The WGU Challenge - Finish in 1 term

I have decided to start a blog of sorts on my journey through WGU. I transferred in 62 credits and have 60 to go. I am pushing myself to be done in 1 term. I have 17 classes. If you do the math, 181 days divided by 17 classes gives me 10 days per class with 11 days of flex time.

Number of exams by Vendor:
CIW - 4
MS - 3
Cisco - 3
Performance - 4
Other - 3

I test pretty easily and don't see and problems with the MS and CIW exams. I am a little nervious about the Cisco exams since I have never taken one and the performance assessments because I have no idea how long it will take to finish them. That is the one thing that makes me not sure about finishing on time.

Week 1: WFV1, IT Fundamentals I, and CLC1, Reasoning and Problem Solving. Passed all practice tests for WFV1 and pre assessments for CLC1. Just waiting on my vouchers so I can schedule the exams. Starting DFV1, Web Development Fundamentals.

I had an iPad until Friday when my boss decided to give it to someone else for a while so I am in the market for a new Android tablet. I am trying to wait until Lenovo's new tablet comes out, but may wind up getting an Asus Transformer Prime.

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Comments

kgb

I'm scheduled for thr DFV1 exam this tuesday. I'm very nervous myself. I've gone thru the book,uCertify and Learnkey. I read that uCertify was about useless for this exam. What I've done to help prepare is I created a test that includes all the book questions and testbanks along with some uCertify questions(almost 300 questions) and plan to be able to understand the material behind those.

I do have some programming exp in java(beginner ability) but hope that will prove to be useful.

vishusvee

Good luck kgb..keep us posted.

swild

Time for an update.

I submitted my Tech writing assignment on last Monday, first thing in the morning. I received my work return notice Friday afternoon. All I have to say is WOW. These graders are amazing incompetent. I was counted off for several items that were included in the document. I received a 1.00 for the coversheet because I didn't include all the items, even though they were there! So I went through and made a separate section for every single item listed in the assignment: Intro, review of other work, deliverables, milestones, objectives, etc. Each have their own heading so that maybe they will be able to find them. I did make one mistake in that I misread the competency matrix requirements and only included 5 instead of 10, so they didn't even grade that part. They also only gave me a 3.00 on review of other work. While that is sufficient to pass, I went ahead and reviewed 3 other articles to boost that up to a 4.00.

Today I finished up the deficiencies and submitted both my tech writing and capstone documents.

I had my last 2 Cisco tests scheduled for this Wednesday at a testing center 2 hours away. Friday I decided to check and see if anything closer had opened up and there is a testing center only an hour away that has an opening on Friday, so I rescheduled. I hate putting it off even further, but I really would not have to pay for the gas and my time off of work to drive 2 extra hours for no reason.

As of right now, I am totally ready for ICND2 and about halfway ready for IINS. With this holiday weekend, I don't think I will have any problem getting ready in time. Even If I fail one of the two tests, I still have time to take it once more before my term is over.

I'm glad to see others pushing themselves to get finished with their degree quickly. I want to say again how this method isn't for everyone. I have a lot of real world experience and had to actually learn very little in the entire program. If you don't have the experience, slow down and learn it, you will be happier.

Also, don't let DFV1 let you down. It's the toughest class. That MS book is just not written as an intro to the material. If you can, put it off until your last programming course. That way you will be able to get the basics of programming down before being thrown into VB. I would even do the Java courses first if I had to do it again.

vishusvee

Good luck on your exam swild. My courses so far are all certifications, so I have not yet experience the writing portion of WGU. Though I am proficient in writing, I heard all kind of stories about grading. I just hope they do better so you can finish up on a positive note.

DFV1 did let me down, after utilizing all the materials; either the resources did not prepare me well enough for the exam or I'm missing something, but I will figure it out. I was told the MeasureUp resource was better than uCertify. Does anyone have thoughts on that? I would have to purchase though..which is a bummer.

I actually thought about what you said swild about postponing DFV1 and continue with COV1 (CIW Web Design) and BOV1 (JavaScript) before I retry DFV1. swild, would you recommend that for programming newbies as myself?

