nly expect them to be worth more than a typical multiple choice question. These questions are much deeper and require more knowledge to answer correctly.
If a regular question is worth 8 points on a CompTIA scale of 100 to 900, a performance based question might be worth 24 points or even 32 points. You can probably afford to get one or two of these wrong but if you answer them all incorrectly, you’ll probably fail the exam.
Performance Based Testing and the Command Prompt
The command prompt is relatively easy to simulate for a performance based question. Also, the command prompt has many similarities between operating systems so it’s easier to create vendor neutral questions. Because of this, make sure you have a good understanding of any command prompt objectives for the exam you plan on taking.
Along those lines, if you’re looking for a book that has in-depth coverage of the command prompt, you might like to check out this book: Windows 7 Portable Command Guide (ISBN 978-0789747359). It provides straightforward coverage of how to use the command prompt with a wealth of examples showing exactly what to type to accomplish specific tasks.
Performance Based Testing in the CASP Exam
CompTIA first used performance based testing in the CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner (CASP) exam when it was released in beta format. It has continued to be a part of the CASP exam since.
The CASP exam only gives you a score of pass/fail rather than a numerical score. This is different from other CompTIA exams and it’s not clear if they’re doing this because of the performance based questions or because of some other reason.
Performance Based Testing in the A+ Exam
The next version of the A+ exam has two exams (220-801 and 220-802) and they are due out in October 2012. CompTIA has been saying for several months that these exams will include performance based testing.
The command prompt is included in many of the objectives, so you can expect performance based questions using the command prompt on the A+ exams. Another strong possibility is usage of different Control Panel applets. For example, you might be tasked with launching the firewall through the Control Panel and enabling it. The exam objectives specifically state that you should be able to navigate the Control Panel using the icon or list view, so you should be familiar with how to change the view from Category view to one of the list views.
One way to ensure you are prepared for these types of questions is to get as much hands on as possible. You can get some of this in a classroom such as with the CompTIA A+ Boot Camp Course at InfoSec Institute.
Also, the CompTIA A+ Training Kit (Exam 220-801 and Exam 220-802) (ISBN 978-0735662681) includes many different exercises written specifically with these performance based questions in mind. As you’re reading the book, go through the exercises and you’ll be better prepared to correctly complete these questions.
Don’t panic if you’re currently studying for the 220-701 and 220-702 exams. They will continue to be available until August 31, 2013 and CompTIA doesn’t plan on adding performance based testing to these exams.
Performance Based Testing in the Network+ Exam
CompTIA plans on adding performance based questions to the current version of the Network+ exam (N10-005) sometime in the last quarter of 2012 (October, November, or December).
Just as with the A+ exam, I see a lot of possibilities with the command prompt for performance based testing on the Network+ exam. As a simple example, you might be tasked with removing a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) lease for a client and then obtaining a new lease. When you launch the simulation, you’ll see a command prompt. You’ll then need to enter the following two commands:
The first command releases the current DHCP lease and the second command requests a new lease.
InfoSec Institute has an intensive three-day course that can help you prepare for this exam. http://www.infosecinstitute.com/courses/comptia_authorized_network+_boot_camp_training.html
Performance Based Testing in the Sec