So many pros prepare to fail, rather
than to succeed. This article by Joe Phillips shows you how to stop
sabotaging yourself and how to prepare for success every time. Quit
taking exams and start passing them! Joseph Phillips writes a weekly column on professional certification for InformIT. If you're like most people, you dread taking exams. For some, the
thought of an exam is enough to send them into a panic attack. Why do we dread
exams? Ok, there's the issue of what your peers and employers are going to
say if you don't pass. And there's all the time you've invested
when you could have been watching reruns of Fantasy Island. The real problem
isn't taking the exam; it's preparing to pass the exam.
I've got a buddy who prepares himself for failure. He doesn't
believe it, but it's true. How does he do it? He'll tell himself over
and over that he is not good at taking exams. By the time he starts the exam,
his brain has been conditioned that it's okay for him to fail because
he's not good at taking exams. The moral? Tell yourself that you are good
at passing exams. When you register, don't register for an
exam—register to pass an exam. I deeply believe that preparing yourself to
pass an exam is different from preparing yourself to take an exam.
Your first step in preparing for success is to set a deadline. Not a wavering
deadline, either. Pick up the phone, call the testing center, and set a concrete
date to pass the exam. Even if the date is three months away, you know it's
there, it's real, and you're moving toward it.
So many people ask me what they should study to pass exam so-and-so. I want
to scream out, "Well, duh! They already tell you what to study!" Gasp!
They do? Yeah, vendors are more than happy to give the exam objectives from
their Web sites. I don't know of any vendor offering exams that won't
tell you what you'll be tested on. Get the objectives and study them.
First off, study every single day at exactly the same time. When I prepare,
every day I study at the same time that coincides with the exam start time. When
I study, I alternate the length of my study time: two hours one day, four hours
the next. In the long sessions, I'm working with the product; in the short
sessions, I'm reading and taking notes.
One of the most effective tools you can use to learn new material is
flashcards. I love flashcards. Get yourself five hundred or so three-by-five
cards, and write a term on one side and the definition on the other. Don't
buy any premade cards; the process of creating the cards is part of the study
method. Buzz through the cards daily, and you'll be well on your way.
Things your can do with flashcards: keep score, see how many cards you can get
correct before you miss one, and play Jeopardy with them by using the definition
instead of the term.
So many folks out there invest hundreds of dollars in books to prep for
exams, but fail to use them properly. Huh? That's right: They only read
them; they don't use them. To use a book to study for an IT exam, you need
to create a lab so you can work with the product. Practically every book written
for an IT exam has step-by-step exercises for you to complete.
You really need to create a typical environment on a computer that will
simulate the product being used in the real world. For example, for the Windows
2000 exams, I created a lab with four networked PCs acting as Windows 2000
Servers, 2000 Pro, and Windows 98 clients. This little lab allows me to simulate
a working environment for different operating systems, server-to-server
communication, and client-server processes.
After your lab is created, get out the test objectives you downloaded from
the vendor's Web page. In your lab, walk through each objective, and create
different scenarios for each objective. Use your reading material to guide you
through a couple of labs; you can then take over and play "what if?"
games with each objective.
I am not a big fan of study groups. The reason why is every study group
I've been in has either been to flirt with girls or out of desperation
because I hadn't prepared for an upcoming test. The problem was that most
everyone else was there for the same thing, and I accomplished nothing.
What I have become a fan of is a testing group. Here's how it works:
Gather a maximum of five test-takers who can meet every week. Each of you will
create and bring 20 exam-like questions that deal with only two to three
objectives to each meeting. Work your way through each of the questions as a
group, using any reference materials or the technology being tested to prove or
disprove answers.
Another angle on working with others that I've had mixed success with is
having members of your group take turns delivering a thirty-minute lesson on a
particular objective. This can reinforce your understanding of an issue, and
create a sense of responsibility to know the information thoroughly prior to
delivery.
In your lab, it can be helpful (and less lonely) to invite a partner to work
with you through different exercises on each objective. I wouldn't
recommend more than one partner, though, because too many folks have a tendency
to screw around rather than work on a specific objective.
The night before your exam can be a stressful, sleepless night. I recommend
that you take a nice, long walk or jog. Exercise can reduce stress and help you
sleep.
As far as studying goes, I always study my usual amount. If I'm using a
practice exam as part of my studying efforts, I may crank through one or two
practice tests. Generally, I don't do anything out of the
ordinary—just study, feel confident, and try to get plenty of sleep.
When it's exam time, arrive at the testing center early. In fact, I get
there an hour early, and whip through my flashcards and notes one last time.
With 15 minutes until launch, I have a big stretch, use the
"facilities," and check in for the exam. When you're in the
testing room, roll your shoulders, pop your knuckles, breathe deeply—use
whatever trick you can to ease yourself and relax.
As you probably know, the testing center will provide paper and pencils for
your usage after you're in the exam room. Take advantage of those few extra
minutes in the exam room to jot down any facts or acronyms on a sheet of paper,
and set it aside for fast access during the exam.
Another trick, if you know the exam is multiple-choice, write down
"ABCD" 20 or 30 times on another sheet of paper. Now, when you get to
a question you're stumped on, you can use deductive reasoning and process
of elimination to find a suitable answer.
For example, if you know that A and D cannot be correct answers on a
question, mark out A and D on your scratch sheet of paper. Now you have a 50-50
chance of finding the correct answer. If you still can't determine which of
the remaining answers are correct, go ahead and choose one of the possible
correct answers. Never leave a question blank—it's counted as
incorrect. If your exam allows you to, mark the question for later review.
Microsoft exams have a tendency to be long-winded, wordy, and just plain
evasive. The trick is to read the question in full so you've got an idea of
what the objective is. Then reread the question, and filter out some of the red
herrings. Finally, concentrate on the meat of the question itself, and look for
clues such as singular versus plural wording, hints within the answers, and
answers that favor the exam vendor over the competition (think Microsoft versus
Novell).
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