# ACMT Service Exam Tomorrow!!!!



## jbobik2

So I'm scheduled to take the ACMT 9L0-008 exam at Prometric tomorrow. Is there anyone out there who is ACMT-certified and knows about the exam? I've been studying the material on GSX for about 3 or 4 weeks now. I think I have a pretty firm grasp. My question is about the exam itself. 

Is Apple's training material on GSX enough to pass? I have a computer education and have been working with systems for over 15 years. But I am still nervous and need a boost to go in there and slam the exam. I have ESD and Technician safety down. That's a no brainer. Its the myriad of Mac systems and their individual tools and methods that may stump me.

Anyone????


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## monokitty

The GSX material is enough to pass the exam. I've taken it - about 6 times now, since it requires yearly recertification.  The only thing to watch out for is with the troubleshooting questions - don't answer them in a way that YOU might troubleshoot a problem, but rather how Apple would expect you to - which some times isn't actually the best answer. 

The ESD and Technician Safety categories require full marks in order to pass the exam, even if you scored 100% on the remaining categories.


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## Amiga2000HD

Wow, Apple trains on ESD issues? I'm impressed. It's unfortunate that many people working on computers are unaware of or don't care about electrostatic discharge. I've never seen an IT person working on a computer wear an antistatic wristband, properly ground an unpowered computer being worked on, or even have an antistatic mat on the workbench.


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## jbobik2

I know that whenever I go to an AASP and see the tech, he's working on an anti-static mat attached to a proper wall ground with a wrist strap on. And after reading about how Apple does things, it explains why Mac's don't need repair as often. It amazing me how little of a charge can actually fry an integrated circuit. I was wearing the wrong pair of shoes at work the other day and every time I touched something metal, I got a huge shock. Bordering on uncomfortable.


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## RatsOnMacAttack

So how did you make out on the test? Easier/harder than you thought?


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## Amiga2000HD

Glad to hear the Apple centrex take static electricity seriously. What I was referring to though are corporate IT droids that work on PCs in offices and cubicles (carpeted floors) without taking antistatic precautions, which places computers that are opened up for repairs or upgrades at risk of being damaged. Most of the corporate IT lab areas I've seen don't have antistatic mats on the work surfaces either. Then again, I take issue with the old computer industry line saying to use pencil erasers to clean connector contacts too.

It is quite surprising how sensitive certain components are to static. Anything TTL is pretty robust but CMOS components are very fragile especially things like early ICs or MOSFET transistors that don't have internal protection circuits. Sometimes it seems like some of those would fry if you looked at them the wrong way.

The pair of shoes I had when I started my new job out of college and the electronics lab I was working in turned out to be a pure static generator. Luckily, I was doing mainly systems level work instead of component level repairs so I didn't need to worry too much as long as I wasn't near any bencher equipment but I was getting multiple loud and painful shocks every day from touching the light switches, the door handle, brushing up against metal furniture etc. and some of the snaps and cracks were loud enough that other people in the shop would hear the discharges. I had to ground myself out frequently just to avoid building up levels of static that gave painful shocks and be extremely careful with antistatic precautions whenever I did work on equipment. Thankfully that problem went when I bought a new pair of shoes.

Anyhow, I hope your test went well today. Let us know how you did!


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## jbobik2

I went in early for my test and actually started almost 40 minutes before my scheduled 2 hours. 22 minutes later I emerged with a score of 93%. 5 wrong out of 80 questions. If you can retain what you read, you should be fine.

As for the content..everything on the prospectus was touched upon. I got a perfect score on all of the hardware-specific questions. I tried to answer the questions about troubleshooting as though I worked for Apple and not myself, which proved invaluable. I am writing 9L0-0062 in about a week. I started reading the first 3 sections today and almost fell asleep. Thankfully my experience with OS X dates back to 10.1 so I have a firm grasp of the general OS. And my formal education in Network Technology really helps when troubleshooting Airport networks and network issues. 

Thanks SOOOOO very much to all who gave advice, you know who you are. I can't wait to start my apprenticeship once I pass the second exam. I graduated 8 years ago and was not called for one single interview in my area. I'm ready for the journey and I'm loving every minute of it.


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## Amiga2000HD

Congratulations and good luck with the second exam!


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## jbobik2

Second exam is at 8:30am tomorrow morning. This one seems to be a little easier on the brain than the hardware side. I just find that if you've been working with OS X for a while, you understand most of the concepts already.

Doesn't mean I'm not nervous. Always have anxiety to a point before an exam.


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## monokitty

jbobik2 said:


> And let me just say..GSX was MORE than enough. I can't believe people go out and purchase the practice tests and braindumps.


Because you need to work for an Apple Authorized Service Provider to have access to GSX. If you're looking to get certified and you're not employed by an AASP, you need to purchase the training kit to access the training material.


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## jbobik2

I am working with an AASP.


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## monokitty

jbobik2 said:


> I am working with an AASP.


Yup, I know.


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## jbobik2

So I did the OS X 10.6 Troubleshooting Exam on Monday. It was NOT as easy as the Service Exam. Hardware is pretty cut and dry..software could be anything. So when phrasing the questions every single one is right. One is just more right than the others. But I passed none the less and feel great that my business cards finally have my ACMT logo on them.


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## Theseus

I've always considered the questions on the Troubleshooting Exam to be more difficult than the Support Essentials (Snow 101) exam. If you're looking at upgrading your résumé, a few hours with the textbook and another exam and you'll have another certification (ACSP / Apple Certified Support Professional) to add to your wall.


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