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There are plenty of articles
out there about how to prepare for the CCNA exam. However,
there are also things you can do to increase your chances
of success on exam day during the most important part of
the entire process -- the time that you're actually taking
the test.
I've taken many a
certification exam over the years, and helped many others
prep for theirs. Here are the five things you must do on
exam day to maximize your efforts.
1. Show up on time. Yeah, I
know everyone says that. The testing center wants you
there 30 minutes early. So why do so many candidates show
up late, or in a rush? If you have a morning exam
appointment, take the traffic into account. If it's a part
of town you don't normally drive in during rush hour, you
might be surprised at how much traffic you have to go
through. Plan ahead.
2. Use paper, not the pad.
Some testing centers have gotten into the habit of handing
exam candidates a board that allegedly wipes clean, along
with a marker that may or not be fine-pointed. You do NOT
want to be writing out charts for binary math questions,
or coming up with quick network diagrams, with a dull
magic marker. It's also my experience that these boards do
not wipe clean well at all, but they smear quite badly.
Ask the testing center
employee to give you paper and a pen instead. I haven't
had one refuse me yet. Remember, you're the customer. It's
your $100 - $300, depending on the exam.
3. Use the headphones. Most
candidates in the room with you understand that they
should be quiet. Sadly, not all of them do. Smacking gum,
mumbling to themselves (loud enough for you to hear,
though), and other little noises can really get on your
nerves in what is already a pressure situation. In one
particular testing center I use, the door to the testing
room has one setting: "Slam".
Luckily, that center also
has a headset hanging at every testing station. Call ahead
to see if yours does. Some centers have them but don't
leave them at the testing stations. Wearing headphones
during the exam is a great way to increase your powers of
concentration. They allow you to block out all noise and
annoyances, and do what you came to do -- pass the exam.
4. Prepare for the
"WHAT??" question. No matter how well-prepared
you are, there's going to be one question on any Cisco
exam that just stuns you. It might be off-topic, in your
opinion; it may be a question that would take 20 of your
remaining 25 questions to answer; it might be a question
that you don't even know how to begin answering. I have
talked with CCNA candidates who got to such a question and
were obviously so thrown off that they didn't do well on
any of the remaining questions, either.
There is only one thing to
do in this situation: shrug it off. Compare yourself to a
major-league pitcher. If he gives up a home run, he can't
dwell on it; he's got to face another batter. Cornerbacks
in football face the same problem; if they give up a long
TD pass, they can't spend the next 20 minutes thinking
about it. They have to shrug it off and be ready for the
next play.
Don't worry about getting a
perfect score on the exam. Your concern is passing. If you
get a question that seems ridiculous, unsolvable, or out
of place, forget about it. It's done. Move on to the next
question and nail it.
5. Finish with a flourish.
Ten questions from the end of your exam, take a 15-to-30
second break. You can't walk around the testing room, but
you can stand and stretch. By this point in the exam,
candidates tend to be a little mentally tired. Maybe
you're still thinking about the "WHAT??"
question. Don't worry about the questions you've already
answered -- they're done. Take a deep breath, remember why
you're there -- to pass this exam -- and sit back down and
nail the last ten questions to the wall.
Before you know it, your
passing score appears on the screen!
Now on to the CCNP ! Keep
studying !
Chris Bryant
CCIE #12933
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About
The Author
Chris
Bryant, CCIE™ #12933, has been active in
the Cisco certification community for
years. He worked his way up from the CCNA
to the CCIE, and knows what CCNA and CCNP
candidates need to know to be effective on
the job and in the exam room.
He is the
owner of http://www.thebryantadvantage.com,
where he teaches CCNA and CCNP courses to
small groups of exam candidates, ensuring
they each receive the individual attention
they deserve. Classes are offered over the
Internet and in select cities. Chris has
custom-written the Study Guide and Lab
Workbook used in each course - no
third-party training materials or
simulators are used. You're invited to
visit our site and check out our CCNA and
CCNP courses and study aids, and to sign
up for our weekly newsletter written
personally by Chris. Chris is always glad
to hear from Cisco certification
candidates at chris@thebryantadvantage.com. |
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