best way to study for IT certification exams???

[hulkster]

okay, so ive been in the IT business as a network admin for 4 years and things are going well, but i dont have any certifications...just a 4 year CS degree which is crap.  anyway, im looking at getting my A+ (just to get started) and my CCA (Citrix).  ive been to courses for both but they dont really prepare you to actually take the test.  its like a 3 day overview of the manual....and then you have to go read the manual to actually take the test.

i want something that will help me study for the test.  im a citrix admin right now and know most of it, but i need to know the stuff that you have to memorize, etc. 

ive seen actualtests.com and similar sites, but im worried about the legitimacy of them.  i mean, i dont feel bad using the site  to prepare for the test since i feel like im pretty knowledgeable of the material.  id just rather not read through the 900 page admin guide just to get a piece of paper to prove i know what i know.  and i dont want to get my certifications revoked if these places arent legit.  that being said....whats the best way to prepare for these EXAMS...not just the stuff, but the exams themselves???

[ark_ader]

You know that is so very true regarding exams.  You have to memorise so much stuff, when in practice you have your handbooks to fall back on.

When I took my A+ the test was so easy.  Now there is so much extra stuff to cram just to get a passing grade.  Most of the stuff I know by doing, its the funny stuff like old HP lasers and how to fix them. It was so easy to get the onsite warranty repair guy in to do it as you could never find the time to get toner all over you.  Who does?

I would get some Exam Crams.  They are great for getting you on track quickly, without getting into a class or subject which is boring and makes you sleepy. 

MCP or MCSE study guides are more "interesting" and usually make you take excercises and read up on case studies.  But as you have found out.  Knowing a product casually is not the same as being certified.

I would look on amazon to get the cheapest book prices.  If you get a second hand book, the odds are you will get a volume with all the important bits highlighted for you. 
 

[shmokes]

I think a class is by far the best way.  I can't do it otherwise.  I don't have the motivation and discipline.  My work once paid for me to have full-access to Element K, one of the first online tech universities -- run by Ziff-Davis, IIRC.  I had grand plans to go through their stuff and get prepared to take my MCSE, maybe some Cisco, definitely MCNE (Novell).  In reality, I did a few lessons and then just forgot about it.  No time . . . or after work I just wanted to relax or play some tennis or pretty much anything but do these online courses that I could do at my own pace.  A total waste of $2000 for my employer.

Without the real brick & mortar class, with the real professor and real deadlines, I'm useless.

[Zero_Hour]

If you know the material already, you probably just need to familiarize yourself with the format and expectations of the exams themselves. I don't have any specific sites to point you to, but I suspect trolling a few citrix forums for advice, and googling "comptia A+ practice tests" will get you where you need to be.

That said, My own preference when I'm not already immersed in the subject matter is intense classroom instruction, preferably from someone teaching the material, not just teaching me how to pass the test.

[leapinlew]

I'm a self study person. Give me a large descriptive book and a smaller book that is geared towards passing the exam. I find that I work better when I'm not in a classroom moving at the pace of the slowest person in the class.

[ChadTower]

Whenever I have to get a certification I usually set myself up an example of the installation, have someone I know break it, and then figure out what went wrong.  Sometimes I'll do this a few times.  That's not always possible depending on the certification but with a little creativity it is for quite a few of them... and the creativity you need to get it running on a small network with limited computing resources usually familiarizes you with all of the oddities the exam will ask that you aren't likely to encounter in a corporate environment.

The real pain in the butt certifications are process methodology... it's all abstract memorization.  Nothing else you can do but lock yourself in a room with the books for a week.  ITIL was a total ---smurfette--- like that and so was RUP to a certain extent.

[hulkster]

thanks for the help guys.

I think a class is by far the best way.  I can't do it otherwise.  I don't have the motivation and discipline.  My work once paid for me to have full-access to Element K, one of the first online tech universities -- run by Ziff-Davis, IIRC.  I had grand plans to go through their stuff and get prepared to take my MCSE, maybe some Cisco, definitely MCNE (Novell).  In reality, I did a few lessons and then just forgot about it.  No time . . . or after work I just wanted to relax or play some tennis or pretty much anything but do these online courses that I could do at my own pace.  A total waste of $2000 for my employer.

Without the real brick & mortar class, with the real professor and real deadlines, I'm useless.

i did the exact same thing to my employer, but my employer actually paid for a class session (2 actually) that i attended and they were good....but they just dont prepare you for the exam.  they prepare you to know the subject matter and maybe get you some hands on experience, but they give you ZERO preparation for the actual exam.  i guess i just need to get the exam cram books since i already know most of the stuff. 

the A+ stuff is what im dreading because its like "list in order the processes that a laser printer goes through before the document comes out".  just dumb mundane stuff like that.  with citrix it will be a little more interesting....regardless, im already in the field doing all this stuff, i just need something to help me prepare and guarantee that i pass the test.  just so i can get the certification and get my long overdue raise!