WGU BS - IT Security Start Date 12/1/15

Hi Guys:

So the wait is almost over and my transfer of credits evaluations is finally complete. I was able to transfer 94 credits and am only left with 30 credit hours to graduate.

Following are the only courses I have to take.

Business of IT:Project (4 credits)
Project+
Principles of Management--- (4 credit hours)
Intro to IT: (4 credit hours)
English II: (3 credit hours)
Business of IT-Applications (4 credit hours)
Scripting and Programming--Applications: (4 credits)
Technical Writing
(3 credit hours)
IT Capstone-- (4 credit hours)

I want you all’s help/guidance/tips/clues to ensure I finish all 30 CUs in "one" term.

I still have 40 days to Dec 1^st and I want to utilize the available time. I want to start working towards research papers, assessments, etc during these 40 days, so once the term starts, all I will need to do is submit papers and take assessments.

As of now, I am planning to follow the below-mentioned sequence.
Dec 2015:

Business of IT:Project (4 credits)
Project+
Principles of Management--- (4 credit hours)
Intro to IT: (4 credit hours)

Jan 2016:

English II: (3 credit hours)
Business of IT-Applications (4 credit hours)

Feb/March 2016:

Scripting and Programming--Applications: (4 credits)---I am going to hate this class.

April/May 2016:

Technical Writing
(3 credit hours)
IT Capstone-- (4 credit hours)

Can you all, especially who are existing students, PM me or share the rubrics/metrics for the above listed 8 courses from your access so I can start preparing for them now? If someone can please help me identify which courses require research papers/essays and which only require assessment? Also, if someone can provide hints of breezing through each of them, that would be great.

I can start working now but I still don’t have access to any of the rubrics, therefore, don’t know what is the format and expectations for each of these 8. Please share the rubrics and PM me if you have already taken any of these 8 or have access to rubrics somehow even if you havent taken them yet.

I have to pay everything out of pocket. Being a full-time employee, spending 60-70 hours at work, and then having a young family, is itself demanding, so need ya’ll’s help.

I promise to payback when and wherever I can be of help to others.

Thanks everyone in advance.

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Comments

Segovia

Daking can probably answer better than I can because I haven't done principles of management. But Intro to IT is fairly easy and the practice test really does reflect the exam. It took me like two weeks total. The thing that is weird about that is the wide amount of content. I actually did not enjoy it at all either.

bpenn

IT Fundamentals<Principles of Management

IT Fundamentals is guaranteed easier than the latter.

usman4673

For IT fundamentals is A+ part-I. I already have that. My question was targeted towards C182 (Intro to IT.)

Secondly, for C182, do you recommend going over all WGU provided content or doing just the quizlets themselves are good enough for 90% plus score?

Segovia

I went over everything just because I tend to do that. I find myself confident in one subject but feel like I better read it anyway just to see if I'm missing anything. That said the best thing to do would be to focus on areas in your pre assessment that scored lower. Going through the entire course could take a lot more time than just shoring up on your weak areas.

usman4673

Thanks guys for the guidance. I am working on Intro to IT now. Lets hope i can get it out of the way in two weeks or less.

Segovia

I think it's like 160 pages of material? It took me like 11 days. You got this!!

yellowpad

thank you for this....

usman4673 wrote: »

bpenn: You have hit right on the nail-head. i came across this somewhere and it shooked me really.

At first I was dying to grow up and go to high school
Then I was dying to finish high school and go to college
Then I was dying to finish college and start working
Then I was dying to get married and have children
Then I was dying for my children to grow old enough so I can go back to work
Then I was dying to retire
And now I am dying
And I suddenly realized
I forgot to live…

Thats why, I want to live my life, live my moments with the family, live and enjoy my readings, and go at a pace that I can sustain without impacting things I hold dear.

Dakinggamer87

usman4673 wrote: »

Thanks Dakinggamer87. Definitely brought relief and much needed help.

Today, I have passed Project+, so 1 out of 8 down. Now I need advice, which one should i go next out of Intro to IT or Principles of Management. I want to do the shortest, easiest the first so I can spend the X-mas vacation on the more demanding one. Which one has been easier to prepare and pass of these two? Let me know.

