Anyone have studying tips?

I am currently studying my butt off for the A+ exam I want to try and take in October. Right now, I feel there is too much information and not enough brain LOL

Does anyone who has taken this test or any knowledge lengthly test have and tricks/tips to help me remember this multitude of information?

Thanks!!

 

The biggest tip I can offer is to pace yourself and schedule yourself several short brain breaks, otherwise you'll overload and information will just stop getting in.

When you come back from your brain break quiz yourself on what you studied before it and then go on to the new material if you get better than 80% on your self quiz.

 

I had one of those books on CD for the A+ test. If I drove someplace, i popped it in. Helped with repetetetetetive retention.

 

Lots.

Designate a time and space for studying, and eliminate all distractions. Close the browser (disconnect internet unless you need it), turn off your phone, close the door, kick the dog out, et cetera.

Pace yourself, like Wenchie says. Your brain can stay alert and fully focused for about half an hour to 45 minutes. After that, you're learning at about half capacity and the longer you study the less efficient you'll be. So after about 45 minutes, take a five minute break, and not by checking your Facebook. Get up, move around, refill coffee, smoke, whatever you want to do.

Then go back, take ten minutes to review what you learned the past 45 minutes to make sure it sunk in.

Repeat for another hour, and another, and another.

That's what worked for me anyway.

 

When I took the test I was very surprised it didnt ask questions about specific information and definitions. They worded there questions with more real world scenarios.

 

dyamond, Check out Zulupad from http://www.gersic.com/zulupad/
See http://forums.majorgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=176211 My answer #3.

I've been using it for ages now, and it really comes in handy for storing info about anything.

See the attachment in the MG link above.

Bazza

 

1) Get good quality sleep not just enough, it should be restful. Try and get into a regular sleep- wake time table.
2) Eat healthy meals 4-5 in smaller quantities. Avoid a big heavy meal- it will just make you drowsy and not maintain energy levels.
3) As mentioned pace you self. Go through the syllabus and formulate a time-line.
4) Every third or fourth day, take a day off from cramming info- just to revise.
5) Needless to say, I'm sure you've see the earlier papers to get a gist of the style of the exam.

Cheers and all the best

 

Seriously, sweet food and beverages can help fuel your brain, as mental activity uses more glucose, (which supply calories) than any other activity. Not talking sucrose buzz highs here, but enough to fuel the noggin.

Good luck in the tests, Dy.:cool

 

Thanks for the input everyone, I really appreciate it I took a practice questions/test on the CompTIA website (before I even started studying) and I got 48% right! so it gives me a little bit of hope that I might be able to accomplish this if I get it almost half right with no studying.

This is absolutely fantastic idea!! I'm going to start doing this one.

This would be totally useful if I had a car or even a CD player... LOL

I didn't know that but makes sense because it seemed like after an hour or so I'd lose concentration and would be finding myself re-reading the same paragraph 3 times and still not catch what I was reading. This is good info.. thanks

When you took it, was it OS specific? like 98, NT, XP? Was it mostly troubleshooting questions or about computer products/specs?

Does this mean I can chow down on a tub of ice cream while studying? LOL

 

I would say learn to love what you've yet to learn,find your passion in computers your brain has to be excited to remember.

Find your passion and remember it will youhttp://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ9DEC5r6s-quC4qkcTlYLoDeCpHfD8agNgt6AGbjdJbt1X72w&t=1&usg=__sLeleBk--f6HwQY8QRed-PEyhkE=

 

I would hope they did, since that's what you'll deal with when you start to actually apply and use what you've learned. No one is ever going to ask you to define the difference between an ECC and a non-ECC memory module when you work as a field tech. You'll be asked to get the correct memory for a system and make it work. No one will care if you know the terminology at that point.

 

Since most of my thunder has already been taken like food and sleep, how about the manner that one takes a test. I don't know how many questions there are on a C+ test, if they are any where's near to 100 questions, then I would answer the ones that I'm sure about first and then with the remaining time, tackle the tougher ones. Always worked for me after honest studying.

