19 Best Study Tips for Cisco Exams

Whether you would be an experienced network engineer or just an enthusiastic candidate who wishes to the beginning of your networking career, I am sure that you would be having the thought at least once about how it would be beneficial to pass one or more of the prestigious Cisco certification exams. Here we would be discussing the top 19 study tips of passing the Cisco Exam.

1. Collect relevant material

First of all, I suggest you take all the possible source of information into account – everything from books, Cisco Networking Academy materials, videos, online courses to articles and blogs such as Router Freak!, and of course a good and reliable study dumps, which I would recommend you to go for the SPOTO Club.

2. Organize your learning

Now, that you have collected all the material which is necessary for the exam preparation, but you are still missing one important thing – a good plan, that is, the order in which you would be going through the material, day by day. You need to develop your strategy, find the order that works for you, maybe put it on a piece of paper, and then into practice.

3. Ensure having all the study materials you need

Make sure you have notebooks and a good filing system to store your notes in. When you sit down to study make sure you have a drink and some snacks with you and you have gone to the bathroom.

4. Eliminate distractions

Before you begin to study eliminate all possible distractions. Turn off your phone or put it onto airplane mode, switch of any music and put yourself somewhere where there is no noise. It is scientifically proven to enhance your learning and concentration if you listen to music.

5. Give yourself enough time

An athlete doesn’t start training for a marathon the week before so if you are appearing for the Cisco exam, give yourself enough time to ensure you could put in the required amount of study for learning all the material. Assess the topics which you have to learn and then check your knowledge of all the topics and decide on the amount of time it is going to take you to learn them. You would be never really going to know how long it would be taking but ask your lecturer for a guide and try to give yourself as much time as possible.

6. Eat the right food

There have been lots of studies on the topic of what to eat whilst you would be studying but the main foods that keep coming up are eggs as well as oily fish. You need to be alert while learning and your brain would be able to function after you have just eaten a large pizza!

7. Stay hydrated

Most students would be reaching for the coffee while studying or energy drinks with the assumption that they would be keeping them alert and aid with their studying. Their short term gains to be made from drinking coffee but what you should be drinking whilst studying is water – good old fashioned H2o is all you need 75% of your brain is water. Hence, if you are not hydrated properly, your brain is not going to function at its best.

8. Take regular breaks

Whilst the temptation while studying is to put the hours in as well as work through the night before your exam, taking regular breaks would be helping you out to reset your brain. You could only retain focus for up to 40 minutes, after that you aren’t learning at your most efficient so taking a ten-minute walk would reset you back to zero for beginning another 40-minute study block.

9. Make notes!!!

Even though the preparation for the certificate could be a way to relax as well as involve reading before the sleep, you are required to be aware that you would come across lots of new information, most of which you would just forget. It would be good to have some technique for separate things which you know, from those that would be new to you.

10. Practice, practice, practice

One of the most effective ways for the preparation of the Cisco exam is to go through as lots and lots of practice labs. For most of the people, utilizing Cisco Packet Tracer as well as GNS3 is the best option for practicing labs for any kind of Cisco exam. The real hands-on experience won’t only be preparing you for the exam, but for the real problems, you would be facing as a network engineer.

11. Focus on Exam Objectives

Make yourself familiar with the official exam objectives, that is, the content likely to be included in the exam you are taking. Let this content be a guideline while you are studying.

12. Use mind maps, draw

Besides taking notes, doing my mind maps and drawings helped me to understand and simplify many concepts and mechanisms covered in CCNA and CCNP program.

13. Study carefully

Make sure you fully understand the information provided, and pay extra-close attention to things you did not fully understand. You would feel confident about one topic and might be less confident about another.

14. Test your readiness

After you went through all the materials, which you have planned, as well as have a fairly decent amount of self-confidence and knowledge, test your readiness for the exam. Practice tests would consist mostly of multiple-choice questions as well as are already included in almost all Cisco Certification study guides.

15. Consider enrolling in the Cisco Networking Academy program

If you wish to completely master every aspect covered in Cisco certificates, collaborate with colleagues, practice on real equipment as well as share ideas and knowledge, learn from the instructor as you see at the SPOTO Club

16. Take control of your learning

Many students would just sit back and wait to be taught and thus, wait each week for the lessons to come around. As you would be growing older you would realize that if you want to learn something you need to go out and find out everything that would be there about that subject and immerse yourself in it.

17. Form a study group

You are going to need some friends who wouldn’t be studying for the Cisco exam. There will also be friends that would be studying for the same. Once a week you are required to arrange to meet up for a study group. You could review topics you are struggling with as well as explain concepts to each other. This will aid your learning as well as also make you feel better knowing others who would be struggling with the Cisco Exam that you are.

18. No Pain No Gain

I would advise you to never give up! Certification would be ultimately a confirmation that you possess certain skills and knowledge, which can only be achieved through hard work and dedication. Your effort will pay off!

19. Get some sleep

Finally one of the most important study tips which I would like to give you is to get some sleep. Going to bed at a regular time every night would be ensuring your brain is rested as well as would be able to retain all the new knowledge you are putting into it.