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EMC 20-001 - ISM certification, I made it!
Well, this morning it was time for my test. After the exam was moved from Monday to Tuesday and some weeks of preparation I finally passed the EMC information and storage management certification.
A big help was my ISM book, which in the picture still looks quite good:
The amount of markers doubled or tripled, and all sorts of stuff is highlighted inside the book. To sum it all up, I've been learning for this for a couple of weeks now and even so there were enough tough questions in the exam.
If I can recommend people to pick certain areas in the book to study, I would definitely go through the security chapter multiple times. Things like RAID or replication are not necessarily easy, but you can figure a lot out by just using logic or experience, but the security chapter is the one that was toughest for me to go through since some of the stuff covered is logical but you don't deal with it on a day to day basis (or perhaps you do, but were just not aware of it ).
Other then that I can just repeat from other chapters. Study, go through it multiple times, highlight stuff that sticks out (things in Italics, graphs, special attention boxes) and make notes of stuff covered in the book. Use the test exams from the education site and use the extra info/learning aids that is/are available to people who purchased the book, and you will be just fine!
Allen Ward
2.1K Posts
0
February 23rd, 2010 08:00
CONGRATULATIONS!!!
I did this (last year) the same way you did... lot's of on the job experience and the ISM book. I definitely would not have made it without the book though, and the security section was one of the big reasons. This is not something we deal with day to day so it requires more thought and study.
This wasn't my first certification in IT, but it definitely felt the best when I passed the exam. It was by far the most difficult "entry level" exam I've ever written.
lburns1
33 Posts
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February 23rd, 2010 09:00
Adding my congrats and thanks for the very thoughtful post on how best to prepare for this exam. I am taking the course next week with the intent to attempt the exam (A real stretch as I am not a technical person!!! Mostly want to experience what our Proven Professionals experience). I will follow your thoughts on how to leverage the book etc.
So what certification is next for you?
Liz
minksg
546 Posts
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February 23rd, 2010 09:00
michelle81
452 Posts
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February 23rd, 2010 09:00
Raayman
47 Posts
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February 24th, 2010 23:00
Thanks all. Oh, and here's an "after" picture of the book. Just to compare.
ldanakos
39 Posts
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March 4th, 2010 09:00
Again, Congrads!!
Also would like to say thanks for the pointers will keep them in mind when I finally go for my test.
anuj1986
24 Posts
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March 8th, 2010 09:00
Congrats....
Ogwella
2 Posts
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March 10th, 2010 00:00
hey, how long did it take you to prepare for the exam? am starting ma ISM training next week.
lburns1
33 Posts
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March 11th, 2010 05:00
I attended ISM training last week. One of my fellow students passed the test yesterday. He said that he read the ISM book before attending the class, studied the class material each night after class and than for two additional days after the class was over. He considered the test difficult and that he had not studied this much since getting out of collage. However, he did pass! Our instructor recommended about six to eight hours of study after taking the class.
I have not started studying yet - needed to get caught up with work stuff after being out for a week. However, plan to hit the books this week-end!
Regards,
Liz
Phukon
337 Posts
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March 29th, 2010 02:00
Hardwork pays and Congrats, you've done it!
Since you have cleared the first hurdle it is important to know that ISM Certification is a gateway to all the actual professional certifications from EMC. You may pursue various certifications based on your requirements.
All the details are in the following url:
http://education.emc.com/guest/certification/default.aspx
http://education.emc.com/guest/certification/default.aspx
lburns1
33 Posts
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March 29th, 2010 06:00
BIG Congrats and Welcome to EMC Proven. Are you on Twitter? Look for quick updates and other information @EMCProven.
stschuler
7 Posts
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March 30th, 2010 12:00
I would also suggest boning up on the storage systems section as well. The were several some finer details in there that I didn't anticipate showing up on the exam. Do make sure to cover disk drive performance and RAID levels well.
michelle81
452 Posts
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March 30th, 2010 12:00
Nightmares?!?!??!
I'd give myself a least another week to bask in the achievment of getting your Associate level certification!
Anonymous
5 Practitioner
5 Practitioner
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274.2K Posts
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March 30th, 2010 12:00
Congratulations to everyone : )
I also passed the ISM certification exactly 7 days ago; however, I did not have the luxury of reading the ISM book. In fact, I came to know about the book when filling out the feedback section at the end of the exam. My training was solely based on eLearning modules and work experience. I agree that section on security is difficult but I guess I did not find it that difficult due to the nature of data centers and procedures within, I have dealt with certain customers in recent past. It actually aligned and put in perspective of what I had been going through as a daily routine.
I am eyeing on Symmetrix Solutions Specialist track at the moment and already having nightmares :-p
michelle81
452 Posts
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March 30th, 2010 12:00
Wow! Yet another congratulations is in order!
Can you share more about your preparation experience to help others who are getting ready for the exam? How long did you study? Besides the security section, are there other sections that might require 'extra' study?
Michelle