How do you take notes, when studying for a certification?

NetworkingStudent

• How do you take notes, when studying for a certification?
• How long does it take you to read a chapter and takes notes?
• How do you decide what’s important to put in your notes, and what isn’t?
• Do you have any strategies that are full proof for notes?
Any tips that make note taking faster?
Here’s what I do:
I always read over the material and write down the exam tips or the bolded or italicized words. This strategy seems to help me the most, but I’m wondering what everyone else does. Maybe there is a more efficient strategy. What strategies does everyone else use when taking notes? Sometimes I feel silly because it will take me 2-4 hours to read a chapter, because I’m writing down all the tables and exam tips ect and transferring them into notes.

earweed

If it helps you to remember the stuff then it's a good method for you.
I paraphrase a lot and also use a lot of abbreviations to make it go faster. It still sometimes takes me a good while to go through a chapter. Sometimes I'll read the chapter and then go back and take notes. That seems to help me remember the stuff better.

za3bour

• How do you take notes, when studying for a certification?

I take notes while I'm reading through chapters and mostly the tips and any vocab I'm not familiar with. I also write short steps for some hard configurations in addition to the hard commands.

• How long does it take you to read a chapter and takes notes?

Well it depends sometimes 2-3 hours and sometimes 2-3 days it depends on what you're reading and how hard it is for you.

• How do you decide what’s important to put in your notes, and what isn’t?

For me what's important is the weak areas and what's not the stuff i know well I also add some notes from practice exams.

• Do you have any strategies that are full proof for notes?

I don't have a strategy but I always make sure to include every thing that I could read while i'm in a cafe or waiting for something or if i have free time at work. I don't write stuff that is very difficult or long just the stuff that will refresh my memory and help me focus on my weak areas.

tpatt100

I usually just read the chapter first. I then take the practice test for the chapter. The things I have no clue what they are means I went ZZZZZ during that part so I go back and take notes/highlight those parts.

brianeaglesfan

• How do you take notes, when studying for a certification?

Up until recently I always used flashcards as my primary means for taking notes / reviewing but recently discovered a program called CueCard which is available from download.com. It served me well on my Sec+ test.

• How long does it take you to read a chapter and takes notes?

I'll usually read 25-30 pages a day and take notes on it as I go along.

• How do you decide what’s important to put in your notes, and what isn’t?

Like the others said, if it's bold, italicized, blocked off as important, or if it's something I think will be important (where files are, the steps to do something, etc.) it gets a flash card.

• Do you have any strategies that are full proof for notes?

Use multiple sources and compare the concepts between them. It may help you further develop what you already have or it may be completely different, at which point further research is necessary.

Zartanasaurus

NetworkingStudent wrote: »

• How do you take notes, when studying for a certification?
• How long does it take you to read a chapter and takes notes?
• How do you decide what’s important to put in your notes, and what isn’t?
• Do you have any strategies that are full proof for notes?
Any tips that make note taking faster?
Here’s what I do:
I always read over the material and write down the exam tips or the bolded or italicized words. This strategy seems to help me the most, but I’m wondering what everyone else does. Maybe there is a more efficient strategy. What strategies does everyone else use when taking notes? Sometimes I feel silly because it will take me 2-4 hours to read a chapter, because I’m writing down all the tables and exam tips ect and transferring them into notes.

• A Word document.
• That would depend on the length of the chapter. I generally don't take a lot of notes though.
• I don't take a lot of notes to start. If the book has practice tests at the end of each chapter, I use that to gauge what I was able to learn and what I need to work on. I take notes on what I need to work on. Best for me is to not take the end of chapter tests right away. I go back after a few days and take it. That way I know what really has stuck v being able to remember right after I got done reading it.
• See above.

varelg

Depends what am I reading. If the prep material = man pages, notes would be more of a "what is this utility's purpose" and a plan what should I lab, if prep material is some web guide I'd jot down just the most important points and general ideas or note the steps involved if it's a tutorial of some sort.
I am currently studying vendor- approved literature so while I am reading the chapter I write down things that I should remember in the form of questions that I later try to answer in a notebook or just mentally. I keep those questions for later reviews.

krauser

NetworkingStudent wrote: »

• How do you take notes, when studying for a certification?
• How long does it take you to read a chapter and takes notes?
• How do you decide what’s important to put in your notes, and what isn’t?
• Do you have any strategies that are full proof for notes?
Any tips that make note taking faster?
Here’s what I do:
I always read over the material and write down the exam tips or the bolded or italicized words. This strategy seems to help me the most, but I’m wondering what everyone else does. Maybe there is a more efficient strategy. What strategies does everyone else use when taking notes? Sometimes I feel silly because it will take me 2-4 hours to read a chapter, because I’m writing down all the tables and exam tips ect and transferring them into notes.

