Network+ Practice Exam Mike Meyers on Udemy vs Kaplan

I've been studying since the beginning of January. Read all of Mike Meyers Network+ book and have two more sections of his videos to go. Probably have around 700 flash cards I go over on my train ride every morning.

My plan is to use February to take practice exams and reread/watch areas I'm weak on. Does anyone have insight into which practice exams are better. I'm looking at:

Kaplan Practice Exam (30-day access)

https://www.kaplanittraining.com/certification/comptia/n10-007

vs

Mike Meyers Practice Exams on Udemy

https://www.udemy.com/course/new-comptia-network-cert-n10-007-practice-tests/

Just passed Network+ Certification 2nd try

Failed first time then read posts on reddit and took the ideas being posted and this time passed. I used the following sources.

A: CompTIA Network+ (N10-007) Exam Prep Bundle which included:

1. The Official CompTIA Network+ Study Guide (Exam N10-007) eBook
2. CompTIA CertMaster Practice for Network+ - Individual License
3. CompTIA Network+ Voucher - includes initial test and retake if necessary (was in my case)

B: Total Seminars Training Hub - Total Seminars Training Hub

1. https://www.totalsem.com/ then bought Network+ (N10-007) TotalTester

c: UDEMY

1. https://www.udemy.com/course/networkplus/
2. https://www.udemy.com/course/new-comptia-network-cert-n10-007-practice-tests/
3. https://www.udemy.com/course/network_plus_exam/
4. https://www.udemy.com/course/comptia-network-cert-n10-007-the-total-course/

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Passed Network+ 770/720! Quick study tips.

The exam was as difficult as others have mentioned. I was so relieved when I read the PASS on the results screen - I didn't feel too confident with my answers during the exam.

I had 77 questions total with 5 PBQs that were challenging.

Before taking the exam ensure you are comfortable with subnetting, configuring wireless networks, configuring IPv4 properties, 568A/B wiring schemes, and placing physical network devices on a network.

Resources:

Professor Messer's Training Videos. Messer's video course is a decent resource. However I struggled to get through the 12hrs+ and found the videos a bit dry. Overall a good way to introduce yourself to the networking concepts.

Professor Messer's Course Notes. Definitely recommend purchasing Messer's course notes ($20) and referring to them as you watch the videos. Google anything you don't understand and need more details on - adding "reddit" or "eli5" to the end of the Google search term helped find useful/easy to understand explanations. These notes were more valuable to me than Messer's video course.

Jason Dion Udemy 6 Practice Exams. Hands down the best way to study. Buy this immediately! The exams go on sale often ($13 at the moment). After the Messer videos, take these practice exams and apply your knowledge. I scored 60-70s on the first round. Took each exam multiple times a few days later and was scoring 80-90s. There are a ton of acronyms and networking concepts, so take the tests a couple times and use Google until they stick. The important thing here is to not just memorize the answers. Read the explanations carefully and learn why the answer is correct and why the other options are not correct.

Jason Dion Udemy Full Course & Notes. I purchased this for the study guide PDF and didn't bother going through the course ($13). The study guide was on par/more useful than Messer's course notes - they were simpler to read/follow and provided helpful tips for exam day.

Meyers Udemy 3 Practice Tests. These exams were useful for learning concepts. I preferred Dion's practice tests over Meyers, but this was still a worthy purchase ($17). Dion's tests were much closer to the real test in regards to wording. Dion's tests are more "situation-based" and Meyer's tests are more "concept-based".

Exam Compass Practice Tests. More exams useful for learning concepts. Similar to Meyer's practice tests but broken down by topics and easier to consume (20 vs 90 questions) in short spurts.

Misc tips:

Subnetting. The most difficult concept for me to grasp. Watch Messer's IPv4 Videos (1.4) and 7 second subnetting videos a few times. Practice with subnetting quiz websites - there are a couple websites out there if you Google it. I used NYBI's quiz page. Write the 7 second subnetting table out before you begin the exam.

OSI Layers. Memorize the layers using a mnemonic. I used "Please do not trust sales persons answers". Makes it easy to remember the Layer 1 - Layer 7 in your head: Physical, Datalink, Network, Transport, Session, Physical, Application. Know what every layer is responsible for and the devices/protocols/etc. associated with each. Networking for Dummies is an easy to understand read.

PDU units. Memorize the layers using a mnemonic. I used "Don't some people fear birthdays". Makes it easy to remember how information is encapsulated in each OSI layer: Bits, Frames, Packets, Segments, Data.

568A/568B wiring. The B scheme is most commonly used. I remember the order by painting a picture of the cables as a "time-lapse of a river surrounded by a park". Hopefully this makes sense... If you look at the cable colors it looks like this:

- Orange white, orange (sun rising in the morning)

- Green/white, blue, blue/white, green (trees surrounding a river)

- Brown/white, brown (sun setting in the evening)

The A scheme is the B scheme but Orange and Green cables switched.

Master List: I Compiled and Ranked Every Major Studying Resource for A+, Network+, and Security+ Here!

