thoughts about the n10-006 exam and the studying process.

monochromatik

hey everyone. so in order to get accepted into wgu, i was told i had to pick a certification to go for and based on the suggestions i got around here, i decided on network+. i have until the end of the month to study and complete it in order to get admitted for the october 1st start date. i've been using the comptia network+ all-in-one exam guide, sixth edition by mike meyers. i'm up to chapter 10 out of 21 chapters, but honestly as i go through this, i'm astounded by the amount of information it seems like i'm supposed to retain. given that i'm only halfway through, this is a bit troubling. did anyone else have this sort of problem with information overload?

my thinking is that it's possible that mr. meyers likes to (and it seems the case in my reading so far) throw in a lot of extra information in order to make sure one understands everything as fully as possible. my plan is to just trudge through everything a chapter or two a day and then i'll come up with a study guide of the most pertinent information in bullet point form and just drill that constantly, including right before my exam date. i've also been thinking about just scheduling it now to perhaps put some added pressure on me but i also don't wanna plunk down $250+ dollars and then realize a week before that there's no way i'm passing.

anyway, just kinda rambling and just looking to hear about everyone else's experiences and strategies.

TR4V1STY

i also worried about all of the information and what I needed to memorize. Best I can tell you is that it's a mile wide and an inch deep. Flash cards are a good resource for this exam. Know what all of those acronyms are and the basics of what each protocol does.

Professer Messer is good, but maybe a bit TOO detailed IMO.

monochromatik

it's good to hear that. you're right, it's not especially challenging but it seems like a lot of memorization. so i think as long as i drill with a study guide or flash cards that i should be fine.

Plantwiz

monochromatik wrote:

...snip

my thinking is that it's possible that mr. meyers likes to (and it seems the case in my reading so far) throw in a lot of extra information in order to make sure one understands everything as fully as possible. my plan is to just trudge through everything a chapter or two a day and then i'll come up with a study guide of the most pertinent information in bullet point form and just drill that constantly, including right before my exam date. i've also been thinking about just scheduling it now to perhaps put some added pressure on me but i also don't wanna plunk down $250+ dollars and then realize a week before that there's no way i'm passing.

anyway, just kinda rambling and just looking to hear about everyone else's experiences and strategies.

I do not recall a certificate being mandatory for acceptance into WGU, but than again things may have changed as I do not keep up-to-date with changes for enrollment.

That aside, why not simply wait until you are prepared? After all, you are looking at going into IT as a career by the sounds of it, so why take short-cuts and **** yourself learning a solid foundation?


Taking notes while one studies is very common, but if you are looking to short-cut something like the A+ or the NET+, I have strong doubt that you are entering into this career path for the right reasons (that is, being a professional and/or being taken seriously by your peers in the workforce). The higher level certs require a bit more effort and understanding and while many comment how 'easy' A+ and NET+ are the folks who say this tend to say it AFTER they are much further along in their career.

I would recommend delaying entry into WGU if the cert is needed since it sounds like you just don't have the experience for this yet. Gain the experience, take the exam, pass and excell.

monochromatik

REMOVED UNNECESSARY QUOTED REPLY FROM PREVIOUS POST

thanks for the advice, but i'm not coming from a place of no experience per se. i've never worked in it but i have been involved with computers since i was 6 years old, and i've been delayed on my way to finishing school. i'm 30 years old, with about 75 credit hours i've gotten from other colleges and i had an it concentration, but not networking. that's why i'm not entirely familiar with some of this stuff, like osi and telnet, but i already had a pretty firm grasp on things like ports, port forwarding, tcp/ip, etc. but admittedly, i did switch my potential career path from it to network security because i believe that's a better career path going forward, and is less saturated. and as i'm already up there in age, i would like to get my career off the ground as soon as possible, so that's why i don't wanna delay. if i feel uncomfortable taking the exam by the end of the month, then i might delay another month but that's all. i will definitely soak up all the knowledge i get through wgu and take my time with things i need to spend time learning and hopefully be able to move faster through things i'm already knowledgeable on.