STORAGE ADMINISTRATOR (EMCSA) TRACK

IMPLEMENTATION ENGINEER (EMCIE) TRACK

EMC certification program is one of the eldest and the most recognized in IT industry. Getting certified will let you prove your up-to-dated skills and expertise, will put you in the superior position compare to other professionals, increase your earning potential and give you access to additional benefits available for EMC certified proven professionals. Among those benefits is access to EMC knowledge sharing and maintenance platforms, ability to use EMC Proven Professional logos on your personal profiles, discounts for graduate education and EMC certification exams reimbursements. Detailed information on certification benefits can be found here.

Each of the new exams is 90 minutes long and includes 60 questions. Exams are held in \pearson VUE centres around the world and you can schedule you EMC test directly on their official website.

http://www.pearsonvue.com/emc/

Here is the overview of the E20-568 Exam:

The exam measures candidates’ ability to manage XtremIO storage systems. It focuses on two main topics: XtremIO fundamentals and its Management and Peformance Monitoring. The test evaluates candidates’ awareness of XtremIO benefits and use cases, system features, architecture and functionality. Also assesses candidates’ knowledge of XMS operations, XtremIO Cluster, ability to configure owner access to storage; localization, performance management, performance monitoring and optimization skills, basic troubleshooting.

In order to prepare for the exam, EMC offers to follow suggested curriculum, which highlights all the EMC training courses needed to pass E20-568 exam.

Detailed E20-568 Exam overview and preparation guides can be found here.

As for the training courses, check out training page on EMC official education website.

EMC also offers FREE practice tests to check your exam readiness, which can be found here.

E20-368 Exam objectives:

E20-368 exam covers five main topics: XtremIO fundamentals, its hardware fundamentals, installation, initial configuration, management and performance monitoring. The exam evaluates candidates’ ability to implement XtremIO storage systems, including installation of cluster, basic configuration; implementation and configuration of host access to storage, local replication, performance monitoring and optimization, system troubleshooting.

Detailed Exam overview and study guides can be found here.

Training courses, needed to pass E20-368 Exam are available from the EMC official website on their training page.

FREE official EMC practice test you can find on this website.

It is good to remember that both exams’ content might be not limited to the aforementioned sections, also since the exams get updated regularly it is recommended to check the Proven Professionals website for the changes.

As for exams preparation, another useful E20-568 and E20-368 preparation options will be real exam practice tests from ExamCollection website, which can be downloaded for FREE and are verified by the community of former exam takers including certified professionals. Simply follow the links below and enjoy your free practice tests!

E20-568 FREE practice tests ExamCollection

E20-368 FREE practice tests ExamCollection

While LSAT is compulsory in North America, the exam is so challenging and reputable that more and more law schools worldwide accept it as an ultimate measure of success for their applicants. Administered only 4 times a year, LSAT measures and validates test taker’s reading comprehension, logical, and verbal reasoning proficiency.

Before you decide on your LSAT preparation tools and best study guides, let’s take a closer look at what you should expect.

LSAT: A Closer Look

The first thing to know is that LSAT is a long test which lasts three and a half hours. IT consists of five multiple choice sections (35 minutes each). Four of these sections are scored, and one is unscored, which means it does not contribute to your test score. This section is typically used to get the data on new test questions. There is also one unscored writing section administered at the end of the test.

ANALYTICAL REASONING: 1 section, approximately 23 questions.

In this section, you will read a passage of 130 words or less that describes a scenario and a set of rules that apply to that scenario. You will have to answer 5-7 questions about the scenario. The scenarios always involve various kinds of relationships, such as: above, next to, before, after, group membership.

LSAT Analytical Reasoning section will have 4 such sets of passages and corresponding questions.

LOGICAL REASONING: 2 sections, approximately 35 questions each.

Essentially, the Logical Reasoning section makes up to half of the exam. There are always two scored Logical Reasoning sections in each LSAT exam.

