WGU: 6 weeks left in term - What would you do?

Greets all:

After I pass my Project+ next week, I will have 6 weeks left in this term at WGU, and I will have done 40 CUs thus far.

So far this term I have earned A+, Sec+, Project+, CIW Web and CIW Javascript. These were all within the last 4 months, as the first 2 months of my term, I was unable to do any schoolwork at all for personal reasons.

I would REALLY like to be able to do the MCTS portion (70-680), or possibly my CCENT (ICND-1) exam.

Am I pushing this too hard? I know that neither exam is a joke, and I will be quite honest: I have about 15 years experience, mostly in break/fix, with a decent amount of security knowledge - but if I had to choose a weak spot right at this moment, it would be my networking.

My concern is dropping either class into my AAV, and then somehow failing/being unable to complete it by the end of my term (March 31).

Is 6 weeks enough to pass CCENT from scratch? I know Win 7 quite well, but keep hearing how much of a pain the 70-680 exam is (and ICND-1 for that matter!), so I am a bit concerned about putting either in towards the end of my term, and somehow painting myself into a corner.

Pros: Both are worth 6 more CUs, which will end me with 46 CUs this term, plus another cert out of the way, thereby making accelerated progress in my future terms more likely.

Cons: Possibility of not being able to complete my studies to the level of passing the exam in question, and not only failing the class, but having it affect my SAP. Not to mention missing out on the opportunity of getting another 6 CUs out of the way, which I could have also done by doing this:

Alternately, I could do 2 or 3 'gimme' classes for easy CUs, and still end with 46 CUs complete - but my logic for wanting to finish this term by getting 70-680/CCENT out of the way is as follows:

My goal is to be complete my next year on Mar 31, within two more terms. Before that can happen, my bigger challenges in my course of study are: MCTS with 70-680, CCENT, CCNA, and CCNA Security. 4 big ones. 2 terms left.

Another concern is that if I simply do 2 of the bigger exams per term, that it could slow me down. If I get my 46 this term, I will only have 62 CUs left, so that's 31 per term, but if I am slowed down by my Cisco stuff, or the 70-680 during those last two terms, I may not meet my goal of graduating within the specified time frame.

If I don't do CCENT this term, I will have both ICND-1 and ICND-2 to contend with next term, as IINS will be in term 3. My goal is to finish within 3 terms.

So: Would you attempt either of those exams at the end of your term with 6 weeks to go?

My thought is - If you do them at the beginning of the term, you have all the time in the world (within reason), in case you run into complications. But - do them at the end of the term, and your back is against the wall.

Would 6 weeks be reasonable to expect to finish CCENT? Or should I stick with the 70-680? Or neither and just get some of the smaller classes out of the way in order to chip away at my CU count, but still have the 'Big 4' (along with various other smaller classes) staring me down with only 2 terms to go?

Thanks for any input,

Sledge

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Comments

bryanthetechie

My advice: Ask your mentor to open up the content for 70-680 class to you without adding it to your AAV. Spend the next six weeks studying for it, and have it added to your AAV next term. That way you can study and be prepared for it without the stress of meeting the end of term deadline. If you are not ready in six weeks when your next term starts, take it a few weeks later when you are ready. Win win. I certainly wouldn't rush the 680 exam. Make sure you are ready.

You can ask your mentor to open up the content for the CCENT as well and work through them both.

BTW, great job on completing 40 CUs this term... well done!

demonfurbie

^^ that

and id suggest get one of the gen eds like orc1 out of the way

Sledge.

Already opened up the material for both, but if I commit the time to study it for the last 6 weeks of the term, then decide not to take the exam(s), there go additional credits I could have knocked down by doing some of the smaller BS type classes like ORC1, INC1, LUT1, etc - Which is what is making this such a hard decision for me.

If I do no further CUs this term, that gives me 68 to go, 34 and 34, and if I run into *any* snags along the way, 34 per term is unlikely to happen...

drumrolfe

Seriously, at 40 CUs one failure will not affect you. The minimum SAP requirement is what 66.67%?
I would go for it. It's at WGU's expense. You may pass and great or you may fail and get another shot next term with all the studying already done!

Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy | WGU Financial Aid | Western Governors University Online

swild

Even if you start studying for the 70-680, but don't feel comfortable enough to take the exam by the end of the term, you can immediately take it at the beginning of the next term. So really, you won't be wasting any time.

Just don't add it to your AAV until you are ready to test.

veritas_libertas

demonfurbie wrote: »

^^ that

and id suggest get one of the gen eds like orc1 out of the way

Excellent advice.

Sledge.

swild wrote: »

Even if you start studying for the 70-680, but don't feel comfortable enough to take the exam by the end of the term, you can immediately take it at the beginning of the next term. So really, you won't be wasting any time.

