Test Taking Tips
It seems that almost daily I see a thread created about an individual who is fully prepared for an exam fail it by literally a few points, usually just one question. After further inquiry the cause is usually the night before: cramming late at night, waking up early to review, energy drinks to supplement, all in the fight to get the most knowledge in your head the moment before the test. Well, this is bad for many reasons. First of all the knowledge crammed into your head without actual practice will almost never be worth anything to you in the future because it will be lost shortly after the test. Second of all late nights and early mornings lead your brain to function in reserve mode. This means that while that energy drink may allow you to focus, your brain will not be as ready to spit out information that you knew the night before. There is a proper way for everyone to take a test, and it is important to find the way that is best for you. What I am going to do here is give you some advice on how to be fully prepared come test day.
Studying for the Test- Practice, Practice, Practice! It is worth the investment of knowledge (GNS3 as a network hardware emulator) or equipment (real physical equipment to work on) or a hybrid of both to practice your skillset. As you read through something in the book, it is much more exciting to someone if they are physically doing it as well. This also embeds the knowledge into their long term memory faster and you won’t freak out as much when you see the real thing on a simulation problem.
- Don’t be afraid of what you don’t know. What happens to some people (including myself) is we will focus on things that we enjoy and are good at, rather than the things we find difficult and confusing. This makes us feel like we are mastering the skills, but really we are avoiding an important topic. Take a day and dive in head first into it. Who knows, you may come out thinking it wasn’t that bad.
- Practice tests. I have said it once, I’ll say it again: They are designed to test your understanding of the exam topics, NOT to mimic the actual test. The goal from these certifications is to ensure your understanding of the professional material, not to pass a test. So search for the test engine that challenges you and teaches you the most. It can be a very individual preference.
Scheduling the Exam
Once you finish your books and video classes and have some good practice under your belt, take a moment and ask yourself this: What else do I want to practice, and how long does it take? Usually after your first walkthrough with the books you feel pretty confident about the material, some subjects more than others. You want to look at all the subjects, and see which ones you might want to review the most. Practice the things you had the most difficulty with first and for the longest time, and then slowly move to reviewing the other topics. Try and get a feel for how long this should take, and schedule the exam a day or two after you plan on being done. For myself, I usually train heavily on equipment and GNS3 and get comfortable with the topic before I move on. In my case, after I finish I schedule my exam a week later, giving me time to practice testing and some more labs to keep my skills sharp. The exam will also serve as a deadline. You will be surprised how much more you get done when you have a date set.
The day before the Test- Relax. Do what you enjoy. Watch a good show; enjoy being away from your study material for the night. Relax your brain.
- MAYBE take one practice test closer to the end of the night. This depends on the individual. Some people think doing this keeps their mind prepared for the task tomorrow. Notice, I said ONE practice test.
- Your day ends at 9 or 10. Even if you lie in bed for a few hours, your mind will be relaxing and probably running through stuff to prepare for the test the next day. The “no guts no glory” mindset should be sinking in.
The day of the Test- Sleep in; take the day off from work.
- Eat a good breakfast, and watch a good movie or TV show. One that inspires you would be a good idea.
- Remind yourself: You are a professional. You have a well trained mind, and can approach every question logically and give the answer that is best given your training. You do not become the professional after the test; you are the professional going into the test.
- Arrive at the testing center early. I usually get there at LEAST 30 minutes early. Some people don’t like sitting and waiting, neither do I. I would rather be bored than worried about being late.
- Listen to your favorite music on the way to the testing center. Let it inspire you!
- Go to the bathroom, or at least try. The clock still runs in the exams at our testing center when you use the restroom, and you are already strained enough for time without the 10 minute bathroom break.
During the Test- While you read the TOS agreements and the tutorials, jot down some things on your dry erase board. Things to help you subnet, commands you want to remember, the things that take any amount of time to recall during the test. Remember, the goal is time management.
- Speaking of time management, you need to be careful. If you don’t know the answer within a few moments, look at the clock on the test, and give yourself a set amount of time to figure it out. When the time goes out, give it an educated guess. The simulations are time suckers, and those are where the big points probably are.
- Read the questions carefully and correctly the first time. It is worth not speed reading, so you can answer the question correctly and quickly. If you speed read and miss a detail, you could end up spending more time on the question and re-reading the question just to slap yourself on your head for missing what you did the first time around, and wasting precious time.
- When you finish the exam and it is calculating, close your eyes and take a deep breath. Remember, you are a professional, and you did everything you could in this exam. The results can not hurt you as an individual only make your stronger regardless of the result. If you are taking the test, you must have learned something. So you must be worth something.
- Celebrate when you pass
I hope this has been helpful for people out there, and I hope this narrows down those who fail by just a point.
HAPPY TESTING!