I personally found both to be pretty easy but if I had to pick I would go for the IT Fundamentals introduction first. The material is very straightforward and you likely won't need to study much.

usman4673

As you all recommended, I am going after Intro to IT (C182.) Also waiting on WGU webcam to get the game started. Any handy tip about scheduling assessments?
1) Once your mentor approves assessment, can you opt for 3 test windows for the same day?
2) Is there any waiting period involved to schedule the assessment or can you normally request and take the exam within 24-48 hours which is a really quick trunaround time?
3) Are the scores available right after you finish the exam or is there any waiting period? I am asking in regards to "O (objective) assessments.

Like always, i appreciate you all for your time, support, and willingness to share the knowledge.

Dakinggamer87

usman4673 wrote: »

As you all recommended, I am going after Intro to IT (C182.) Also waiting on WGU webcam to get the game started. Any handy tip about scheduling assessments?
1) Once your mentor approves assessment, can you opt for 3 test windows for the same day?
2) Is there any waiting period involved to schedule the assessment or can you normally request and take the exam within 24-48 hours which is a really quick turnaround time?
3) Are the scores available right after you finish the exam or is there any waiting period? I am asking in regards to "O (objective) assessments.

Like always, i appreciate you all for your time, support, and willingness to share the knowledge.

I will try to answer these questions as best as I can:

1) When you schedule an exam it will usually ask for multiple time slots. I believe it's anywhere from 3-5 slots to set it up. I am not sure how it differs via the web cam for scheduling exams if you take them at home. I took all mine at test centers which was very few outside of certification based exams so I can only assess it based off of my experience.
2) It depends on your course mentor but generally to answer your question - yes. As long as your mentor is prompt and very responsive I wouldn't be too worried.
3) They are typically available within the same day. I typically had many available within a few minutes or within the hour once I completed an assessment at a test center.

usman4673

@Dakinggamer87: Wow! You are "the" man.

I am a bit skeptical about taking the exams at home. Kids/family being around, I find it a bit of a challenge. Though, I have a test center across my apartment. I'd love to take the assessments at the center but then I am worried, what if WGU selects a different site as they require a student to select at least 2 locations while requesting. I dont want to travel. Secondly, what if the testing center incurs another cost? WGU states that there might be a location that will charge but student can seek reimbursement. Did you have to pay for taking non-certification tests at the centers?

I am also still waiting on WGU camera.

Anyway, I have just taken pre-assessment on C182 (Intro to IT.) I scored 86%. Should I keep studying or is it the time to schedule the assessment? The thing is, pre-assessment does provide a coaching report showing your weak areas but the weak areas I see (ethics, info system) had tricky options. I think, no matter how many times I read topics like information systems, ethics, there can always be questions and choices that will have confusing, very closely-related answer choices that I will miss. So, the question is, read more and then schedule or just schedule the exam and utilize all the available time possible before the test window to focus on weak areas. I dont need a perfect score, just enough that I can pass with confidence.

usman4673

Another thing: Does anyone know if at-home assessments can be scheduled 24/7 including weekends?

Dakinggamer87

usman4673 wrote: »

@Dakinggamer87: Wow! You are "the" man.

I am a bit skeptical about taking the exams at home. Kids/family being around, I find it a bit of a challenge. Though, I have a test center across my apartment. I'd love to take the assessments at the center but then I am worried, what if WGU selects a different site as they require a student to select at least 2 locations while requesting. I dont want to travel. Secondly, what if the testing center incurs another cost? WGU states that there might be a location that will charge but student can seek reimbursement. Did you have to pay for taking non-certification tests at the centers?

I am also still waiting on WGU camera.

Anyway, I have just taken pre-assessment on C182 (Intro to IT.) I scored 86%. Should I keep studying or is it the time to schedule the assessment? The thing is, pre-assessment does provide a coaching report showing your weak areas but the weak areas I see (ethics, info system) had tricky options. I think, no matter how many times I read topics like information systems, ethics, there can always be questions and choices that will have confusing, very closely-related answer choices that I will miss. So, the question is, read more and then schedule or just schedule the exam and utilize all the available time possible before the test window to focus on weak areas. I dont need a perfect score, just enough that I can pass with confidence.

