How to study

Do you now how to study? As an A and B student in high school and college, I thought I had the studying thing down.  Then I went back to school in my mid 30's to learn networking and quickly found out my tried and true methods of learning had become outdated.  There were much older students than I in our class of 25, but I quickly felt like the dinosaur in the room.

My lifelong and successful study habits were:
Read over the textbook prior to class and highlight key terms
Take copious notes in class
Review notes before test
Success!

The curriculum in Cisco's Networking Academy were exclusively on-line.  The books they gave us were incomplete outlines of the on-line curriculum.  You cannot highlight on-line curriculum.  Reading a textbook on my PC was just, weird.  The interactive animations embedded in the text were more of a distraction to me than an effective tool for reinforcement of key terms.  I don't know why, but I much prefer old school paper books when it comes to reading.  

After a couple of weeks of taking notes at a furious pace, I realized I was just re-writing the entire course.  This was exhausting and wasn't working.  I was missing important Q and A's between the class and our instructor because I was trying to catch up on my notes when the instructor paused for questions.  Lectures lasted between 2 to 3 hours and were back to back between Friday nights and Saturday mornings.  This was an 8 month course and the only study routine I'd ever known was useless.

I had to change.

I scaled WAY back on my note taking, adjusted to reading on a computer screen for hours on end and joined a study group of classmates that was more than a study aid.  Our study group became a support group of sorts, with those who passed their CCNA exam sticking around to help the rest of us who did not pass on the first go around.

My CCNA expires in a year and I have begun the CCNP journey.
This is how I've studied for CCNP Switch:
Watched the CBT Nuggets Switching Video Series (more than once)
Currently watching the INE Switching Video Series
Currently reading the Cisco Press Official Certification Guide/Text
Built a home lab, but have not run through any of the labs yet
Taking practice exams

My personal life has simultaneously become much more full/busy than it was when I studied for the CCNA.  Since then I've gotten married, started a new position at work (Network Engineer), bought a house, done a ton of work on said house, got a puppy and had our first child.  Holy moly batman! That's a lot of personal-life-stuff to balance, on top of the countless hours needed to truly learn this stuff.

I recently found the below article and can honestly say I've done most of what they recommend.
I set a due date (the NP exam is changing and I'm trying to pass switch before it changes), printed the exam objectives from Cisco's site, have the support of my wife/support network, leverage social media resources, hit the books, take notes (I now use Microsoft's OneNote and it's amazing) and have recently started taking practice exams.

I need to work on finding a place/time to study, as I've recently been staying up after everyone goes to bed to study.  This just leaves me tired the following day.  I've carved out a 2 hour uninterupted window for studying tomorrow, so that's a start.  I also need to jump into the labs on my home lab because I find I remember concepts better when I apply them in the real world.

Here are some study tips from CBT Nuggets.  Happy Studying!!!

10. Set a due date: Schedule the exam BEFORE you start studying. If you’re not studying for an exam you can still set a date to take a practice exam to assess your skills. Nothing will get you motivated like a deadline.

9. Download exam objectives: This tip comes from a blog post by trainer Anthony Sequeira. Get every ounce of exam info you can. Downloading the exam objectives will give you an outline for studying; a study checklist, so to speak.

8. Leverage your support network: There are bound to be changes to your work and personal schedule as you make time to study. Be sure to talk to your supervisor/spouse/coworkers/anyone directly affected. Share your goals with them. Putting it out there will make you more accountable and help everyone’s time management.

7. Name a place and time: One of the most difficult parts of studying for an exam is finding the time. So have a set time and place to hit the books. Post it to your calendar, put a “Do Not Disturb” sign on your door, and generally do whatever you need to let others know you need uninterrupted time to yourself. Get more tips on finding study time here.

6. Get social: Social media seems to be the answer for so many things these days, study tips included. If you know where to look, you can find a lot of study resources online. For example, there’s an entire CCNA section on Reddit, Google+ has IT communities, and LinkedIn has cert study groups you can join. If you’re stuck with a particular concept, consider posting your question in a group or forum (like TechExam.net or Spiceworks). Other IT pros love sharing their knowledge and are often eager to help. Who knows, you could even end up connecting with someone studying for the same exam and find yourself a virtual study partner! Note: brain-dump sites are cheating and never an acceptable resource to use.

5. Hit the books: A lot of certification exams have associated training books. Many of our trainers have even authored books on topics such as Windows Server, and Server+, and Cisco networking. Consider picking up a study guide as a way to supplement what you’re watching videos.

4. Take notes: Go old school, and as you’re watching the training videos, write notes. You know…by hand, on paper. Later, type those hand-written notes onto your computer, adding some structure and detail. After that, re-watch the Nugget (at a faster speed setting) to review and check your notes. The very act of writing notes and then typing them will help to ingrain concepts into your memory.

3. Make flashcards: Bust out your index cards and color-coordinated pens, or create flashcards digitally with this free app. Base them off vocabulary, workflows, concepts you’ve had trouble with, exam objectives, anything you need to memorize! If you’re studying for your A+ or CCNA, Transcender actually offers FREE flash card apps through iTunes. (Note: Premium subscribers with access to our Transcender practice exams also have the option of launching “TranscenderFlash” which will auto-create flashcards for you based on the exam you are studying for.)

2. Get hands-on training: One of the best ways to learn is to just get in there and do it yourself!  Virtual labs are a great way to get hands-on experience. There are a number of CBT Nuggets courses that have associated virtual labs (available to Premium subscribers), but you also can make your own. Trainers Jeremy Cioara and Keith Barker have produced MicroNuggets with tutorials on how to set up home labs. Find Jeremy’s video on building a CCNA home lab here, and Keith’s video on building a CCNA security virtual lab here.

1. Take practice exams: Not only are practice exams a great way to see if you’re ready for an exam, they’re also a great place to start. Plan on taking practice exams throughout your preparation. Before you even begin studying, take a practice exam as a benchmark test. From there you can structure your training based on your strengths and weaknesses. Once you’re consistently hitting 90 percent or higher on your exams, you’re ready for the real test. Practice exams can get pricey, though. Here at CBT Nuggets, Premium subscribers have unlimited access to a wide variety of Transcender and Kaplan Self Test exams. Another alternative is to find practice exams in e-book format.

As the great CBT Nuggets trainer Keith Barker once said, “Don’t learn something just to learn it, learn it to know it.” So try one, all, or a combination of these tips when studying for your next exam.