Courtesy - Carl Wester
In Part 2 of this series, you were given my personal observations into preparing for and taking Citrix certification exams. In the final article in this series I will give you some short random thoughts about:
Not everyone needs to be certified. I doubt that a company would ask Brian Madden if he was certified before he implemented a XenApp farm. There could come a time when your resume and experience level is so impressive that being certified may not matter. Even those with a lot of heavy real world experience still spend a lot of time in the lab keeping current and also working to stay ahead. Until you move into a company management position, there should never be a time when you are not spending time in the lab improving your current and future knowledge and skills.
I start by looking at the Exam Prep Guide to see what kind of test will be given. Will it be what I call a:
Once I feel comfortable enough I schedule the exam for at least one week away. That gives me enough time to go back through the online course lab to see if I can do the labs with just the overview directions and not use the step-by-step directions. I will also continue reviewing the admin guide for the product.
The day before the exam, I will review product documentation and then stop studying after lunch. That night, I will waste some time watching TV and go to bed early. Being a morning person, I wake up very early, review the admin guide a final time and then head to the testing center. My favorite testing center just happens to have one of my favorite breakfast places just around the corner. I go eat a breakfast of scrambled eggs and ham, review my notes and go around the corner to the testing center. I sit in my car for a few minutes just to chill out.
When I enter the testing center I make a quick trip to the rest room and then go sign in. The exam proctor will take me to my assigned computer and log me in. After I enter my credentials and verify I am taking the correct exam, I sit for a minute, take a few deep breathes, stretch and then start the exam.
A good exam center will have:
The exam companies used to send out e-mail surveys to find out about your testing experience. I have not seen a survey in a couple of years. If you think your exam center is a bad center let Citrix Education hear about your bad exam center experience.
#1: DataSchenk, Inc.
611 Potomac Plaza
Suite 101
Smyrna, TN
#2: New Horizons Computer Learning Center
10200 Linn Station Road
Suite 110
Louisville, KY
DataSchenk is my #1 choice because:
First realize it is just an exam. An exam failure does not mean you failed as a person or an administrator/engineer/architect. As soon as possible following the exam, write down notes to yourself about what was on your exam and what you were not prepared for or what took you completely by surprise. Review the Exam Prep Guide. Did you miss an exam objective or requirement while you were studying?
Note: revealing these notes to other people is very likely a violation of your exam contract. Don’t do it.
Use your notes with the product documentation. Is what you missed covered in the documentation?
Use your notes with your lab. What else can you do in your lab to learn about the questions you missed?
Use your exam score sheet and review your weak areas. Spend more time in the lab going over your weak areas. And then spend more time in your lab.
Remember this about failing an exam: relax, life goes on, you are not a failure.
In Part 2 of this series, you were given my personal observations into preparing for and taking Citrix certification exams. In the final article in this series I will give you some short random thoughts about:
- Why should you get certified?
- How do I study for exams (since I’ve taken so many)?
- How are exams scored?
- What to look for in an exam center.
- My favorite exam centers.
- Dealing with not passing an exam.
Why should you get certified?
Certification is one way to prove you have a basic and specific level of product knowledge. If you work, or plan to work, for a Citrix Partner, certification may be a requirement of your job. Earning CCA certifications is also one way to get a jump on others who may apply for the same position you have applied for. Having your CCA certification can help prove to a potential employer that you have worked and studied to improve your product knowledge.Not everyone needs to be certified. I doubt that a company would ask Brian Madden if he was certified before he implemented a XenApp farm. There could come a time when your resume and experience level is so impressive that being certified may not matter. Even those with a lot of heavy real world experience still spend a lot of time in the lab keeping current and also working to stay ahead. Until you move into a company management position, there should never be a time when you are not spending time in the lab improving your current and future knowledge and skills.
How do I study for exams?
I take exam preparation very seriously. I have a serious personal flaw that does not like failure and will accept nothing less than a perfect score. If I do not make a perfect score that means there is something I didn’t know or misunderstood about the product I was tested on. It could also mean the test was wrong or there was a flaw in the product documentation! J I do not wish this curse on anyone else.I start by looking at the Exam Prep Guide to see what kind of test will be given. Will it be what I call a:
- fact based exam
- decision tree based exam
- simulation exam
Once I feel comfortable enough I schedule the exam for at least one week away. That gives me enough time to go back through the online course lab to see if I can do the labs with just the overview directions and not use the step-by-step directions. I will also continue reviewing the admin guide for the product.
