Common Exam Pitfalls and How to Overcome Them

[precious]

CompTIA examinations can indeed be tough, particularly to those who are fresh. There are many students who are not good at managing time, while there are others who simply try too hard to figure out performance-based questions.

As instructors, let’s share tips to help our learners prepare effectively, control anxiety and have a go at the examination.

 

[Jose A Ruiz Marquez]

1. Problem Based Scenarios: create a Packet Tracer file with configuration errors for them to fix. Stuff that aligns with the exam objectives.
2. Practice as many questions as possible, maybe 10-15 every day during class and 10-15 at home.
3. Case studies that align with objectives, now with AI you can get something like objective 1.4 from Network+ (Given a scenario, configure a subnet and use appropriate IP addressing schemes) and create a good scenario for them to create the subnet, assign IP's, see what works and what does not.

In my case for the stress the first thing I tell them is that we live in Puerto Rico, CompTIA doesn't consider us as native English speakers, so make sure you get the extra 30 minutes extension on the exam (this doesn't apply to the States) . Also, when I give them full practice exams (70 questions give or take) I subtract 15 minutes from the original 90 minutes allotted. This way they practice for a 75 minute exam and get the real thing with 120 minutes. In the end, they go in knowing that time will not be the determining factor of stress. Also sometimes I build questions with AI that are on levels 4 to 6 of the Boom taxonomy scale, resulting on some questions way harder than on the real exam.

 

[Gregory Childers]

My advice starts before they start studying or taking courses.

READ THE RECOMMENDED PREREQUISITES.

So many students sign up for classes where they have little to no experience, skills, or preparation.

For example, I lost track of how many times I had students sign up for CySA+ with no cybersecurity experience or IT experience at all. They wanted a job in cybersecurity because they heard it had high salaries, low unemployment, and upward mobility. Salespeople and marketing departments sold them on the idea that with just a few boot camps, they would instantly become employable in mid-career cybersecurity roles.

It doesn't work that way. It never has and never will. People have to start at the bottom and build the foundation first.

The recommended prerequisites for CySA+ are Network+, Security+, or equivalent knowledge, and a minimum of 4 years of hands-on experience as an incident response analyst or security operations center (SOC) analyst, or equivalent experience. It's fairly common to have students that meet few or none of those recommendations. They can only pass the exam through exhaustive test prep, memorization, and practice exams.

But they don't learn anything. Memorization isn't learning. They can't apply any of the information or skills and struggle with the PBQs because they can't USE the information they've memorized.

Read the recommended prerequisites. If you don't meet the recommendations, you're not ready for the class. The purpose of the certification is to validate your skills and experience. It was never meant to be a shortcut so you can get jobs you haven't earned.

 

[precious]

1. Problem Based Scenarios: create a Packet Tracer file with configuration errors for them to fix. Stuff that aligns with the exam objectives.
2. Practice as many questions as possible, maybe 10-15 every day during class and 10-15 at home.
3. Case studies that align with objectives, now with AI you can get something like objective 1.4 from Network+ (Given a scenario, configure a subnet and use appropriate IP addressing schemes) and create a good scenario for them to create the subnet, assign IP's, see what works and what does not.

In my case for the stress the first thing I tell them is that we live in Puerto Rico, CompTIA doesn't consider us as native English speakers, so make sure you get the extra 30 minutes extension on the exam (this doesn't apply to the States) . Also, when I give them full practice exams (70 questions give or take) I subtract 15 minutes from the original 90 minutes allotted. This way they practice for a 75 minute exam and get the real thing with 120 minutes. In the end, they go in knowing that time will not be the determining factor of stress. Also sometimes I build questions with AI that are on levels 4 to 6 of the Boom taxonomy scale, resulting on some questions way harder than on the real exam.

These are brilliant strategies—thank you for sharing! I love the use of Packet Tracer for troubleshooting, the time management tip with practice exams, and the idea of creating higher-level AI-generated questions. Definitely inspired to try these out!

