Transcender Value for Test Prep?

jeffslaw

I have my Network+ exam scheduled in just a few days & have mainly relied on TechExam notes & the Exam Cram book. I purchased Transcender for the last week of prep (been using it for 3-4 days now). For those who have used Transcender, how useful did you think it was in helping with the test? I'll say up front that I studied for months before purchasing Transcender & am not expecting (or wanting) it to be a brain **** of real test questions. With that being said, there was a lot of questions & info on Transcender that I hadn't seen in my other study material. I'm hoping the information I learn from it will be useful for the test & not just obscure facts. I only have a few days left before my test and I want to make sure I focus on study material that will be the most useful.

skrpune

what kind of experience do you have in N+ topics? Exam Cram books are relatively lighter review books (in comparison to some of the big heavies out there) and tend to go over just the bare minimum objectives. My main N+ book (Network+ 2005 In Depth) was over 800 pages (!), compared to the 400-some-odd pages in the Exam Cram book. I took my N+ last week, and I got some questions from way out in left field that were definitely not covered by my big N+ book nor my smaller N+ review book (Network+ 2005 Self-Study Guide)...

jeffslaw

I also went through the Test Out videos and VTC video training. I have over 10 years working in IT, but I only had prior knowledge of 30-40% of of the material. How did you do on the test skprune? Does the 90 minute time limit make you feel rushed, or was it plenty of time?

skrpune

I got a 765 - nothing to write home to mom about, but nothing to sneeze at either. The timeframe was more than enough for me - I went through all the questions, marking ones that I wasn't sure about &/or those I spent more than a 20-30 seconds on, then went back through all the ones I marked and whittled through them until I had no marked ones left. I had 90 questions (some people have recently reported only seeing 85), and I think I had more than 30 minutes left, so it was more than enough time for me.

I spent a couple minutes before hitting "start" writing done some stuff before I began. I made an index card of port numbers, # of bits in different addresses, binary/decimal numbers, etc. that I wanted to have as my "**** sheet", and that was what I reviewed right before going into the exam and what I wrote down on the scrap paper/dry erase boards they gave me. I got three dry erase boards for my exam, and two dry erase markers. I used two boards to write stuff down on (not that I had a ton of stuff to write, it's just that you gotta write kinda big with those markers) and I had one leftover to do subnet calculations on. Worked out pretty well. It was nice to be able to just refer to notes for some questions during my exam.

If you've got 10 years experience in IT and also used other sources, then you should be fine. You will probably see some stuff that you swear isn't part of the objectives & wasn't anywhere in any book or video, but that just happens. Don't let it freak you out! I started to panic a little because a few of my first 10 or so questions were DOOZIES, but I just marked whichever ones I felt uncomfortable with and moved along...by the 15th or so question I was seeing more familiar and easier stuff and it calmed me right back down.

jeffslaw

I won't complain at all if I walk out with a 765 (that's a solid score). Congrats on your pass & thanks for the info.

skrpune

thanks, and good luck!!