Attempting N+ in about two weeks. I must be crazy.

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So after taking my A+ exams and passing, I figured I'd hit the ground running with N+.

I've already begun on the PM videos and will probably be done with those by Saturday. I intend on purchasing a couple of books and possibly a practice exam for this test.

I do keep asking myself if this is almost a lost cause. I hear of people taking months upon months to prepare for this test, all the way down to 3 weeks for someone who already had taken numerous classes in networking.

Prior to N+, the only networking experience I've had (including the tidbits from A+) was a Comp Networking course I took in college in Winter quarter and sort of TA'd for the following quarter. It was a lot at once so there were things I needed to grasp again but I have a bit of foundation in networking, just not tons.

Am I out of my mind for trying to pick up this cert in two weeks?

 

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Hi

Not trying to pressurize you but you sure have to do some serious studying to get that in two weeks …. I did my N+ in two months and also

Just looking at that and I’m thinking ……… how are you going to do that in two weeks ? I mean have you booked your exam with Prometrics Or any other exam centres? If not you’re looking at next year as there’s only a very thin chance of you getting the exam booked and done in this month now. Good luck anyway if however you get to give the exam in two weeks..

 

you may have problems with booking exams this year, on the beginning of December lots of times/days were already booked, there were almost no morning exams at all, all booked, only those after 1 pm has left, and it was in Leeds on beginning of December, so you better book exam first.
Anyway if you still want to do it this year (I wouldn't suggest it until you re some sort of genius)
I would recommend Network+ Passport, as it is shortest book I think, and buy them http://www.preplogic.com/products/exams/view-practice-exams.aspx
they are still 30 $ so a real bargain.

Still would't recommend it, maybe it is better to do it next year, you will have it only for 3 years, but If you'll get into IT job, most probably nobody will ask you to renew (until you have a boss like Green Bruce Lee ) the certificate anyway as experience is more important than some certificate.

I wanted to do Security+ this year, but decided to do it next year along with 70-680, If I will find a job in IT in the 3 years nobody will ask me to renew the certificate (I think not). If I won't find it in 3 years, then no chances for finding it at all

good luck anyway

 

Hey mate,
it depends on how much you already know and how much time you have to commit to this....... let me say i think it can be done.
It took me a month, i already had a pretty good grasp on most of the concepts and i committed about an hour every night. but last few days leading up to the exam i committed more like 3 hours to practice exams and brushing up.

honestly if i didn't have a full time job to work around i think i could have done it in a week at a stretch. Unfortunately most of us have to fit study around other commitments. I think if you have a decent knowledge already and commit to it you can get there in 2 weeks.

Good luck...

 

well, if you're unemployed, live with parents and have no kids it makes a big difference

 

It could be done if you put in the time and effor but you are not going to have any spare time if you want to make sure the £169 you have spent doesn't have to spent again.

Since you have booked already I would absolutley recommend that you get a practice exam and do it so you can brush up on your weak areas. before the exam.

Make sure you know subnetting as I recently had to redo the N+ because my employer wanted me to and there was a few subnetting questions in the exam.

 

Now that I sat back and thought about it, I am starting to think this is a bit of a lost cause for hitting the deadline.

Mariusz hit the nail on the head. I graduated college in May and have had trouble finding a job, which is kind of the reason I took the A+, and now looking back I feel like I took too long in studying for that.

I have most of my time free to study this, but even then it's looking like a long shot since I've had only some networking experience, and on top of that pushing 8-10 hours a day on this material will leave me exhausted.

I really don't like the thought of having to recertify every three years/take recertification classes but I think that at this juncture it might be best.

Now I'm not even sure what to do. I planned to either take this or the 70-270/70-680 next but who knows?
Either way I do intend to take this exam in the next few months, and if I can really bear down, before the deadline.

 

If you can knuckle down and put in the effort you should do it but if you decide to knock it on the head go for the MCDST before persuing the MCTS. There is a lot more to MCTS than MCDST from what I have seen but having the MCDST will help prepare you for the MCTS.