Each section consists of short argumentative passages on variety of topics, each 20-100 words long. Each passage will be followed by one question

READING COMPREHENSION: 1 section, approximately 27 questions

The Reading Comprehension section of the LSAT contains four sets of reading questions, each set consisting of a selection of reading material followed by five to eight questions. The reading selection in three of the four sets consists of a single reading passage; the other set contains two related shorter passages. Sets with two passages are a variant of Reading Comprehension called Comparative Reading, which was introduced in June 2007. Comparative Reading questions concern the relationships between the two passages, such as those of generalization/ instance, principle/application, or point/counterpoint. Law school work often requires reading two or more texts in conjunction with each other and understanding their relationships. For example, a law student may read a trial court decision together with an appellate court decision that overturns it, or identify the fact pattern from a hypothetical suit together with the potentially controlling case law.

These sections can appear in any order, and you will not be told which section is the additional unscored section. Unlike some other tests where points are deducted for incorrect answers, LSAT does not have any penalty for guessing, so it’s also an option.

In the end of the sections, you will have to provide a writing sample in response to a prompt. This prompt will describe some choice between two mutually exclusive alternatives, and you will have to write a short essay arguing for one alternative over the other. While this writing sample does not contribute to your LSAT score, it is still important. Unlike the unscored multiple choice section, your essay will be seen by law schools you apply to. You will be given 35 minutes to complete this writing task.

How Do I Prepare for LSAT?

Now, the key question so many candidates ask, is HOW DO I PREPARE FOR LSAT WITHOUT SPENDING A FORTUNE?

Well, given the price tag of a law school, the question is more than valid! As an efficient yet affordable alternative to LSAT courses, Avanset’s VCE software provides candidates with the option of interactive computer based exams. VCE software supports a number of question formats, including those used in LSAT. As VCE Mobile versions allow users practice a LSAT exam on the go, it is a good way to save time while studying during your daily commute, short breaks, etc. Moreover, as VCE files are so quick and convenient to share and spread the latest exam questions, you are highly likely to get your hands on real LSAT exam questions before you enter the testing center. Explore how you can benefit from VCE in your LSAT and law school preparation here.

VCE technology has its fans in various fields and industries, and its users include everyone from language learners to visual arts professionals.

VCE format can be used for any exam preparation, from high school quizzes to graduate admission exams and any kind of standardized tests or professional certifications. The format is especially convenient when it comes to college and graduate admission exams, career tests, teaching certification exams, health and fitness, as well as other professional credential exams. VCE technology is irreplaceable when it comes to exams associated with medical schools and law schools.

Why are VCE files so good for students? When the costs of a degree a creeping up and you can feel the burden of student loans well before you graduate, finding an affordable learning tool becomes even more crucial. VCE Software comes with flexible subscription options, where students can opt of the duration that best meets their needs. And whatever option they choose, the cost of this exam prep will still be a lot more affordable than those overpriced ‘official’ publications, courses and online training.

Compared to official certification exam study guides that blindly follow lengthy blueprints, VCE exam dumps have a huge advantage: information selection. If a VCE file comes from a reliable source and has positive recent reviews and feedback, you are likely to get the exact questions that appear on your exam. Hence, you learn exactly what you need to learn and avoid overloading yourself with unnecessary details that you won’t be asked on the exam.

At ExamCollection, we plan to expand the portfolio of vendors and VCE exams soon, so our IT certification community will exceed the scope of IT. We’re excited and are looking forward to welcoming new members.

If you’re new to VCE file format and VCE technology, you can learn more about it here.

