For those of you who are IT professionals, acquiring certifications is a significant achievement in your professional career. Certifications validate your expertise, support your current role and areas of responsibilities, and open doors to new career opportunities. However, acquiring certifications involves taking an exam and, for some, that can feel daunting – especially for adults who have been away from formal education for a long while. But, not to worry! If you prepare yourself well and follow some simple techniques, exams don’t have to be an unpleasant experience (really!).
Following the guidance below should lower your stress and anxiety and may also mean the difference between a pass or failure, or a low mark versus a higher one.
Don’t Wait Too Long to Take the Exam
After completing the course, take the exam as soon as you can after your learning experience. Some exam institutes and training providers give you many months after you take a course to write the exam. But here’s something important to keep in mind: The longer you wait, the more likely you’ll forget the information you’ve learned during the course. Research proves it! Take your exam as soon as you feel reasonably prepared so as to keep the information fresh in your mind. Much research has been done on “learning and forgetting”. Here are some interesting statistics:
Learners will rapidly lose their memory of learned knowledge in a matter of days or weeks unless the information is consciously reviewed. Some studies suggest that humans forget approximately 50% of new information within an hour of learning it – that goes up to an average of 70% within 24 hours
Within 30 days, we forget up to 90% of what we learned
PDC strongly recommends you take the exam no more than a few days following your course
Pay Attention during the Course and Be Totally Engaged
Commit yourself fully to listening and processing the new information for the duration of the course. This means you should:
Not do other work or email during the course
Not text with friends, loved ones, or colleagues
Always pay attention to the instructor and what he/she emphasizes – especially if a statement is made something like, “this is probably on the exam”
Participate fully in practice exams or questions that are included in exercises; if you don’t understand an answer (or question!), speak up
Take notes. Not only will this help you during your review but writing and listening together work hand-in-hand to further reinforce and cement new knowledge
Study the official exam objectives or the syllabus provided by the exam institute or training organization to understand what will be covered; this helps you focus your study efforts on the most relevant areas
Review Study Materials
Many training organizations provide supplementary materials in addition to the presentation/slides presented by the facilitator. Go over these study materials because these resources are tailored to the exam content and also often provide further background education to further cement new knowledge.
Take the Sample/Mock Exam
Practicing with the sample exam questions is a good way to familiarize yourself with the format and type of questions that will be on the exam. This helps reduce anxiety and improve your test-taking skills. But be realistic about the differences between taking a mock exam and the real one:
Mock exams are not stressful because you are not in a real exam-taking environment.
Many times the mock exam and sample questions are facilitated by the trainer and again, this is not like a real exam situation.
To truly practice the exam, create a situation that is as close to the actual proctored exam as possible. Start a timer and give yourself the same amount of time to answer the same number of questions that will be on the exam. No looking at reference materials for answers. No “phone a friend”. No sending an email or text to someone to ask for help. No going to the kitchen to get a drink. No breaks. No nothing. Answer the questions as best you can in the time that will be provided by the exam institute. Mark your answers and, for those answers you got wrong, learn the right answers.
Make sure you learn the new ‘language’. This may be hard if you’ve been using certain words and expressions for many years and find the new knowledge embraces unusual language or even recognizable words but with different meanings. Put your ego and experience aside, and study the words and phraseology used in the course.
Familiarize Yourself Fully with All Exam Requirements
These days, most exams are proctored online and are stressful to some because of the very strict rules that are imposed. Before you take the exam and to ensure a smooth, stress-free process,familiarize yourself fully with all rules and requirements – technical and otherwise:
Many training organizations partner with an online exam provider, so make sure you are aware of what is involved in scheduling and taking your exam.
Don’t wait until the last minute to schedule your exam – not only for the sake of not forgetting what you’ve learned – but also to make sure you schedule your exam before your timeline expires. Don’t wait until the last minute because if you fail the exam and need a retake, and, if your timeline has expired, you will most likely have to purchase another exam.
Make sure you know all the technical requirements and, if you do not meet all requirements, address these beforehand. Don’t wait until the last minute in case you run into technical issues.
Have your required ID ready and make sure it is in the same name that you used for the course with your training organization.
By following these tips, you can enhance your preparation and strengthen your confidence to lead to a better performance on your certification exam.
For a deeper dive into these strategies, watch the recorded webinar, 5 Easy Steps for Passing Certification Exams, below. It explores the steps in greater detail and features insights from industry experts David Ratcliffe, President of Pink Elephant, and Felipe Villegas, Managing Director of Professional Designations.