The useful strategy: Cornell notes

chmorin

Read the chapter. Watch the video. Make flash cards. Review Flash cards until memorized. Review all flashcards. Repeat.

RobertKaucher

krauser wrote: »

The useful strategy: Cornell notes

I also use the Cornell method.

Cornell Notes - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Skim the chapter, watch a video, read the chapter and take notes using Cornell method. Then I lab it up as much as possible. I then start doing the actual test prep. My notes tend to be way too detailed and take a long time. But it helps me remember and stay focused.

chuckles

I high light the chapter as I read it. Take the test at the end of the chapter. However, I have never seen an end-of-chapter test that really adequately tested the chapter!! I go back and create tests based on the high lighted material. I use an iPod and the program Cram to create multiple 40-50 question tests with multiple answers and use that to test myself later. At this point I've seen the material three times already. Repeat, repeat, repeat is how I learn!

MentholMoose

I don't take notes for self-study. This has worked OK for me for (I think) two reasons. First, I set a fairly quick pace for myself. I try to never study for one exam longer than one month. I pick one or two books I'm confident in (good reviews, known good author/publisher, etc.), figure out how many pages I have to go through per week, and try to maintain that pace. By doing this, come exam time, I usually haven't forgot so much that I would have to review.

Second, as I go through the material I try to understand it on the first pass. I do the labs as I am reading and do more (often far more) than what's in the labs in the book. I only read e-books, so I can easily refer back to certain sections, search for topics I want clarity on, and so on. In some cases I will go through one book at a normal pace, then for review I will go through a second book (or occasionally a CBT) at a quicker pace.

There is no one right way to self-study so just find something that works for you and don't be concerned if others do it differently. Of course it helps to know what others are doing since you might find something useful.

Psoasman

I read through the chapter first. Read it again, doing the hands-on work, and usually a 3rd time taking detailed notes. It depends on the course. For the 291, I read through the book cover to cover 4x, 271/272 just once.
I wait and do the test prep once I feel I have a good grasp of the material.

cleanwithit

RobertKaucher wrote: »

I also use the Cornell method.

Cornell Notes - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Skim the chapter, watch a video, read the chapter and take notes using Cornell method. Then I lab it up as much as possible. I then start doing the actual test prep. My notes tend to be way too detailed and take a long time. But it helps me remember and stay focused.

Thanks for the idea! I'm going to try this method tonight. I found a template for this method.

http://www.freewebs.com/lanzbom/cornellnotes.pdf

jovan88

I read through the textbook while rewriting everything in my own words. works for me!

Qord

Generally I don't take notes, but I had to when I was taking Cisco Networking Academy classes at a community college. (Notes were part of the grade) For those, I read the chapter from start to finish (with lots of small breaks). Then I'd go back through the chapter and read it again, this time taking notes for every section in the order I read it. Made it much easier to organize that way. Finally, I did all my lab exercises and added to my notes anything that the labs helped me deem really important.

tbgree00

My current strategy is that I watch the CBT Nugget and use OneNote to take notes. I create a tab for each test and a page for each video. I pretty much write everything from the videos down.

After that I read about the topics I don't fully understand or that I know will be hammered on the test. This far into the MCSE track I can predict that stuff pretty well. I don't tend to take notes here but do have a notebook with me most of the time.

Finally I lab. If I can't find a good lab manual I just rewatch the nuggets with my vSphere client in the other monitor and follow along. That takes awhile since I work at the trainer's pace but I learn quite a bit.

Mike-Mike

I am 31 and I have rarely found the need to actually study, but the world of certs has changed that... I may have to look into this cornell method

Claymoore

I used to highlight passages because I felt that the physical act of highlighting helped reinforce the information. Lately I have been reading more ebooks and technet articles so I don't highlight and don't bother taking notes.

