Final Preparation - CompTIA Network+ N10-006 Cert Guide (2015)

CompTIA Network+ N10-006 Cert Guide (2015)

Chapter 14. Final Preparation

The first 13 chapters of this book cover the technologies, protocols, design concepts, and considerations regarding the CompTIA Network+ Exam (N10-006) exam. This chapter details a set of tools and a study plan to help you complete your preparation for the CompTIA Network+ Exam (N10-006) exam.

This short chapter has two main sections. The first section lists the exam-preparation tools. The second section lists a suggested study plan, now that you have completed all the earlier chapters in this book.

Tools for Final Preparation

This section lists some information about available study tools and how to access them.

Depending on the format and version of the book you have purchased, the digital resources associated with the book will be on a DVD (for the physical book) or will be delivered using the Internet for customers of the digital version of the book. Resources may include the following:

Image Interactive glossary flash card application

Image Interactive exam essentials appendix

Image Performance-based exercises

Image CompTIA Network+ Hands-on Lab Simulator

Image CompTIA Network+ Hands-on Lab Simulator Lite.

Pearson Cert Practice Test Engine and Questions on the DVD

The DVD in the back of this book includes the Pearson IT Certification Practice Test engine. Using the Pearson IT Certification Practice Test engine, you can either study by going through the questions in study mode or take a simulated CompTIA Network+ exam that mimics real exam conditions.

Installation of the test engine is a two-step process. The DVD in the back of this book has a copy of the Pearson IT Certification Practice Test engine. However, the practice exam (that is, the database of CompTIA Network+ exam questions) is not on the DVD.

For those who have purchased the standard edition digital products, you will be able to get access to all digital assets (videos, interactive glossary, interactive exam essentials appendix, and the CompTIA Network+ Hands-on Lab Simulator Lite software) by registering the product on our site. This registration requires you to answer a security question with data from the book to prove purchase. After registration, access to these digital assets will be available on the user’s account page on our site. Instructions for how to register and access these digital assets will be available on the last page of the eBook file.

Amazon Kindle purchasers will receive a download link to the practice test and a unique access code to unlock the standard practice test.

Customers who purchase the eBook directly from Pearson’s site (Premium Edition eBook and Practice Test) will receive three eBook files (PDF, EPUB, Kindle), access to additional exam banks (two extra over the standard edition), and enhanced practice test features.

Note

The cardboard DVD case in the back of the physical book includes the DVD and a piece of paper. The paper lists the activation code for the practice exam associated with this book. Keep the activation code. Also, on the opposite side of the paper from the activation code is a unique, one-time-use coupon code for the purchase of the CompTIA Network+ Cert Guide, Premium Edition eBook and Practice Test product.

Install the Software from the DVD

The Pearson IT Certification Practice Test is a Windows-only desktop application. You can run it on a Mac using a Windows virtual machine, but it was built specifically for a Windows platform. The minimum system requirements are as follows:

Image Windows XP (SP3), Windows Vista (SP2), or Windows 7

Image Microsoft .NET Framework 4.0 Client

Image Microsoft SQL Server Compact 4.0

Image Pentium-class 1 GHz processor (or equivalent)

Image 512 MB RAM

Image 650 MB disk space plus 50 MB for each downloaded practice exam

The software-installation process is similar to other wizard-based installation processes. If you have already installed the Pearson IT Certification Practice Test software from another Pearson product, you do not need to reinstall the software. Just launch the software on your desktop and proceed to activate the practice exam from this book by using the activation code included in the DVD sleeve. The following steps outline the installation process:

1. Insert the DVD into your PC.

2. The software that automatically runs is the Pearson IT Certification software to access and use all DVD-based features, including the exam engine, video training, and any DVD-only appendixes. From the main menu, click the option Install the Exam Engine.

3. Respond to the wizard-based prompts.

The installation process gives you the option to activate your exam with the activation code supplied on the paper in the DVD sleeve. This process requires that you establish a Pearson website login. You need this login to activate the exam, so please register when prompted. If you already have a Pearson website login, you do not need to register again; just use your existing login.

Activate and Download the Practice Exam

After the exam engine is installed, you should then activate the exam associated with this book (if you did not do so during the installation process), as follows:

1. Start the Pearson IT Certification Practice Test (PCPT) software from the Windows Start menu or from your desktop shortcut icon.

