How to prepare for IT Certification exams

Generally speaking, what are the best resources to use when studying for your certification exams? This quick guide to study will help you organize your thoughts and decide what resources to use when preparing. We have considered various factors including your budgetary constraints as well as the amount of time you can devote towards training for IT Certifications.

Case I: You are quite comfortable with the technology in question and you have some finances to spare

Being comfortable with the technology you do not require hand holding class room sessions. You can do really well with online training such as that provided by Hyperlessons.com. This not only has authorized courseware but also provides expert chat sessions to clarify your doubts, virtual labs for hands-on practice as well as practice tests from Brainbench. To get more exam tips from other fellow learners you can supplement your learning by frequenting forums such as Microsoft, Cisco, Sun, Oracle, ProProfs. Top this up with authorized practice tests from MeasureUp (authorized by Microsoft) and you are on strong footing. If online learning is not your cup of tea, go in for O’Reilly and Amazon to purchase books on IT Certifications. Books are relatively cheap and some are specifically geared towards examination preparation. One piece of advice here would be to use authorized courses as these are updated constantly and with these you can never go wrong.

Case II: You are NOT comfortable with the technology

Here the recommendation would be combine some online learning with instructor led classes such as those from NIIT. For students outside India there are other instructor led training options available. Also, there are options such as video lectures offered by players such as Testout. This combination ensures clarity in concepts and helps you succeed with certainty. All supplements help – for example, knowledge gained through forums, mock tests etc.
After learning online or from books depending on your preference it is advisable to keep abreast of exam changes by visiting popular forums for certification preparation, maintained by top experts & certified people, Hyperlessons, Microsoft, Cisco, Sun, Oracle, ProProfs. There are some general forums also like Cert Guard. Several sites offer chat rooms geared towards helping students with their certifications. Visit these chat rooms, Microsoft chat rooms, Hyperlessons, Cisco and Test Out.
Supplement these with authorized mock tests and you are prepared to take on the certification exams!
It is always important to keep abreast with general knowledge on IT Certifications. You can have these on general certification forums where experts and fellow learners share their knowledge on certifications. Handy links to some common ones are here - Cert Cities, ProProfs

Following the steps above with concentration and honesty will ensure that you do well on the D-Day. A general advice – never reply on brain dumps. First and most important, it does not lead to actual skill development and second you can be deceived (more often than not) when questions you have mugged up do not appear.