prepping for exam

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zapped 1

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let me start by saying i am motivated,i have been with the same company 12 YRS i am trying to study for my masters but find it hard to stay focused. besides working all day i have a wife 2 girls 3 dogs and a cat any tips on trying to stay focused and get good study time in i feel overwhelmed when i open mike holts exam prep books and see all the calcs. any suggestions on how any of u managed thru.thanks
 
Our ability to motivate you is limited. But, I can tell you what I did. I found time!!! The key is finding time, and making it known that it’s your time—presenting the importance of this time.
 
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Is there a local library, coffee shop, some place you can get away? Even a back corner table at McDonald's or a local family restaurant/truck stop, etc. Just make sure you focus, and it's a place that works for you.
 
Don't take this the wrong way, but if you need lots of study time what have you been doing the last 12 years?

Now there are some places that have ridiculous test rules. Test should allow you to have code book, calculator, and copy of whatever the laws of the jurisdictin are published in.

What kind of content is going to be on a masters exam?

Probably some electrical theory questions - again what have you been doing for 12 years - if you have much interest in this career this should not be too big of a deal.

Probably some code related questions - again what have you been doing for 12 years. Most of these questions are questions you could have seen when taking your journeyman test.

Probably some state/local laws as they relate to electrical trades where you are at. - again what have you been doing for 12 years - you should have picked up a lot of this during that time, and hopefully they let you have copy of statutes at test - if not, sorry the idea is not that you know the laws off top of your head but do know how to find them in the statutes, just like you don't have to know the entire code book, but should know how to find the answer to a problem.

Some places there could be questions on business operations - but if you are interested in this license you better already have some of this knowledge or you will be in for a lot of suprises when they actually do hit you after you have your license.

If your place of exam offers any exam preparation classes - take them - they likely cover almost every topic that may be included in the exam.
 
After being hard on you I will be a little softer now.

The first thing is don't be all worried about the test. I know, some people just do not do well with "tests", even if they know the material, they get nervous for some reason and shut down at test time.

Don't go in there worried about what if I fail, go in there and make it a challenge to read the questions and answer them as if it were just a survey or something and just relax and it will be easier than you think.

Don't spend too much time on something you don't understand or can't find in the code, come back to it later. Better to answer all the questions you have no trouble with first. That alone will probably pass the test for you. Maybe you even stumble on the answer later in the test.
 
kwired said:
After being hard on you I will be a little softer now.

The first thing is don't be all worried about the test. I know, some people just do not do well with "tests", even if they know the material, they get nervous for some reason and shut down at test time.

Don't go in there worried about what if I fail, go in there and make it a challenge to read the questions and answer them as if it were just a survey or something and just relax and it will be easier than you think.

Don't spend too much time on something you don't understand or can't find in the code, come back to it later. Better to answer all the questions you have no trouble with first. That alone will probably pass the test for you. Maybe you even stumble on the answer later in the test.
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Good advice.:thumbsup:
 
zapped 1 said:
let me start by saying i am motivated,i have been with the same company 12 YRS i am trying to study for my masters but find it hard to stay focused. besides working all day i have a wife 2 girls 3 dogs and a cat any tips on trying to stay focused and get good study time in i feel overwhelmed when i open mike holts exam prep books and see all the calcs. any suggestions on how any of u managed thru.thanks
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Don't pressure yourself so much. Mike's books have wonderful explanations of all the calcs in it. Take your time and do a little at a time. I went through his entire exam prep back when I got my licenses and the test (journeyman anyway) was a cake walk. His book certainly will get you familiar with the code. There are thousands of code questions that take you up and down the code quite thoroughly.
Also get your self some yerba mate. If all this fails steal your kids Ritalin before you go to study! :lol:
 
Depending on how much studying you need, for the next 2 months, before going home go to the library for one hour per day and study. Don't just open the code book and read, but rather read a practice questions and try to find the answer in the code book. Mike Holt's Exam Prep book is a great book.

for the exam, you need to do 4 runs through the test
1sr run: read the questions and answer them as you know the answer by heart. you dont have to think about the question that much
2nd run: read the questions that you couldn't answer on the first try, but this time spend a little time on them.
3rd run: read the questions and try to answer the ones that you couldn't on the 2nd run but spend a little more time on them.
4th run: read the questions that are left unanswered and choose the most logical answer. But do not leave any question unanswered. If you have to guess choose answer "C".

read the questions all the way and pay close attention to words such as: larger than, smaller than, less than, .... because these can really trick you.

