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As an Exam Developer at Citrix, there is one question I get all the time: "How can I prepare for a Citrix exam?" My answer is always the same: "Read the Citrix Preparation Guide for the exam (formally known as the Exam Enablement Guide). The Preparation Guide contains everything you need to know about the exam, including which materials to study in order to prepare for it."
There are a few other things you need in order to succeed when you take a Citrix exam:
- Field experience relative to the product(s) on the exam
- Access to the recommended training materials
- And of course, access to the Exam Preparation Guide, which is free and available for download from http://www.citrix.com/examlist or http://www.citrixtraining.com
What's in the Preparation Guide?
A ton of useful information including the following:
- Sample questions - types of questions to expect on the exam
- Percentage Weightings of the major domains covered on the exam - which areas to focus on as you study for the exam
- Objectives covered on the exam - statements describing how each of the topics identified for inclusion on the exam will be tested
- Recommended Experience - how much real world hands-on experience you will need in order to be sufficiently prepared for the exam
- Preparatory Course(s) - a list of recommended courses to take in order to prepare for the exam and at times courses required in order to complete the certification requirement
- Resources used to develop the exam content - where the exam questions are taken from like courseware manuals, Knowledge-based articles, forums and other publicly available materials
How is the Preparation Guide useful?
Where do I start? With the wealth of information in these guides at your disposal, you will never worry about taking a Citrix exam again.
First, let's start with the exam objectives. Each question is written to an objective. By providing you with the objectives, Citrix is giving you the most valuable tool you will need in order to study for all the possible questions that could be on the exam. This is how it works. Let's say you came across this objective: "Based on a given scenario describing the need to install a specific XenApp Plug-in, determine the XenApp Plug-in to install." For all the questions written to this objective, you can expect to see:
A "scenario describing the need to install a specific XenApp Plug-in"
Scenario: XenApp was recently implemented in an environment. A Citrix Administrator in the environment needs to tell the end users which XenApp plug-in to install in order to access their XenApp resources. The end users in the environment will need to access their hosted applications from Web Interface.
And a question that requires you to "determine which XenApp Plug-in to install"
Which XenApp Plug-in should the administrator instruct the end users to install?
It's that simple!
In addition, there are preparatory courses listed in the exam Preparation Guide that are recommended trainings for you to take. There are lots of qualified Citrix Certified Instructors who are ready to prepare you for any of our Citrix exams. Citrix also offers self-paced online training, so if you cannot attend a traditional training workshop, you could purchase self-paced training and learn on your own. You could also self study the courseware manual and administrator guides.
What if I don't have time to study?
Well, do you have time to work? Because if you do, your hands-on work experience can potentially help you pass an exam. In addition, if you value the certification you will take the appropriate steps to pass, which include studying. With the Preparation Guide before you, studying for a Citrix exam is fun and easy. It is like using a cook book to prepare a meal; using the cook book doesn't automatically guarantee a tasty meal, so you have to follow the instructions in the cook book to the letter. If you follow the Preparation Guide and understand the information included on the exam, you will have a better chance of succeeding on the exam.
Isn't it easier to just download the exam from a brain dump?
Yes, it is; but it is also a huge risk. Moreover, it is also self-deceiving. Citrix has a team of security experts patrolling the web using a very sophisticated statistical tool looking for cheaters. Those who are suspected to have cheated will be investigated, and if upon the completion of the investigation it is determined that they indeed cheated, they will end up having their exam results annulled. That means, at the very least, you will not pass anyways and/or at the very worst, you could be restricted from taking other exams in the future. You don't want to be a victim; simply stay away from such brain dump sites. Plus, Citrix has begun refreshing exams constantly, so there is no guarantee that the exam you download is still valid. Furthermore, wouldn't you be proud of yourself if you actually studied, took the exam and passed?
- Would you like to work with co-workers who cheated, obtained a certification and don't know what they are doing?
- Would you like to report to a senior engineer or administrator who cheated his or her way to the top and doesn't know what he or she is asking you to do?
- Would you risk being caught? Citrix decertifies and bans cheaters, and also notifies their employers. In addition, if you are required to maintain Citrix certification in order for your employer to maintain a certain customer or partner status with Citrix, your employer will lose that status.
