Any tips for ROUTE exam day for success? (nothing breaking NDA of course)

ande0255

Any pointers that don't break the Cisco NDA, like just general things that helped you get through the exam, like take an ambien before the test to calm yourself down or do drink 5 shots of expresso back to back before you walk in the door?

For me on all Cisco exams, I'd read the question and instead of looking for the correct answer, I would start eliminating wrong ones until I found the correct answer (I hoped).

Anything like that you guys / gals do to improve accuracy of answering questions or saving time during the exam?

Welly_59

one thing i always do is try and make the journey to the test centre as painless and relaxing as possible.

My local test centre is 40 miles away in the next city. I could drive there but then id have the hassle of finding parking spaces, and actualyl getting there.

Instead i take a train and pay a bit extra to be bumped up to 1st class. That way i get an extra hour in a quiet environment to look over my notes. The station is 2 minutes walk away from the test centre and i get free snacks and coffee to keep me going

shortstop20

I likebthe idea of finding incorrect answers it works well. Sometimes you find the correct answer by accident because you've ruled out the rest as being wrong!

I also agree with keeping it low stress. Be sure to leave early so you can arrive at the test center 20 minutes early. Then I like to sit in the car for about 10 minutes and just relax. Listen to the radio, roll the windows down, enjoy the moment for a bit. J don't like walking into the test center more than 10 minutes early as sitting there waiting just increases the stress. My testing center is never busy, you may have to adjust accordingly for your testing center.

Be sure to eat a healthy meal beforehand. Something like fish with a salad or other veggies is a great brain booster! Don't eat too much, you don't want to be bloated.

Lastly, deep breaths, don't be afraid to fail. Failing a test doesn't define us, what we do after that does.

Cisco Inferno

One great tip for any exam.

Drink your coffee well before entering the room. Waiting for it to hit 15 minutes into your test is not advised and can be quite gutwrenching if you know what i mean. (my last experience)

I personally try to do the 15 minutes of calming myself at the test center. Nothing's worse than rushing in with a racing heartbeat.

ande0255

^ I've actually learned not to do coffee or back when I used to smoke cigarettes, not to do that either, as I'd smoke one before going in thinking it'd help with stress but the dizziness and lightheaded feeling would carry over into the beginning of the exam and just get worse from there.

My calming before the test usually consists of pacing circles in their lobby / vending machine room going "F*** f*** f*** f***", I mean I am pouring sweat walking into the building, and my hands are shaking so bad when I digitally sign in I almost have to hold my wrist down to sign.

I have terrible anxiety about testing until I get a few questions in and get a rhythm going, but its been so long since I've had a R/S exam I can feel the anxiety building weeks out in advance My only thoughts are study cramming to take my mind off not knowing a certain topic in the exam room.

thatguy67

I always go to sleep early and get up early. I give myself an extra hour before I arrive at the testing center. I treat myself to my favorite breakfast/lunch spot and listen to my favorite music on my iPod. I don't try to cram stuff before the test or freak out. When it comes down to it, there are two possibilities...I pass and all is well, or I fail. If I fail, I end up learning more when I review for the retake and go more in depth because I don't want to flush $300 down the toilet. After I get out of the testing center, I treat myself to coffee and gelato just for having the courage to show up (regardless of the results).

ande0255

I've seen the fail grade before both on ICND2's and the VCP5 first attempt, so I'm no stranger to the grade or let it get me down and out.

I usually do them in the morning as well, but my test center closed up on me, and the other one in my area that isn't like sitting in a brook closet with 6 other test takers only does afternoon appointments

OfWolfAndMan

Two things: -Make sure I don't consume too much caffeine, otherwise I get anxiety and rush rather than chilling out and taking my time -Make sure I don't consume too much caffeine/liquids right before the exam, otherwise I will most likely get the urge to pee five minutes into the exam lol.

Danielh22185

Don't over think things. That is my biggest flaw. If there are multiple ways to do something go with the simpler approach.