Failed Network+ N10-007..........Again

Basic85

Hello, I got a 658 just 62 points away from passing.  I'm really disappointed in myself, the 90 min went by fast.  I thought about giving up and letting it go but something inside of me says no don't give up.  I have enough funding to take one last shot at it but this time I'm going to take it at a testing center instead of at home, proctor can get pretty strict and computer can crash.  If by some reason I end failing the third time than it's game over and may consider pursuing another cert like S+.  I'm terrfied about my future, in my mid 30's and stuck in a IT call center job.  

Has anyone failed a cert than decided to not re-take it again?  Thoughts?  Thanks in advance.  

trojin

Failing is just another reason to try harder.
In past failed twice F5 ASM before final pass. ASM is really hellish - passing rate is around 33% - exactly as in my case
So do not give up - just try another study approach before next try

JDMurray

Basic85 said:

I'm terrfied about my future, in my mid 30's and stuck in a IT call center job. 

Is there some specific career benefit you will get from having the N+? For example, is it a requirement to get a NOC tech job where you work? That would be a good reason to go for a third attempt.
If you are looking to change career paths soon then you should be concentrating on certs that are good to have for the job postings that you can (nearly) qualify for now. For example, the Sec+/CySA+/CASP+ would be the better cert path if you want to go into CSOC work.

Basic85

Thanks everyone, I'm not entirely sure of my career goals, someday I would like to get into cybersecurity and programming of some sort.  I fear I'm just not smart enough.  I do fear age discrimination but I'lve learned to live with that, can't stop from getting older, that's just life.  Made some bad decisions in the past that has brought me at this stage in my life.  

Some motivation here, Kim Kardashian passed some bar exam on the 4th attempt.  

trojin

Basic85 said:

I do fear age discrimination but I'lve learned to live with that, can't stop from getting older, that's just life.  

I moved to cyber sec at my 42 so never it's too late

E Double U

Basic85 said:

 I fear I'm just not smart enough. 

If you truly believe this then I would find it difficult to help you. I hope that you somehow discover a way to combat this way of thinking.

Regarding your question "has anyone failed a cert then decided to not re-take it again?", the answer is no. I have failed numerous exams throughout my career including A+, CCNA, CISSP, AZ-500/303/304. If my memory serves me correctly I passed CISSP on the third attempt and CCNA on the fourth. I knew what I wanted and remained resilient. I hope that you and others can do the same. 

Good luck!

JDMurray

Basic85 said:

I fear I'm just not smart enough.

It's not about being smart, but being capable. You become more capable as you practice your craft. You never stop practicing until you change your career path to something else. I earned a paycheck as a programmer for over 20 years and math is my worst subject. I enjoyed programming and I practiced, practiced, practiced until I could produce quality product. I stopped practicing programming when I pivoted into InfoSec (full-time) over 10 years ago. So now I practice, practice, practice InfoSec to stay as capable and productive as I can until--one day--I pivot my career into something else.

Basic85 said:

I do fear age discrimination but I'lve learned to live with that, can't stop from getting older, that's just life.

There is nothing you can do about people, personalities, and politics. We have laws that protect us 40+ year-olds against age discrimination from organizational rules. We also have laws of at-will employment that can, at a moment's notice, push us out the door for the vaguest of reasons. Employment is a roll-of-the-dice; those dice keep rolling at random times throughout our lives.

Basic85 said:

Some motivation here, Kim Kardashian passed some bar exam on the 4th attempt.  

She has enormous financial resources to give her the best preparation possible and she still took 4 attempts to pass her 1st-year law school exam? I guess that's very similar to someone taking four attempts to pass a self-study cert exam--without all the wealth and publicity, of course.

Unknown

This content has been removed.

Unknown

This content has been removed.

JDMurray

It sounds like you need to read the information on the CompTIA Network+ page.

kaiju

What were weak points according to the scoresheet? Do a deep dive on those topics but also meticulously re-read all of your study material. Make sure you are scoring in the high 90's on whatever prep test you are using. Study to know the info and you will pass. Study just enough to make a passing score and you will fail.