These are some features of the VCE Software:

• Create your own VCE files or open the files created by someone else.
• Various question types to suit your needs / specific exam/ practice approach, including: multiple choice questions, fill in the blank questions, select and place / drag-n-drop questions, point and shoot questions (picking a point on the image), hot area questions (picking an area out of the few options given), create a tree questions, build list and reorder, drop and connect questions.
• Print option – you can either print out the entire exam, or select the parts you need printed.
• Importing questions from various file formats, including txt, rtf, PDF (PDF file conversion can be done with Exam Formatter, a free tool that allows for an easy file conversion. A tutorial on how to convert PDF into VCE files, which also includes some other tips and tricks, is available here).
• Embedding images. The option to embed images in jpg, gif and png formats.
• Maximized convenience. The VCE software gives the option of saving the current testing session and coming back to it later. You can also save and review the testing history, go back to the questions that hadn’t been answered correctly and more.
• Versatility. The VCE software can be useful to anyone and everyone in need to test their knowledge and skills through an interactive exam platform – from middle school students and their parents to language learners to seasoned IT professionals.
• Support of foreign characters. The latest version of the VCE Software supports non-English characters, so it can be used by non-English speakers, as well as by language learners to test their foreign language skills. From Spanish to Chinese, VCE enables the support of foreign characters.
• Various platforms. VCE software is available for Windows, Mac OS, as well as Android and iOS phones and tablets.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be posting overviews of various certification and admission exams, the candidates for which can benefit from VCE software and VCE exam dumps.

What’s The Story With Brocade Networking?

Brocade is really pushing its virtual routing products – both software and routers. This is definitely worth looking into since Brocade Vyatta vRouters and VCS Fabric technology enable NFV in data centers and support efficient and elastic network architectures that can scale up or down to match current application needs in dynamic workload situations. Obviously, this results in significant reduction in hardware costs for network infrastructure – according to Brocade, these savings can go up as high as 90%. It also allows for better usage of the data center and networking resources. More info about Brocade technology is available here.

So, for now, becoming Brocade Certified vRouter Engineer (BCVRE) is free. This offer also includes a 60-day free trial of the Brocade Vyatta vRouter software plus free online training. Then you take the exam and end up with a Brocade Certified vRouter Engineer (BCVRE) credential.

Once you register for the exam, you will get access to the online course materials and study guides for your exam preparation.

BCVRE Exam Objectives:

Brocade Vyatta vRouter System Operations

• Describe show command system usage
• Identify key CLI operations
• Describe the commit and save processes

Ethernet Concepts

• Identify Ethernet operations
• Identify VLAN operations and settings
• Identify bonded interface operations
• Demonstrate knowledge of configuration and operation using show commands

TCP/IP

• Demonstrate knowledge of the relationship between Layer 2, IP and TCP/IP
• Identify TCP and UDP differences
• Identify address subnets

DHCP and DNS Troubleshooting

• Describe troubleshooting of DHCP operations
• Describe troubleshooting of DNS forwarding

Routing

• Identify uses for routing
• Identify show commands for use with routing
• Identify configuration of different types of static routes

Firewalls

• Describe firewall operations and troubleshooting using show commands
• Describe firewall rulebase operations

NAT

• Describe NAT concepts

Upgrades

• Describe the Brocade Vyatta upgrade process

Logging and Packet Captures

• Identify logging options for firewall and NAT operations
• Identify methods to verify operations and troubleshooting

OSPF Single-Area

• Describe OSPF show command output
• Describe how to configure OSPF

From what we can see this is a good NFV certification – even if the exam hadn’t been free. There is a lot of potential to this latest Brocade technology, so if you are interested in software defined networking, just go and register for the exam now!

Background info:

Brocade is a San Jose, CA based technology company that specializes in data and storage networking products. Founded in 1995 and gone public in 1999, Brocade’s product portfolio includes network-attached storage, storage area network (SAN) directors and switches, data center switches, Virtual Cluster Switching, software-defined networking, network virtualization, and more. Brocade’s certification program validate the knowledge and skills in the company’s products, as well as overall understanding of the networking landscape, data and storage concepts and other related fields.

Many of you have heard about TestKing, a British company that sells IT certification practice tests and study guides. We’ve been following them for quite a while, and the best thing about TestKing is money back guarantee. So, if you plan to take any IT certification exams any time soon, TestKing is worth taking a look at!

