Original subtitles

>> Okay. Quick poll, show of hands.

How many people in here get exam anxiety?

One, two -- ooh!

Just about everybody.

My hand is up, too.

It's a nerve-wracking experience to go take these exams,

so I wanted to put together my best advice that I could on studying for Cisco exams.

You know, 15 years of certification testing, this is what I've come up with.

Right? First and foremost -- this one almost goes without saying --

you've got to know what you're studying for.

Go to the Cisco website -- this is the old ICND1 exam --

grab the exam topics from there, and then print them out.

You know, highlight them.

Now, they're broad.

But at the same time, they focus you and say, "Okay, well,

here are the topics that you need to study.

Take notes on that.

Print out," "Oh, I feel good about this; I'll study more on this one."

It gives you that focus.

Second point is probably the most important of all --

whether you're reading or listening to the material,

you need to approach it with a different mindset.

You're not just here to absorb, you're not just here to absorb.

You've got to need to pass that.

"I'm not an absorber."

Say that with me.

"I am not an absorber.

I am going to take this material, and I am going to teach it to somebody."

I'd say that this is the most important thing

because this is what really gears your mind to learn.

When people, you know, meet me and they're like, "Oh man, Jeremy!

You're so smart; you've got all these certifications!"

And I'm like, "Oh my goodness!

If I could just tell you how not smart I am."

It's just -- I have a totally unfair advantage,

and that is I've done a whole bunch of classroom training.

And there is something about getting in front of a crowd of people, who you know are going

to drill you on every single topic that you tell them, with all kinds of questions

that you may not have even thought of -- that will motivate you to learn that material.

So, you're nervous enough to be standing in front of a whole crowd of people.

But when they're asking you questions, you don't want to be, "Uh...

I don't know.

Uh..." So when I'm studying, I'm looking like "Ooh, ooh!"

I'm thinking not just of the material that I'm learning;

I'm thinking of what questions somebody might ask me on the material

that I'm learning, because I've really got to know.

And I'm like, "Man, if I'm standing in front of the room -- and I've never set this up before --

I can't explain to people how to set this up," so I'm doing it, I'm testing out everything.

So, I'm encouraging you: have that mindset because I've tried studying

without that mindset, and it doesn't work.

I tried to learn VMware.

I really wanted to learn VMware, because Cisco's so partnered with them.

But I wasn't planning on teaching a classroom.

I'm just like, "Man, I really wanted to learn how to work at VMware."

So, I got the book.

It's funny, I say that.

I'm turning around like "Where is it?"

Like, "There it is, right on my shelf!"

And that has been where it's been.

You know, I try, I'm sitting in bed.

I'm doing the nod thing.

"Oh... I'll study that more tomorrow."

It totally is not motivating to be an absorber.

You are not an absorber; you are a teacher.

So, you're going to teach somebody.

And even better if you can find somebody to teach it to.

Get married if you're not married.

You know; your spouse makes a great student.

So, absolutely.

Last nugget I recorded was on building a lab environment --

I really encourage you to do that.

I suggest, at this level, doing the physical gear, having that in front of you,

whether you want to set up a call manager that's CUCM, Cisco Unified Communication Manager,

if you're doing Voice Over or whatever -- assemble your own world and set it up.

Route your internet connection.

Last night I mentioned enough on that; it's a hugely valuable thing.

Gauge your level of knowledge.

There are three levels of knowledge that I would say you can have for topic.

Can you describe it?

Can I explain to somebody what VLANs are, for example?

Can I configure it -- meaning okay, I know what it is and I can set it up pretty proficiently --

or can I go beyond, you know, doing the step by step of like VLAN5 name, sales.

You know, doing the step by step configuration.

Do I actually know how to troubleshoot it?

That, I would say, is the ultimate level of knowledge.

Because now I know not only how to configure it, but also know where to look

if things are going wrong, and all the show commands.

So, gauge your level of knowledge for each one of those things.

Now, I will tell you -- I'm not saying you have to be at this level

on every single topic before you take the exam --

but I would say the more you can know the better.

And you know going in what your weak spots are.

I have not passed every exam the first time.

I would say, by far, not passed every exam the first time.

It's a great feeling when you do.

Even if you scrape by, you're like, "Whoo, I passed!"

But I will say that, if you go in and don't know what level of knowledge you have,

if you miss the exam, you're going to walk out having that feeling

of like throw the people the papers in the air.

"I don't even know what to study, I don't know."

But if you pre-gauge yourself, you know, print out that exam objective list, you say, "Okay.

Describing common networking applications," well, you can't configure that one --

something you can configure somewhere in that area.

Enable NAT.

"Okay, I'm good.

I feel good about enabling NAT: I can describe it, I can configure it,

and I even know how to troubleshoot it."

That way, if I come out, I know what level I'm at on each one of these topics.

So, this one: stick to the day, schedule study time.

I wish that view [phonetic] would change the policy for everybody, including me,

that allows you to reschedule the exams, because it becomes a someday thing.

My wife and I always joke.

We drive around the city, and Wells Fargo has this billboard "Someday" campaign

where all these dreamy-looking people are up there like, "Oh, someday, I'll own a car."

"Someday, I'll take a vacation."

Like implying, like if you bank at Wells Fargo, you just magically get all these stuff.

So, if you reschedule the exams, it becomes one of those "Oh someday, I'll take that test."

But, oh! The job -- work a couple of extra hours, and then the kids.

Oh. we took a vacation.

Oh! Now, I forgot the stuff; I've got to study again.

You just keep bumping the exam, and you never end up taking it.

So, when you set the date, stick to that.

I mean, even if it hurts.

Like, schedule it two weeks out, budget your time.

If you're getting there, "Oh, I'm not ready!"

I mean, put the pressure on.

Don't reschedule it.

Stay up late, 2:00 AM and keep studying.

Get there to where you do the exam.

And I'm telling you -- from myself, because I get lazy too.

If I know, "Ah, I'm just going to bump the exam next week.

I'll do it.

I'll get to it.

I'll get to it" You know, it's the end.

You'll never get to it.

Practice exams.

A lot of people say, "Should I go buy practice exams?"

If you got them -- maybe you bought a package or something, and they came with it or something

like that -- but they're so expensive.

I'm more of the opinion of like, "Yeah, you know what?

Go take the exam, and they're some great practice because, it's about the same price

as the practice exams that are out there."

So, if you got them, sure.

Use them. They're definitely a great way to test your knowledge -- that's great.

But I wouldn't go out and invest a lot of money in them.

At least that's my opinion on it.

Last one. These exams are tough, I've told you.

It's... a painful process at times, to go through these exams.

You will kick the dog.

You will be upset.

You'll yell at people on the freeway on the way home if you ever miss on the exam.

It is a very disappointing experience.

But it's kind of like, "You know what, it happens to everybody."

There are people that are like, "Hey, I passed the exam, first time!"

And I'm like, "Oh, that's good."

And, it really is a great feeling if you pass the exam the first time, but not everybody does.

And I want to make sure that I explain to you that it's geared that way.

When Cisco creates the scores, the passing scores of these exams, they do it on a curve.

Like, if they suddenly realize, "Whoa!

Everybody's passing the exam," you're going to see that score going up, up, up.

Cisco has a mark.

They're like, "We have to have a certain number of people fail this exam."

Because you know what, otherwise, it's not a valuable certification.

It's too easy.

Everybody's just able to wing past it.

So, know that these are very difficult exams.

With all that being said, I'd like to wish you good luck and Godspeed

in this Cisco exam, and your entire Cisco career.

I hope this has been informative for you, and I'd like to thank you for viewing.