Nervous!

Greetings, fellow IT savvy folk,

I've purchased an A+ exam voucher and plan to sit the exam on this coming Monday (the 19th of March).
I've studied for 3 long months - Udemy (Meyers), Prof Messer and a ton of practice exams.

I am scoring on avg 70/80% on the practice tests.

The reason I spend time writing this thread (when I should be revising) is that I am in need of some courage and hope as i'm nervous that I may fail.

I need more confidence.. all help is appreciated.

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Dakinggamer87

Just take a deep breathe and make sure your nerves are calm before the exam. You can pass this exam!!

dizzy_kitty

Good luck! Keep reviewing any questions you're getting incorrect and look into why the right answer is the correct one. You've been studying. You know more than you think you do.

bluewarlord8

dizzy_kitty wrote: »

Good luck! Keep reviewing any questions you're getting incorrect and look into why the right answer is the correct one. You've been studying. You know more than you think you do.

Thank you guys! Your messages mean a lot! what keeps you guys in high spirits to avoid being nervous?

dizzy_kitty

bluewarlord8 wrote: »

Thank you guys! Your messages mean a lot! what keeps you guys in high spirits to avoid being nervous?

I start to incorporate things that help build my confidence/badassness overall, more often (i.e. workout). If you don't believe in yourself you need to trick yourself into doing so. I brainwash myself with positive mantras. "I'm smart. I got this. I'm prepared. I WILL pass. Failing is not an option." And... if you do fail (which you won't) you lose a couple of hours of your day and the cost of the exam. Nothing dire will come from it. You aren't restricted from taking the exam again.

Just remain positive and already know and accept that you will pass.

bluewarlord8

dizzy_kitty wrote: »

I start to incorporate things that help build my confidence/badassness overall, more often (i.e. workout). If you don't believe in yourself you need to trick yourself into doing so. I brainwash myself with positive mantras. "I'm smart. I got this. I'm prepared. I WILL pass. Failing is not an option." And... if you do fail (which you won't) you lose a couple of hours of your day and the cost of the exam. Nothing dire will come from it. You aren't restricted from taking the exam again.

Just remain positive and already know and accept that you will pass.

I need to increase my badassness level lmao

I agree, working out makes me feel sharper and more confident!

I recently watched various videos on the law of attraction and it works! (believing that I have passed the exam etc)
Thanks for your motivating messages, they are helping!

JD20

Yes, I agree with dizzy_kitty. I like to keep nothing but positive thoughts in my head before the exam. On the way to the test center, I tell myself "I'm going to pass, I'm going to pass." Anyways, good luck on your exam! Let us know how it turned out.

bluewarlord8

JD20 wrote: »

Yes, I agree with dizzy_kitty. I like to keep nothing but positive thoughts in my head before the exam. On the way to the test center, I tell myself "I'm going to pass, I'm going to pass." Anyways, good luck on your exam! Let us know how it turned out.

Noted! I shall update you all on Monday! Until then however, I’ll be revising hard and keeping the positivity level up!

Souljacker

You will do fine. My suggestion is to not cram *too* much - it's far more important to get there well-rested and clear-minded. If you've been putting in the effort to really learn the material, and it sounds like you have, then you'll succeed. Do every practice exam you can get your hands on - and A+ is incredibly well-supported in terms of quality, legitimate practice content - and sit there with a printout and a pencil and write down why every answer is right and even notes about why the others are wrong. Write down any other facts you can think of while you're looking at a question. The simple act of writing things out helps to stick it in your brain.

Welcome to the beginning of your career. I look forward to reading about your success.

bluewarlord8

Souljacker wrote: »

You will do fine. My suggestion is to not cram *too* much - it's far more important to get there well-rested and clear-minded. If you've been putting in the effort to really learn the material, and it sounds like you have, then you'll succeed. Do every practice exam you can get your hands on - and A+ is incredibly well-supported in terms of quality, legitimate practice content - and sit there with a printout and a pencil and write down why every answer is right and even notes about why the others are wrong. Write down any other facts you can think of while you're looking at a question. The simple act of writing things out helps to stick it in your brain.

Welcome to the beginning of your career. I look forward to reading about your success.

I appreciate your message, it really uplifted me. I'm honored to be in a forum with so many geniuses connected to it... Just examining the different users certifications inspires me to do more.

bluewarlord8

I PASSED THE 220-901!

I was shaking like an old man in the exam centre! Couldn’t believe I passed! Was an amazing experience! Time to shift gears and take down the 220-902!

nisti2

Congratulations!

Don't get nervous! The exam wont bite you! :P

ThePawofRizzo

Congrats!

I always get a little nervous on certification exam day, but that first exam years ago was definitely more tense.

xagreus

Congrats, bluewarlord8!

In my experience, there's a point where stress can sharpen your mind and help you really focus. The trick is to find that point ("eustress") without crossing over into being overly stressed ("distress"). Sounds like you found that point today - well done!

PersianImmortal

Congratulations!!!

bluewarlord8

Thankyou all! I deffo agree, this was my first certi exam and was I was definitely the definition of nerve-racking today but I pulled through and took the win!

I’m so grateful and it’s a sign that i’m doing something right lol. What is a decent mark on the 901? I got 708/900 but I felt the mark was perhaps a tad bit lower than others that may have took the exam?.. or am I just being hard on myself??