I've always tried to understand the concept that lies beneath the equations. Just a simple example here:

I was taking calculus and because I really knew the basics, I could derive my formulas from the bottom up without having to remember 30 or more of them(which I was bad at). :-o:-D Stupid memory still sucks!

Good luck to you Dya.

 

Bollocks to all that I say. Mostly because I like saying Bollocks, particularly with a bad accent.

Read the books. Reread the books. And I don't mean pour over them as if life itself depended on it. Read them the same way you'd read a book for fun. Be so very comfortable that nothing distracts you from the book. Do any necessary stuff before you start, have something to drink on hand. Let the information engross you, not the other way around. You'll remember it more if you treat it as something very interesting.

Write down things that jump out at you. For example: Adding a tool bar to the taskbar saves digging through the depths of the computer. Look for things you'd actually have to use and write them down. The act of writing, looking at the original, remembering it and copying it down improves retention.

And I don't believe that you can only learn for 30-45 minutes at a time. I find a much shorter cycle to be far more effective, because you're not trying to sort through a huge chunk of mental memory to find what you want. Five to ten minutes works much better. And don't intersperse with the same activity. If you learn five minutes, drink, learn five minutes, drink, repeat, you're doing two activities, but there's no mental differentiation between the second five minutes, and the thritieth. On the other hand, if you learn five minutes, drink, learn five, reach for snack, learn five, check FB status, learn five, repeat, then you have mental delimination between each section of learning.

Most important of all? Relax. If you're stressed, you can't learn anything. You might remember, but you won't learn.

 

Exactly,forget about the test let your curiosity about computers get the better of you,keep asking yourself how does this work,what does this do,why is this like that,each new bit of info brings you closer to a better understanding of computers,it shouldn't be thought of as a means to an end,just to pass a test.

Its better if your emotionally involved,if your not then its just a case of churning the books,humans have a hard time remembering big chunks of info you have to put the info into some kind of context or scenario to give it relevance.

 

Personally I found the practice tests from sites like http://www.proprofs.com/certification/comptia/a-plus/exams/index.shtml very useful. Try them occasionally and make sure you review the answers so you know what you got right and wrong so you can improve. Also monitor test retakes as some of the questions may be repeated in re-taking the tests, so you can identify strong and weak areas so you can target specific areas that you need to improve on / revise more.

 

have a read of several of the old test papers, there are usually questions of similar forms that come up again and again - i know that for my last lot of exams there were quite a few i had done before, with only the specifics changed.
good luck in your test btw

 

Lots of great advice provided up front…would like to contribute my “tuppence worth” of what discipline/strategy I’ve always applied that consistently has worked for me over the years and still apply now whenever I’m called to do a presentation which sometimes involves “thinking on my feet” for unexpected questions:

1. Get organised: On a large poster calendar, plan out what/how you need to gain knowledge, and by a date deadline(s).
   
   
2. Discipline: overcome procrastination or what I like to call “creative avoidance” (which I can be pretty good at when something needs to get done!). So you need to become more diligent towards your task (which you’re doing now by trying to find the best approach to tackle exams!).
   
   
3. Use your time efficiently: reduce wasted time by becoming more task and time specific – Get tough with yourself – but reward yourself for meeting deadlines.
   
   
4. Relax: relax between study periods and before exam time.
   
   
5. Keeping fit: diet, sleep, exercise – prepare for the stress of exam period by keeping healthy during the exam period.
   
   
6. Getting help early: This is an important step, and one you’re currently doing by clarifying uncertainties about topic areas, examinations, and by anticipating examination questions. Someone already mentioned doing trial exams to self-test and find weak areas that need strengthening. Continue doing this to feel comfortable with tests – but make sure that what your doing is relevant to your exam and covers the same information that is in line with your exams!
   
   
7. Enhancing your concentration: establish a productive study routine – deal with specific concentration problems you have become aware of (e.g. turn off that TV; get off the computer if using it to socialise rather than study).
   
