Boson ExSim-Max Exam Customization Settings (70+ question exams)

Warpig

So I purchased and installed The Boson ExSim-Max to try to get a feel for if I am ready for my ICND1 exam and so far am a little put off by the product. I went to try to take my first simulated exam and it seems that it is impossible to take a practice exam with Boson that is 40-50 questions with a 90 minute time limit (which is what Cisco themselves states the exam parameters are) I have been using the Pearson Practice exams and when I set a 50 question exam with a 90 minute limit in that engine I seem to usually finish with about 12-15 minutes to spare. The Boson practice exams are 71 questions and 90 minutes. Am I crazy or does it seem answering 20+ additional questions (a ~40% increase) in the same 90 minutes seems a bit excessive. Seems this would make the Boson ExamSim not very realistic which is the opposite of the claim that Boson is the MOST realistic. Now I *could* give myself an additional %40 time increase but that would make the test two hours, also not very realistic. So am I doing something wrong? for some reason the number of questions box when I try to do a practice exam of ANY sort is ALWAYS greyed out so I cannot back it down to even 50 questions. Do I really NEED to be capable of answering 40% more questions in the same time limit to pass a REAL exam?

Nick

jonrage

the harder ur training the easier the exam. if the program u have doesn't allow you to further customize, can you save ur progress and finish a test later??? buy the time ur ready to take the real exam, u should have answered hundreds of practice questions, so a few more wont hurt. don't worry about the parameters. i also try to create an environment similar to the exam, but there's no way to duplicate the overall experience. u just have to be ready for anything. focus on learning the technology so you can pass any test and answer any question.

Warpig

Apparently I'm a moron... lol I figured it out. The only place in the Boson setup you can change the number of questions is by starting a custom exam. They allow you to make small modifications to the settings of the other included exam options but if you want to change the number of questions in the exam you must choose the set up a custom exam option.

Although to an extent I agree with the philosophy of the harder you train the easier the exam will be. I would like to pass both ICND1 and ICND2 by the sept. 30th test change cutoff since the several hundred dollars I have invested are for the 640-822 & 640-816 versions. Unfortunately I must work a more than full time IT job where I typically cannot touch my "training" at work and then have to study and deal with life when I get home. Although typically I am a perfectionist and want to ACE tests I don't feel I have the time available to me in order to do that in this instance due to the deadline (I still need to crack my ICND2 book). If I would have know that the test tract was going to drastically change several weeks after I spent hundreds on materials I would have just waited and purchased the new materials that I didnt even know about much less them being available yet. So I have been forced to deal with a deadline I did not expect or plan for. So it's time perfectionism goes out the window. At this point I would be happy passing both exams with an 805. By 9/30

I am not trying to duplicate the experience exactly just get a measure on my chances of passing a real ICND1 test at this point since my Pearson practice tests seem to suggest I'm ready. Although its easy to say don't worry about the parameters that doesnt help me with my short term goals. I would like to pass BOTH tests by 9/30 and If I spend too much extra time studying ICND1 now when I COULD already pass the ICND1 test this will cut down my available time to study ICND2 of which I have barely scratched the surface of at this point. So a practice test that is on par or harder than the actual test (which I hear Boson is) that mimics the ACTUAL test as close as possible (and a SIMILAR number of questions and test time) will tell me if I am ok to take my ICND1 NOW and move on or whether I really need to go through the ICND1 material a third time.



Nick

bbarrick

I'm just started studying for CCENT and decided to go for the 100-101. I've given myself a deadline of August to take the test. The more I read about the test in other areas the more worried I got that I might not make that deadline. Like you I want to go in not with the attitude of will I pass, but how close can I get to acing it. I sat in on Anthony Sequeira's webinar the other day though and I came out of it feeling a bit more positive. One of the things he mentioned was that since the scope of the topics is quite a bit broader, the the percentage of questions on each of the topics, including subnetting will not be as high.

theodoxa

When I first took it, the 71 questions scared me a bit, but I managed to finish with time to spare even with my first [troubleshooting] Sim taking what seemed like forever to find a single missing command. After Exam A (901/1000), I took Exam B (930/1000) and then Exam C (930/1000) and finished each with about 20-30 minutes to spare. Many of the multiple choice questions can be answered very quickly. You either know the answer or you don't (What protocol does x, what port number would you block to prevent x, etc...) Some MC questions (scenario-based) make you think a bit and the Simulations and especially Simlets will take longer, but they are balanced out by the quick multiple choice questions.

Being able to complete these tests with time to spare has made me feel better about the time limit on the actual test, which I will be taking Thursday. Reading others say how they ran out of time had me a bit scared. Of course, as always you should be able to subnet QUICKLY. The Boson tests will have you subnetting not just directly but also indirectly (e.g. overlapping subnets or improper subnet masks cause something else to not work).

spiderjericho

Yeah, I'm going to invest in their exams when I pursue the CCNP Security and R&S Expert.

glad it sounds like a good product.