Just don't add it to your AAV until you are ready to test.

In a way, that's true - but if I study and don't take until next term,, that sacrifices easy Gen Ed CUs I could snap up in the final 6 weeks of this term.

What I think I may do is this:

Study hard for the 70-680 while also doing some Gen Ed CUs (ORC1 for 4, and LUT1 for 2) - End my term with my 46 CUs, staying on target. If I feel comfortable enough at that point to do the 70-680 within Term 1 - Bonus! 52 CUs!

If not... I load it at the beginning of the next term, along with BRV1 (ICND-1), and BRV2 (ICND-2), thereby making that my 12 *required* CUs for next term (Term 2), but since I will be knocking out 70-680 immediately at the start of the term (thanks to all the study I gave it this term), it will be out of the way immediately.

Concentrate on BRV1 and BSV1, get my CCNA (Term 2, after 70-680 is out of the way), along with as many Gen Ed CUs as I can finish in that term (Term 2). Hopefully end up with at least 30 or so CUs within Term 2. 31 would be my target for the 3-term graduation.

All that leaves in Term 3 of any real difficulty is CCNA Security and Capstone, along with about 16 more Gen Ed CUs.

Sound reasonable? Better yet - does it sound achievable?

Thanks,

Sledge

ptilsen

Six weeks is enough time for Win7 or CCENT. Neither exam should take more than 60 hours of study, if more than 40. Taking both in six weeks would be impractical, but either one alone should be achievable in that time-frame in my opinion. Take one day or two half-days or days (4 or 8 hours) a week to study for whichever you choose.

erpadmin

drumrolfe wrote: »

Seriously, at 40 CUs one failure will not affect you. The minimum SAP requirement is what 66.67%?
I would go for it. It's at WGU's expense. You may pass and great or you may fail and get another shot next term with all the studying already done!

Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy | WGU Financial Aid | Western Governors University Online

I'm going to tell you flat out that this is terrible advice. Yes, sometimes failures happen, but if a failure can be avoided, like this potential one, then that's 100% better. BTW, I do speak on the grounds that I had 100% SAP every term I was at WGU. Folks should always strive for 100% SAP....(in my case, I had to, since I was a scholarship student...

)

To the OP, Bryan makes perfect sense. First of all, let's say for arguments sake that you have 80 CUs left. You are halfway done, so now you want to tack on 6 CUs with the 70-680. Whether you do 46 and 34 OR 40 and 40, you will still have 80 CUs. It will be much more smart for you to just open up the LRs for either the CCENT or 70-680, study those and then enroll in the beginning of the term. This way your SAP remains at 100%. Now, sometimes life happens, but in your case, you could have avoided potential failure.

Also, you could work on your GEs in parallel if you have the time. But if you don't then you can still do it in the next term. You're not going to be wasting time. Six weeks is not a lot of time.....if you're gonna fail, you'll want to fail that first week of your next term, then the last week of your previous term. Heed Bryan's and demonfurbie's advice.

The race is not given to the swift nor the strong but he who endures until the end.

bryanthetechie

If I remember correctly, my mentor said that a failure will still reflect on your final transcript as not successfully completing a class. Would you want to risk having a functional F on your transcript if you want to go on to grad school?

drumrolfe

erpadmin wrote: »

I'm going to tell you flat out that this is terrible advice. Yes, sometimes failures happen, but if a failure can be avoided, like this potential one, then that's 100% better. BTW, I do speak on the grounds that I had 100% SAP every term I was at WGU. Folks should always strive for 100% SAP....(in my case, I had to, since I was a scholarship student... )

To the OP, Bryan makes perfect sense. First of all, let's say for arguments sake that you have 80 CUs left. You are halfway done, so now you want to tack on 6 CUs with the 70-680. Whether you do 46 and 34 OR 40 and 40, you will still have 80 CUs. It will be much more smart for you to just open up the LRs for either the CCENT or 70-680, study those and then enroll in the beginning of the term. This way your SAP remains at 100%. Now, sometimes life happens, but in your case, you could have avoided potential failure.

Also, you could work on your GEs in parallel if you have the time. But if you don't then you can still do it in the next term. You're not going to be wasting time. Six weeks is not a lot of time.....if you're gonna fail, you'll want to fail that first week of your next term, then the last week of your previous term. Heed Bryan's and demonfurbie's advice.

The race is not given to the swift nor the strong but he who endures until the end.

To each their own. I used this technique to finish a Master's level certification within my BS program. I had about 7 weeks left until the end of my term when all the BS work was complete and accelerated another certification from a different program (MSISA) into the final term. From my experience, anyone who can complete 40 CUs (I was at ~36 CU at this time) and have six weeks left can handle the crunch.