Thanks, Vee.

swild

If you are able to, I would recommend it. Just make sure you are able to finish it before the end of your term. The web design course doesn't get very in depth into any programming, but I would say that the Javascript class could help prepare you. I think that the first Java class would be even better.

vishusvee

swild, thanks for the update. DFV1 has already hindered this term; but I may try COV1 first to get me back in the passing streak, hit java and conquer DFV1. I was doing fine until they drop this programming on me.

themagicone

Humm thanks for the update on the dreamspark/msdnaa. Used to be two different programs. Now MSDNAA is considered dreamspark premium. Woo free software! And yes getting vmware is tough, have to email the mentor to get access.

kgb

swild wrote: »

If you are able to, I would recommend it. Just make sure you are able to finish it before the end of your term. The web design course doesn't get very in depth into any programming, but I would say that the Javascript class could help prepare you. I think that the first Java class would be even better.

Swild,

Is your reason for this so you become familiar with object-orientated programming principles? For example, someone that understands, loops, classes, methods and can follow the logic in simple (well, not crazy complex) methods/classes would have the skills that are missing from the overall DFV1 courseware provided?

swild

Exactly. I learned in C++ all the programming basics. Java, like C++, is strongly typed so you have to actually learn more fundamental structures and how they interact with each other. Javascript is a weakly typed language and is much easier to learn if you already know a strongly typed language. VB is not my cup of tea, but if you know how to wrap your head around programming in general, you can really learn any language.

I really think that it would be easier to learn everything you need if you started with Java, but at WGU the Javascript course is a better course for learning in my opinion. I really didn't like the books included with either of the Java courses. So I think if you went Javascript > Java 1 > VB(MTA Web Dev), you would be the best off. Java 2 is pretty tough and really much more in depth than any other course save Cisco.

LinuxRacr

swild wrote: »

I'm glad to see others pushing themselves to get finished with their degree quickly. I want to say again how this method isn't for everyone. I have a lot of real world experience and had to actually learn very little in the entire program. If you don't have the experience, slow down and learn it, you will be happier.

Thanks for the advice. I totally agree. You have to find the right balance between getting a good ROI (by finishing earlier than expected), and actually learning the material. It may take some time to find the right balance, but stick with it we must.

Good luck on your final items.

demonfurbie

You get out what you put in

If you know it already your already a step ahead

swild

Last night, right before bed, I checked my email and had a work returned email from Taskstream. This is obviously a different grader than the last one, since I got lower scores on some sections than last time, but they still didn't read my paper. After specifically making a bold section head foreach section for Timeline, Milestones, Deliverables, Goals, they still said that the material was not included in the submission. I expanded each section and resubmitted. If they give me a 2 in each section that they said isn't included, it will still be enough for me to get a 3.00 overall. I don't know why they are being so different for the writing assignment than for the programming assignments. I guess they are graded by different departments. If I don't get a pass this time, I will have to file a complaint. Both capstone and tech writing have been resubmitted.

Legacy User

so when is your deadline for the 6 months to wrap it up in one term?

swild

June 30th. I have plenty of time, even with Taskstream being idiots.

Legacy User

Yup, more then enough time. When i enroll im going to use your approach and TRY to get it done in one term since i will be paying out of pocket. Ill have cbtnuggets on stand by for the mta classes if i run into difficulties. You are by far a huge inspiration.

LayOffPayOff

Good luck dmarcisco, unfortunately there's no nugget program for 98-363(DFV1) so you'll be at the mercy of the book. My plan this week (fingers crossed) is to finish the book, go back over the Learnkey videos, and get started on ucertify. If i can get this completed by next week I will be a happy man.

Speaking of nuggets, I was looking around the internet for resources for DFV1 and found 70-515 (.NET 4 Web App Development). The 1st half of this set sounds very similar to DFV1 to me. Is my frustration making me crazy to think that?

Microsoft Programming .NET 4 Web App Development 70-515 Video Training Online | CBT Nuggets

swild

After 3 revisions, I finally received a pass on Tech Writing, 3.33 out of 4. It should have been a little higher because the grader gave me a 3 on a section where it wasn't applicable but a pass is a pass. I submitted my Capstone at the same time and still waiting to hear back on that one.