Ahriakin

I've tried to get into the habit of using Mnemosyne (essentially a flashcard app. of sorts with an integrated memorisation optimising algorithm) but have gotten bad about it lately. I really need to fill in the blanks on some topics.

erpadmin

Typically I'll read a book and then test prep on the subject. If I find I'm lacking in a subject, I will go back to a chapter and write down notes (for me, the act of writing it down works best, as opposed to writing and studying...if I am really really lacking in a particular subject, I will research the heck out of it). I might have to do a bit more for the MCITP:EA exams...but I think I'll be ok.

In my HS US history class many moons ago, we had this really "difficult" teacher. His tests were always "so difficult." I just paid attention in his class for the first couple of weeks. On my first exam, I got a 100 (2 out of 100 students got that 100...the other of course was our valedictorian....he never had to worry about that spot...lmao) Second time, 97. He was impressed, but the truth was, I do my best learning visually and aurally (when I'm paying attention). If something has my attention, it's very rare that I'll write down notes, unless I must, but it's typically a case by case basis.

Mike-Mike

Claymoore wrote: »

I used to highlight passages because I felt that the physical act of highlighting helped reinforce the information. Lately I have been reading more ebooks and technet articles so I don't highlight and don't bother taking notes.

haha, hopefully you don't highlight your ebook

Paul Boz

I used to make flashcards and take volumes of notes but I lost interest in having that level of gusto for studying. Now I mostly highlight and index my reading materials and do more hands-on work. I’ve developed a strong enough base competency that nothing is truly foreign any more. I generally have at least a toehold into whatever I’m studying. I also like to have real-world discussions about whatever I’m studying so that it has more direct application and I can remember it more. I think in general that I’m far too apathetic towards traditional study methods after shotgunning Cisco for so long.

dynamik

I literally cannot take notes, make flashcards, etc. I always start off with the best of intentions, but I always fail miserably a chapter or two in. I don't even bother any more. Lab work, practice exams, discussing the material, etc. are the only ways that make things stick for me.

pml1

I'm a terrible note taker also. I tried taking detailed notes when I was studying for 290. I made it through the second or third chapter before I gave up. I found that it was slowing me down too much and not providing much benefit. I usually have a highlighter while I'm reading, and I'll highlight anything that seems super foreign to me or really important. Then after I finish reading, I'll go back through and re-read what I highlighted. That + labs + CBTs + Practice exam(s) has been a winning formula for me thus far.

Zartanasaurus

Claymoore wrote: »

I used to highlight passages because I felt that the physical act of highlighting helped reinforce the information. Lately I have been reading more ebooks and technet articles so I don't highlight and don't bother taking notes.

Plus all those highlight marks on your monitor start to add up.

Devilsbane

I will either highlight the book (yet I rarely go back to review) or I will write everything down that I would have highlighted. Option 2 is the better study method, because then I am left with a lot of material that I can easily review but also takes a substantial more amount of time. Plus I don't always take them in the same fashion (sometimes on the computer, sometimes in a notebook, sometimes in a second notebook after I misplaced the first one) and then it is just a hassle to get all of the material together.

The problem with highlighting is I sometimes switch off with ebook and real book. So that is when I started writing it down.

Paul Boz

Devilsbane wrote: »

I will either highlight the book (yet I rarely go back to review)

God I do this all the time. I don't know why I even bother. I think just the act of highlighting makes me re-read the material a second time and it sticks.

leefdaddy

I don't really take notes or highlight anymore... I use to highlight but it didn't do much.

If I need to review something I'll just go back through the chapter.

Dr IT

As for me once i read a chapter i simultaneously take my notes using Microsoft's One Note which was recommended by some one in this forum and which i find very very handy

It takes between 1 hour to 1 Week for some chapters ( especially the DNS part in MS 291 )

mattrgee

In the case of CCNP ROUTE which I am currently studying, I do the following:

Watch the CBT Nuggets Series from beginning to end without taking any notes. I use this as an oppotunity to sit and listen about the technology.

Next, either watch another video series from a different vendor or start reading either the offical Cisco Cert guide or the Foundation guide. As I'm reading the books I will highlight key topics. This is easy when reading the offical cert guides as key points are indication by a symbol on the page.

At the end of each chapter I create flashcards based on the information I have highlighted from the book. I use a flashcard program called Anki which is available for Windows, Mac and iOS.

The folllowing day I review the flashcards on my iPhone from the previous day before reading a new chapter in the evening.

I used to create very 'wordy' notes from the books instead of flashcards, however this process became more about layout and grammar and less about the important information. With flashcards the information you see is the information you need to know!

I've created flashcards for the CCNA exam in Anki which are free to download through the Anki app.