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Linux Certification Practice Tests?
TeachesWithPenguins: "I teach Linux at a private college. We (the instructors) are in the process of selecting new textbooks for our basic Linux course, and have run into a controversy. Some instructors are holding out for the textbook which includes a CD full of practice exams for a Linux Plus certification. The rest of us want to use the book which includes the greatest number of practical exercises -- which the students could use at home or at school. This controversy could be ended if we could find free, downloadable, Linux certification practice exams on the internet. Years ago, when I started getting certifications, free practice tests where readily available on the internet. So far, I have been unable to find anything of the sort for any Linux certification. Do such things still exist -- for Linux?"
So, basically with no clear standard and weak community buy-in, it's no wonder that it's harder to find material than it is for the MCS*/CCN* cert tests. My advice would be to focus on practical tasks and hands-on lab work, becuase this will prepare them for any cert worth having.
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Linux is not about certificates. It's about learning.
Teach your students how to solve any problem, and they will decide if they want a Linux career.
Buy a Nintendo DS Lite
post to slashdot "Lunix r0x0rz" you are certified.
You said textbooks, can't you go for a bit of each, practical excises from one book and the pracise exams from another?
Sure. It's called tldp.org
Jonahweb.com has stuff.
I started digging around to find out about different certifications and I was a little annoyed.
From what I understand, the Red Hat exam is the most comprehensive out there. However, I'm not a big Red Hat fan. So I'm stuck between getting certification that screams Red Hat, or getting something that an employer may not care about, or if they do and I get hired, may still put me under the guy with the RHCE.
Living in the D.C. area I will say that certifications definitely count here, and I'd love for the guys at United Linux to come up with some great certifications.
The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it. - G.B. Shaw
You can probably buy a practise exam set from one of the certification vendors to distribute amongst your students.
SAIR
RHCE
LPI
Pixels keep you awake!
I'd recommend studying instead for an exam that focuses on systems administration ability rather than memorization of command switches. Look at programs like the SAGE Certification program, which are designed to test a candidate's ability to run systems, rather than their ability to pass tests.
.@.
Having read some of the comments, I feel I should clarify here. :) into this. .@.: "SAGE" -- I will check into this, too.
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First, I'd like to state that I have been a Linux geek since version 0.93 -- I know what I'm teaching, I'm not a *&%%$* hack.
<b>
(1) At our college, we do not "offer" certification as a part of the course. That would sound like we were coaching people to pass the cert. exams, which is an *extremely* old argument *against* certs. -- it doesn't happen here, certainly.
<b>
(2) Our school does offer students Comptia exams, but the exams are not required for the course. After taking the course, the student is presumed to be "more prepared" to take the exam than before -- but passing the exam is not a given.
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(3) The Comptia series includes the Linux Plus exam; this is a very low level certification, but this is a beginner's course: some of the students have had no exposure to Linux. We expect them, by the end of the course, certified or not, to be able to deal with installing and configuring Linux without totally freaking out and running screaming for Mommy.
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(4) "Use both books"? We're talking about students! These guys just got out of high school, church mice have more money than they do, and they don't like to carry a hundred pounds of books (for their four to six classes) around every day.
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(5) "Linux isn't about certificates, Linux is about learning." So is our college. See #1 above.
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(6)"Sure, it's called tldp.org"? Do you think we don't already use this?
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(7) The best comments of the bunch so far were
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(a)from Chexsum: "buy a practice exam" -- I will chex
<b>from
IBM has online tutorials for the LPI exams.
I think this link should work for a while. If later it doesn't go to developerworks linux -> Education and then key word search for LPI and you'll find lots. Also IBM offers a free self assement for the LPI exams.
Finally, just to throw in my (probably unwanted $.02) you are a school you should be educating not teaching a trade. Specific certifications are a trade not an education.
Use the good book and put the one with the tests on reserve in your library. Does that do it?
If you want your tests to be usefull establish what a system should and then in form of a lab with a Linux (I prefer SuSE but have your students choose whichever) installation CD and VMWare loaded on the lab system, have them do the magic thing ... Load Linux, and configure it so it runs to serve a purpose.