Today, however, we are talking about FREE stuff. TestKing has a wide array of their Android apps available for free. You can choose from demo versions of either practice exams or study guides. These demo apps give you sufficient free preview, with a full upgrade option available. Whether or not you decide to purchase an upgrade (we upgraded a few apps and have no regrets), these demo versions provide you with some valuable insights into your certification exam.

Testking offers 2 kinds of apps: Study Guides and Practice Tests. Each demo version of the study guide app contains the first chapter of a comprehensive study guide for respected exam. Demo apps with practice exams contact the first 10 queries of every exam. This includes various query types specific to each vendor and exam, queries with images (you can zoom-in and do everything you need for your convenience).

Having spent time testing the apps, we didn’t run into any problems, all of them are smooth and stable, with no crushes or bugs we all try to avoid.

There are literally hundreds of TestKing apps available on Google Play Store https://play.google.com/store/search?q=testking – as there are hundreds of exams. Here’s the ultimate top 10 that have caught our eye:

1. ITIL Foundation Demo exam
2. EX0-117 Exin ITIL Demo Exam
3. Testking ISC SSCP Demo Exam
4. JN0-643 Juniper JNCIP-ENT Demo Exam
5. CCNP 642-902 Study Guide Demo
6. 70-640 MCITP Demo Exam
7. N10-005 Network+ Demo Exam
8. PMI-001 PMP Study Guide Demo
9. VCP5-DCV VMware VCP5 Demo Exam
10. Cisco 200-120 Study Guide Demo

Explore FREE Android apps from TestKing to boost your exam preparation.

CCNA Routing and Switching

There are plenty of reasons why CCNA Routing and Switching is one of Cisco’s most popular certifications. First of all, this certification opens the doors to a greater career potential.  The certification confirms candidates’ skills and ability to install, configure, operate and troubleshoot medium-size routed and switched networks, as well as their in-depth understanding of routing and switching, and other aspects of network infrastructure, IP technology, wireless access, security and connectivity using WAN. The certification is popular among the employers, bringing you a definite salary increase if you have it on your resume.

To earn the certification, candidates have two examination options: to earn combined passing scores on 100-101 ICND1 and 200-101 ICND2 exams (Interconnecting Cisco Networking Devices, Parts 1 and 2), or to pass the combined exam: 200-120 CCNA exam. The beauty of going with the first option is the fact that passing the ICND1 exam puts the CCENT (Cisco Certified Entry Networking Technician) certification in your pocket. So, basically instead of one certification, you get two, and many people are right to jump on this opportunity.

What to expect from the exams? We’ve discussed ICND1 in the Cisco Entry Level Certifications blog post. However, if you plan to take the 200-120 exam, it is worth giving you an extra warning that the exam is far from being an easy ride, and many claim that passing both ICNDs would be an easier way to go. Yet, if you have your reasons (for example, employers who know what the exam is like can give some extra incentives to their employees who pass it; plus getting Cisco Associate-level certification after sitting one exam instead of two), then our advice is to set aside more than enough time to study. Consider the pros and cons and way to go.

CCNA Data Center

While Cisco keeps all its certifications rather job-role-focused, CCNA Data Center is most certainly a winner here, allowing candidates to maximize the investment in their education and professional skills. CCNA Data Center helps candidates and their employers increase the value of their data center network, step up the data center design, save costs on equipment installation and further maintenance.

Yet, this certification stands out for reasons more than its focus, and causes some complains from candidates for being too pricey.

To become CCNA Data Center certified, candidates need to pass 2 exams: 640-911 DCICN and 640-916 DCICT, the price of which, as of now, exceeds USD 500. Many candidates claim this amount to be too high, and it’s hard to disagree!

