Be sure to READ every word in the question carefully. Many
people have missed questions simply because they didn’t slow down enough
to read the whole question. The word “not” in a question can change
the whole meaning. For example: You read, “What is the best way
to...” The actual question was “What is NOT the best way
to...” See the difference?
Spend time playing with the various web based tools. Know the
screen components and which links to click on to perform the various tasks. You
may have questions with “hot spot graphics” that require you to
place an “X” with your mouse on the correct link for performing a
specific task, such as configuring iFolder or monitoring the health of your
server. You must know where to find things.
Know the order that a sequence of events takes place, as you
may get questions where you have to click and drag events from one side of a
frame and drop them in order on the other side. You may also have the same type
of question where you will be asked to match up a component with a
definition.
Know the common Login Script commands and variables and learn
their syntax.
Other questions will be multiple choice with a single answer
(some times you may have to select the “best” answer). There will
be multiple choice with several correct answers. Be sure to pay attention to
how many you need to select. You don’t get part marks for getting a
portion of a question correct, like we did back in high school.
With fill in the blank questions, be sure of your spelling!
If you misspell a word you’ll get the question wrong. If you were to get
a question similar to this: “What is the command to run the MONITOR.NLM
at the server console?”, acceptable responses would be any one of the
following: MONITOR, LOAD MONITOR, MONITOR.NLM, LOAD MONITOR.NLM or any one of
the previous answers in lower case. The exam does not care what case you type
your answers in unless the command itself is case sensitive when you use it.
For example, in login scripts, anything that uses a % sign must be in caps...
“%LOGIN_NAME”. If you typed “%login_name”, your answer
would be incorrect.
Under the CramSession Resources link, I’ve put some
links to locations on Novell’s site that explain HOW the exam works, what
type of questions to expect, etc. Read them! There are a lot of misconceptions
about exams out there. Reading this information will ensure that you’re
much more prepared.
If practice tests are available when you are ready to write
this exam, and this is your first certification exam, I recommend that you make
the investment. I have seen many people fail an exam the first time simply
because they didn’t know what to expect and how difficult they can be.
Novell recommends that for every hour you would spend in a classroom taking the
official course you should spend an additional two hours practicing and studying
before attempting to write. The
Foundations of Novell Networking course is five
days and includes several self-study modules not covered in the classroom. You
need to know both the material covered in the class AND the self-study modules
to pass the CNA exam.
A good practice test will show you what the real exam will be
like, what type of questions to expect, etc. It will not only
“teach” you how to take the test but will help you to determine if
you’re ready to take the real exam. Use the practice test AFTER you have
learned the material to test how well you know it. Many people have made the
mistake of using the practice test over and over until they have all the answers
memorized (see Cramsession’s Info Center article:
Before you use that exam simulator).
You can be sure that you will have many questions that WON’T be on the
practice test. If you haven’t spent the time learning all of the
objectives, chances are you will fail the exam.
Email this Article
Print this Article
