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Unix/Linux and Mac OS X Skills Tests-Certification Exam Resources

February 2008: These tests are all badly in need of update. Some questions are incorrect because of changing technology and others just make no sense in today's IT world. I do intend to update these, but it's a big project..


Linux Certification Exams and Tests
SCO Ace Certification Exams and Tests
Mac OS X Tests

I've had various complaints about my tests. Things like "that's RedHat 9 specific" or "that's a hardware issue". Yes - some of the questions are OS version specific and some are hardware related. The PURPOSE of these tests is so a qualified person can DISCUSS answers with a job applicant. The tests are FREE: you can pay hundreds of dollars for tests that have similar defects. Some of those are listed farther down the page.

My tests are not specifically geared toward certifications, but several folks have used them to prepare for certification examinations and have told me that they were helpful. I have a LOT more questions and answers than most of what you'll find out there, and that includes some of the much more expensive testing suites.

I originally developed these for testing tech job applicants - I'd sit down with the person and have them verbally answer a few dozen questions like this.. it gave me a real good idea of how broad their skills were (tech and admin folk need broad skills).. anyway, it might help show you where your weak areas are. Some of the questions are very basic, some aren't, but if you find yourself really thrown by a lot of them, you need a lot of work. Most of the people who answer questions at help forums or newsgroups would likely waltz through them and quit out of boredom rather soon - if that's your experience, you are probably well prepared to be an admin. And if not.. well, learning just takes time and effort, right?

Not all of the material below is directly related to certification tests, but anything that tests your knowledge can be useful in preparing for exams. I think it's also fun just to self test, even without any intention of becoming certified.

Over the years, I've taken a few certifications myself. Sometimes the test questions weren't very realistic, but you have to expect that- if you know your material cold, you shouldn't have any problems. These sample and practice exams can help you learn what it is you really don't know very well and need to spend more time on.

If you are looking for certification, whether for SCO, Linux, Solaris or any OS, the best preparation is hands on experience and a lot of outside reading. Peruse the newgroups and look for the common problems people have- those sorts of questions are very apt to be on certification exams. Don't just read manual pages; experiment- try things out and understand how they really work, what the limitations are, and then try to imagine what kind of questions you would ask if you were preparing a certification exam for that area. When you come up with questions you can't answer with confidence, you've found one of your own weak areas and can drill in on that.

Another thing I have found useful is to try explaining critical concepts to someone else- verbally or in writing. Even without someone else to question your explanation, just writing it down can make you realize that you don't fully comprehend something you thought you were clear on. The people who design certification exams do that sort of thing themselves to come up with harder questions for you to answer.

Testing and retesting is critical. Buy all the prep books you can afford; they often have review and test questions. Scour the web looking for on-line assessment tests and please tell me about any good ones you find for Unix or Linux; I'd like to include them here. Good luck, or just have fun if that's what you are after.

By the way: when using search engines to find sample exams, be sure to try different keywords: "linux certification tests", "sco sample exam questions", "sample tests", "certification quiz", "free sample tests", "sample exams", etc. You won't find everything out there unless you do.


For those with slow internet connections who don't want to use these on-line,you can buy the tests.

These are other resources, free and otherwise, for testing your knowledge of Unix and Linux or preparing for certification exams.

Comments /Tests/index.html


Sat Sep 29 07:46:56 2007   anonymous

Linux has great names for it's distributions. But all this shit can't match
Windows. In fact it is at win95/98 level and is not completed ever. Sorry,
I loved ubuntu until I found that one wrong distro address stop updating
process. Act as a homosexual guy. More and more looks as windows with different
icons. Grub, lilo, forget it.


Sat Sep 29 15:23:49 2007   BigDumbDinosaur

What was ^^^that^^^ all about? Is he a disgruntled Linux user or a mole
planted by Bill Gates?


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/Tests/ copyright Tony Lawrence All Rights Reserved

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