cover all the material, be prepared to read 587 pages.I did most of the "Written Labs" but some are particular to specific operating systems. Windows 10 was referenced alot.I definitely did the "Review Questions" as well.I did not redo the same "Review Questions (i.e. Quizzes)" on the online portal.But I did review every 278 electronic flashcard the morning before the exam.From my experience, if you have zero to little IT knowledge, this book may not be enough.I also completed the Google IT Support Professional Certification a week or so before getting the book. So some of the topics weren't completely foreign.Of course, I utilized various channels on YouTube, but I didn't regularly dedicate any consistent block of time to YouTube tutorials. It was just a video here and there.In summary, I would without a doubt recommend the book. But at the same time I highly suggest you scour the internet for other resources to supplement your studies.With that said, remember your performance on the books introductory assessment will give you a good idea of where you stand.Last comment. I found chapters 6 and 7 the briefest but most unfamiliar and most difficult to grasp.I hope this review was helpful, and I hope you pass.Good luck and best regards :)

Exam: FC0-U61I purchased this book and studied patiently (my personal preference) for about 2-3 months before taking the exam. The book did come with a 10% off coupon which you need to register an account first, but it worked fine for me. The book also included online study objective selecting practice tests, quizzes andover 300+ Flash cards. The personal method I use when studying for a certification exam are as follows and have always worked for me:1. Take practice test first to get an idea of where you’re at.2. Read the entire book without writing notes and take another practice test to get an idea of where you’re at.3. Use the Chapter Review questions and create flash cards, study the flash cards 5+ times a day every 2-3 hours until you’re only getting a few wrong.4. Using wrong answers, find the objective it falls under and review the entire objective (not just that one wrong answer - trust me).5. Take Practice exams as many times as you can a day (seriously, they helped a lot).6. Once you’re confident with your studying, purchase your exam voucher (don’t forget to use the 10% off coupon).7. Get 8 hours of sleep, have a nice mid-sized breakfast (Steel cut oats is my brain food) and take the exam.This book did have a few things off, but nothing bad enough for me to write a bad review:1. There was 1 question in the Chapter 1 review that the information wasn’t in Chapter 1, but instead it was from Chapter 2.2. The book is black and white inside which made the photos in the Figures very very dark, so a color option of this book would be very welcomed.3. The author has a sense of humor, somewhat, and you can read that in his writing. My personal preference is, I want to get to know the book, not the author.Final Thoughts- I definitely recommend this book as I studied for 2-3 months (no YouTube or other resources) and passed well above the minimum score of 650, but because I studied and took the book and Flash cards with me literally everywhere. I did look into buying the entire Mike Meyers study material, but didn’t want to spend hundreds of dollars. I definitely recommend the book and good luck to all CompTIA students!!

Received the guide today. Spent a few hours on Chapter 1. Some of the hardware material is too much info a bit overwhelming, but the summaries, labs, review questions are great. I felt like I learned a lot of things I never knew or never paid attention to, or at least had a refresher on the things I haven't seen in a while. Network and Database chapters will also be very important for me to review. Most of the other material I already work with in work, so most will be a review. Management is pushing certs for our own good so starting with ITF+ just to get a good foundation and review and get used to actually taking the exam. Extra materials are not in the book but online. Online has 2 practice exams and some other things. My plan is to spend a few months on the entire book and do the labs and practice questions along the way, then try the online stuff. Lots of youtube stuff available also for ITF+ cert. The book says the online practice exams once you get up to 90% or better you are ready to take the test.

IT Fundamentals is very well written; it is engaging, educational, and informative. I particularly like the fact that it is written in a serious tone throughout, whereas many of the others (not all) are littered with far too many jocular sentences and paragraphs. I bought it to be informed, not made to laugh.I feel that for the most part it is deep and extensive on coverage of all the required (for the exam) topics. I used only this book and passed the test comfortably. My only negative critique is that it wasn't revised enough for year 2019; as an example, IPv6 was declared "beyond the scope of the book." I firmly disagree, if this were 2016 or earlier, yes, but not at this point in time -- it IS relevant.Yes, I would buy this again, and I would recommend it to a friend for the Exam.