Study, Eat, Python
In the middle of January, I have the rays from my computer to provide me with the light that midwest winters lack. This winter’s rays included an additional stream of knowledge coming from OpenEDG. Here I am 6 years removed from college and I am in the middle of studying for my Certified Entry-Level Python Programmer (PCEP). So how would I prepare for this certification when I had my student mode on hibernation?
First Things First
My go-to plan when it came to studying was to first learn everything about the test itself: duration, questions, format, passing score, and the topics covered. From that point on I dove straight into the lessons on OpenEDG and began my learning. Typically I would take notes as I went along with lessons and so on. But not this time. My experience with tests in the past has proved that knowing a definition or a straightforward example would never be enough to truly understand a subject. No, to truly understand a subject the comprehension has to be a little more than surface level.
Boldface textbook definitions rarely got me great test scores. Expanding a definition, checking other sources, and practicing with a subject is usually what got the job done. When it came to the PCEP I experimented a lot with the python sandbox as I went through the lessons. Experimenting with different inputs and attributes made me question the subject more as it required me to think further than a simple math equation. This process further solidified my base understanding of the topic at hand.
Without applying the information we learn then how do we know if we’re actually knowledgeable on the subject? My answer to that is practice exams. I did not expect to be as out of touch academically until it came to taking these practice exams. The testing ability that had to come back to form was my attention to detail. After my first practice exam, I realized I was making sloppy mistakes for not reading all my choices clearly. The cleverness in exams is that they mix in the correct answer with very similar incorrect answers. The second exam proved more of the same. Upon my third and so on I took a little more time to study the answers. Although I spent more time on my practices, my scores improved to the point where I had full confidence in my PCEP exam.
Any Good Advice?
Everyone has their way to prepare and this was my way. Nevertheless, test preparation is a skill to be continuously developed and as long as the effort is there then everything becomes obtainable.
I hope you enjoy this little read. I would love to hear from you and get your thoughts on the matter. Follow me for more.