I didn't have to pay for any exams certification based or non-certification based at the test centers in my WGU journey. I would definitely check on that policy because I have no knowledge of that. As for the pre-assessment your ready to pass the exam. I would definitely go for the actual test you should be great to go!! I would just review and brush up any weaker areas prior to the exam but honestly a score like that shows you are ready to go in my opinion and you have command of the subject material.

As for at-home assessments I would check with your mentor on that but I am pretty sure you can.

markulous

usman4673 wrote: »

Another thing: Does anyone know if at-home assessments can be scheduled 24/7 including weekends?

I believe they adjusted it so this is now possible. It's been about 8 months or so since I've scheduled anything but I recall being able to choose any time I wanted to.

gespenstern

usman4673 wrote: »

Another thing: Does anyone know if at-home assessments can be scheduled 24/7 including weekends?

Can't speak for all assessments but the ones I've been on are 24 hours. Haven't scheduled anything on a weekend so far, but late Fridays were okay.

usman4673

Just finished taking Intro to IT (C182.)

OLP experience was positive and stayed positive unless my wife in the garage knocked out the router and disconnected my live exam. Anyway, I decided not to leave the room or shout and tried engaging in the live chat to ensure my presence. Luckily, within a few seconds, network was restored and all my chat messages alongwith time stamps allowed proctor to let me continue the same exam exactly where I left. She was cooperative and did not even ask me what happened or raised any concerns. Anyway, lesson learnt: NEVER TAKE THE EXAM DURING A DAY WHEN EVERYONE IS AROUND.

I never planned to take it on a Sat 3pm and always prefer late nights but WGU camera didnt show up until 1pm and I was so sick of reading/re-reading C182 content. I didnt like any of it. But personally, I felt final was even easier than a PA, but was exactly built on the same format.

Now, next stop C483 (Principles of Management.) I find management to be very dry as a subject but havent even looked at the content yet. The good thing so far ---the cut score for C483 assessment is 52%, which is nice.

So, any tips? Is quizlet better than going over all chapters for "Principles of Management (C483)?" Is anyone else also working on Principles of Management this month?

usman4673

Just finished taking Principles of Management (C483) pre-assessment and the assessment. If you ask me, seriously I did not like the content. Too dry and there were way too many sub-types of each type (LOLZ!) There were way too many types of org types and structures and models and then way too many types of sub-types in each. I scored 84% in the pre-assessment and the cut score is 52%. I did not work on weaker areas at all. Didnt have stamina to read this subject anymore. Scheduled the assessment right away and passed it with 91%. So far, I have completed 12 credit hours required for the term.

I opted to add Business of IT Applications (C179) to the current term as my next course. I dont know anything about the content but lets hope its not related to business management. Any veteran with the experience of C179? Please share your wisdom and guide the blind.

usman4673

Another good news! I have been awarded a $1000 per term scholarship. Total amount awarded is $5000, to be awarded as $1000/per term dependent on on-time-progress. So happy to know that I will be receiving $1000 back. One of my dear friends was stuck and needed some financial help 2 weeks ago. I was myself tight on spending due to university-fees and everything but I still couldnt say no and gave him some from my emergency fund. God is merciful that I got the return in scholarship.

usman4673

Though, I will be at work during the next 2 weeks as I am covering for all my peers. I will not cram too much on studies as my kids are at-home, on vacation and I want to be around them to re-energize myself, have good time, and prevent burn-out.

I wish you all, the entire techexam community, a very happy holidays. Be safe, be happy, and enjoy your time-off.

bumg

Care to share details on the $1000 per term scholarship?

usman4673

bumg wrote: »

Care to share details on the $1000 per term scholarship?

Texas Trailblazer Scholarship

Dakinggamer87

usman4673 wrote: »

Another good news! I have been awarded a $1000 per term scholarship. Total amount awarded is $5000, to be awarded as $1000/per term dependent on on-time-progress. So happy to know that I will be receiving $1000 back. One of my dear friends was stuck and needed some financial help 2 weeks ago. I was myself tight on spending due to university-fees and everything but I still couldnt say no and gave him some from my emergency fund. God is merciful that I got the return in scholarship.

That's awesome so happy for you!!

Dakinggamer87

usman4673 wrote: »

Though, I will be at work during the next 2 weeks as I am covering for all my peers. I will not cram too much on studies as my kids are at-home, on vacation and I want to be around them to re-energize myself, have good time, and prevent burn-out.

