The Night Before

HCPS123

I'd figured I'd start a night before thread. A thread for people who have their cert test the next day and want someplace they can hang out, talk about their worries and anxieties the night before the test.

I'll go first. For me it's my first ever certification exam, Sec+ tomorrow morning..........it's not the first time I've taken a big test. I've went to college before but maybe it's because I spent 200 dollars to take it I feel more nervous about it. Also I would definitely feel embarrassed about failing it since I've rarely heard of anyone who studied for it failing it.

I've spent two months studying for it, using primarily Gibson's book. Score an 88 on his practice test which is definitely lower than I was hoping for. I feel confident that I understand the concepts and material, i; it's just going to come down to whether or not I understand what the question is asking of me.

Not going to lie, feeling pretty nervous and scared right now. Not sure how I'm going to go to bed tonight so that I can wake up early to take it tomorrow, not to mention fighting the overwhelming cowardly urge right now to use ****. Luckily this is one time when my stubbornness is paying off since my pride refuses to let me do that after I just spent two months studying for this......then again that same stubbornness is also what prevented me from pushing back my test one more week so yeaaaaaaa.....

yoba222

Go for a walk or a jog or get some kind of physical exercise. Clear your mind and get some good sleep.

HCPS123

Thanks man, that run did help out

scaredoftests

Drink a lot of coffee. LOL. Seriously, I exercise.

poolmanjim

I always have this instinct to try and cram the day before and even sometimes the day of. I'm coming to learn that is a fruitless endeavor.

My advice, on the day before, review some notes lightly focusing on a topic or two that is giving you the most trouble. Don't put too much time into this, spend an hour or two tops taking it slow. Once you've done that, relax. Just relax.

The day before my MCSE test was the 4th of July. I ignored studying and went to a fireworks party with some friends, passed the next morning. For my 2016 upgrade exam, I was at Ignite and went out with my co-workers the night before and had a good time. Passed the next afternoon.

Make sure you are well rested and eat a decent meal. Try not to change too much of your routine otherwise it may throw you off.

Good luck!

HCPS123

Just got back and PASSED!!!!! VICTORY, VICTORY, VICTORY!!! 803!!!! I'm glad I took your advice Poolmanjim! While I was taking the exam I realized that cramming/studying any more wouldn't help any more since I already knew the majority of concepts and terms (I'd just be memorizing sentences at that point which wouldn't have help).

Going to get some sleep now But nothing is going to ruin this day for me now

SteveLavoie

Congrats!

But otherwise, since I allowed myself to fail a certification exam, it make me a lot less nervous. It's only wasted money afterall, your life/career won't finish if you failed an exam.

nisti2

Congrats!! And welcome to the club!

Info_Sec_Wannabe

HCPS123

SteveLavoie wrote: »

But otherwise, since I allowed myself to fail a certification exam, it make me a lot less nervous. It's only wasted money afterall, your life/career won't finish if you failed an exam.

It's the opposite in my case. After failing a certification exam, I don't take it unless I feel that I've prepared enough and I'm on the brink of getting burned out (which is not good).

b0Ris

HCPS123 wrote: »

Just got back and PASSED!!!!! VICTORY, VICTORY, VICTORY!!! 803!!!! I'm glad I took your advice Poolmanjim! While I was taking the exam I realized that cramming/studying any more wouldn't help any more since I already knew the majority of concepts and terms (I'd just be memorizing sentences at that point which wouldn't have help).

Going to get some sleep now But nothing is going to ruin this day for me now

Congrats on the pass! On to the next one!

At some point the last minute cramming does not help. I am glad you figured that out, took a chance to clear your mind and were ready to tackle the test!

jpanda206

Dont cram the day of, light studying the day before. Let your mind rest and get good sleep. Dont do too much caffeine before, unless you are ADHD, which can actually help with focus...

thomas_

I always study the day of the exam. I usually arrive an hour early to the exam center and review my notes and skim through the book in the parking lot to pass the time until it’s time for me to go inside and take the exam.

joshuamurphy75

Congrats on the pass. Security+ is one of the CompTIA exams that seems to be in pretty high demand.

I used to study like crazy up until about a day or two before the test, then relax and have fun that day, but found that this makes me more nervous because of the break in the routine. So now, I just switch subjects, and start studying something new the day before and day of the exam. It kind of tricks me into thinking that I don't have deadlines or chances of failing because I'm focusing on the new subject, and that calms me down.

EANx

I always review up to the point of the parking lot outside the testing center.

I think they things this has illustrated is that people learn in different ways. Do what you feel you need to, as long as you make sure to get at least some sleep the night before. Staying awake cramming when you should be sleeping is far more likely to reduce your score than help it.

alanclarc143

Congratulations, and welcome to the club.