How to Avoid Cisco CCNA Exam Mistakes
by admin on Apr.30, 2009, under Cisco CCNA Exams
When you are reading this meansures ,if you are planning to pass your Cisco CCNA or other Cisco exam and if you know that means you may fall victim to one of the 10 fatal exam mistakes. Enough about me anyway. I have taken a lot of IT exams since I left the police including the MCSE, Cisco CCNA and the CCNP . IT exams are usually taken at an approved testing centre who all have to follow set rules and procedures to ensure each candidate has a similar experience. The problem is that there are factors both outside and inside the centre which can make passing the exam far more difficult for you than it needs to be.
Now I show the ten meansures to how to avoid ten exam mistakes for your Cisco CCNA exam or any other IT exam for Cisco.
Mistake NO.1 - You Do Not Reading Your Exam Confirmation
Would you believe that my friend turned up to take a Cisco CCNA exam a few years ago and when he sat in front of the computer he realized to his horror that he was taking the wrong exam! He was a clever guy as well. It was just that when he booked the exam he mistook a number and booked himself onto a specialist Cisco CCNA exam instead of the CCNP module he wanted. Please also ensure you take your exam confirmation with you to the testing centre. I have turned up to take an exam in the past and was told that I was not expected that day or any other day in fact. If I hadn’t taken my confirmation with me then I would have had to drive all the way home as well. It is so easy to book the wrong exam so please double check before you book. Please print out your exam confirmation and double check the Cisco ccna exam code, the date, time and venue.
Mistake NO.2 - Not Doing a Dry Run
It was at the same testing centre I have used over the past six years. The only problem was that when I arrived to take my test I parked outside the office block and went for a nice coffee safe in the knowledge that I had allowed myself a good 30 minutes before my allocated test time.
The problem was that when I went to the front door I read to my horror a sign saying that they had moved. I felt a surge of adrenaline rush through the pit of my stomach. Luckily, they had only moved to the other side of the same building. Even though, that experience was very unnerving and I was still a bit jittery when I walked into the centre.
Mistake NO.3 - Caffeine
There is a price to pay and that is having to visit the toilet every 30 minutes, butI am in Starbucks almost every day..Most Cisco CCNA exams are 90 minutes long as from my experience, they take almost exactly 90 minutes to complete. If you have to visit the toilet twice then you have lost about 5 precious minutes in your exam which you can’t afford to do.
I would avoid having any caffeinated drinks before your exam.
Mistake NO.4 - Not Reading the Questions
I know you are not daft and can read perfectly well. I have done this myself though, I read the question on the exam but due to nerves and pressure of time I see the question I want to be there. Our eyes are basically scanning tools and the brain performs some sort of auto-complete as we read any text.
Mistake NO.5 - Cram or Not to Cram
I can’t tell you which is the right thing for you to do but my personal experience is that you should not take cram notes with you for a last minute read. Sitting in your car outside the testing centre trying to read notes with your hands shaking will not help your nerves. You would be better served listening to some relaxing music.The auto-complete feature is not very useful when it comes to exams. Please read the question twice before looking at the answers.
Mistake NO.6 - Trying to Beat the Clock
That pesky clock sits in the corner of your computer screen silently taunting you as you sit there reading the questions. It might as well be a movie of sand falling through an egg timer.
The clock is a useful tool of course but don’t let it pressure you to going faster than you can. The next few questions could be very simple ones such as port numbers rather than multi-step router configurations or 5 part troubleshooting scenarios. Use the clock to keep yourself on track but don’t let it make you rush your answers.
Mistake NO.7 - Panicking
Exam nerves are very common and a little stress is good. What I find when I speak to many Cisco CCNA exam candidates is that they are experiencing symptoms such as shaking hands, excessive visits to toilets, blurred vision, memory loss and even tears!
I know how you feel because as a former police officer I have experienced terrible stress and nerves. Try having a gun pointed in your face! If you feel that exam nerves are going to affect your performance then please get help early. I recommend relaxation downloads. Find a reputable hypnosis downloads website and download some inductions for a few dollars. Money well spent. Please also see mistake 10.
Mistake NO.8 - Not Booking the Exam!
Your brain is a goal seeking organism and if you have no firm goal set then you will yourself getting distracted or side tracked with the usual things life throws at you. For this reason I strongly recommend booking your exam date, even if you are just starting out with your studies.Do you know how many people I know who tell me that they are going to book their exam ‘When I Feel Ready.’ If I could comment on this situation. You will never feel ‘ready’ so you might as well book the exam now. Book it for a few weeks time and put the date into your diary. You can always move it back if you get to a few days away and are not adequately prepared.
Mistake NO.9 - Making a Fuss
When I took a Cisco CCNA exam recently the simulation software did not load correctly. I had to configure a router but the router prompt was below the window on the screen so I couldn’t see what I was typing! Talk about difficult. I had to type commands and then press enter several times to see what I had typed finally appear in the window.
Mistake NO.10 - Taking it Too Seriously
In know it is important to you but in the grand scheme of things it is only an exam! The most important things are you health, your family and God. Failing an exam will not be the end of the world.
Conclusion
Over the past few years I have failed exams, driving tests, job interviews and several other things which seemed important at the time. I even failed the CCIE lab once and that cost me $1500 plus air fare. Ouch! I just retook anything I failed or worked out other things I wanted to do instead.
If you do fail an exam then well done, at least you had a crack at it. Write down an action plan to tackle your weak areas and book it again. Everyone in the world fails at something important and you are no exception.
At Last,keep a cool head and plan your exam in advance to give yourself the best chances of success. Treat the Cisco CCNA exam as a project and be serious about passing and at the same time, if you are not successful then give yourself a break, you are only human and anything worth passing is going to be hard by its very nature.
September 13th, 2009 on 4:24 pm
Thank you much for this good blog post.
September 14th, 2009 on 2:25 am
Have a good weekend!
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