2. To activate and download the exam associated with this book, from the My Products or Tools tab, click the Activate button.

3. At the next screen, enter the activation key from the paper inside the cardboard DVD sleeve in the back of the book. Once entered, click the Activate button.

4. The activation process will download the practice exam. Click Next, and then click Finish.

After the activation process is complete, the My Products tab should list your new exam. If you do not see the exam, make sure that you selected the My Products tab on the menu. At this point, the software and practice exam are ready to use. Simply select the exam and click the Open Exam button.

To update an exam that you have already activated and downloaded, simply select the Tools tab and click the Update Products button. Updating your exams ensures that you have the latest changes and updates to the exam data.

If you want to check for updates to the Pearson Cert Practice Test exam engine software, simply select the Tools tab and click the Update Application button. This ensures that you are running the latest version of the exam engine.

Activating Other Exams

The exam-software installation process, and the registration process, only occurs once. Then, for each new exam, only a few steps are required. For example, if you buy another new Pearson IT Certification Cert Guide, extract the activation code from the DVD sleeve in the back of that book. (You do not even need the DVD at this point.) From there, all you have to do is start the exam engine (if it’s not still up and running), and perform Steps 2 through 4 from the previous list.

Premium Edition

In addition to the free practice exam provided on the enclosed DVD (or online for a digital version of the book), you can purchase additional exams with expanded functionality directly from Pearson IT Certification. The Premium Edition eBook and Practice Test for this title contains an additional two full practice exams and an eBook (in both PDF and EPUB formats). Also, the Premium Edition title has remediation for each question to the specific part of the eBook that relates to that question.

For those who purchased the print version of this title, you can purchase the Premium Edition at a deep discount. You’ll find a coupon code in the DVD sleeve that contains a one-time-use code and instructions for where you can purchase the Premium Edition.

To view the Premium Edition product page, go to the following website: http://www.pearsonitcertification.com/title/0134030273.

Video Training on DVD

The DVD enclosed in this book contains ten training videos that address a couple of the most misunderstood concepts in the CompTIA Network+ curriculum, specifically the OSI model and IP addressing. The videos, which you can access from the main menu of the DVD, include the following:

Image Video 1: Introduction to the OSI Model

Image Video 2: Layer 1—The Physical Layer

Image Video 3: Layer 2—The Data Link Layer

Image Video 4: Layer 3—The Network Layer

Image Video 5: Layer 4—The Transport Layer

Image Video 6: Layers 5–7—The Upper Layers

Image Video 7: IP Addressing—Part 1 (Binary Numbering Review)

Image Video 8: IP Addressing—Part 2 (Basic Subnetting)

Image Video 9: IP Addressing—Part 3 (Advanced Subnetting)

Image Video 10: IP Addressing—Part 4 (Introduction to IPv6)

These training videos are presented by Kevin Wallace.

Memory Tables

Like most Cert Guides from Pearson IT Certification, this book purposefully organizes information into tables and lists for easier study and review. Rereading these tables can prove very useful before the exam. However, it is easy to skim over the tables without paying attention to every detail, especially when you remember having seen the table’s contents when reading the chapter.

Instead of simply reading the tables in the various chapters, this book’s Appendixes D and E give you another review tool. Appendix D lists partially completed versions of many of the tables in this book. You can open Appendix D, which is a PDF on the accompanying DVD, and print the appendix. For review, you can attempt to complete the tables.

Appendix E, which is also a PDF on the DVD, lists the completed tables so that you can check your answers. You can also just refer to the tables as printed in the book.

Simulations and Performance-Based Exercises

You should practice all the simulations, performance-based exercises, and hands-on activities included as part of this book. The hands-on practice with these simulations will assist you in preparing for any simulations you may encounter in the certification exam and will help you learn skills that you can apply in a live environment.

End-of-Chapter Review Tools

Chapters 1–13 each have several features in the “Exam Preparation Tasks” and “Review Questions” sections at the end of the chapter. You might have already worked through these in each chapter. However, it can help to use these tools again as you make your final preparations for the exam.