The day before the exam, I will review product documentation and then stop studying after lunch. That night, I will waste some time watching TV and go to bed early. Being a morning person, I wake up very early, review the admin guide a final time and then head to the testing center. My favorite testing center just happens to have one of my favorite breakfast places just around the corner. I go eat a breakfast of scrambled eggs and ham, review my notes and go around the corner to the testing center. I sit in my car for a few minutes just to chill out.
When I enter the testing center I make a quick trip to the rest room and then go sign in. The exam proctor will take me to my assigned computer and log me in. After I enter my credentials and verify I am taking the correct exam, I sit for a minute, take a few deep breathes, stretch and then start the exam.
How are exams scored?
Citrix is the only vendor I am aware of that will tell you how they score their certification exams. The Scoring Secrets for Citrix Exams – Divulged is an article written by Citrix employee Alejandra Amador-Garcia that explains the scoring process. Also, some Exam Prep Guides will tell you how an exam is scored. For the Citrix Access Suite 4.0: Design (1Y0-614) exam, the prep guide section 9 is titled Scoring Design Decisions. The Citrix Access Suite 4.0: Build/Test (1Y0-456) Exam Prep Guide also has a section devoted to explaining the scoring and answering process.What to look for in an exam center
A good exam center will allow you to concentrate on the exam. A bad exam center can hurt your exam experience in that you will spend most of your thought processes complaining about the testing environment.A good exam center will have:
- Fast computers
- Large monitors
- Clean keyboard
- Clean mouse
- Comfortable room that is neither a meat locker nor sauna
- Good lighting
- Clean rest room that is close by
- QUIET
- Computers so slow it can take a minute or longer to move from question to question
- Keyboards so filthy you want to get a penicillin shot after the exam
- The mouse rollers are so coated with filth the pointer barely moves
- Computers with the cases off
- One place was so cold I had to wear a winter coat
- One place had the exam room right next to the training room so I heard every word of the course being taught
- One testing center was on the top floor and the only rest room was on the bottom floor
The exam companies used to send out e-mail surveys to find out about your testing experience. I have not seen a survey in a couple of years. If you think your exam center is a bad center let Citrix Education hear about your bad exam center experience.
My favorite exam centers
I have taken over 100 certification exams in numerous exam centers in seven states (not counting the states of confusion and paranoia that exist during the exam). I have had more worse exam center experiences than good. My top two exam centers are:#1: DataSchenk, Inc.
611 Potomac Plaza
Suite 101
Smyrna, TN
#2: New Horizons Computer Learning Center
10200 Linn Station Road
Suite 110
Louisville, KY
DataSchenk is my #1 choice because:
- IT IS QUIET — no road noise, no office noise, no training room noise
- Very clean facility — even a private rest room that is clean, well supplied and roomy
- Very friendly staff — never seen the receptionist without a smile and a helpful attitude
- Free water and soft drinks — fridge is full of all kinds of soft drinks including my favorite ginger ale
- Free snacks — for AFTER the exam of course
- Free candy outside the exam room – to help control your blood sugar or nerves
- Fast computer — no delay no matter the type of exam questions
- Large monitor — great for viewing exhibits and other exam features
- Comfortable exam room
- My two favorite breakfast places are just around the corner
Dealing with failing an exam
I know of no one that has not failed at least one exam. I have failed four: one Cisco, one Microsoft and two Citrix exams. The two Citrix exams were 456 and 614 and I failed those miserably the first time. How do you deal with failing an exam after putting so much time, energy and effort into the preparation?First realize it is just an exam. An exam failure does not mean you failed as a person or an administrator/engineer/architect. As soon as possible following the exam, write down notes to yourself about what was on your exam and what you were not prepared for or what took you completely by surprise. Review the Exam Prep Guide. Did you miss an exam objective or requirement while you were studying?
Note: revealing these notes to other people is very likely a violation of your exam contract. Don’t do it.
Use your notes with the product documentation. Is what you missed covered in the documentation?
Use your notes with your lab. What else can you do in your lab to learn about the questions you missed?
Use your exam score sheet and review your weak areas. Spend more time in the lab going over your weak areas. And then spend more time in your lab.
Remember this about failing an exam: relax, life goes on, you are not a failure.
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