SteveLavoie

It's a bit late to give you an advice, but it will help later. Allow you to fail, it will relieve you the pression to succeed at the first time. I am not telling you to not be prepared, but give you a chance to fail. It is only money, nobody will fire you, nobody will yell at you... You will realize that most people around you won't care about your certification success or failure.

Yes it is important for your career, but it is not a life threatening situation.

Since I am thinking like that, I am much more ready to to any exam.

bluewarlord8

Interesting view!

bluewarlord8

@SteveLavoie

I would do so but I am not that financially stable.. maybe when i’m richer

Souljacker

Awesome - I circled back here today to check on you and see how you did.

Don't beat yourself about your score. The minimum threshold is there for a reason - that's the cutoff level where those who make the exam think that you know 'enough' to be successful in the field. Five points over versus fifty points over isn't going to make a difference in reality, because you'll be earning that extra fifty points over the years in experience. If you sit and take the test two years from now, after you've been working for some time and have more experience with the metal, you'll see that you scores are like night and day.

But you won't be doing that, because you'll be worrying about the next higher level cert anyway, right?

Congratulations - I'm thrilled that you passed. Onward to the next exam - your certification is in sight!

bluewarlord8

Thanks for the message, Souljacker!

Yes you’re right, I shouldn’t be worrying so much about the mark.

Yep, i’m always thinking of the higher cert, my tutor is saying that it will be beneficial for me to get an MCP, but I personally don’t want to go through all the time and effort as my plan is to go through the CCNA route after my A+.. what are your thoughts? (Or anyone else reading?)

Souljacker

So, that depends entirely on a couple of things

1. What do you *want* to do
2. What does your current employer *require* you to know

Sometimes they will be in sync and you'll be in luck. You *want* to work on Microsoft systems and your employer *requires* you to be certified in those systems. MCP it is.

Sometimes they will not be in sync, which is where I'm currently at. I'm much more interested in Cisco equipment and Windows equipment, but my employer uses Sonicwall and Linux. So I have to balance what I want to pursue and what I need to know in order to be successful at my job. I do not recommend this path. You will not have much time for recreation which I believe is necessary for balanced personality. Don't get me wrong - I have a GREAT job and this isn't reason enough for me to look elsewhere, but it's a harder path that just isn't for everyone.

Since you are at the start of your career you have a much better chance of syncing up the things you want with the things your employer needs - so decide what you like to work on best, open up Ziprecruiter or whatever is being used these days, and start looking for jobs that match what you want to do. Don't even worry about not having the cert yet - you are going to show them your A+ (which proves you HAVE the drive to self-study) and then tell them that you're interested in the technology they use and are working on THAT cert next. Make sure they know that you want to work for them because you bring strong motivation and can add value to their team, and you want to work hard to learn about everything they do and how they do it to continue your journey to network administration (which is what it sounds like you are headed toward).

That's not to say your tutor is giving you bad advice - the MCP is a good cert... but if you want to go the cisco route you're really talking about a completely different area of IT and MCP isn't going to have much transference\overlap. Better path would be to take Net+ after A+, and that gets your foot in the door as a junior network admin, take CCENT quickly to show you're moving along the cisco track, and then finish up CCNA and into CCNP\CCIE.

It sounds like you've got some things to think about, but you're on the right track. Good luck!

SteveLavoie

bluewarlord8 wrote: »

@SteveLavoie

I would do so but I am not that financially stable.. maybe when i’m richer

I understand, I have been in that situation too. Now I am lucky, my compagny pay all certs and related expense(exam, books, CBT training, some in-class training, gas as the exam center is at 150km) but before I saved the money gradually while I was studying.. By example, 15 years ago, when I did A+, I studied like 10 weeks per exam, I saved 20$ a week until I had enough... IF you pay your exam on a credit card, and dont have the backing money, you are only putting you in a bad situation, if you fail.

h1997potter

CCNA for sure, I think. Also, if you need cheap vouchers I'm selling 2 for A+ exams for only $75 each. They expire Dec. 2018. Good luck!

**All Sold**

bluewarlord8

h1997potter wrote: »

CCNA for sure, I think. Also, if you need cheap vouchers I'm selling 2 for A+ exams for only $75 each. They expire Dec. 2018. Good luck!

Thanks and I might buy one of ur a+ vouchers at $75

h1997potter

**All Sold**

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Spiegel

I was in a similar position when I first took my A+ exam. Having failed several years prior I took the challenge once more. I studied 3 months per exam and passed. I believe the first time you become certified with your first certification it unlocks a level of confidence that will carry itself with you for all your other exams. Since then, I've been able to go into obtaining my other certs with a much clearer mind. I believe that even if I fail my next cert I'll the fortitude to get up, dust myself off, and try again. Taking cert exams is also a skill you can develop and hone. You'll gain experiences on how to prepare so that you can enter into most exams with confidence.

bluewarlord8

Spiegel wrote: »

I was in a similar position when I first took my A+ exam. Having failed several years prior I took the challenge once more. I studied 3 months per exam and passed. I believe the first time you become certified with your first certification it unlocks a level of confidence that will carry itself with you for all your other exams. Since then, I've been able to go into obtaining my other certs with a much clearer mind. I believe that even if I fail my next cert I'll the fortitude to get up, dust myself off, and try again. Taking cert exams is also a skill you can develop and hone. You'll gain experiences on how to prepare so that you can enter into most exams with confidence.

Interesting and enlightening