There are many tips that can be used to help you study for different exams. Take care of your health, eat well, and take practice exams. Don’t forget to take breaks. These tips may be helpful for preparing for the SAT but not for IT exams. There is no shortcut to solid, structured preparation. Exams are part of your career. We recommend approaching them with the Jedi level of rigor.
Understanding the basic principles of brain function will help you maximize your learning and make it easier to pass test day. Let’s take a look at some of our top tips for passing IT certification exams.
What makes IT Cert Exams different?
IT certifications are not like the exams you took in college and high school. They are designed to assess skills that you use on the job, not just the skills you learned for the test. There is a huge difference between IT exams and college.
One thing is that many IT certifications include a hands-on component. You might need to drag and drop components of a virtual network or input commands into virtual command lines.
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Start trainingThere is also a lot of memorization, similar to high school or university. There are many ports, commands, channels, and other information to remember, for example. Some exams also have hands-on components, which are more like laboratory exercises.
The test questions can be confusing if you don’t understand how the network and system components work together. Here are some tips to help you be more prepared for the exam.
1. Follow the Standard Exam Prep Advice
Create a schedule that suits your learning style. Next, create a study schedule. Do not rush to learn everything, as this is not a good strategy for success. Garth Schulte, SPOTO trainer, insists that IT is not something that can be learned overnight.
For several weeks, you can dedicate at least 30 minutes per day to studying. If your schedule is more flexible, you can dedicate a few hours each weekend to studying. Avoid the temptation to study too much. Your brain can only absorb so many information at once. Keep your pace.
2. Know your exam inside-out
Before you start your exam studies, you should learn as much as you can about the exam(s). Exam blueprints are provided by most vendors. They outline the topics and sections that make up particular exams. These blueprints will guide you in your study.
Understanding details such as the time it takes to complete an exam or the question formats will help you be more prepared for testing day. You will feel more at ease as you won’t be surprised at what you see.
For information on VMWare, Microsoft and Linux certifications, check out our Roadmaps to Success.
3. Find out how you learn best
It is important to understand your preferred learning style, not only for IT certification exams but for any type of learning. You can align your exam preparation with how your brain works best by identifying your learning style.
Learning styles are the learning methods that people use to learn best. Some common learning styles include visual, auditory, tactile/kinesthetic, and auditory.
For example, if you are a visual learner, videos might be the best way to learn. SPOTO’s online training, for example, is delivered via whiteboard, giving you a one-on-1 experience with our industry-expert instructors. Visual learners may also benefit by color-coding their notes or using flashcards to organize important concepts.
If you are an auditory learner, you may find it helpful to read text aloud or walk through a concept loud.
