When should you move on to the next test?
Posted: Tue Apr 07, 2015 3:39 pm
I have purposefully stayed away from taking the enthuware tests while studying (saving the best or hardest for last). 
I used it to study by section in my previous attempts at the exam and I believe, did myself a disservice because I ended up memorizing the answers vs. learning the concepts. After having read, re-read, and taken the self test and practice exams provided in the K&B study guide, I felt ready to take on an enthuware test to gauge my knowledge.
I took the Starter test, and on my first attempt scored a 56%. It's well below the average and kind of shook my confidence a little. I did find 3 or 4 questions that I knew the correct answer to and for some reason either inadvertently picked the wrong one. I did treat the exam as if it were the real deal and quit when time was up (I realized this exam was shy of the actual number of questions on the exam). I didn't thoroughly review all of the questions before running out of time or I may have spotted the selection error (once again, I'm treating it like a real exam and I know you don't get a second chance when it's over so that's on me).
I spent a day coding and reading about the questions I missed and sat down and took the exam again. On this time around, I scored 95%. I know that's not going to be an accurate reflection of my score on the real exam. My question is, should I move on to the next exam or continue studying?
I have literally memorized all of the two minute drills in the 6 chapters of the K&B book dedicated to the OCA exam (If the test were fill in the blank, I'd smoke through it). I feel that what I need most is practice recognizing the principles in code (especially code written to confuse you). I have been practicing writing the code but it's hard write code to test you knowledge. Any suggestions?
I used it to study by section in my previous attempts at the exam and I believe, did myself a disservice because I ended up memorizing the answers vs. learning the concepts. After having read, re-read, and taken the self test and practice exams provided in the K&B study guide, I felt ready to take on an enthuware test to gauge my knowledge. I took the Starter test, and on my first attempt scored a 56%. It's well below the average and kind of shook my confidence a little. I did find 3 or 4 questions that I knew the correct answer to and for some reason either inadvertently picked the wrong one. I did treat the exam as if it were the real deal and quit when time was up (I realized this exam was shy of the actual number of questions on the exam). I didn't thoroughly review all of the questions before running out of time or I may have spotted the selection error (once again, I'm treating it like a real exam and I know you don't get a second chance when it's over so that's on me).
I spent a day coding and reading about the questions I missed and sat down and took the exam again. On this time around, I scored 95%. I know that's not going to be an accurate reflection of my score on the real exam. My question is, should I move on to the next exam or continue studying?
I have literally memorized all of the two minute drills in the 6 chapters of the K&B book dedicated to the OCA exam (If the test were fill in the blank, I'd smoke through it). I feel that what I need most is practice recognizing the principles in code (especially code written to confuse you). I have been practicing writing the code but it's hard write code to test you knowledge. Any suggestions?