The next time you plan to take a Citrix exam, please remember to use the Preparation Guide. Please read it and understand what the exam covers and what you will need to study. Upon reading the Preparation Guide, if you still have additional questions, send an email to training@citrix.com. Someone from Citrix Education will respond to your email within 72 hours.
Comments (15)
Jun 26
Roger Birong says:
Kpayah, I completely agree with the advice regarding the Enablement Guide. The g...Kpayah, I completely agree with the advice regarding the Enablement Guide. The guides have sample questions and a list of sources for the exam. I used the guide for 1Y0-A14 (Implementing XenDesktop 3.0) and found it to be extremely helpful.
Jun 29
Kpayah Tamba says:
Roger, thanks for the confirmation. I am glad people like you who use the Prepar...Roger, thanks for the confirmation. I am glad people like you who use the Preparation Guides can attest to their usefulness. Our Exam Development team spends a decent amount of time putting these guides together, and we would like to see people use them. One key element in preparing for a Citrix exam is understanding how the information in the guide pertains to the exam. Any Citrix administrator/engineer/architect who can interpret the guide will have an easier time preparing for the exam. I hope everyone will find something in my post that will help clarify how the information in the guide correlates to the exam.
Jun 29
Anonymous says:
Very insightful!Very insightful!
Jun 30
Anonymous says:
Kpayah, Thanks for putting all this information together. It is very helpful fo...Kpayah,
Thanks for putting all this information together. It is very helpful for the test takers. I agree that if we follow the Preparation Guide there is a better chance of succeeding in the exam.
Sep 14
Anonymous says:
I can't find the preparation guide for A14... Does anyone have it and can they s...I can't find the preparation guide for A14... Does anyone have it and can they send it to me?
Sep 18
Kpayah Tamba says:
Hello, In case you haven't found the A14 prep guide, this is the link to it: ht...Hello,
In case you haven't found the A14 prep guide, this is the link to it: http://www.citrixtraining.com/uploadfiles/1/courses/A14%20Preparation%20Guide%20(2).pdf.
Jul 22
Anonymous says:
I believe there are trap questions in the exam which you must answer wrong to ge...I believe there are trap questions in the exam which you must answer wrong to get the magic 100%. A real experienced Citrix guy will answer this question correct and never reaches this mark.
Jul 22
Kpayah Tamba says:
Thanks for bringing this issue up. Unfortunately, when it comes to exams, that i...Thanks for bringing this issue up. Unfortunately, when it comes to exams, that is the perception; test takers usually feel that they are being tricked, but the reality is, at Citrix, we strive to ensure that all of our exam questions are technically accurate, relevant and real world-based. Our exams go through a very rigorous review and QA process. The goal of our questions is to measure true skills, not to trick anyone. What we would like for you and others to do is to report these "trap questions" whenever you come across one of them. The best way to provide us with feedback is by providing comments during the exam or by emailing us at training@citrix.com. If we find a "trap question", we will fix it.
In Citrix Education, our goal is to continuously improve our exams, and in this process, you, the test takers, have a very important role. We are looking up to you to provide us with feedback based on your testing experiences. Our role is to use your feedback to fix any existing problems and to ensure that similar problems don't occur in the future.
Sep 07
Anonymous says:
I think the hard part is there are no study guide available for Citrix exams. ...I think the hard part is there are no study guide available for Citrix exams.
Citrix is forcing everyone to take their training course to get a official study guide. I think it is a kind of income generator.
If you go through those study guide you might end up reading more than 2000 pages for one exam.
Sep 18
Kpayah Tamba says:
Could you please provide a little more information on the study guide; because w...Could you please provide a little more information on the study guide; because what you are calling study guide could be what we call Prep Guide? Have you heard of our Prep Guides? For every Citrix exam, there is an accompanying Prep Guide, and it is available for download. The Prep Guide is free.
To find a Prep Guide, you can search in one of three ways:
The enablement includes the following pieces of information plus more:
Oct 06
Anonymous says:
Kpayah, Thanks for responding! When I say study guide I was mentioning about t...Kpayah,
Thanks for responding!
