How Much Do You Remember From Your Studies?

Hi everyone,

I just cleared my CCNP and am so disappointed!! Why? Coz I find that I am no longer as 'sure' about the material that I had mastered so well before the exam. I don't interact much with CISCO equipment on a daily basis as I work for a vendor who in a way competes with CISCO. I didn't just cram the material and took on average, 3 months per exam, reading on average two books per exam and doing CBT nuggets with lots of repetition. I now plan on reviewing the material and labbing it up for maybe three to four months before I embark on my CCVP or CCSP (still weighing my options!)

My question is, how much material do you remember 3 months after an exam? How well do you remember it? Any suggestions on how to help keep the material on my fingertips?

Thanks guyz.

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Comments

sprkymrk

We all run into that problem. Basically it's "use it or lose it". However, if you do ever get back into the full swing of using it, you'll find that it comes back to you over time easier than when you first learned it. The only tip I can give is to find a way to use what you learned to keep it fresh. So if you don't work with it that means doing it in your free time either by purchasing your own equipment, reading a chapter a week, or getting a simulator and do a couple excersizes every week. Stuff along those lines.

Mishra

Everyone has ways to try and retain the material and they differ.

Personally I have to stay excited and focus about what I'm learning in order to have it sink it. I also have to do some kind of teaching for things to stick with me. This is a partial reason why I visit this site in the first place. I get to answer questions and help people and it helps me retain knowledge that I may forget if I wasn't thinking about it.

So signing up for a bunch of Cisco forums and answering questions is a really good way to remember what you learned. Plus you get to help the community so its a win-win situation.

But you definitely should consider getting your own equipment as that is a different skill than any of it.

marco71

Hi,
Same problem for me, but I want to surpass this by spending more time with simulations/simulators because have no access to real Cisco equipments

Mr.Ping

Good to know am not alone!!
I like the lab idea coz am planning on getting my CCIE and maybe venturing into 'self employment'.
For now I guess dynamips will have to do.
Thanks for your ideas guyz.

blargoe

Like sprkymrk said, this is not uncommon. A few concepts might translate over into a "general knowledge" area (i.e., CCNA studies can help you understand general routing and switching concepts better), but for the most part you lose a lot of it if you don't use it. That's why I'm now being very selective on my cert studies. I'm not certifying in anything I don't already use or intend to use in the near future.

JDMurray

Mark's "use it or lose it" statement is the truth. How many of us remember the stuff we learned in basic college classes, like sociology, speech communications, and art/music history? If you don't keep studying the subject you will naturally forget most of what you learned. After getting any cert, you must re-enforce the knowledge in yourself through either reading or practical use. You never realize how much you've forgotten--and how things change--until you come around to certification renewal time.

sprkymrk

JDMurray wrote:

Mark's "use it or lose it" statement is the truth. How many of us remember the stuff we learned in basic college classes, like sociology, speech communications, and art/music history? If you don't keep studying the subject you will naturally forget most of what you learned. After getting any cert, you must re-enforce the knowledge in yourself through either reading or practical use. You never realize how much you've forgotten--and how things change--until you come around to certification renewal time.

Also, JD and I have another issue that adds to the probelm... We are both past 40.

pooker

Well I am still a noob but i have alot of labs with it. But i am pursuing mcsa and i have already forgotten most stuff from my server class, and i am always worried about losing that after I pass it.

JDMurray

sprkymrk wrote:

Also, JD and I have another issue that adds to the probelm... We are both past 40.

Yeah, I have noticed over the past few years that my "mental stamina" is more difficult to maintain at the level that I expect. All the more reason to continually lift "brain weights" by studying and not vegging in front of the TV--except when a Lakers game is on, or a really good program is on the History Channel, or Sponge Bob, or...

...what was I saying?

sprkymrk

JDMurray wrote:

sprkymrk wrote:

Also, JD and I have another issue that adds to the probelm... We are both past 40.

Yeah, I have noticed over the past few years that my "mental stamina" is more difficult to maintain at the level that I expect. All the more reason to continually lift "brain weights" by studying and not vegging in front of the TV--except when a Lakers game is on, or a really good program is on the History Channel, or Sponge Bob, or...

...what was I saying?

Sorry, were you talking to me? :P

Where am I? What am I doing here?