How to Prepare for Certification Exams

Anyone who has attempted IT certification exams know that there is no breezing through it. It is a combination of sweat, tears, mild panic attacks and months of setting the proverbial midnight oil on fire before that email with your certification confirmation dings in your inbox. However, I am going to share a few tips that will make the certification process more bearable. Only effective tips, I swear!

Here’s What to Do

First of all, you have to know what certification you are angling for. I know this may sound like a no-brainer, but you will be surprised at the number of IT professionals that have stumbled onto the Internet looking for a course to elevate their skills with no direction whatsoever. The worst thing still is that there are the ones motivated to do a particular course because they have a colleague or mentor who have done it and are immensely successful in their careers. Granted, there are a myriad of courses offered by a gazillion tech companies and IT schools out there, enough to drive even the most level-headed crazy professional. Narrow your search down to the most basic questions: what is yours and why do you need it? What are you passionate about? Where do you see yourself in the next 3 to 5 years? Your decision on what course to take should reflect your passion, career ambitions and desire to grow your skills. Trust me, this will save you a lot of time, health and money.

After deciding which certification suits you most and your career interest, seek other professionals who have embarked on the same journey. They may not be in your immediate or neighboring circles, but thanks to the world wide web, they are at your fingertips. There are a ton of communities and social sites, specifically created for such professionals as you, where there’s an opportunity to meet and interact with people siting for your certification or with those who have already completed it. It is a cliché but you learn best through the experience of others. These interactions will provide a wealth of information that no training or study packs will ever give you. Your comrades in the fight will tell you what to look out for, the most effective way to prepare for the exams and give you a realistic picture of what may come at the exam. They will share with you their tricks, failures and tested roadmaps on how to ace your exams. That means that you will meet the best unpaid tutors.

Now, if you are fairly new in the area that you are seeking a certification in, acquiring formal training can be a route you want to follow. What formal training does for you is to orient you with the material you will encounter at the exam. You will also have the advantage of learning from tutors who are well versed in that area of specialization, with whom you can share your concerns, confusions and eureka moments. This is a proof way of ensuring that you have interacted firsthand with each facet that will be tested. Thus, when you sit for the exam, nothing will surprise you (we hope).

Planning, planning and more planning. I cannot emphasize that point enough. You may have ticked off everything we have discussed earlier, but if your planning is lousy, you may just waste the time and resources in vain. Most professionals that seek additional training and certifications usually have other things running concurrently. By other things, I mean a job or business, relationships and other activities that are basic to human beings. The certification exams are demanding, so you must schedule in the time for studying, seeking advice, taking practice questions and getting psychologically ready for them; all the while taking care of other facets of your life. Gauge everything and take as much time as you need before booking the necessary exam. If you have the incredible luck of shutting off other parts of your life as you prepare for the certification, Godspeed to you. But for the rest of you, do not pre-empt your fate by failing to plan. Say it with me: failing to plan is planning to fail.

Here comes the sweat part: you have to study. Hard. There is no shortcut to this, whether you are seeking SAP, Microsoft, Cisco, CISA, VCP or AWS certifications. You have to dig deep into your raw brain power and utilize it. Reading is a start, then a number of video lectures, tutorials, but after you are familiar with the study material, you will need to put your theory to practice. A quick tip for you, to use exam dumps to revise the material. Most of these exams are done through the Virtual CertExam, or VCE for short. You can find a number of website on the internet providing various VCE exam files. These files can be opened with VCE Player. Using such tool is beneficial, as it simulates a real exam environment. Moreover, VCE Player obtains a number of options that will save you time at the exam. You can also convert VCE files into pdf and study the material wherever you like. Most of them are free and downloaded by people who have passed or failed the exams, just find the most valid ones. They are also worth using to be confident in your knowledge at the exam.

Conclusion

You already feel ready for the exam, don’t you? I am pumped for you! These tips will ensure that you put your best foot forward during your certification exam. You will ace it on the first try. Also, please remember to relax before and during the exam. You have done everything possible to prepare for it, so be calm and confident. You have not spared time, money and any available resource at your disposal. Make sure that your environment is free of distraction and conducive for full concentration. Smile at the thought of the victory pizza you pre-ordered for the hour after your exam and do your best. Wish you luck!