Just follow the guides. The test isn't about being able to actually know what's right, its about learning to memorize.
I had finished the CNE (Certified Novell Engineer for you youngins
)program in 1992 which was actually about what you know, but when I took my A+ back in 1994 I thought it was a joke. It was so abstract and erroneous, I just answered the way I thought they wanted to hear and curbed my desire to answer them correctly and I passed.
My personal view on most certifications is that they are designed to allow HR people to hire technical people. Companies use certifications as an arbitrary rule to filter down the candidates to make for less interviews. I understand their use, I couldn't afford to have a skilled consultant spend all day talking to job candidates to see if they really know what they are doing, so it has to be done by a less expensive person.
When I do a company resume for my consulting firm, I never list any of my consultant's certifications. You know how many times I've been asked for them by potential clients during the three and a half years I've been running my business? None.
Doug