studying advice...

how do you guys use notecards in studying for certifications?

I find my self using them alot but when I studied for my last exam (CCNA) I had about four hundred notecards. I felt that I was trying to hard to remember every little detail. I wasn't successful with this method and I was so bogged down with information that I was very unorginized. When I took the test, most of what I studied wasn't on the exam and I felt that I missed the main points. I did not make the passing score and I decided to move on to another exam. I really want to study this right and I know that if something really works, the brain picks up rather quickly on the information. I just know what I am doing is not right and it takes me forever to learn the information....

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Comments

dynamik

You really need to get hands-on experience to genuinely learn the material. You can setup a few virtual machines for your Microsoft studies or purchase a few routers and switches for your Cisco studies. Most test questions are going to involve you going through a scenario and performing the appropriate task(s). Simply memorizing terminology will not help you with this type of test format. You really need to put forth some extra effort in order to connect the dots. You'll also find that you'll retain information better when you're actually applying it.

Univ3rs@l

dynamik wrote:

You really need to get hands-on experience to genuinely learn the material. You can setup a few virtual machines for your Microsoft studies or purchase a few routers and switches for your Cisco studies. Most test questions are going to involve you going through a scenario and performing the appropriate task(s). Simply memorizing terminology will not help you with this type of test format. You really need to put forth some extra effort in order to connect the dots. You'll also find that you'll retain information better when you're actually applying it.

dynamik,

Yeah, I remember some of those test questions on CCNA and alot of had to do with sceniaro questions. I thought those were the toughiest of them all. Thank you for the advice.

cacharo

I did use notecards, but not alot. The ones I used were usually included on the cd that came with the books I was reading. I just try to get my hands on as many practice test questions as I can before taking the test.

Univ3rs@l

cacharo wrote:

I did use notecards, but not alot. The ones I used were usually included on the cd that came with the books I was reading. I just try to get my hands on as many practice test questions as I can before taking the test.

what method do you take when getting a question wrong? Do you remember just the right answer (Normally the test I have taken a little section under why it is wrong) or do you read further into the material to get more of an understanding of it.

cacharo

Some of the testing software will site a book or source of where in a particular book an question was pulled from. At the very least it will cite the corresponding objective that question revolves around. From that point you can review the chapter in just about any book that covers the objective you are having problems with. I see that you already have your A+ and N+. I purchased the CST and CNST rollovers and while also getting 2 new certs it came with engines for tons of exams. You can look into this at www.studyexams4less.com. I also use trancender test engines which provide good feedback to missed questions as well as a test engine provided from my employer. If I remember correctly the exams included in the rollover provide a link to a detailed answer for every question whether or not you get it right or wrong. That way even if you guess right and want to know why, you have access to that info.

Here is a thread offing more info into the rollover

http://www.techexams.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=13374

Just remembering what a particular answer is does nothing for you, you have to do the research into the whys so if a similar question arrives on the test you can breeze through it.

dynamik

Transcender goes into pretty lengthy explanations as to why each option was or wasn't correct. I'm always familiar with the material at this point, so their explanations usually fill in whatever knowledge I was missing. If I do have more questions about how something works, then it's back to the books. If you still have questions, look it up. You're not going to get penalized for having too much knowledge.

silentc1015

I think I go against the norm a bit. I used to be obsessed with notecards, underlining, highlighting, etc... I couldn't keep it up. Finally I just remained content to read the book and apply the concepts (using vmware or other virtualization/emulation solutions) when I can. I don't get obsessed with details. I gain a familiarity of the tools at my disposal, and only memorize things when absolutely necessary.

Most of what I read indicated that I'd never pass any exams unless I remembered most of the details, studied furiously, took notes, read several books, and so on. I've found it to be a bunch of crap. Find what works for you. For me, it's just reading the book and doing the work. At first this worried me because something so simple and minimal shouldn't work according to most people. But I was passing tests easily, even difficult ones like the RHCE and CISSP. Find your method, one you can uphold and not loathe, and be consistent in your studies.

Good luck

freetech

I used notecards, but only about 30 of them. If I put every detail on the cards, I don't recall the important stuff. Try to narrow down what you put on a notecard (only stuff you keep forgetting or stuff you MUST remember.
Practice, practice, practice. Get a sim, or better yet, a home lab if you possibly can.
Then practice.

