Chapter 1. Overview of Cisco Certification

Terms you'll need to understand:

• Radio button

• Check box

• Careful reading

• Exhibits

• Multiple-choice question formats

• Simulation questions

• Process of elimination

Techniques you'll need to master:

• Preparing to take a certification exam

• Practicing to take a certification exam

• Making the best use of the testing software

• Budgeting your time

• Guessing (as a last resort)

It doesn't matter how well prepared a person might be, nearly everyone is nervous when taking a certification exam, especially since a certain amount of money is on the line. A familiarity with the exam always helps to relieve your test anxiety. You probably won't be as nervous when you take your second or third Cisco certification exam as you will be when you take your first one.

Whether it is your second exam or your tenth, understanding the finer points of exam taking (how much time to spend on questions, the setting you will be in, and so on) and the exam software will help you concentrate on the questions at hand rather than on the surroundings. Mastering some basic exam-taking skills should help you recognize some of the tricks and traps you are bound to find in several of the exam questions.

This chapter describes some proven exam-taking strategies you should be able to use to your advantage when preparing for and taking the exam.