Study Tips

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I am sorry if this is not the correct place to post this. I am having a hard time with self study. I watch the videos which are great and read plenty of material but I seem to start one course such as Security+ which I am trying for then find myself watching other courses to get information for the Security + exam. Can anyone give me some self study tips. I am much better learner in the classroom but thats not an option. Thank you for any help.

This is a tough one because everyone learns differently. Personally I hate the classroom feel and I get nothing out of it. I have sat through many technical training sessions and the instructor is always just reading from a book and usually can't answer your questions. Here is what works for me.

I just successfully completed the CCNA course with ITPro.TV and got certified. In the past I have certified MCSE, also as a VMware VCP, Citrix, etc... Most of which were all self study. It is important to stay disciplined. You have to fight for time away and stay on target. Get the goal in your mind and continue training toward that goal.

Identify early when you get sidetracked and come back. As I go through a course I usually lab the commands right along with the instructor. It is extremely helpful for me to follow along with real equipment in front of me. This is becoming more and more difficult as cloud takes over, but still possible.

getting through a course for me usually takes MUCH longer than the standard run time because I closely note and following along with real equipment. I then come up with multiple real world scenarios and implement them with the real equipment in my lab. If you can't explain what you've learned to another person or in a blog, then you don't understand it. That is key, go back and continue to review until you get through this piece.

Once I get through the lab/note phase, I start pouring over practice exams.. For hours. If you want any hope of passing an exam, look through one or two practice exams in there entirety at least twice. You will start to know the answers before you read the questions. By the time you start to question the answers and can identify incorrect practice exam questions you know you are ready to test.

Regards,
Adam Tyler

@Brian-Mooney,

Self study with ITProTV requires you to do the same thing you do when you're in the classroom. The technique is a little different but the requirement is the same. Here's my recommendation, from 10+ years of Traditional Instructor Led Training....so take it with a grain of salt, I'm not the smartest guy here.

1. Set your goal date for the exam. Put that date in front of you. Download the Exam Objectives.
2. Study each day by doing the following, do not skip! :

• Watch no more that 3 episodes per study session (1.5 hrs) at a time. this doesn't mean you must do 3. You may do a single episode (approx 30 minutes)

• 1st time through recordings, only write questions you have about the content. Concentrate on concepts you don't understand and write questions about that content. (Questions, not notes; skim over content you understand but focus on writing questions on concepts you don't understand (Who?, what?, where? when?,why? and how? (

• Try to answer questions using, the recordings, reading or even posting in the forum.

• Any time you can use the practice lab to reinforce the content, do! Make sure you understand why you do what you're doing. Ask questions here if you're not sure,

• When you complete a domain objective (e.g. 1.0 General security for example) then review all the concepts and mark the concepts you still do not understand. Review those more (repetition) often look at your answers to the questions you have on them.

Get started with this and let me know if I can help you more.

@Ronnie-Wong said in Study Tips:

@Brian-Mooney,

Self study with ITProTV requires you to do the same thing you do when you're in the classroom. The technique is a little different but the requirement is the same. Here's my recommendation, from 10+ years of Traditional Instructor Led Training....so take it with a grain of salt, I'm not the smartest guy here.

1. Set your goal date for the exam. Put that date in front of you. Download the Exam Objectives.
2. Study each day by doing the following, do not skip! :

• Watch no more that 3 episodes per study session (1.5 hrs) at a time. this doesn't mean you must do 3. You may do a single episode (approx 30 minutes)

• 1st time through recordings, only write questions you have about the content. Concentrate on concepts you don't understand and write questions about that content. (Questions, not notes; skim over content you understand but focus on writing questions on concepts you don't understand (Who?, what?, where? when?,why? and how? (

• Try to answer questions using, the recordings, reading or even posting in the forum.

• Any time you can use the practice lab to reinforce the content, do! Make sure you understand why you do what you're doing. Ask questions here if you're not sure,

• When you complete a domain objective (e.g. 1.0 General security for example) then review all the concepts and mark the concepts you still do not understand. Review those more (repetition) often look at your answers to the questions you have on them.

Get started with this and let me know if I can help you more.

I will try this. I have a habit of writing notes on first watch.

@Jae,

I understand. The unusual thing about doing that is that you never keep the train of thought going as you're doing this. It's a watch. let me write that down and watch again.

Good study habits especially with this asynchronous delivery require "flow" for lack of a better word. The cool thing is, you'll never lose anything that was said or explained. You've go to train yourself absorb, let it flow until you have a question about something. Then write the question and only the question. This will allow your mind to "naturally" pause and think where it needs to while you continue with a solid habits to absorb and not pause "just to write a note."