I wish you all, the entire techexam community, a very happy holidays. Be safe, be happy, and enjoy your time-off.

Happy Holidays and God bless

fuz1on

usman4643: Take care and great job once again! Happy holidays and keep on going strong!

usman4673

Guys! Have anyone of you recently taken C179 (business of IT applications?) I have heard this assessment has wrong answers to questions and on average students have attempted the OA twice. Has anyone taken this recently? How bad was it and how long did it take?

plopbangcrash

@ usman4673

I didn't think it was that bad, I took it back around the end of September and passed it in a little less than 3 weeks. I think most people get tripped up on it because I believe it is one of the first ones that had multiple select answers ( I may be confused though). Keep in mind they have several versions of the pre-assessment and assessment for each course which is why alot of people feel that the pre-assessment doesn't match the assessment. I didn't see anything in the assessment that was flat out wrong , maybe a few subjective questions or questions where one answer was less right than the other.

usman4673

@ planobangcrash: Thanks a lot for the feedback.

Just took the assessment. Passed with 74%, lol, barely managed to cross the line. Really happy and grateful to you all for guidance. I didnt study much, only 2 days in total. I am glad, its history now.

Now I am left with 4 classes to graduate.

i) C168: Critical Thinking & Logic
ii) C169: Scripting & programming-Applications
iii) Technical Writing
iv) Capstone

Now here it gets tricky. I am really scared of Java and I have 5 months left in the term end. I am thinking to start the Java (C169) next and along with that also start Technical Writing and Capstone. I know I will be needing 2-4 months on Java and by working the non-Java hours on Capstone/Technical writing can add variety and avoid boredom. I am hoping to finish Java/capstone/Report by mid/end of April and leave May for Critical Thinking & Logic at the very end. What do you all recommend?

I know I can save a term's fee by fast tracking things but again, I dont want to overwhelm myself, risk job, impact family. Thats why, I am thinking for an option that is achievable without overwhelming me and my family. Other option is to leave Java and Critical Thinking for 2nd term and spend the next 5 months on capstone/report writing. But then I think, they might not take more than 2 months even if I go at a very slow pace.

So, please provide me with your suggestions. I am a bit too worried about Java, havent done programming for ages. I have no idea what Critical Thinking is all about. At the moment, Capstone and report writing seem easier and more achievable/manageable. Or I can work on both of these first and start reading Java on my own but hold on to enrollingfor Java officially. Only enroll for Java when I feel I am confident now otherwise wait for the 2nd term for Java and Critical Thinking. Java course contents will always be available to read, so I can read those, practice java, review quizlets, and spend most of my time working on capstone/report this term. But take Java next term? Kind of really really confused, $2k(after $1k from scholarship) is still HUGE.

What do you all recommend from your experiences?

bpenn

Definitely go ahead and knock the Java out first while you are still in the zone. Ensure you read and take notes from the Wiley textbook and download Eclipse IDE (I swear this made life so much easier). Ask your course mentor for the cohort videos and take notes there, too. Practice a bit in Eclipse, writing code for simple programs and practicing proper syntax and line structures.

Do not be afraid to take the preassessment many times (I have taken it 3 times and mentor has approved 4). You REALLY need to hammer in those fundamentals. Knowing the theory behind Java is even more important than being able to code in it for the objective assessment.

For the performance assessment, watch the cohorts and book with your mentor whenever you can. I had Julie Taylor and she was fantastic. Without her, I would have struggled each step of the way through the performance assessment. I hope to take the objective assessment this week and I will post here with my results!

fjhesq

@usman5673, congrats on your fast pace and progress! What did you use to study for Business of IT-Applications? I'm wrapping up review for Principles of Management and then I'll have the Data Management classes (Foundations and Applications), Scripting and Programming (Foundations and Applications), Project+, Web Fundamentals, Critical Thinking and Logic (glad they're modifying CoS and assessment), and the Tech Writing/Capstone. I'm trying to squeeze in Principles of Mgmt, Project+, and Business of IT-Applications before my term ends at the end of February. Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

usman4673

@fjhesq:
principles of Mgmt is the easiest because of its low passing score and content. If you just read the chapter summary and go through major diagrams, you can pass 80+ easily.