When I say study guide I was mentioning about the official guide which Citrix uses in their training.
like Microsoft has MOC guides for MCSE or MCTIP exams which we can buy. I can hardly find a decent guide which can be used to a self study for Citrix exams.
Unfortunately not all employers encourage training course and it is hard for an individual to fork out money for self funded training.
Sep 11
Donald Lusk says:
I think that you should remove the "incomplete button" from all questions in all...I think that you should remove the "incomplete button" from all questions in all of your exams. I can see no purpose for it. You have a "mark for review" why have the second button that apears to do the same thing.
Sep 18
Kpayah Tamba says:
Hello Don, After you posted your comments, I decided to do some research to fin...Hello Don,
After you posted your comments, I decided to do some research to find out if the information I provided during our phone call was accurate. Well, with the help of my colleagues, we were able to verify that marking an item "Incomplete" does not mark the item incorrect. What that means is that the item is still scored and graded even if it is marked incomplete. You will get the appropriate grade for the amount of correct steps you performed. I should have done this research before I responded to your question, so I am sorry for that. I hope this clarifies everything for you.
The "Incomplete" option does not affect your score on an item. What the "Incomplete" option does is that if makes the exam to prompt you at the end to complete all the items that are incomplete.
For example, even though on the review screen at the end of the exam all the incomplete items and marked for reviewed items are highlighted/flagged, if you don't complete the incomplete items or uncheck the incomplete checkbox, the exam warns you that you have items that are incomplete. With the "Marked for Review" option, it is an optional feature that is used if you simply want to review at item if time permits or something of that sort, so while those items are flagged as well on the review screen at the end of the exam, you are not prompted by the exam if you decide to end the exam.
Therefore, it makes sense to use the "Incomplete" option if you definitely want to go back to an item, as you will get the double reminder (i.e. the item will be flagged on the review screen and the exam will prompt you if you don't complete the item when you click the "End Exam" button). On the other hand, if you simply want to mark an item because you would like to recheck your work or you would like to comment on it, then just use the "Marked for Review" or "Select for Review" option, as that option will not provide a double prompt (for some, a double prompt could be annoying especially if they don't intend to go back to that item at the end of the exam).
Oct 29
Anonymous says:
I recently took the Xen Server 5.0 exam and I feel the Training material for the...I recently took the Xen Server 5.0 exam and I feel the Training material for the course (yes the course you pay $3000 USD) Is a joke. The labs in particular gave no good examples. Just do step 1 through whatever with no good explanation. This is similar to the Xen 3.0 desktop labs. It is either that the exam has some very extremely details questions that were not properly addressed in the training or these courses and exams were meant specifically for people who have implemented Citrix many times before. I can say that I never have implemented a Citirix Server so I was lost more than not but I have administrated these servers and they are not that difficult in the real world. Lets face it. These exams are impractical due to the fact that in the real world you have more resources at your disposal than just your brain. But alas, I have a jaded view of training and exams because my graduate education was in adult training and technology (masters in Instructional Technology).
Nov 04
Kpayah Tamba says:
Dear Citrix Candidate, Thanks a lot for contacting us concerning your experienc...Dear Citrix Candidate,
Thanks a lot for contacting us concerning your experience. We value you feedback and appreciate hearing from you.
Taking our training is essential in preparing for our exams; however, in addition to obtaining training, we highly recommend hands-on experience with our products in production, test or lab environments.
When taking training in preparation for an exam, it is important to understand how the training prepares you for the exam. A substantial amount of the questions on our exams directly relates to the content taught in the corresponding courses, but a decent amount of the questions are also based on real world experience.
Each course and its accompanying exam undergo a meticulous development process in order to ensure alignment. However, we have discovered through requirements elicitation that some level of real world experience, in addition to our well designed training, is required at minimum in order to administer our products. It is true that in the real world administrators have access to reference materials and other sources other than their brains, but the skills and knowledge measured on our CCA exams are those deemed by our subject matter experts as the minimum requirement to administer our products.
At this point, it will be irrational for me to suggest taking the training again, so I will suggest the following:
For more information on:
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