Appendix A¶
Lessons Learned¶
Know DEVASC Exam Topics Well¶
Success with the product-specific exam topics rely on the skills you develop during study for the Cisco DevNet Associate Exam. The DevNet Associate exam topics have many similarities with Section 1.0 of the DCAUTO exam topics. If you get comfortable with these foundational topics, you will have a much easier time studying the product-specific topics.
Pay Attention to Taxonomy¶
Pay close attention to the taxonomy of each exam topic, to focus your study energy in the right place. For example, if an exam topic has the taxonomy "Describe..." versus "Construct...," you should probably spend more time reading about the "Describe" topic and more hands-on time with the "Construct" topic. This technique helps maximize the time you spend studying.
Study With Someone Else¶
Another point-of-view can go a long way to drive a deeper understanding of each exam topic. When you study with someone else or with a group, each person will problem-solve differently. All of these approaches allow you to share great resources or even nuggets of information that can help you make sense of something you aren't sure about, didn't understand as well as you thought you did, or even help you realize you overlooked something in your study plan.
Studying with someone else has another great benefit...it keeps you accountable. We found we were far more likely to commit time to learn something or set up a lab resource when we knew someone else counted on us. There's also a healthy element of peer pressure that will help you avoid the trap of distractions, which could derail your study plan.
Pre-Identify All of your Hands-On Study Resources¶
Tracking down resources can consume an excessive amount of your study time without providing much of a benefit. While tempting, try to avoid diving right into topic study until you know which resources you plan to use for, at a minimum, a complete section and, at best, all of the exam topics.
Change Study Topics/Sections Frequently¶
Sections 2.0 (ACI), 3.0 (NX-OS), and 4.0 (UCS) each have very specific product focuses. A technique that helps us a lot is to focus 80% of our study time on one of these sections at a time and to also dedicate the other 20% to the other two topics. Why? Because it can be all-consuming to study for each of these sections! For example, it's frustrating and a waste of time to spend two or three weeks on Section 2.0, move to Section 3.0 and do the same thing, only to struggle to remember much of the Section 2.0 content by the end of your Section 3.0 study.
Instead, using the same example, study all of the Section 2.0 topics, move to Section 3.0, and set time aside while you study Section 3.0 topics, just to review your Section 2.0 notes or refresh your hands-on skills. You will retain information better this way and this practice will help you to better distinguish between the product-specific Python or SDK syntax, which has some similarities between products. That can be particularly helpful when you take an exam.
Reverse Plan a Study Schedule¶
When you schedule an exam, start planning a study schedule backward from that date, and give yourself plenty of extra time in case you need it. This strategy can help accomplish two things:
- Keep you from procrastinating...and then stressfully cramming.
- Help you resist the temptation to reschedule your exam to a later date.
This is definitely a "slow down to speed up" approach to study planning and the up-front time investment will save you a lot of stress and help you stay disciplined about your test preparation focus.
Avoid Taking Shortcuts¶
We strictly avoided any exam prep materials that compromise the integrity of the exam. We all know the ethics around those sorts of things, so there's no need to go into those details. From a purely practical point of view, you simply don't need that stuff. After having passed the DCAUTO exam, we are confident in saying that if you stick to the exam topics, you will learn the things that you need to know.
Treat Failure as Shameless Learning¶
Between us, we've failed A LOT of Cisco exams. We used to think a failed exam was a badge of shame, although, over many years, we learned that failing an exam is just a checkpoint on your certification journey. Sometimes life's changing circumstances don't allow you to study as much as you would like. We all learn different things at different paces, so don't kick yourself if someone you study with passes an exam before you or passes when you fail.
Neither of us have deep backgrounds in ACI, NX-OS, or UCS, so we approached our first attempt at the DCAUTO exam, intending to learn where our knowledge gaps are so that we could regroup for another try. In our specific case, after completing the exam, we both just happened to feel like we over-prepared a bit (which is not a complaint), and we were fortunate to pass on our first attempt. Going into the exam without extreme self-pressure to "do or die" allowed us to focus our study energy on learning instead of on simply passing the exam. We passed the exam as a result of our learning which feels pretty good...much better than it would feel to pass the exam and feel like we didn't learn anything.