Suggested Plan for Final Review and Study

This section lists a suggested study plan from the point at which you finish reading this book through Chapter 13, until you take the CompTIA Network+ exam. Certainly, you can ignore this plan, use it as is, or modify it to better meet your needs.

The plan uses five steps:

1. Review key topics: You can use the table at the end of each chapter that lists the key topics in each chapter, or just flip the pages looking for key topics.

2. Complete memory tables: Open Appendix D on the DVD and print the entire appendix. Then complete the tables.

3. Study “Review Questions” sections: Go through the “Review Questions” section at the end of each chapter to identify areas in which you need more study.

4. Use the Pearson Cert Practice Test engine to practice: You can use the Pearson IT Certification Practice Test engine on the enclosed DVD to study using a bank of unique exam-realistic questions available only with this book.

5. Use the simulations and performance-based exercises to practice: These exercises can help confirm your knowledge and how to apply that knowledge.

Earlier in this chapter, you read about the installation of the Pearson Cert Practice Test engine. The database of questions used by the engine was created specifically for this book. You can use the Pearson IT Certification Practice Test engine either in study mode or practice exam mode, as follows:

Image Study mode: Study mode is most useful when you want to use the questions for learning and practicing. In study mode, you can select options like randomizing the order of the questions and answers, automatically viewing answers to the questions as you go, testing on specific topics, and many other options.

Image Practice exam mode: Practice exam mode presents questions in a timed environment, providing you with an exam-realistic experience. It also restricts your ability to see your score as you progress through the exam and view answers to questions as you are taking the exam. These timed exams not only allow you to study for the actual CompTIA Network+ exam, but also help you simulate the time pressure that can occur during an actual exam.

When doing your final preparation, you can use study mode, practice exam mode, or both. However, after you have seen each question a few times, you tend to remember the questions, and the usefulness of the exam database might go down. So, consider the following options when using the exam engine:

Image Use the question database for review. Use study mode to study the questions by chapter, just as with the other final review steps listed in this chapter. Plan on getting another exam (possibly from the Premium Edition) if you want to take additional simulated exams.

Image Save the question database, not using it for review during your review of each part of this book. Save it until the end so that you will not have seen the questions before. Then, use practice exam mode to simulate the exam.

Picking the correct mode from the exam engine’s user interface is straightforward. The following steps show you how to move to the screen from which you can select study or practice exam mode:

1. Click the My Products tab if you are not already in that screen.

2. Select the exam you want to use from the list of available exams.

3. Click the Use button.

By taking these actions, the engine should display a window from which you can choose study mode or practice exam mode. When in study mode, you can further choose the book chapters, limiting the questions to those explained in the specified chapters of this book.

Strategies for Taking the Exam

1. Plan for and get a good night of rest the night before the exam. Also be sure to eat a good meal (breakfast or lunch) before the exam. Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated. Your mind will perform better when your body has what it needs.

2. Map out where the testing center is, and confirm that you know how to get there and how long it takes to get there.

3. Bring the proper identification required for the exam.

4. Plan to arrive 30 minutes before your exam time, anticipate the traffic, and adjust your plan accordingly. Take a few moments before signing in at the testing center to relax and take several healthy breaths to increase your ability to do well on the exam. You might want to use the restroom before the exam so that your focus can be in the correct place during the exam.

5. Manage your time in the exam. It is hard to answer a question correctly if you have run out of time and never see that question! If you have questions that you are unsure about, or if there is a simulation or lengthy question that may take several minutes, consider marking that question for review and come back to it after you have had an opportunity to answer the other questions. Often, other questions will refresh your memory and provide insight to questions that you have previously marked for review.

6. Smile at questions that are puzzling to you. The exam may be an opportunity to learn a couple new things, and smiling when you see a tricky question can assist you in staying positive while you continue to answer the other questions that you know. It is likely that you will want to mark the “puzzling” questions for review and come back to them.

Summary

The tools and suggestions listed in this chapter are designed with one goal in mind: to help you develop the skills required to pass the CompTIA Network+ exam. This book has been developed from the beginning to not just present you with a collection of facts, but to also help you learn how to apply those facts. Regardless of your experience level before reading this book, it is our hope that the broad range of preparation tools, and even the structure of the book, will help you pass the exam with ease. We wish you success in your exam and hope that our paths will cross again as you continue to grow in your networking career.