Certification studying self control

dontstop

This is a short but sweet question. When I start studying for a new Certification I find that I go a little too hard too soon. I want to read stupidly large amounts of content each day. Do you personally impose limitations on yourself in order to prevent over studying?

koz24

dontstop wrote: »

This is a short but sweet question. When I start studying for a new Certification I find that I go a little too hard too soon. I want to read stupidly large amounts of content each day. Do you personally impose limitations on yourself in order to prevent over studying?

Yeah, everyone has their limits. You can train stamina though. Especially if you take breaks and change it up. Go from reading to labbing to watching videos, etc. I can put in good 12-14 hour blocks now on the weekends. When I first started I was completely burnt out after 8 hours.

dontstop

With work and other life commitments, what would you say an average afternoon worth of studying would be 2-3 hours?

koz24

dontstop wrote: »

With work and other life commitments, what would you say an average afternoon worth of studying would be 2-3 hours?

YMMV. If that's all you can do then that's all you can do. Just might take longer to get the cert you want.

E Double U

I don't impose limits. My other commitments naturally do that for me. Between work, wife, kids, and extracurricular activities I just study whenever I can. It varies daily because each day I have a different activity (swimming, tennis, Dutch lessons, whatever my wife wants to do, etc).

Over studying for some might not be enough for others. If you can read large amounts of content, understand the material, and retain that information then continue to do that.

How I study also depends on what I'm studying for because some certifications require lab exercises (GCIH, CEH, CCNP Security) and CISSP was just trying to grasp concepts.

beads

Break up your old study routine into short 20 minutes of read followed by 5-10 minutes of review types of blocks and you will remember much more and for longer periods of time. Memory apathy is a real thing and we have discussed this topic ad nauseum many times. (*wink*)

- b/eads

sillymcnasty

I hoard all my info. Book, videos, labs.

Then I read 1 chapter of a book. Watch the video of that chapter. Then do a lab of that chapter.

This way, you only really need to concentrate while reading. The video is a refresher. The lab drills it in. You get a lot done without draining yourself with all new material. Also this way, by the time you get to the last chapter, you will have finished all the videos and labs at the same time.

thomas_

I study maybe 20 minutes in the morning, 30 minutes at lunch, 30-60 minutes in the evening. Sometimes I 'm able to get all of those times in sometimes not.

superbeast

sillymcnasty, I'm assuming you're using a specific vendor that provides resources of book/video/lab? Or do you use a book by one vendor then go to youtube/cbt/etc and find the material for the chapter you just read? Just curious how you do this because this seems like a pretty good path that I would like to try.

sillymcnasty

superbeast wrote: »

sillymcnasty, I'm assuming you're using a specific vendor that provides resources of book/video/lab? Or do you use a book by one vendor then go to youtube/cbt/etc and find the material for the chapter you just read? Just curious how you do this because this seems like a pretty good path that I would like to try.

Well for CCNA I used the Odom book. CBT Nugget videos. And I used Lynda.com exercises. So I try to find what I can within the chapter title names/video names/lab exercises. The Lynda is pretty bare, though.

UnixGuy

It's how focused you are in those hours. If you can read huge amounts in the beginning, then by all means do it and get it over with as soon as you can!

dontstop

I think a big problem for me is moderation. I've got a very bad habit of all-or-nothing and I struggle being able to put things down once I start (Once I pop, I cannot stop). For example, even if I was to set 2 hours aside to study once I get to that time mark I'd feel guilty if I don't keep studying past it. I'm not sure why I cannot drag myself away from it. Maybe I fear if I don't learn it all now, I might not get it?!? So instead of doing 2 hours each day for a week I'll over study monday (5-6 hours) or it will annoy me having to stop study and then have no motivation to study tuesday. Hmm

UnixGuy

Seems like a great habit to me mate. This way you get finish the cert as soon as you can! Then you can take a break after you finish the cert. Wish I had this habit myself, I tend to take long time and drag things

mudflaps

I go til brain failure, sometimes. Its like working out a muscle though, if you "go til failure" every single exercise, you will get fatigued and burn out in the long run. Think of your study sessions as if they were a workout session. Going short one day, and long the next, will aid in recovery. If you study long every single day, you will burn out (eventually). The recovery portion is just as important as the work, so take time off as well.

Ertaz

I think varying the methodology helps me reduce burnout. I am currently listening to the SANS 560 MP3's on the way into work and I feel like I'm really having a conversation with the instructor. Plus, the instructor on the recording is a different person than the one who taught my class, so I get a slightly different presentation of the same material. Next week I'm going all in to study, so I'll be listening to the MP3's on the treadmill as well. Then I'll build my index and study a couple of hours per night. I really want to take this test before Thanksgiving.

jorglct

Hi Guys! I have a question: I take the first part exam of CCNA v2.0 but can't take the second part and Exam change to v3.0. Can con-validate the first exam with V3.0 or should take 2 new exams to take CCNA v3.0 Thanks Guys!!

mbarrett

If I over-do it, there is a point of diminishing returns and if I get too far past this point, I won't retain the material properly. So it's actually counterproductive because I'll eventually have to go back over it again.

jorglct wrote: »

Hi Guys! I have a question: I take the first part exam of CCNA v2.0 but can't take the second part and Exam change to v3.0. Can con-validate the first exam with V3.0 or should take 2 new exams to take CCNA v3.0 Thanks Guys!!

Check the requirements for the cert, if the 2.0 version is past its drop-dead date you will have to re-test under the 3.0. You can usually mix versions like you are describing for about 6 months, then the old stuff goes away completely.

nisti2

Excellent topic!

I read one chapter in 2-3 days and after that, I do a hand resume of the chapter to get sure that I know the concept very well.

I'm reading some of Win7 stuff for an assessment Interview lol and then will start watching videos on Youtube regarding the topics

jorglct

Thanks!!!!

dontstop

I've found that working through around 20-30 pages per day seems to be my sweet spot. I've got to restrain myself from doing more!

vuedoolor

I get distracted after a few hours and suddenly find myself binge watching tv series like the walking dead LOL

dontstop

vuedoolor wrote: »

I get distracted after a few hours and suddenly find myself binge watching tv series like the walking dead LOL

That's exactly what I'm trying to avoid. I find that if I try and force myself to do too much I'll end up resenting the study session and just meander around being really inefficient. I'd really like to get to the point where I do my set amount of work (x no.# of page, x hrs of video lectures) and then just call it a day. The problem is I always get this little voice in my head that says "you could be using this time for study", "why are you not studying" even after I reach my daily goals.

xxxkaliboyxxx

Guys, burn out is a real thing. I study my ass off the last 2 months for the C| EH, talking like 3 hours a day after work and 8+ hours on the weekends. Now I can study for about only 1 hour before I find myself on TechExams, Building a website, playing around AWS, pretty much anything, but study for the C| EH.