 

Tell me about it, I struggle to find a job, and I was looking for over a year (I have a job, but not happy with what I do now), and as a foreigner I have it twice as hard to find a job behind desk, as recruiters suppose my English is crap without even checking it, I know because one of them was refusing me for about a year and finally took me for an interview and was surprised that I can speak English quite fluent, but I still don't give up , you shouldn't as well, follow your dreams

For me A+ was more difficult than N+. Check my topic here: http://www.certforums.co.uk/forums/thread42438.html

If you can focus on learning for few hours (I can't focus to read longer than 10 minutes, that's why it took me about 5-6 months to prepare) then try it, book an exam, If 3 days before you will feel bad about it you can postpone the exam, and pass it any time you want, but it looks like you haven't got much time left. It is Friday already, X-mas next week, and It will be hard to find exam centre working between X-Mas and New Year I suppose. Maybe it would be better idea to do what Green Bruce Lee said: do MCDST before 31st of March 2011?
Good luck anyway

 

Well, I have given this some thought.

I think I'm going to study as much as I can for this and I'll take a practice test on Sunday (I picked up the Passport with the practice tests). If I don't come anywhere near say 60% (I know the actual passing percentage is 80%) then I'm going to just put it on the back burner for the three year 2011 certificate and start MCDST (as I'm sure I can pick that up in under three months).

If on the other hand I somehow score well, I'll see what I can do about still taking this thing.

 

The MCDST consists of 2 exams, but seeing as they seem to have pushed the retiring date on that to middle of next year, you've got some 6 months to study for that which is good.

I already had plenty of industry experience, so it took me only 5 days to read Mike Meyers N+ book and pass the test a few days later (about a year or two ago). But everyone reads at their own pace and some people (myself included) do get burned out after spending a week just reading and memorizing values/combinations/terms and the like.

DON'T OVERDO IT! Burning out can seriously hamper the study process.

I wish they didn't go with the renewal every 3 years thing... I was thinking of doing the A+ for some time now, but work has been HEAVY on me. I don't really want to redo an A+ every 3 years now so they've lost a customer in me, and no test center is open starting from next week even if I did feel comfortable in attempting it (well, I wouldn't say I do, I'd need to finish studying for it first)... oh well, that is life. Guess I'll keep an S+ and N+ to my grave with no A+

Good luck with the studying, the practice exam and with a possible future MCDST study!

 

Well, after taking an 80 question test, I made a 60%. Considering I've been studying for only a week I don't think this is terrible... I think I'm going to continue with N+, finish up the videos, get through this book, and take a different practice test on tuesday or wednesday and see where I stand.

 

Well, I had taken a practice test earlier in the week and scored a 54 so I didn't even bother trying to schedule.

I think I'm going to start on the MCDST and come back to this once that's done.

 

Sorry to hear that mate, best of luck with the MCDST though

 

MCDST is a good cert to start with. best of luck

 

I guess I should update this thread after a long hiatus.

I decided to start the 70-270 and 271, but a bunch of things got in the way, not to mention that I actually had a potential job offer that I had been waiting to hear the results of. It's been three weeks since my last conversation with that group, so I have deduced that I didn't make the cut.

That being said, since time is up for the 270 and 271, I'm planning to study once again for the N+ from the top this time and I plan to take the exam 1-2 months from today.

 

It's possible, here's my history...

A+ in 6 weeks
N+ in 10 Days
S+ in 14 days
70-271 in 16 days
And (luck willing) 70-272 on Friday being day 14

For the comptia ones I had no working experience.

I used all-in-one books for the comptia exams an ms press for ms

Only reason I do this is because I leave everything till the last minute, comptia ones all in December to meet the life time cert deadline(including s+ on new years eve) and MCDST ones both this month as their retiring

So its possible, but god its a pain in the ass!

I really hope to plan my studying for MCSA a lot better!

Cheers

James

 

Wow, didn't check the age of the thread, sorry! :-(

 

Yeah I wish I could change the thread title :/

I'll put a note on the first post though. I plan to re-review the Professor Messer videos, take a few practice tests (also buy the Meyers Net+ book) and basically study for a few weeks and take the test either mid-July or August.

e: Whoops. Can't edit posts after a certain age.