Passing the CompTIA Network+ certification

Intro:

I passed my Network+ (N10-005) on August 26^th 2015 after intensively preparing for 1 month. Ideally I wanted to give myself more time since I was taking 12 credits that summer in college and working full time but I had just learned that the exam that I had been familiar with through my Networking class at the Community College was retiring at the end of November, so my only choice was: to either take the N10-005 or dedicate a few more months to familiarize myself with the topics in the N10-006 – time that I didn’t have. So I decided to go for it.

Scheduling the exam:

Naturally I wanted to schedule the exam when I felt ready, but then I figured I would never “feel” ready. I realized that I had to push myself to do it, otherwise it wasn’t going to happen. So I decided to schedule it for the end of August, giving myself just one month to prepare.

I did a quick online search since I wanted to purchase a discount voucher, got one from GetCertifiedForLess at $246 (there may be some cheaper options out there, didn't have time to research). These guys send you a practice exam by email, so that was a neat!

Just as a quick note, I saw some posters at the testing center were they had $155 certification vouchers, didn't ask any questions since I was nervous but it may be a good idea giving the testing center a call to ask if they have any vouchers.

This is when things got serious and I realized just how much I didn’t know. I had to get to work!

The studying:

I used a combination of books and apps to get all possible topics covered, with different question styles.

Apps:

• CompTIA Network+ N10-005 Exam prep+ by Konnect LLC
• CompTIA Network+ N10-005 by mhazzm
• Crucial Exams CompTIA Training by LinDev (https://crucialexams.com/)

Hard cover books:

• Network+ Guide to Networks by Tama Dean (this was my main study source)

eBooks:

• CompTIA Network+: Wireless Topics (A Get Certified Get Ahead Kindle Short) by Darril Gibson
• CompTIA Network+ SOLVED! - N10-005 Practice Exams Prowse, David L.
• CompTIA Network+ Basic Networking Components by Darril Gibson     

FYI, I didn't have to pay for the eBooks since I have Kindle unlimited.

I did at least 2 practice tests a day, made sure to review the answers. This got me used to the hard questions.

The Exam and the unexpected:

Before long, it was d-day. I was at the testing center about 1 hour before my exam. I was very nervous.

I checked in and was led to the computer by the nice lady, who also gave me earplugs just in case (which was awesome, I was completely unaware of my surrounding during the entire time).

The unexpected: Simulations
I am not sure why I didn't prepare for simulations. Literally the first few questions involved some kind of simulation, which I knew the answers to, but since I hadn't practiced simulations I didn't know how to time them well, I ended up wasting 15 minutes of the first question.

My advice:

• DO NOT SPEND MORE THAN A MINUTE ON A QUESTION, you may run out of time!
• Know your subnetting: not just the theories, but how to use that theory in a practical environment
• Know your wireless technologies and the interference channels: again, in a practical environment. Know how to setup WAPs, change channels and troubleshoot related issues.
• Know your cabling and their limitations: again, in a practical environment. Know what connects what fiber, Coax or Twisted-pair cabling, their max distance and speed.
• Use the famous elimination method if you aren't sure of the answer.
• Choose the best options: You will encounter situations that have more than one possible answer, but which one is the best? Did the question emphasize security or cost or both?

Other than this, it's really the same when it comes to multiple-choice questions. This wasn't hard since I had been doing at least 200-300 multiple-choice questions a day, so I spent an average of 30 seconds per question, unless it was tricky.

I ended up with about 20 extra minutes, which I used to review all the answers I could, which was good for my peace of mind.

Next steps:

Well, I plan on taking the ICND1, which I already started studying for, then CCNA R&S hopefully by next Summer. I won't have much time since I am working full time and studying full time (16 credits this fall) in addition to taking one Intro to Computer Science course from MITx on Edx. This is a little much, but as a future network engineer I need to learn Python (to automate networking tasks) and I want to do it with a strong programming foundation, so it's all worth it in the end.

Feel free to comment or drop a word of advice for me or other networking peers and good luck if you're taking the exam soon.