Apologies folks - this is a rewrite based on popular demand - I received comments weekly that the links were broken - sadly - this article had become so old that I know longer had the right to edit it. So here's the slightly updated version - with corrected links... Just in Time for K17!
Shhh! Don't tell anyone that I'm about to give you the secrets to the Certification. Just like in the old days — you know, in school, when you would write… really, really tiny answers on your thumb.
Here's the thing: By the time you got all the right stuff small enough to fit on your thumbnail, I'll bet you two Phil Collins Mix Tapes that you probably didn't need to check it...
Here's the point:
- Even if you memorized every test question we've ever written like Lazlo Hollyfeld, you're still studying!
- Rather than avoid it, embrace it! And while you're studying, get something more than just that piece of paper.
Interested? Well, here now, for just you, my favorite readers (of this article anyway), are the real, inside tips for prepping either of the certifications:
First, there's a sort of cheat sheet(s) already out there on the ServiceNow Website:
In fact, almost any "high stakes" (test you pay to take) certification has this - a "blueprint" specifying what the certification is testing for.
Now the irony here is that a search for "ServiceNow Certification Test Answers" will yield several additional websites with very promising titles — and some may charge you… For the EXACT SAME PDF. Keep in mind:
- Part of the challenge is finding where to look - "here let me google that for you" only works if you know what to ask (and you, lucky reader, know what to ask…)
- Outside resources (like brain-dumps, or test banks) can sometimes be useful (yeah, I said that) as PART of your prep BUT
- User (more likely buyer) beware of the accuracy of the test questions, and / or the answers - studying questions from a list can just as easily hurt (if they are not current or accurate)
- At the end of the day they don't tend to put you any farther along in the "community" component of ServiceNow platform, which is probably the more valuable component
- Another part of the challenge is that 4 or 5 pages of exam blueprint can be more intimidating than a list of sample questions, but looking over a whole test blueprint document can give you a better idea about what is important to hirer's, professional service people, developers, support engineers - in other words, the community you will be working with (who are actually the people that contribute to the blueprint...)
Here's how to use those PDF's to actually prepare:
- Use the table in each PDF to figure out how the questions are weighted (PSST! That will also tell you what SKILLS we value in the SN community)
- Look in the training manuals for those test areas (what? You say you don't have a training manual? Haven't taken the class? Look HERE).
- Now about the sample questions… (Yup, there are sample questions).
- People look at sample questions and leap to the answer key. DON'T.
- Look at the sample questions themselves. Do you know them without looking at the multiple choices? You are on the right track. Don't have a clue? You need to study in the Training Manual or Wiki or Community.
- Now — Finally -look at the questions as a whole. What do you know? Did you answer all of them without a sweat? Or did you struggle? Based on this you know where to study, and how ready you are overall.
OK — so that's it? Download the PDF, study, and call it done?
Heck no! Here's the REAL super-secret Certification Sauce: Communitize.
Find a buddy, or several buddies to prep with. Do it through our community or use your own, but don't be afraid to meet, post, and look for new people. This is perhaps the most important and most over-looked study tip. Here's why:
- At the end of the day, Certification is just a static tool to help you validate your skill — for hiring, or collaborating — for just one area, at just one time.
- Being an active part of a community is a dynamic tool that covers a broader area and timeframe — in fact it's always evolving - just as you are…
Joining up with people outside your organization will help more than passing a test — it will give you a network of people that share background, and goals that extend well beyond the test. Here are some other thoughts about this community strategy:
- Schedule regular meetings (phone-calls, Google Hangouts, etc.). Thirty minutes once a week is manage-able by almost everyone, and creates accountability.
- Between meetings schedule action items for all participants (again, accountability). This way, meetings have goals and outcomes. Some ideas:
- Pick 1 test area per meeting.
- Assign participants to make "practice test questions" with book / wiki reference answers.
- Hold a meeting where the goal is to schedule the test.
- Don't quit at the test! Hold a meeting after to discuss the test, what you would study differently, and What certification or learning to tackle next.
Does this seem like a lot of work and time? Absolutely it is - but:
- It's not really any more time than you'll spend hunting down "brain dumps" and test questions — any more than writing really tiny on your thumb-nail.
- It's not really about the certification — it's about demonstrating learning and becoming a part of a community that collaborates, innovates and works (or stays working in this economy, which is a great thing).
Now time to throw some Link-Love:
Certified System Administrator - Test BluePrint / Overview
Certified Implementation Specialist - Test BluePrint / Overview
Certified Application Developer - Test BluePrint / Overview
Another Great Article - A One Stop-Shop of links and information by pradeepksharma
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