Software Information

Cisco Certification: Five Things To Do DURING Your CCNA Exam


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

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 publishes his own CCNA and CCNP Study Guides and unique Flash Card Books, and  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.


MORE RESOURCES:

AFP

SAP to buy Ariba, boosts cloud bet
Reuters
By Noel Randewich and Jim Finkle | SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Top European software company SAP AG plans to buy Ariba Inc in a deal valuing the business and commerce network company at $4.3 billion, its latest maneuver against Oracle in the fast-growing ...
SAP to Acquire Ariba for $4.3 Billion in Biggest Push Into CloudSan Francisco Chronicle
SAP to buy Ariba for $4.5B, extending cloud pushBusinessWeek
SAP Agrees to Acquire Ariba in $4.3 Billion DealBloomberg
Los Angeles Times -Wall Street Journal -New York Times
all 311 news articles »


Wondershare Software Co. PDF Converter Pro
PCWorld
Wondershare Software Co. PDF Converter Pro Review, by Alan Stafford May 22, 2012 One-trick-pony software applications often play useful roles, especially if they have secondary advantages such as a lower price, smaller memory requirements, ...

and more »


Shunra Software Sponsors HP Discover 2012
San Francisco Chronicle (press release)
Shunra Software, the industry-recognized authority in network virtualization and application performance engineering, will offer three educational sessions at HP Discover 2012 and will be exhibiting its capabilities in booth 126.

and more »


CBS Local

Business software provider's revenue strong
Detroit Free Press
The business software and services provider also said the company is still on track to do an initial public offering of 20% of its Covisint subsidiary this fall or winter. Covisint is a provider of online business-to-business service platforms that ...
Compuware Profits Fall Despite Higher RevenueCBS Local

all 21 news articles »


Tableau Software Continues Global Expansion with Latin America Launch
Seattle Post Intelligencer
Tableau Software, the global leader in rapid-fire business intelligence software, today announced its launch in Latin America. International sales veteran Miguel Nhuch will lead the company's efforts to expand in the region, delivering fast analytics, ...

and more »


Calyx Software Named RegulatorConnect Certified Partner
MarketWatch (press release)
DALLAS, TX, May 22, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- Calyx Software(R), the preferred mortgage solution provider for banks, credit unions, mortgage bankers and brokers, announced today that they have been awarded RegulatorConnect(R) Certification by ...

and more »


BobCAD-CAM, Inc. Releases Latest Software for Manufacturing
San Francisco Chronicle (press release)
CNC Machining Software Pioneer BobCAD-CAM Officially Releases Its Version 25 Advanced Machining System to Global Manufacturing Markets Clearwater, FL (PRWEB) May 22, 2012 As manufacturers seek to reduce waste, increase productivity and long term ...

and more »


Marin Software Sees Explosive Adoption of Professional Edition
MarketWatch (press release)
SAN FRANCISCO, CA, May 22, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- Marin Software, provider of the leading digital ad management platform for advertisers and agencies, today announced since its debut in March 2011 more than 300 brands worldwide have adopted ...

and more »


AFP

Internet domain name project relaunches after software bug
Reuters
By Georgina Prodhan | LONDON (Reuters) - A project to allow companies to set up a website with almost any address has relaunched after a software glitch exposed sensitive details of applications last month, forcing it to shut down.
ICANN resumes bids for new Internet suffixes after software glitch shut down ...Washington Post

all 124 news articles »


Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. Reports Results for Fourth Quarter and ...
MarketWatch (press release)
Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ:TTWO) today reported financial results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year ended March 31, 2012, which were in line with its most recent financial outlook. In addition, the Company provided its financial ...

and more »

Google News

home | site map
© 2006