Accounting, Online Tuition, Private Tuition October 25, 2022

Tips to Prepare Yourself for the Exam

You’ve been studying hard and have done a lot of practice tests to prepare for the certification exam. In fact, you are so confident that you can pass it with flying colors. However, when the day comes and you sit in front of the computer screen to take the test, your confidence hits rock bottom. You suddenly feel nervous, and anxious and your mind goes blank.

Your confidence disappears as if somebody has just blown it away. To make matters worse, there is no second chance to take it again. If you fail this time around, you will have to wait another 6 months before re-applying for another attempt at the same certification test again. Now what? How can we increase our chances of passing on the first try?

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Build Up Your Confidence

The first step towards being prepared for any exam is building up your confidence. Confidence helps to ease your nerves and give you the extra boost needed to perform well in the exam. If you are confident about passing the exam, you won’t be as anxious. As a result, your nervous energy will be channeled towards a more productive cause. Without confidence, you are likely to crumble under pressure. You’ll be too anxious and nervous to perform well, and you’ll probably make silly mistakes that can be easily avoided.

You’ll also be more likely to give up if you’re not confident enough in your abilities. To build up your confidence you should:

Identify your weaknesses and strengths – this will help you set realistic goals and determine your study priorities.
Set mini-exams or quizzes during your study time – this will help you test your knowledge and identify weak areas that need more attention.
Practice some mock exams to get used to sitting for longer periods of time – this will help you get used to the computer screen and the certification testing interface.
Go for a walk or meditate to clear your thoughts – this will help you reduce stress, anxiety and improve your focus.
Eat a healthy balanced diet – this will help you have more energy and concentration.

Take a Mock Exam Before Hand

Taking a mock exam will help you get used to the testing interface, the type of questions and the number of questions that are likely to appear in the real exam. This will, in turn, help you identify your weak areas that need more attention. You can also use mock exam results to set realistic goals for your study time. If you have 10 days to study, you can use the mock exam results to determine how many days you should spend on each category.

This will help you to set a study schedule and see your progress as you move towards exam day. You should, therefore, take a mock exam as close to the real certification exam as possible. Use the same computer and internet connection that you will be using on the real exam. This will help you get used to the testing environment and the distractions that you will likely face in the real exam.

Don’t Go To The Exam Hungry Or Thirsty

Eating too much or too little can affect your focus and concentration. It can also cause you to feel sleepy, drowsy and forgetful. The blood flow to your brain will also be affected, which can cause a reduction in your short-term memory and a drop in your attention span. The blood flow to your brain is also reduced when you are thirsty.

This means that your brain will not receive enough oxygen and nutrients to function properly, which can cause you to feel groggy and tired. If you are hungry or thirsty, you will have less attention and concentration. You may make silly mistakes or have difficulty reading the questions. You may also rush through the exam, which can lead to missed questions.

Be Well Rested & Have A Good Sleep The Day Before

Being well rested and having a good night’s sleep the day before the exam will help you be relaxed and focused during the exam. It will also give you the energy you need to perform well in the exam. A lack of sleep or rest can result in feelings of stress, anxiety and fatigue. As a result, your attention span will be reduced and you will have difficulty focusing on the exam.

You may also make silly mistakes due to the lack of energy. It is recommended that you get at least 7-9 hours of sleep the night before the exam. This will give you enough time to finish the exam and give you enough energy to finish it. Avoid excessive activities on the day before the exam. You should also avoid stimulants such as caffeine, nicotine, and other drugs. These can keep you awake, but will not improve your performance.

Read The Question Several Times And Understand It Before Answering

Most certification questions are multiple-choice. This means that you have to select a correct answer from 4 possible answers. To maximize your chances of getting the question right, you must read the question several times and understand what the question is asking before answering. Mousing over the questions will reveal the question text. This will help you identify what type of question it is, what it is asking and the available options that you have to select from.

Ask for Help If You Need It

If you are struggling with a few questions or concepts, you should ask for help. You can ask for help from your study buddies, study groups or from your instructor. You can also e-mail the certification organization and ask for additional time or for some of the questions to be re-worded or re-phrased. The certification organization will understand that you are trying your best.

Don’t Be Your Own Worst Enemy

Sometimes we are our own worst enemies. We are too hard on ourselves and we set unrealistic expectations. This is especially true when it comes to exams. You may have been studying for months and you are confident enough that you can pass the exam with flying colors. Then, when the day comes and you sit in front of the computer screen to take the test, your confidence hits rock bottom.

You don’t know where to begin or how to start the exam. You may start sweating, your heart starts racing and your head feels like it is going to explode. This is when you need to calm down and relax. You can do this by taking a few deep breaths and visualizing yourself passing the exam with flying colors. You can also visualize yourself answering the questions correctly or reading the correct information from the screen.

