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"Official Study Guide" trap! - Just my 2 cents!
Tuesday, May 25, 2010 at 5:03PM
All to often folks fall into the "Official Study Guide" trap! By this I mean folks assume that all of their exam questions and answers will be in the "HOLLY” Official Study Guide.
Sorry to burst your bubble, but that just isn’t the case. If you sit any exam today don’t be surprised to
get questions not in the official study guide! Don’t feel bad; I was in that same boat, "man I read the entire book 3 times. I did the cd 5 times, but that question just wasn't in the book!!". Silly me ...
Regardless of your focus (wireless, security or wired). You need to focus on the exam objectives, PERIOD. If your exam objectives are the "Fundamentals of Wireless" for example, it is best to read this topic from different authors. This will give you a different perspective from each author. A lot of folks don’t realize that the authors of the books we read called the “Official Study Guide” have no advance knowledge of the questions being asked! You read that right ... They are contracted to write about specific exam topics. Its then up to the author to share his knowledge and articulate it well so that we can all understand. If you get a crappy author, guess what ... you get crap! Having personally spoken to a number of authors and having a close friend who was a co-author on the CWSP book, they will tell you. They have ZERO KNOWLEDGE of specific questions pertaining to the exam.
To drive my point home....
The name Dave Hucaby may ring a bell. He is the author of countless Cisco Press books, great author by the way. He is blessed with an extraordinary writing ability. I own a number of his books. He commented just yesterday on Cisco Learning Network about how he "neither writes, screens, nor approves the questions that are on the exam. I only write a book about what I think will appear on it, to the best of my knowledge"
"Dave Hucaby:
While we're discussing surprise topics on the exam, has anybody gotten a question that was specific to the Catalyst 6500? I've gotten a report from two test takers that saw some of those crop up. The 6500 is not supposed to be on the exam blueprint (really? how can you tell?), and apparently it received coverage in the beta SWITCH exam, but has since been removed.
Be advised that I neither write, screen, nor approve the questions that are on the exam. I only write a book about what I think will appear on it, to the best of my knowledge”
https://learningnetwork.cisco.com/docs/DOC-6566
IN SHORT … STUDY THE EXAM OBJECTIVES!
Reader Comments (2)
George,
Great answer there. I too have been enticed in the past to have a 'quick fix' by just reading and re-reading the study guide. It's the OBJECTIVES that matter. You need to understand the objectives, and know them cold. Then you are ready to sit the exam.
Thanks for bringing this up,
Keith
Those words are cold hard facts, there is no middle ground... read the blueprint for the exam. I have failed my share of exams and know it to be true... where do you think the term dig deeper comes from. You have to dig for the information; it is was all in one book then everyone would have all the certs you wanting to achieve. Thanks for the reminder George. Sucks when you've got the info from the "guide" down cold and then your asked questions about things you have not heard of... Been there before... don't care to go back.
JCB