In my previous article, I recommended a variety of learning styles, from self-paced study to instructor-led and online training; and provided a list of my most valuable resources. This week, I’ll share study tips and provide more cool resources to help you prepare.
Study Tips: 5 Steps to Success
1. Schedule an exam early.
Book an exam early. Paying and scheduling your exam fixes “the day” and materializes it. “A day” becomes “the day” and it is no longer a fictional day. You don’t want to take the exam “when you are ready”. You are going to be ready at the time of the appointment, take the exam and pass. I know people getting ready and preparing for years.
The most important thing is to prepare to study. Prepare yourself mentally to learn. Be determined to achieve a result. Say it: “I’m going to be an MCSA on Windows 8 in 90 days.”
Be aware that if you reschedule your exam appointment 15 days or less prior to the deadline you will be charged a reschedule fee. See www.prometric.com/microsoft for details. On the left side of the page, click Frequently Asked Questions to learn more. Hopefully this will keep you from rescheduling over and over.
2. Prepare to study, prepare to learn.
Find yourself a quiet, comfortable place where you can focus on your studies. A place where you are alone and without distractions. I know that this is not easy, especially if you are working, have a family, or have other commitments; but do whatever you can to keep the distractions to your studies to a minimum. Do not study in a living room or in a kitchen if the rooms are crowded or noisy; in these places, your family sends the message: “please, spend some time with us; put that boring geek book away”.
I used to read in the bed. But not anymore. It tells me “come and take a nap; come on, it won’t hurt you, close your eyes for couple of minutes”. I still read in bed but I do not study in bed. Reading a novel is not the same as studying and trying to remember what you’ve read.
Speed reading doesn’t work either.
“I took a speed reading course and read War and Peace in twenty minutes. It involves Russia.“
–Woody Allen
A study room in your house or a library is a good choice. Places free of distractions are the best. An hour of uninterrupted, quality studying is far better than three hours of intermittent, constantly interrupted studying.
3. Prepare your mind. Develop your study plan.
Set a goal, define an objective, or objectives for your studies. The key is to set study goals that are “tangible”. Define study goals that are:
- Specific – read two chapters, or read 24 pages
- Realistic – set a reasonable goal to accomplish in an hour or two of studies; do not set unrealistic goals that will demotivate you (you can read 50 pages in an hour but probably not 500 pages)
- Verifiable – finish your studies so you can tell when you are done
Don’t ever do “some reading” or “some studying”. Knowing ahead what you will learn and read generates a feeling of progress or “moving forward”. I remember a good inspirational quote:
“The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one.”
– Mark Twain
I like this one even better: “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time!”
4. Keep your goals away from trolls.
There have always been and always will be someone that will tell you that certifications are not worth pursuing and exams not worth passing. It is incredible how much energy some people put in convincing you that you threw your money away because you scheduled an exam, paid for a class, bought a book. I remember a colleague of mine telling me that certifications are worthless, that anyone could get one. Interestingly, he himself didn’t have any. I am glad I didn’t care what he was saying. Now I have hundreds of (read) books on bookshelves and dozens of certifications under my belt. Recently a client picked me instead of him. I leave to someone else to figure out why.
Keep away from people telling you should abandon your goals, that your goals are not worth pursuing.
5. Which type of study is the best? How to know more?
Self-study, instructor-led, online, books, “audiobooks”, podcasts, videos, e-books, blogs, articles?
The learning retention graph (well, list) looks like this:
You remember:
- 20% of what you READ
- 30% of what you HEAR
- 40% of what you SEE
- 50% of what you SAY
- 60% of what you DO
- 90% of what you READ, HEAR, SEE, SAY and DO
The more styles of learning you use, the most effective your studying will be.
More Cool Resources
I’ll wrap things up with links to very interesting documents and resources that will greatly support your studying:
- TCP/IP Fundamentals for Microsoft Windows. Describes the fundamentals of TCP/IP in Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista and Windows XP. Works for Windows Server 2012 and Windows 8, too. (PDF)
- TCP/IP Fundamentals for Microsoft Windows on TechNet
- Test Lab Guide: Windows Server 2012 Base Configuration. This Microsoft Test Lab Guide (TLG) provides you with step-by-step instructions to create the Windows Server 2012 Base Configuration test lab, using computers running Windows Server 2012 and Windows 8.
- Windows Server 2012 Test Lab Guides. The Windows Server 2012 Test Lab Guides (TLGs) are a set of documents that describe how to configure and demonstrate the new features and functionality in Windows Server 2012 and Windows 8 in a simplified and standardized test lab environment. There is even a video that shows how to build out this test environment.
- Windows Server 2012 Core Network Guide. The Windows Server® 2012 Core Network Guide provides instructions on how to plan and deploy the core components required for a fully functioning network and a new Active Directory® domain in a new forest.
- Windows PowerShell 3.0 and Server Manager Quick Reference Guides. Quickly learn tips, shortcuts, and common operations in the new Windows PowerShell 3.0, Windows PowerShell Workflow, Windows PowerShell ISE, Windows PowerShell Web Access, Server Manager for Windows Server 2012, WinRM, WMI, and WS-Man.
- Windows 8 Resource Guide for IT Professionals. One-page guide to the top technical Windows 8 resources, tools, and demos for IT professionals on TechNet.
- Work Smart: Windows 8 Shortcut Keys. This guide provides a quick reference to the shortcut keys in the Windows 8 Start screen.
Good luck!
