Study tips for an oldie 2

[ABOzIT]

I'm currently doing my MCSA in Server 2003 and to be honest I'm stuggling with effective study techniques. I left school 24 years ago and have not studied for anything since.

I would be grateful if anyone could tell me what study techniques have worked for them and which ones did not.

I appreciate any input.

Cheers!

 

[SimonDavies]

Hi, I left school 19 years ago but am finding it relatively easy to study.

My regime is this, I take notes on points that I know are important. I read the study material (I am using MS Press books at the moment) and I also use practice time to try out the things I have been reading up on.

One really important part of studying is the ability to be able to practice, just reading from a book will not help you, most people find that actually doing the task makes the information sink in a lot easier and faster.

If you have any questions on any subject that you can't find the answer to, don't bang your head... look at what the question is and ask others if they know the answer.

No one person is expected to be able to know everything, the idea of this and loads of other certification and IT related websites is to share knowledge, to pass it on to those willing to ask for and use it.

I would also look at investing in multiple machines or software like VMWare, VMWare allows multiple server and workstation sessions from a single host machine, the only stipulations with the software is that you have an abundance of Ram, a powerful CPU and plenty of hard disk space. Have a look at

http://www.vmware.com

for more info on that product.

I would also try and get your hands on practice exams, have a look at Transcender, Boson and the like, not only do they give you practice questions but they also provide the explanations if you don't understand it.

Good luck in your studying and remember that if you don't understand it you can always ask a question here and someone will try to help you out.

 

[Wishdiak]

ABOzIT,

Agreeing with SimonDavies for the most part, the only other advice I have is this.

After reading, practicing, and studying, sit down with some practice exam material (transcender, etc.) and you'll find that at least 1/2 of the questions are multiple-choice or choose all that apply format. The approach that I developed early in the certification process was to eliminate the wrong answers rather than trying to pick the correct one(s). Learning from your mistakes is key.

In the case of questions that are either point-and-click or arrange steps in the proper sequence, these test your knowledge and experience with the OS interface. For these, a practice lab is essential, as you won't absorb this knowledge from reading it.

For these reasons, I caution people against using any braindumps (Test King, Actualtests, etc). Often, the answers are incorrect, or the explanations are missing. This neither prepares you for the exam or for the task of administration.

Wishdiak
A+, Network+, Security+, MCSA: Security 2003

http://www.wishdiak.com

 

[ABOzIT]

Thanks guys, good advice!

Cheers!