I used the time crunch as a motivator and it worked for me. I got some free coursework (because I hadnt started or paid for the Masters program yet) and used the remaining time at the end of my program effectively. Now I have a head start when my first term for the MSISA starts in March.

It's suprising how well one can motivate himself to complete a goal. The problem I used to have is never setting the goal. 100% SAP no failures.

Simply don't schedule the test or add it to your AAV if you aren't ready by the deadline.

swild

if you fail an exam and don't finish it before the end of the term, it shows up as an F. but as long as you pass the exam within 4 attempts, its a pass.

erpadmin

drumrolfe wrote: »

To each their own. I used this technique to finish a Master's level certification within my BS program. I had about 7 weeks left until the end of my term when all the BS work was complete and accelerated another certification from a different program (MSISA) into the final term. From my experience, anyone who can complete 40 CUs (I was at ~36 CU at this time) and have six weeks left can handle the crunch.

I used the time crunch as a motivator and it worked for me. I got some free coursework (because I hadnt started or paid for the Masters program yet) and used the remaining time at the end of my program effectively. Now I have a head start when my first term for the MSISA starts in March.

It's suprising how well one can motivate himself to complete a goal. The problem I used to have is never setting the goal. 100% SAP no failures.

Simply don't schedule the test or add it to your AAV if you aren't ready by the deadline.

If this weren't for an MS exam, I'd almost understand (at the very least.) If this were for a WGU class, he could call his mentor up and get stuff moving so he wouldn't get a fail. With MS, he'd have to wait for vouchers, yadda yadda yadda.....unless he does what I did and actually pay full price for one particular exam (the 647). I did that out of anger.

Bottom line, if you don't have to take an unnecesary risk, just take the class the beginning of next term. At the end of the day, no one gives a ---- that you got 40+ CUs in one term. It's all about the degree.

The race is not given to the swift nor the strong but he who endures until the end.

Sledge.

erpadmin wrote: »

At the end of the day, no one gives a ---- that you got 40+ CUs in one term.

I do!

For me it's not about "Hey, look how many CUs I can fit in a term!" - It's about how quickly I can finish my degree overall and achieve the things I need to within the time frame I have given myself to achieve them.

Psoasman

I'd get the Humanities courses out of the way - they will probably take about 2 weeks or so, depending on time put in. Or get the MGC1, too. That would be 6 more CU's.

powerfool

What about getting your term extended? I thought that you could get your term extended by one month. So, could you add the Win 7 MCTS and then have your term extended, giving you 10 weeks? Then, when you have extra time, you can review material for the next exam.

If that is not an option, just study now and take it at the beginning of your next term. Honestly, with the WGU model, you aren't gaining/losing anything either way. If it were a matter of finishing your last course so you don't have to pay another term's tuition, then it would be in your best interest to get it knocked out, but otherwise it isn't a big deal.

erpadmin

Sledge. wrote: »

I do!

For me it's not about "Hey, look how many CUs I can fit in a term!" - It's about how quickly I can finish my degree overall and achieve the things I need to within the time frame I have given myself to achieve them.

That, by itself is good. However, at the same time, you should always give yourself a little breathing room to account for things that might come up. The one thing I did not want to do was a term break, and the option was there...but if I did that, I would have just dropped out (again). But if you read what I initially wrote, you can STILL take your Windows 7 exam in the beginning of your next term instead of the last week of your current term and still come out ahead with your timeframe. Because what you don't want is a fail on your transcript if you can avoid it. At least if you fail Windows 7 in your first week of the next term, you can STILL take it four more times (you are given five attempts with MS.) It's pressure that you don't need...take it from someone who personally knows.......

Sledge.

erpadmin wrote: »

That, by itself is good. However, at the same time, you should always give yourself a little breathing room to account for things that might come up. The one thing I did not want to do was a term break, and the option was there...but if I did that, I would have just dropped out (again). But if you read what I initially wrote, you can STILL take your Windows 7 exam in the beginning of your next term instead of the last week of your current term and still come out ahead with your timeframe. Because what you don't want is a fail on your transcript if you can avoid it. At least if you fail Windows 7 in your first week of the next term, you can STILL take it four more times (you are given five attempts with MS.) It's pressure that you don't need...take it from someone who personally knows.......

Agreed 100%.

I plan on carrying on with the above outlined plan of action - Study for 70-680 while knocking out ORC1 and LUT1, and then taking the 70-680 exam immediately upon start of term 2. Seems the safest way to do it, and I still reach 40 CUs this term. Win/win.

Thanks for your valuable insight on this one.

Regards,

Sledge