It’s worth remembering that for many CCNA Data Center is not their first certification. Many realize that they want to move on with their career in Data Center when they have at least CCENT under their belt, as well as a few years of industry experience (not to mention that the exams are way too complicated for absolute beginners). So, the cost adds up to CCNA’s. Also add the price of preparation materials, some equipment, necessary to those who can’t play all these Nexus  and other ‘toys’ at work to get practical experience, books, etc (and the need to recertify their CCENT/CCNA for some), and CCNA Data Center turns out to be very expensive!

Some see the solution in making the 640-911 DCICN exam optional for those who already have a valid CCNA. Cisco, however, state the requirements for a certification are coming from a very detailed and extensive research involving customers, partners and experts in the industry, who have put in at least several month of work, so, according to the company, this is the best (and extensively researched) way of making it work. It better be!

So, the certification is challenging and pricey. And, with SimplyHired reporting average CCNA Certified Data Center operations support salaries start from $67,000 (as of October 2013), the choice is yours.

CCNA Service Provider

Cisco’s Certified Network Associate Service Provider (CCNA SP) certification focuses on the latest trends of the Provider industry core networking technologies. The Certification targets service provider network engineers, technicians and network designers. It validates the ability to configure and implement baseline Cisco Service Provider Next-Generation networks.

The certification allows for significant skills upgrade for those willing to move up from the ‘beginner’ level to a solid ‘experienced’. The certification validates that you are capable of providing fully integrated, personalized voice, video & data solutions and can make high quality services available at all times.

The certification requires candidates to pass 2 exams: 640-875 SPNGN1 and 640-878 SPNGN2. Yet, the tricky part is that Cisco do not have any ‘official’ books or study guides to prepare for these exams. Your options would be to either sign up for their course (which most people only do if they are lucky enough to have an employer who’d pay for it), or just use the exam topics and course syllabus, and keep looking for information from different sources. And here your main challenge would be to make the right choice of what exactly you need to study and what would be extra (and on this stage, no one would blame you for doing through brain dumps or investing in one of those Pass4sure sets, which are actually good!).

The good news is, however, that a lot of exam topics are actually covered in the basic CCNA exams. So, having another CCNA or CCENT might be helpful again.

If you are preparing for your Associate-level certification, do note an interesting disclaimer on the Cisco website: Updated ICND1, ICND2, and CCNA Composite exams can be applied towards the achievement of several Cisco associate-level certifications. Please visit the Associate-level Exam Logic Tool for more details. Who knows, maybe your CCNA/CCENT can help you out once again? Be sure to check the requirements and possible exam combinations before you sign up for your next exam.

Today, we’ll look into those obviously more ‘complicated’ CCNAs that require previous Cisco certifications. You’ll need a valid Cisco CCENT, CCNA or any Cisco CCIE as a prerequisite to proceed. As of October 2013, this list includes the following Cisco Associate level certifications (yet, as always, we encourage you to double check with the official website for details). So, today we’ll look into:

• CCDA
• CCNA Security
• CCNA Service Provider Operations
• CCNA Voice
• CCNA Wireless

CCDA: Network Design Engineer

Until recently, you wouldn’t need a CCENT to achieve the Network Design Engineer certification. Yet, having added the CCENT as a prerequisite for this program, Cisco seem to aim for candidates’ improved understanding of routed and switched networks, and previous background in this field should be helpful on the exam (640-864 DESGN).

This certification validates your understanding of network design for the Cisco converged networks, primarily based on Borderless Network Architecture. Cisco certified Network Design Engineers can design infrastructures consisting of routed and switched networks, including LAN, WAN, wireless, and broadband access for a wide range of organizations: from businesses to international NGOs and government offices.

CCNA Security
As the title suggests, CCNA Security certification program is closely focused on the security aspect of Cisco networking technology and equipment. This includes development of a full security infrastructure, analysis and recognition of threats and vulnerabilities of a network as well as mitigating these threats. CCNA Security curriculum (and exam) is highly focused on core security technologies, installation, troubleshooting and continuous monitoring of all network devices, with the integrity, confidentiality and availability of data and devices being the top priority at all times.