ICND2 is scheduled for 10am and IINS is at noon. I spent nearly 40 hours just this week studying for these 2 tests. The LearnKey videos were easy to get through, but when I loaded up the practice exam that came with the OCG, I could only answer about half the questions. I'm not sure what exactly to expect on this exam but most comments on this forum indicate that it is a fairly easy exam.

As long as I pass both of these today, I'm done with WGU. It's been a tough 5 months, but I have already been applying to jobs and from what I am seeing out there, I should be able to increase my salary by 50% to 100%. I'd say that's twelve hundred bucks well spent.

vishusvee

Best of luck to you swild.

tprice5

dmarcisco wrote: »

TRY to get it done in one term since i will be paying out of pocket.

New to this thread so forgive me if this question was all ready answered.

When I went through school, you payed for the first 12 hours and then everything after that was free for the semester. It was later changed to include a small fee per hour over 12 but it is still extremely economical to finish early so long as you are diligent and do not end up retaking classes. I finished 1 year ahead of the 4 year plan and saved myself a few sheckles and gain a years worth of salary.

Am I to assume this is also how WGU works?

I work with two people currently enrolled in WGU programs. Why is this such a popular choice for IT professionals to receive degrees from?

kgb

tprice5 wrote: »

New to this thread so forgive me if this question was all ready answered.

When I went through school, you payed for the first 12 hours and then everything after that was free for the semester. It was later changed to include a small fee per hour over 12 but it is still extremely economical to finish early so long as you are diligent and do not end up retaking classes. I finished 1 year ahead of the 4 year plan and saved myself a few sheckles and gain a years worth of salary.

Am I to assume this is also how WGU works?

I work with two people currently enrolled in WGU programs. Why is this such a popular choice for IT professionals to receive degrees from?

WGU is a flat-rate for 6 month terms. There is no added fees for taking 12hrs or 150hrs in 6 months. The only time you will have to pay extra is if you fail a test 2 times, since they require you to start paying for the tests after the 2nd failed attempt.

onesaint

First off, good luck today swild. I hope you knock them both out.

Second, can you link a thread or give some info on how you got the term for twelve hundred bucks? I was under the impression is was something like six grand a term. Thanks.

Alif_Sadida_Ekin

onesaint wrote: »

First off, good luck today swild. I hope you knock them both out.

Second, can you link a thread or give some info on how you got the term for twelve hundred bucks? I was under the impression is was something like six grand a term. Thanks.

Its actually 3 grand per term. Maybe swild is referring to the amount he spent on outside study material?

onesaint

Thanks Alif. That's the non subsidized rate? WGU just keeps getting better and better!

Alif_Sadida_Ekin

onesaint wrote: »

Thanks Alif. That's the non subsidized rate? WGU just keeps getting better and better!

That's correct.

WGU Tuition and Financial Aid | Federal Financial Aid | Grants for College | Western Governors University Online

LinuxRacr

Good luck. Waiting for the verdict...

swild

That's how much I had to pay out of pocket for tuition after Pell grant and scholarship.

Well the verdict is in and it sucks. I failed both tests. 703 on ICND2 and 733 on IINS. Back to studying.

Darthn3ss

swild wrote: »

That's how much I had to pay out of pocket for tuition after Pell grant and scholarship.

Well the verdict is in and it sucks. I failed both tests. 703 on ICND2 and 733 on IINS. Back to studying.

Sucks, but those aren't exactly easy exams. Are you going to have to take another term to get those last two exams?

onesaint

Thanks for the update and sorry to hear. You've still got the rest of June, right? The nice part is, now the two exams will be your only focus. Good luck!

spiderjericho

Sorry to hear, Swild. But at least you have 20+ days to complete the two tests. I'd say focus on one at a time since you have a little time. Cisco tests aren't easy. The Security test is best taken after doing labs. If you can get your hand on the network academy lab book that might help.

fendral

ICND2 is a beast of an exam, even though there is less subnetting than ICND1, I would still recommend barfing up a subnetting chart to your whiteboard during the 'tutorial' part of the exam. Other good things to put on there is a quick multiples of 16, and the router boot sequence.