Network+ Tomorrow and Transcender

sensitivestoic

Decided to check in as a new user to this community. Between here and Professor Messer your study tips have been invaluable. Thank you. I'm taking the Network+ cert tomorrow and was wondering if anyone had thoughts on how viable the Transcender online practice tests are for Network+ preparation. I've consistently been getting low 90s to 100s on practice quizzes/exams from Exam Compass, Crucial Exams, Professor Messer, and Mike Meyers. However, with Transcender I'm getting high 70s or low 80s. It has me a bit worried. Has anyone else had experiences with Transcender as a preparation tool?

And, any last minute preparation tips for the big day tomorrow?

Cheers,

PocketLumberjack

I was getting 80-86% with Transender and I passed. I will caution you that IMO the Exam Compass and Crucial Exams questions seemed easy compared to the actual exam questions. The most important thing you can do with Transender is know exactly why you got the questions wrong. While I was doing practice exams I wrote down terms that were fuzzy or I couldn't remember and went through them after the exam. If you can eliminate potential answers it really really helps.

sensitivestoic

Would you say that you passed comfortably or narrowly? I'm getting the feeling that Meyers and Exam Compass/Crucial Exams are easy because of rote memorization rather than my affinity for the materials. Transcender had me frustrated because I would often get questions wrong because of poorly worded or abstract questions. Additionally the source material it is based off of is not accessible to me.

PocketLumberjack

It wasn't a comfortable experience but I definitely passed. I was caught off guard on the first question but I quickly got back into it. The most important thing you can do is get some rest and try to relax, cramming will do you no good at this point.

sensitivestoic

PocketLumberjack wrote: »

It wasn't a comfortable experience but I definitely passed. I was caught off guard on the first question but I quickly got back into it. The most important thing you can do is get some rest and try to relax, cramming will do you no good at this point.

Well thank you to everyone for tips and suggestions. I am now Network+ certified! Somehow I passed with a 788 out of 720. You're absolutely right though, it's not a comfortable experience. Half of the exam was me narrowing answers down to two choices and just pulling the trigger. Some questions easily caught me off guard and it's hard not to get psyched out. But, I ensured that I flagged any I thought I could quickly review and revise and strove to have at least a logical answer to all questions. Maybe I'll see if I can post some study suggestions for others based of my experience. Half of the battle is just test taking techniques.

GHOSTRIDER2016

Congratulations

sensitivestoic wrote: »

Well thank you to everyone for tips and suggestions. I am now Network+ certified! Somehow I passed with a 788 out of 720. You're absolutely right though, it's not a comfortable experience. Half of the exam was me narrowing answers down to two choices and just pulling the trigger. Some questions easily caught me off guard and it's hard not to get psyched out. But, I ensured that I flagged any I thought I could quickly review and revise and strove to have at least a logical answer to all questions. Maybe I'll see if I can post some study suggestions for others based of my experience. Half of the battle is just test taking techniques.

PocketLumberjack

Nice job congrats!

AndersonSmith

Well the Transcender exams have a reputation for being more difficult than the actual exams they prepare you for. This makes sense, because I guess their theory is if you can pass a practice exam that's tougher than the exam you're preparing for you should have no problem with the real thing. I used the Mike Meyers practice tests when I took Network+ and was able to pass. I did use Transcender for A+ and the MCSA exams and I think they were great and were definitely more difficult than the actual exams I took. Congratulations on getting certified!

Falls_Tech

Congrats.......

I picked up Transcender for this awhile back when they had 31% off. I'm also going to get the Pearson lab simulator and probably the Glen E. Clarke book.

what's next sensi...........

sensitivestoic

Falls_Tech wrote: »

Congrats.......

I picked up Transcender for this awhile back when they had 31% off. I'm also going to get the Pearson lab simulator and probably the Glen E. Clarke book.

what's next sensi...........

Right now I'm looking at pursuing a MSCE: Server certification or Project Management Professional path. Otherwise I'm trying to plan ahead for a IT focused master's degree but that's all a bit blurry. Always open to advice and suggestion, but I'll take it one step at a time.

jrisbrook

Did you use the pearson simulation labs? Did you see the same questions from the sims on your exam? How many performance based questions did you get?

sensitivestoic

jrisbrook wrote: »

Did you use the pearson simulation labs? Did you see the same questions from the sims on your exam? How many performance based questions did you get?

I personally did not use the Pearson Simulation labs. However, I know many who did and strongly recommend them as a resource. A lot of it comes down to if you have access to physical network resources at your current job or classroom. If the answer is no, then labs may be a very good preparation tool for you.

No, the questions on the exam are unique in their own right. Study materials are based off of exam objectives. In my opinion I found Professor Messer, Mike Meyers, and Transcender to be better focused on helping me with my test taking skills. Transcender was actually frustrating but their obtuse and difficult questions helped me to see things I didn't know and encouraged me to research them in my own time.

I do not believe I am allowed to answer about the exact number of questions on the exam. But know that the grand majority are multiple choice. My best advice is to answer all multiple choice with a logical answer. This usually involves narrowing it down to the two most likely answers and then pulling the trigger. Flag questions you are unsure about along the way with the assumption that you won't have much time to correct them. Afterwords give some time to the couple of Performance Based Questions. An answer has the possibility to secure points whereas blanks only hurt your score.

I'm working on a detailed resource and advice guide about what I did to pass and hope to have it posted soon.

jkbritt88

So how do you think the transcender difficulty compared to the actual exam? I am in same position as you: I'm getting upper 80-95% on exam compass and practice tests from my Sybex deluxe study guide, but have taken 3 transcender exams and have scored 76% on all 3!? And to make it worse, I never fail the same domains so its hard to focus on one area of improvement...

I take the exam on Thursday but am thinking about rescheduling it. I do have a free retake though.