   
8. Improving your memory: learn how to remember more – using a relaxed mind for more recall – utilising your already gained knowledge of the subject matter.
   
   
9. Think positively: learning by trying – adopting a more positive attitude.
   
   
10. Preparing just before the examination: break the time barrier – organise your revision and study plan to reinforce knowledge gained and ensure you’ve covered all bases.
    
    
11. Performing well in the examination: I expect you will get some read time in the examination room before the actual exam starts. If you do, use this time (can be anything from 1-15 minutes, dependent on exam type) to allocate time to spend against different questions, and quickly jot down in simple point form (if allowed - else make mental note), any info to trigger your answer when the time comes.
    
    One strategy I've always used has been to adhere strictly to time allocated to exam questions. Sometimes these times may be noted on the exam paper if not, then identify those easy/hard questions and allocate time accordingly to ensure all questions are completed by exam time end. By sticking to allocated times per exam question, I have moved onto the next question even if an answer is unfinished by time allocated. I found this strategy works, because I may have sacrificed 2 points for a simple question, but gained 15 points for a more difficult question done within the allocated time.
    
    
12. Confronting performance problems in exams: Steps 6 and 11 can help you tackle exam jitters if you have prepared yourself thoroughly. Consider also asking your lecturer/teacher if there are any areas you need assistance/advice as early as possible.

Good luck! I reckon you’ll Ace ‘em.

Cheers

LS

 

legalsuit's list is great. It looks very, very similar to the one they gave us in the "how to succeed in college" classes they gave the first year in college, actually.

One thing that is not on that list, or on the college ones, but that I learned from practice helps a ton is, bring in help. And I don't mean a tutor, though if you think you need one, do get one as soon as possible. I mean, ask your friends and family to help you with the discipline and planning part of this project.

When I was still in college, The Guy would make a point of leaving me alone when I needed to study. He'd go in another room and close the door and give me the space and privacy I needed to concentrate, and when I had planned to study for a set number of hours on a weekend, he reminded me and nagged me, and basically made sure I would set my *** down and get the job done. It's a LOT harder to procrastinate when someone insists on holding you accountable.

One of the best tricks I figured out when studying for finals was to set not a time, but a task. "Read chapter 5 and learn it well enough to get 100% on the quiz at the end of the chapter", and when I had completed that task I gave myself a reward. What the reward is doesn't really matter as long as it's something that you look forward to and that keeps you motivated.

Note that the task-reward system only works if you refuse to compromise on it. If you convince yourself that I got 97%, it's close enough, I should get the reward, then you might as well not bother. But that's why you get your friends to take the book and quiz you.

 

Wow.. You guys are amazing!! I'm very thankful for all your answers and that you all put much time and effort into answering my question. These are GREAT suggestions, ones I am implementing as we speak.

I don't think I could thank you guys enough for all the help so far. Go treat yourself to a big bowl of ice cream LOL

 

Have you considered cheating? :-D

 

Well, years ago I read that a study was done that indicated if a person had a glass of wine or beer after studying, it helped in them retaining what they had been studying .

Since you don't drink, this is no help to you . . . but, I also heard once that sugar breaks down in the liver much the way that alcohol does. Sooooo, Dy, I suggest after studying you have a big bowl of ice cream!

There is one thing I just thought of - when studying for a long period, I'd get up now and then and take about 4 to 6 deep breaths at a window, or walk outside and do it. Seemed to help me retain stuff (and keep me awake).

Other then that, legalsuits list covers anything else I have tried.

 

The night before the exam I often drink lots of coffee to keep me awake and then I considered also trade answers with my classmate on the items that I don't know.:-D

 

I'm taking an A+ workshop now since I never took the test while in school.

My instructor suggests:
*audio recording the ones you get wrong, and listening to them back again until they are second nature.
*2 hours a day studying.

Whatever you do, make sure you pass the test before 2011!
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