Univ3rs@l

cacharo wrote:

Some of the testing software will site a book or source of where in a particular book an question was pulled from. At the very least it will cite the corresponding objective that question revolves around. From that point you can review the chapter in just about any book that covers the objective you are having problems with. I see that you already have your A+ and N+. I purchased the CST and CNST rollovers and while also getting 2 new certs it came with engines for tons of exams. You can look into this at www.studyexams4less.com. I also use trancender test engines which provide good feedback to missed questions as well as a test engine provided from my employer. If I remember correctly the exams included in the rollover provide a link to a detailed answer for every question whether or not you get it right or wrong. That way even if you guess right and want to know why, you have access to that info.

Here is a thread offing more info into the rollover

http://www.techexams.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=13374

Just remembering what a particular answer is does nothing for you, you have to do the research into the whys so if a similar question arrives on the test you can breeze through it.

thanks for the advice. The link you provided (www.studyexams4less.com) came up as a spam search engine. Is the link correct?

Univ3rs@l

silentc1015 wrote:

I think I go against the norm a bit. I used to be obsessed with notecards, underlining, highlighting, etc... I couldn't keep it up. Finally I just remained content to read the book and apply the concepts (using vmware or other virtualization/emulation solutions) when I can. I don't get obsessed with details. I gain a familiarity of the tools at my disposal, and only memorize things when absolutely necessary.

Most of what I read indicated that I'd never pass any exams unless I remembered most of the details, studied furiously, took notes, read several books, and so on. I've found it to be a bunch of crap. Find what works for you. For me, it's just reading the book and doing the work. At first this worried me because something so simple and minimal shouldn't work according to most people. But I was passing tests easily, even difficult ones like the RHCE and CISSP. Find your method, one you can uphold and not loathe, and be consistent in your studies.

Good luck

hmmm, i like that approach. I think that is what I am looking for. I have sat through a books and almost fallen asleep reading the material. I almost have to struggle sometimes to get through it. Yesterday on my way home on the subway, i thought about what I know now and how I came to learn it. The most of my learning happened by doing hands on work and just f'n around with the software or following a book instructions. So, I think your approach makes alot more sense. Thanks

Univ3rs@l

freetech wrote:

I used notecards, but only about 30 of them. If I put every detail on the cards, I don't recall the important stuff. Try to narrow down what you put on a notecard (only stuff you keep forgetting or stuff you MUST remember.
Practice, practice, practice. Get a sim, or better yet, a home lab if you possibly can.
Then practice.

In my ccna studying I remember copying concepts left and right. How chap worked to what to certain commands that involved several steps to configure a router. I sometimes looked at the notecards and felt like giving up cos it was so much information. I use my laptop for most of my work and sometimes at work they left me mess around with the servers they have in inventory. I am going to use them more often

silentc1015

Univ3rs@l wrote:

silentc1015 wrote:

I think I go against the norm a bit. I used to be obsessed with notecards, underlining, highlighting, etc... I couldn't keep it up. Finally I just remained content to read the book and apply the concepts (using vmware or other virtualization/emulation solutions) when I can. I don't get obsessed with details. I gain a familiarity of the tools at my disposal, and only memorize things when absolutely necessary.

Most of what I read indicated that I'd never pass any exams unless I remembered most of the details, studied furiously, took notes, read several books, and so on. I've found it to be a bunch of crap. Find what works for you. For me, it's just reading the book and doing the work. At first this worried me because something so simple and minimal shouldn't work according to most people. But I was passing tests easily, even difficult ones like the RHCE and CISSP. Find your method, one you can uphold and not loathe, and be consistent in your studies.

Good luck

hmmm, i like that approach. I think that is what I am looking for. I have sat through a books and almost fallen asleep reading the material. I almost have to struggle sometimes to get through it. Yesterday on my way home on the subway, i thought about what I know now and how I came to learn it. The most of my learning happened by doing hands on work and just f'n around with the software or following a book instructions. So, I think your approach makes alot more sense. Thanks

You're welcome. It took me awhile to figure this out, as simple as it sounds. I had ideas in my mind about what I should be doing, instead of tailoring my studies to my own personality quirks and preferences. For example, I love to read. I really do. So just plowing through an IT book is great fun for me. Then I go back and do as much hands-on stuff as I can. I retain most of the information during the reading because it's something I really enjoy, and during the study my mind isn't wandering and thinking about other things I'd rather be doing.

Maybe you learn better watching instructional videos or listening to audio? Maybe hands on stuff strictly works best for you? Maybe manuals? I think it's all about finding your best approach so you actually enjoy doing it and remain focused on the material. Of course sometimes you need to supplement your studies with other tactics. Taking practice tests is a good way to find out where you need more work in particular areas. Then you can attack these weak areas of yours with multiple methods of study (further research, videos, hands on, ask experts, magazines, etc).

That is my approach in a nutshell, and I have never even came close to failing an exam.