As Cisco introduce IPV6 to most of their certifications and relevant exams, CCNA Security candidates supposedly have the understanding of the new protocol thanks to their CCENT or CCNA R&S certification. However, CCNA Security exam (640-554 IINS) puts a way bigger emphasis on the new protocol. So, even if you have passed the latest CCNA R&S certification, don’t expect this part to be a breeze: it won’t. Keep in mind that the 640-554 exam goes way deeper into the IPV6’s ins and outs. Don’t just scan that part of the study guide: give it the time it deserves.

To prepare for the exam, the Cisco people recommend taking their Implementing Cisco IOS Network Security (IINS) course. Even if you don’t plan to follow this advice, you may want to look it up for preparation details and guidance.

CCNA Service Provider Operations

This Cisco certification may be found similar to CCNA Service Provider, the one that does not have any prerequisites (and obviously is more popular). The two certifications do share a lot of topics, however, CCNA Service Provider Operations is more upscale in its perspective, focusing on combining process with technology, as opposed to being fully Cisco equipment-centered.

Another thing that sets CCNA Service Provider Operations apart from similar certifications is ITIL being one of its cornerstones. This allows candidates to significantly broaden their horizons, as well as to have a wider choice of study materials, with the ITIL study guides being a must for successful exam preparation.

CCNA Service Provider Operations is a great option for those willing to expand their knowledge and validate their skills of a Tier I support engineer, including troubleshooting and fixing issues within carrier class IP NGN core network infrastructure. The certification curriculum includes but isn’t limited to incidents/failures, configuration issues, implementing changes, and a variety of performance management procedures along with NMS tools & protocols.

CCNA Voice
If your ideal job includes administering a voice network up to the high Cisco standards (and paychecks of the same level), then Cisco Certified Network Associate Voice (CCNA Voice) is perfect for you – especially if you have the prerequisites it calls for. CCNA Voice validates your associate-level skill set for specialized positions in voice technologies, such as voice technologies administrator, voice engineer, and voice manager. The certification also confirms candidates’ skills related to VoIP technologies: IP PBX, IP telephony, handset, call control, voicemail solutions, etc.

The CCNA Voice certification is very popular among employers as it proves candidates to be proficient in working with the Cisco Unified Communications Manager. This application is widely used by large organizations such as governments, colleges, transnational corporations and big businesses. Moreover, CCNA Voice Certification assesses your expertise in the Cisco CallManager Express (CME) and Cisco Unity Express (CUE) solutions, mostly used by organizations with less than 2,000 employees, including a variety of businesses, small school districts and other organizations.

To pass the exam (640-461 ICOMM), you will need to spend sufficient amount of time on the CCNA Voice Lab setup and its various configurations as they turn out to be the main obstacle on the way to success for many candidates.

CCNA Wireless

Cisco Certified Network Associate Wireless (CCNA Wireless) will prove your proficiency in configuring, implementing, supporting and troubleshooting wireless LANs using Cisco equipment – from a small business to full-scale enterprise network. To pass, you need to meet the requirements, as well as study all aspects of configuring, monitoring and troubleshooting basic tasks of a Cisco WLAN in SMB and Enterprise networks. Explore the study guide for details and do keep in mind that many people who had passed the exam referred to it as being ‘harder than it looks’.

Summing up, Cisco attached prerequisites to these certifications as they are tricky and require additional knowledge, supposedly provided by CCENT or CCNA R&S or CCIE certifications you may already have under your belt. Earlier, we discussed that the new CCENT makes a good foundation for further certification steps, and this is exactly what these steps are. These Associate’s certifications are a little upscale and, truth be told, most of the times they are better paid (we’ll have a separate blog post on IT Certifications and salaries levels soon).

Summing up, these are truly rewarding steps to expand your career horizons on the Cisco Associate level. Yet, even if you aren’t so much up for the challenge, there’s something on the CCNA level still available for you: prerequisite-free certifications. Stay tuned for Part 2 of this overview.