The A+ Certification program was created by a consortium of companies, including Microsoft, to define baseline knowledge and skill levels for IT professionals who support hardware and software based on the Intel platform. With the A+ Certification Training Kit, Second Edition, Microsoft applies its popular, competency-based learning format to A+ Certification test preparation. Entry-level IT professionals, computer service technicians, and other computer science track students can use the kit to build real-world expertise with systems hardware and operating systems — as they prepare for the corresponding skill areas of the A+ exam. The kit is modular and self-paced, with hands-on, skill-building exercises. The entire course is featured on CD-ROM for easy searches and reference.