Practise tests

Hello to all. I am new here and have a quick question. How does the practise Net+ exam on this site compare to the real test as far as benchmarking oneself goes? I have been in IT for years but netwoking is not my main area. I decided to try and get the cert before the end of the year and if I do then happy days, if I fail then I am going to can it. I have been studying when I can (I dont have a lot of free time) and done every practise test I can find. I generally hit around the 80 - 85% and I got 84% on the test on this site. Just would like some feedback from those that have done the exam as to how I am doing?

P.S I hate exams with a passion and get sleepless nights and generally get unwell, so I mostly put exams off when I can. This is the first cert I have chosen to do rather than having been told to do it!

TIA

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Comments

Slowhand

The tests on this site, as well as most other practice tests, are a fair representation of the actual exam. In most cases, it's best to be scoring higher than needed on the practice tests in order to make sure you'll get a passing score on the real deal. If you're hitting 85% or so on practice exams, you're getting close, but you'll probably be wanting to see 90%+ before you sit for the real thing.

Of course, don't take the practice exams too often, or you'll end up remembering answers and defeating their purpose. Try to take practice tests sparingly, using them only as a benchmark for your studies. If you're hitting 90%+ "cold", you're in good shape for the real exam.

Toully

Cheers. I don't do the same test twice unless I want to learn what I got wrong the first time. The 80 - 85% scores I am getting are generally my first time scores.

Plantwiz

Toully wrote: »

...
P.S I hate exams with a passion and get sleepless nights and generally get unwell, so I mostly put exams off when I can. This is the first cert I have chosen to do rather than having been told to do it!

TIA

I am not a fan of folks using 'practice' exams to prepare. As stated by Slowhand, if you used it as a measure to see the areas to focus study, and then maybe once when you think you are ready...I can see merit for using practice exams.

Your best bet will be to download the objectives and review the items there. Anything on the objective list is a possible area that will be covered on your exam.

To say you 'hate' exams and that they make you ill is something you have now identified and should seek some guidance on working out solutions to deal with this problem. High Schools and Colleges have folks available who can assist you, so seek them out (if you are only a year or two out of HS, than perhaps contact them, but if you are in College or have recently graduated, go to your adviser and have him/her recommend someone (if not himself) to help you learn to get through this.

Good for you for taking the A+, but if this is your first career cert exam and you are beginning with 'I hate exams', I suspect you will have a very difficult time establishing your credentials via certification exams...and perhaps will be better off with a degree path? I do hope you can find someone near you to assist you with the exam process. I have a friend with dyslexia (mild form) but it wasn't diagnosed for many, many years and he struggled with courses when it came to writing things down. He could however very easily retain anything he heard...and basically memorized conversations or anything audio until he found someone who ID his problem and could help him with coping with his dyslexia.

I'm not insinuating that you may be dyslexic, my point (to summarize) is no one really 'loves' exams. It's almost juvenile and an automatic cop out to make a statement "I don't like exams." so that if one fails, they can easily say ... see..."I hate exams".

People fail certification exams. Smart people can (and have) fail(ed) a certification exam. Go hang around the 291 forum and read the comments. Point is to change the dialogue from an automatic ... "I hate exams" to simply having a healthy amount of test anxiety...but having the tools to have studied properly so it doesn't become a roadblock for EVERY exam. If the A+ is your first certification (and it take 2 exams to earn that certification) you have 10-15+ exams ahead of you depending on what you see yourself doing in the IT world. So good luck and get some help if you need it!

Start with the objectives
Use the Mike Meyers book
and/or the Sybex book
If you like to watch videos for training purposes, try TrainSignal or CBTNuggets.

Toully

I got the A+ recently and only because my boss told me to get it. I didn't study as it's more my field and I just went and did the 2 exams straight after each other and got 828 and 827 which I was happy with. My boss also wants me to do the Server+ ( no idea why though) and again, this is my area of expertise so I am not worried in any way but the Net + is out of my comfort zone, so I just really wanted feedback on how 83% on the test on this website may possibly stand up in the real test.

Im not one for certs personally. I do what I have to do and thats usually it but the Net+ just tweaked my interest, so I sort of set myself up to give it a go.

Slowhand

I understand where you're coming from. I've had my share of college classes, as well as cert-studies, that I haven't been too fond of and dreaded the thought of being tested on those things. I think, though, what Plantwiz is saying is that giving the process a chance and avoiding a potentially self-defeating outlook like "I hate tests" is the best way to go in order to make sure you knock that Network+ exam out of the park without feeling too overwhelmed by the unfamiliar material.

When I have to study things I'm not already comfortable with, I generally try to follow the mantra of, "you find yourself in it." It means that, not only do you try to find the aspects of the material you can enjoy and really get into, but you also find out a little more about what you're good at and what you could potentially pursue further. Try to enjoy the Network+ journey for what it's worth, you never know if you'll like that aspect of IT until you really give it a solid chance to help your skill-set grow.

Incidentally, this is how I discovered I enjoyed IT work in the first place. If a friend of mine hadn't nagged me to try building my own computer and take a networking course at the local community college, I'd have been perfectly content to simply play video games and continue wondering what the hell I was going to do with the rest of my life.

Toully

I've been in IT for 23 years (21 years with HP). So I pretty much know what I want to do and what I don't want to do. I don't want to get into networking but I do want a better understanding of it, plus it makes the CV look better. My company will pay for the test but not for anything else so I have been studying on a shoestring really, anything I can get free off the net etc!

My problem is exam nerves. If you asked me my name under exam conditions, I will probably fail!

huntert

Professor Messer's Free CompTIA Network+ Certification Training Course | Professor Messer - CompTIA A+, CompTIA Network+, Certification Training

https://www.mcmcse.com/comptia/network/N10004_study_guide.shtml

these links both may help

Toully

I will have a look. Thanks, I appreciate the help.

mattym

I have just finished reading the Sybex book by Todd Lammle.

Im am looking for some good practice test software to evaluate myself before spending $450AUD on the test...

Im looking at maybe going up with the measureup practice tests because i can have a 30 day online option, which is cheaper than buying it outright.

Can anyone suggest some good practice test websites?