IT Certification FAQ

A: Here's my method for doing studying. I'm currently using the Sybex book for 70-216, so different materials may warrant different methods.

1. I read through the book with a highlighter in hand. Any points that seem confusing, unfamiliar, or unimportant get highlighted.
2. I do the labs as I come to them to help me understand what the book is talking about a little better.
3. After finishing the chapter, I reread the highlighted portions of the chapter.
4. I take the chapter test and check my answers. If any of the answers don't seem to make sense or seem to cover material that wasn't in the chapter, I highlight it as well. I've found quite a few of these in the 70-216 book already.
5. Once I'm finished reading the book, I go back through all of the highlighted passages. Anything that isn't completely crystal clear to me gets copied into a word document. I then use the word document for additional studying as needed (it's much quicker to scan through a 5-page word document than an 800 page book).
6. Only when I feel like I'm ready do I touch the practice tests. Hopefully this will give me an idea of any subject areas that need polishing up.
7. For the last few days before the test, I'll review my notes, look over the objectives to see if there's anything I missed, and play around with my 2000 lab.

Of course it should go without saying that hands-on is tremendously important throughout the entire process. Hands-on can change a brutally confusing and boring chapter to a fairly straightforward one.

Grogs

This study material is like taking sleeping pills only it works better. Break your material into very small pieces at first and then increase it as your attention span will permit. Soon you will be totally looney like the rest of us...........

Ray

I get bored alot while I'm studying. Frequent breaks help, as do setting goals for how much you want to study that day. I try and set a goal of 50 pages a day minimum, with weekends off, and I won't let myself watch tv, talk on msn etc, until its done.

oddduck

What I used to do when studying for NT4 and Win2k MCSEs was
1. Spend a week trying to learn by osmosis.
2. Book the exam for approx 2 weeks time.
3. Spend about a week and a half finding excuses not to study
4. Realising my exam was in 3 or 4 days and suddenly finding motivation.

Another 'trick' which worked for me, was to download free practice exams, then skim through answering what I could. Then when I was reading through the (usually boring) book, I would occasionally come across subject material that was familiar (from the test) and not knowingly to myself, I would then go back to the relevant test question, hopefully able to answer it correctly, and know why that answer was correct (or why the others were wrong). Basically it made me feel like I was making progress, and actually learning something, rather than just numbing my brain.

Andy

Schedule the test and pay for it. That will get you motivated. It gives you a deadline and incentive to study. It worked for me.

Jim

source: alt.certification.mcse
added: March 2003
updated: May 2003

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