Be Confident, Not Cocky

Although being confident is a good thing, being too confident can be dangerous. You may rush through the exam, not read the question fully or you may skip some questions because you are too confident that you can get them later. This can lead to missed questions or a failed exam. You are still human, and humans make mistakes. We are not perfect and we cannot expect ourselves to be perfect.

You may be confident that you can pass the exam, but you should also be humble at the same time. We should be confident enough to know our strengths and areas of weakness, but humble enough to know that we need to work on those areas that need improvement.

Don’t Just Rely On Your Memory

Even though you have been studying for months or even years, you mustn’t rely solely on your memory to pass the exam. This is because the certification exam has been designed to test your retention and understanding of the concepts. Your memory may fail you at this point and you may end up failing the exam. There are two ways of going about it.

First, you should create flashcards to quiz yourself on the key concepts. This will help you to recall the information better, especially when you are under pressure. Second, you should draw up a study plan and follow it closely. You should take at least a week or two to revise the concepts before the exam. This will ensure that you know the stuff inside out and backward.

Have A Small Celebration Before The Exam

Congratulations, you’ve come so far and now the certification exam is just around the corner. The next 7 days before the exam will be crucial as these are the last days you get to revise the last bits of information. The exam will consume all your time, leaving you with no time to celebrate your success. So before the exam, you should celebrate your pending success with a glass of champagne or a piece of chocolate.

This will help reduce the stress and anxiety associated with the exam. It will also give you a boost of confidence and energy needed to face the exam. Why not celebrate your success now and start the exam on a high note?

Prepare For Potential Questions

Apart from studying the concepts, you should also prepare for potential questions. Why potential questions? Because the questions asked in the exam are randomly selected from a large pool of questions. This means that the same concepts and topics can be asked in various ways. Here are a few tips to prepare for potential questions:

First, you should identify the key topics and concepts that will appear in the test.

Some of these topics are

Networking, Cloud computing, Security, SDLC, Technology selection, etc.

Next thing you should do is go through the various types of questions that are typically asked in the exam. Some of these questions are:

Multiple choice questions
Fill in the blanks, Drag and drop questions, Hot spot questions,
Match the following questions, etc.
You should also identify the most likely questions that can be asked in the exam.

This will help you to prepare for them better and increase your chances of passing it on the first attempt.

You should also identify the areas in which you are weak. This will help you prepare better for these areas.

Be Familiar With The Testing Environment

The environment where you take the exam is important. You should be well aware of the location, the number of computer stations, the software that you’ll be using and the time allocated to complete the exam (typically 90 minutes). If you are not sure about the exam environment, ask your certification provider about the exam environment.

If you are taking the exam at a test center, make sure that you arrive early enough to get acquainted with the surroundings. This will help reduce the stress associated with taking the exam in an unfamiliar environment. If you are comfortable, you can focus more on the exam and not get distracted by the environment.

Don’t Wait Until The Last Minute To Study

Wait a minute! You’ve been studying for months and now you should wait until the last minute to study? Yes, this is true. Why? Because it’s very easy to succumb to the pressure of finishing everything and just procrastinate. You keep putting off studying as there are many other more important things to do. You need to create a sense of urgency. You need to keep reminding yourself that the exam is just around the corner. This will help you increase your studying efforts and finish studying everything before the exam. Some of the things you can do to create a sense of urgency are:

Create a study calendar
Share your exam preparation status with friends and family
Set up a countdown timer
Sign up for exam alerts

Develop A Habit Of Breathing & Relaxation

Exam day is finally here! You have spent countless hours revising the concepts and now it is time to put everything that you’ve learnt to the test. Your confidence is high as you are well prepared for the exam. You are well aware of the various types of questions that can be asked and have also prepared for potential questions. You are familiar with the exam environment and have also created a sense of urgency for yourself. You are ready to take the exam and have even booked a seat for tomorrow’s exam.

What else do you need? You need to be relaxed on exam day. You should make sure that you are not under any undue stress or pressure. This will increase your chances of performing at your best. So how can you be relaxed on exam day? – You should make sure to get a good night’s sleep the night before the exam. It is easier to relax when you are well rested. – Stay away from distractions such as watching TV or surfing the internet for latest news. These can have a negative impact on your stress levels. – Eat a healthy and light meal before the exam.

Conclusion

This blog post covers 7 tips to help prepare yourself for the certification exam. Don’t just rely on your memory. Prepare for potential questions, be familiar with the testing environment, don’t wait until the last minute to study and develop a habit of breathing and relaxation. These tips will help you increase your chances of passing the exam on the first attempt.