If you are looking to train for the trifecta, you've come to the right post! Numbered lists are ranked in descending order of value (my opinion of course).

I recommend taking notes on a video course, book, and three practices exams to comfortably pass each certification.

The listed platforms also have courses on all major CompTIA and other industry certifications.

If you just want the linked training resources for a given cert and don't care about the platforms, skip to that section.

Let me know what resources I've missed. Happy studying!

Resource Platforms

Computer Based Training (CBT) Video Platforms:

1. Udemy.com - free market (like YouTube) of self-posted courses and practice exams (lifetime access) from top-ranked instructors. Courses have a fake price of \~$200 but go on sale biweekly for \~$15.
2. Professormesser.com - FREE videos by Professor Messer. Labs, notes, and practice exams for a price.
3. CBTNuggets.com - large repository of courses with whiteboard style lessons from highly-qualified instructors hired by CBTNuggets. $59 monthly subscription for unlimited access. Some labs included.
4. ITPro.tv - large repository of courses with lecture style lessons from instructors hired by ITPro.tv. $29 per month for unlimited video access; $49 per month for unlimited video, lab, and practice test access.
5. Lynda.com / Linkedin.com/learning - free market of courses. Many public libraries offer free access, or $25 monthly subscription.
6. CompTIA.org - books, videos, labs, and practice tests bought per course. Price varies by material, but they are general expensive and inferior to the above options.

Book Vendors:

1. McGraw Hill's All-in-One Series - highly organized, readable, and thorough books.
2. Wiley's Sybex Series - organized and thorough books that sometimes cover topics All-in-One skims.
3. Independent Vendors - see specific certification for relevant titles.
4. CompTIA.org - expensive OEM books which IMO are not worth considering.

Practice Exam Platforms:

1. Udemy.com - many options from instructors like Mike Meyers, Jason Dion, and others.
2. Sybex- Kindle or print books with \~1000 questions. Test bank is available online for automated grading if you prefer that method of testing.
3. CBTNuggets' Kaplan Tests - hundreds of questions for each cert; included with $59 video subscription.
4. Total Tester - Mike Meyers' practice test banks of \~1000 questions, $75 to $100.
5. I know there are many more, please let me know in the comments which platforms you used.

Lab Platforms:

1. Total Sims - Mike Meyers' labs of hundreds of simulations for $99 (A+ and Network+ only)
2. CompTIA's CertMaster Labs - CompTIA's own lab engine. $129.

CompTIA A+ (220-1001 and 220-1002)

Videos:

1. Mike Meyers via Udemy (1 & 2) - 32 hours total. Also available via your library for free here on Lynda.
2. Professor Messers' Course - 18 hours total. Always free.
3. Jason Dion's via Udemy (1 & 2) - 6 hours total. Includes two practice exams each.
4. CBTNuggets Course (1 & 2) - 37 hours total. Includes one practice exam each.
5. ITPro.tv's Course (1 & 2) - 32 hours.

Books:

1. All-in-One - 1568 pages.
2. Sybex - 1696 pages. Includes 4 practice exams.
3. Exam Cram - 960 pages.

Practice Exams:

1. Total Seminars via Udemy (1 & 2) - 540 questions total.
2. Dion Training via Udemy (1 & 2) - 360 questions total. Comes with the video courses.
3. Sybex Book - 1200 questions with online test bank.
4. Total Tester - 1000 questions for $99.
5. Android App - 1000 questions.

CompTIA Network+ (N10-007)

Videos:

1. Mike Meyers via Udemy - 23 hours.
2. Professor Messers' Course - 12 hours.
3. Jason Dion via Udemy - 15 hours. Includes one practice exam.
4. CBTNuggets Course - 21 hours. Includes one practice exam.
5. ITPro.tv's Course - 17 hours.

Books:

1. All-in-One - 960 pages.
2. Sybex - 1008 pages. Includes 2 practice exams.
3. Exam Cram - 576 pages.

Practice Exams:

1. Total Seminars via Udemy - 270 questions.
2. Dion Training via Udemy - 90 questions. Comes with the video course.
3. Sybex Book - 1200 questions.
4. Total Tester - 800 questions for $75.

CompTIA Security+ (SY0-501)

Videos:

1. Mike Meyers via Udemy - 19 hours.
2. Professor Messers' Course - 14 hours.
3. Jason Dion via Udemy - 15 hours. Includes one practice exam.
4. CBTNuggets Course - 23 hours.
5. ITPro.tv's Course - 11 hours.

Books:

1. Darril Gibson's - 608 pages. Includes three practice exams. The favorite book of this sub.
2. All-in-One - 647 pages.
3. Sybex - 528 pages. Includes 2 practices exams.
4. Mike Meyers' - 659 pages.
5. Exam Cram - 720 pages. (Ironically longer than all the others.)

Practice Exams:

1. Total Seminars via Udemy - 270 questions.
2. Dion Training via Udemy - 420 questions.
3. Sybex Book - 1000 questions. Could only find in a Sybex bundle.
4. Total Tester - 1000 questions for $75.