 

[precious]

My advice starts before they start studying or taking courses.

READ THE RECOMMENDED PREREQUISITES.

So many students sign up for classes where they have little to no experience, skills, or preparation.

For example, I lost track of how many times I had students sign up for CySA+ with no cybersecurity experience or IT experience at all. They wanted a job in cybersecurity because they heard it had high salaries, low unemployment, and upward mobility. Salespeople and marketing departments sold them on the idea that with just a few boot camps, they would instantly become employable in mid-career cybersecurity roles.

It doesn't work that way. It never has and never will. People have to start at the bottom and build the foundation first.

The recommended prerequisites for CySA+ are Network+, Security+, or equivalent knowledge, and a minimum of 4 years of hands-on experience as an incident response analyst or security operations center (SOC) analyst, or equivalent experience. It's fairly common to have students that meet few or none of those recommendations. They can only pass the exam through exhaustive test prep, memorization, and practice exams.

But they don't learn anything. Memorization isn't learning. They can't apply any of the information or skills and struggle with the PBQs because they can't USE the information they've memorized.

Read the recommended prerequisites. If you don't meet the recommendations, you're not ready for the class. The purpose of the certification is to validate your skills and experience. It was never meant to be a shortcut so you can get jobs you haven't earned.

This is a crucial point—thank you for bringing it to attention. Bypassing essential knowledge results in a pattern of rote memorization without genuine comprehension, ultimately letting students down. Beginning with the necessary prerequisites is essential for substantial learning and achieving success in this area.

 

[jarrelrivera]

CompTIA examinations can indeed be tough, particularly to those who are fresh. There are many students who are not good at managing time, while there are others who simply try too hard to figure out performance-based questions.

As instructors, let’s share tips to help our learners prepare effectively, control anxiety and have a go at the examination.

The first 10 questions include PBQs and the hard ones. Flag them for review, skip, then find the easier ones first.
This will help the student build their confidence and the momentum to continue on.

Got a question that you are unsure of? Or perhaps, the scenario is too long to read and comprehend. Flag it for review, then move on.
I typically advise my students not to spend a minute on 1 question alone.
There are 80+ questions with only 90 minutes or so.

Once they get to read all questions and answered the easy ones, spend the rest of the time to answer the remaining questions, and review all of their answers over and over again. They are given with the time. Use it fully.

I don't like it when students finish the exam with about an hour of time left, and they fail. Fortunately, none of my students had this experience. Co'z this means that they either rushed the exam, or they gave up. Sadly, I hear lots of stories like this.

The day before the exam, they should just relax. They have prepared for weeks or months. They now just have to trust that they are competent enough to pass. Sleep well. Eat well. In this way, their body and mind are prepared for the battle ahead.

I hope this helps.

 

[precious]

The first 10 questions include PBQs and the hard ones. Flag them for review, skip, then find the easier ones first.
This will help the student build their confidence and the momentum to continue on.

Got a question that you are unsure of? Or perhaps, the scenario is too long to read and comprehend. Flag it for review, then move on.
I typically advise my students not to spend a minute on 1 question alone.
There are 80+ questions with only 90 minutes or so.

Once they get to read all questions and answered the easy ones, spend the rest of the time to answer the remaining questions, and review all of their answers over and over again. They are given with the time. Use it fully.

I don't like it when students finish the exam with about an hour of time left, and they fail. Fortunately, none of my students had this experience. Co'z this means that they either rushed the exam, or they gave up. Sadly, I hear lots of stories like this.

The day before the exam, they should just relax. They have prepared for weeks or months. They now just have to trust that they are competent enough to pass. Sleep well. Eat well. In this way, their body and mind are prepared for the battle ahead.

I hope this helps.

Yes it helps, these are antastic suggestions - thanks for sharing! Crying over the easy questions first to build up momentum as well as proper time management are both very practical aspects. Definitely that part of relaxing and trusting their preparation the day before is very critical too. Surely good tips for students and Instructors!