Failed....AGAIN

CSAplus

Hello all, I'm new here & stumbled across this forum only after failing this thing for the 2nd time.
First time I was going to study but couldn't get the study program to work & pretty much "winged" it from studying stuff off google the night before the test. I failed by 4 points.
That was almost 2 yrs ago.
This time I actually studied, about 20-30 hrs. I used the Sybex training/study CD & was scoring at least 90%-100% on every chapter test & all the other tests it had. When I got into the actual test room & took the actual test, I knew after the first 10 questions I was in trouble. Almost NOTHING was related to those practice tests. Most of the questions were scenario related & were not remotely similar to my practice tests.
Long story short, my score was 489. Worse than last time! I now realize how stupid I was to rely on just one resource for preparation.
I'm considering taking the test again when i can.
Should I?
My attitude is it's either 3rd time's the charm or 3 strikes and your out...........
How much study time is actually needed to pass this thing?
I know I'm not dumb, but it's very discouraging to go into a test you think you're pretty well prepared for only to see it may as well been written in arabic.

KGhaleon

Comptia exams are entry level, so you shouldn't be having such a hard time. Are you doing well on the practice tests? I studied the Sybex books as well and passed easily. You should know the material really well before you take it. :

What sort of topics were confusing you?

Plantwiz

Download the TechNotes PDF for Net+.
Review the Objectives....again
ANd take your two exams and review the areas where you need to invest a bit more study time.


How much experience do you have working with networks? CompTIA exams are very generic and the objectives are broad compared to other exams such as MS or Cisco. Not saying you 'don't know networking", but asking because if your current level of experience has pigeon-holed the items you work with compared to what the exam tests.

Lots of definitions and such, so just take a week off. Decide what your Cert goals are...and prepare again if you feel NET+ is an exam you should have under your belt. If you work more with MS products maybe skip the CompTIA path and focus on the products you work with. MS exams will have much less emphasis on cabling and other hardware and more on theory and the way the network functions with the NOS in use.

And yep, third time a charm

rumibaba

Dude! dont worry bout it that much. i'm planning to take the test next week and i'm fully confident. You shud have gotten passport by mike myers and exam cram book, sybex is more like in depth and good for reference. Learn you OSI model first and foremost..when u're taking the quiz, check those wrong answers too and ask urself why they're wrong..OSI u need to know in and out..Wan technology is must 2....take care..

cisco_trooper

Make sure you are taking time to understand material. It easy to pass those end of chapter tests right after you read the chapter. You are not going to read the book then pass the test. While the network+ is a pretty entry level test, networking can be way more complex than you are probably even aware of right now, and it all starts at the bits...take the time to understand why things are the way they are, and you should find you do better. Make sure you aren't trying to memorize a bunch of crap. Memorization is not learning, and it WILL fail you.

supertechCETma

CSAplus,

You're doin' it wrong. Print the exam objectives from CompTIA.
Print these study guides.

www.rsnetworks.net/docs/certtalk_net+_guide.pdf

www.cramsession.com/certifications/comptia/network.asp

Study the examnotes found on this site.
Suppliment this info with the Sybex materials you already have.

You've seen the exam twice now. You should have a very good idea of what to expect.
Concentrate on that.

Too many have people have gone before you. This is within your capabilities.
Don't put much faith in practice test. Overstudy until you have the material down pat. Focus on the scenario aspect. ExamCram has a good book of Practice questions which includes a fair amount of scenario to get you in that mindset. ($16 last time I looked)

http://www.amazon.com/Network%2B-Certification-Practice-Questions-N10-003/dp/0789733528/ref=sr_1_19?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1205470899&sr=1-19

best of luck.

ilcram19-2

advice do not presure yourself too much this test ir extremely easy to be stressing out, just read a Net+ book then review then go take it again u'll pass next time

Lamini

i only wish i had the confidence of some people here on the Net+ !

CSAPlus, study your books, not the tests! j/k... I got the Sybex 2005, Dummies Net+, and examcram as well as a CBTNugget. It helped open my eyes watching those, though not too much; its just a supplement that can come handy as its from others reference points. Perhaps work on your study methods. Personally, I do not move to the next topic unless I got the current topic down. if its memorization, if I cant make sense out of it, I make sense of it, at least enough for it to stay in memory so it will make sense if I read carefully/research. and if that dont work, I'd talk to IT peeps at work or post here.

my problem is retaining... stuff dont mean $hit if you dont keep it in YOUR RAM, like on the day of your test. seek time should be minimal by test time, perform a mind defrag before then, focus, get plenty of sleep. realize thats $$$ youre tossing. imo i would not test unless 100% sure, though that may not be possible, make sure youve done all you can.

they say 3rd times a charm... i think you got it

randman01

Hey Man,

I've spent the last 6 weeks studying the Network+ material and took the test two weeks ago and failed. My scenario was much like yours. I've done very well with the ExamCram book practice tests, the Transcender website as well as the practice exams in Network+ In Depth. All of these resource exams pointed more towards a "memorized learning" situation and the actual certification exam was much more scenario based. I got about 20 questions into the exam and knew that I was going to fail.

What I did when I got home was wrote down as much of the exam and the areas of my knowledge weakness that I could remember. I'm now systematically trying to get through those areas. Also, you should've gotten a printout when you finished the exam. That'll outline the areas you need to focus on.

Good luck.

Randy

eg2505

Think your unlucky????

Think again

The third time I wrote The Power went out!!! (F*****g unwelcome fact of life in sunny south africa)

That was it for me, If after 3 times I was'nt going to pass then so be it.

but Eventually after taking a break and thinking about my actions
I saw that It had to be done!!!!!

I know it sounds corny.....

but Winners don't Quit, no matter what happens!!!!!
Losers quit and stay that way,

Anyway to more practical stuff:
I used Exam Cram 2 (ISBN NO:078973254 and learnt the facts at the end of each chapter,
as well as the cutout card very well

Got preplogics 15 min N+ and printed it (about 10 pages)

and learnt my own version of the OSI model:
useful, security, names, to, read, bridges, cabeling

put every word of that sentence next to the real osi model (staritng application:useful) and you will see the similarity in them (or read one of my earlier posts)

anyway good luck and remember whatever happens:
DONT CHANGE YOUR ANSWERS!!!!!!!!

if you Know the book well enough, and you change your answers, you change it to the wrong answer (verifiable fact).

If you dont know, mark it and come back to it later
DONT just answer and move on.
think about it clearly and then answer.

Good luck with your exam

Plantwiz

eg2505 wrote:

and learnt my own version of the OSI model:
useful, security, names, to, read, bridges, cabeling

put every word of that sentence next to the real osi model (staritng application:useful) and you will see the similarity in them (or read one of my earlier posts)

Interesting!

Thanks for posting that idea...definately a different way to look at the OSI model. Likely to prove useful to those who dislike the (All people seem to need sauge pizza).

Thank you!

pooker

Just keep studying man, I am sure you will blow it out of the water next time.

mrjawbones

Here is something that really helps me when I'm studying: After you've really been studying a topic and you think you have a good handle on the material, get your wife/girlfriend/a friend or whoever to listen and you try to explain it to them. I know it sounds rediculous, but it really does work. As you hear yourself talking about it and explaining the concepts to someone, not only will it help the material to really sink in, but you will also gain confidence.

Study materials I typically use...MeasureUp practice tests, Transcender practice tests, & CBT Nuggets. Also, setting up some VM's and getting a virtual lab going is a great way to do some hands-on studying.

Hope this helps. Good luck!