And once you pass the test, and we all know that you will, don't stop studying. Because learning will never exhaust your mind.
 
Try to be Consistent

Try to be Consistent

I put as much time as I could per day towards preparation, usually 2-3 hrs. I agree with Edward, make as many passes through your material as possible. It really helps the comfort level. Get to where you can easily and quickly turn to the section you need, to be to get what you're looking for. The greatest asset you can have that will enable you to do this... is the ability to recognize keywords. I didn't commit much to memory except the location of the answer. I had an engineer tell me once when I was young, that he didn't need to memorize anything and that he only needed to know where to find it. It was the best advice I was given. It really cut down on the clutter.
I don't know about anyone else, but I had a lot of small (not difficult, but time consuming)calculations. I wasn't expecting it from what the state literature had outlined. Save your major calcs for last. I was fortunate, one of my calcs was right out of the book. My family really supported me. It sounds like you have plenty of time, You'll do fine! :thumbsup:
 
zapped 1 said:
let me start by saying i am motivated,i have been with the same company 12 YRS i am trying to study for my masters but find it hard to stay focused. besides working all day i have a wife 2 girls 3 dogs and a cat any tips on trying to stay focused and get good study time in i feel overwhelmed when i open mike holts exam prep books and see all the calcs. any suggestions on how any of u managed thru.thanks
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Was sort of the same scenario here.............all good points in this thread to follow............

Gotta find an area to close the door for a few (2-4) hrs a day.

2 points. Hit it hard for 2 weeks before the test............don't touch it the day before.
These tests are written by people who WRITE tests (for lawyers, architects, plumbers etc....) They write the questions from the book. IF, the answer is not Word for Word from the book, it is not
the the right answer.

May I also mention, I know many unlicensed electricians making good money with benefits etc................and although the "world is your oyster" having a license does not guarantee wealth, happiness, or WORK.

Good luck with it!
 
zapped 1 said:
let me start by saying i am motivated,i have been with the same company 12 YRS i am trying to study for my masters but find it hard to stay focused. besides working all day i have a wife 2 girls 3 dogs and a cat any tips on trying to stay focused and get good study time in i feel overwhelmed when i open mike holts exam prep books and see all the calcs. any suggestions on how any of u managed thru.thanks
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to help stay focused .... remember your goal .... master electrician!

for me that was all i needed, i also knew that the company my dad started would be mine (someday)
when i past my masters, as a joke, i called my dad .... and told him he was fired:lol:
 
I was told to go through test 3 times.

1st, answer questions you know for sure, no doubt at all.

2nd, answer questions that need a chart or table reference, such as conduit or box fill, etc.

3rd, answer questions that take searching.

I strayed from that plan 1st time & did not finish the test. 2nd time, I stuck to it and passed. Time flies by quickly.
 
iMuse97 said:
Is there a local library, coffee shop, some place you can get away? Even a back corner table at McDonald's or a local family restaurant/truck stop, etc. Just make sure you focus, and it's a place that works for you.
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Big +1
Any time I need some real study time I hit the library.
Even when the family knows I need to study they feel the need to interupt because I am there and it is conveinient to them.
Also turn off the cell phone while sudying!

Edit: I even have a sound resistant den to use, but it is no match for them when I NEED to get down to brass tacks.
 
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Bathroom Break

Bathroom Break

Buddy, one of the best chances I get to study is in the bathroom. I have 4 kids myself, and I am VP of a company here in Florida and work 10-12 hr days. Years ago I found that by keeping a codebook in the bathroom, I could get in a good 15 minutes in the morning, and 15 in the afternoon, whether I was actually "using" the bathroom or not. It was a good excuse to get away! Also, I hunt as much as I can. What better way to study than to sit in a deer stand countless hours each day and study a handbook. It actually helped me be a more successful hunter as I didn't spend so much time moving around for every little noise I heard. You have plenty of time in each day to study, just try to make the most of the time you have and everything will work out!
 
May I also mention, I know many unlicensed electricians making good money with benefits etc................and although the "world is your oyster" having a license does not guarantee wealth, happiness, or WORK.

Good luck with it!​
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I agree!!! To be honest [OO here I go again]. I would never consider doing just residential electrical work?what a waste of time!!!I say go industrial, commercial, or utility electrical. With move favor being on industrial, or utility. I see a number of employers asking for experience with PLC?s. No offense, just my opinion!!!
 
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