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Home > Archive > Linux/Unix > March 2001 > Braindumps
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| I just got a copy of ExamCram's "General Linux 1" by Emmett Dulaney and I recall seeing some odd avice. Although dumps are not too hot with regards to Linux certs, and not easily had, let me quote something from this book:
"You should also cruise the Web looking for braindumps (recollections of test topics amd experiences recorded by others to help you anticipate topics you're likely to encounter on thte test.
Tip: When using any braindump, it's okay to pay attention to information about questions. However, you can't always be sure that a braindump's author will also be able to provide correct answers. Therefore, use the questions to guide your studies but NEVER rely on the answers in a braindump to lead you to the truth. Double-check everything you find in any braindump".
This is from page 'xxvii' of the Self-Assessment chapter. I know dumps have been a hotly debated topic here, but I find it odd that an author actively suggests cheating to pass an exam . . . | |
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| I can't believe Exam Cram would publish something like that. I don't like their books that much as it is, but after reading this I'll try to stay away from them. | |
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| I know, their books seem to be oriented towards passing tests rather than gaining knowlegde. In all fairness, the author did say that hands-on was the best prep possible, but what he was suggesting was illegal as far as the NDA was concerned. I have seen this in other of their books as well. I mean, heck, Linux is FREE!!!! All a newbie needs is a basic intro as to how to take advantage of its power. If you sign an agreement, digital or otherwise, one should be bound by it. If the cert helps us, then we should have enough respect to EARN it. | |
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| I know, their books seem to be oriented towards passing tests rather than gaining knowlegde. In all fairness, the author did say that hands-on was the best prep possible, but what he was suggesting was illegal as far as the NDA was concerned. I have seen this in other of their books as well. I mean, heck, Linux is FREE!!!! All a newbie needs is a basic intro as to how to take advantage of its power. If you sign an agreement, digital or otherwise, one should be bound by it. If the cert helps us, then we should have enough respect to EARN it. | |
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| FWIW, ExamCram Switching (Cisco CCNP) is really help me to focus on CLI and topics to cram. I don't remember if the Switching author recommends braindump for the exam, means not all ExamCram's books are bad anyway, some are good.
For the braindump, agreed, that make cert's value degrade. I abandon my MCSE 2000 track after found out that so many people can easily pass the Design tests and with an extremely high score (960+). They used braindump like troytech, cheet products, that's not fair. I have to try two times before passed Microsoft Active Directory Administration.
Hope this would not happen with Linux cert and Cisco. | |
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| Braindumps are lame under any circumstances! About that microsoft exam, I thought the W2K exams were going to be simulation based. Is this not the case, or are they only simulation based for some of them?? | |
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| I know this is hotly debated but I really disagree that dumps are cheating or violate agreements. Most dumps are NOT word for word test questions w/ answers. They are just recollections of topics and areas to study. They really end up being no different than study guides or practice questions that you purchase, except they are more prone to errors :-)
Only actual test question/answers violate agreements but I can't believe that that is what the author is talking about. | |
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| Well, I agree that you can;t always judge what is in a braindump just because it is called a braindump -- a braindump may be a euphemism for a cheat sheet or a regular practice test -- but let me re-quote part of the above for you: "you can't always be sure that a braindump's author will also be able to provide correct answers" . . . this clearly implies that what the author is talking about is the answers to test questions and he is warning the students reading his book to take the answers to these questions with a grain of salt, because they are so often wrong. It's hard for me to regard the above as anything else but advice on cheating. | |
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| I have seen the original message "go cruising for braindumps" in other coroiolis books as well (sms 2.0 comes to mind)
As far as dumps are concerned, there will always be people looking to take the easy way out. Why study for months to pass one exam when one can spend an afternoon cruising for dumps (or order one) and pass the test at the end of the week?
The problem is that the people doing the hiring are lazy and only look for simple criteria, like "candidate has BS and MCSE". This has little, if any, correlation to the person's ability to perform the job.
I work with one person who has taken a few classes at college, but will probably never finish a degree. he has no certs and does not entertain the thought. I have more paper (both formal and certifications) than I care to mention, but this guy knows as much about computing theory as I do and can run circles around me on *nix.
If we were both applying for the same job, however, I could walk through an HR interview with no problems while my friend may not even get an interview!
Bottom line? Certs are only good for two things: personal gratification and human resources justification for pay raises. Of course, this is just my opinion, I could be wrong... | |
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| It really depends on where you are at you know . . . most employers here seem to have never heard of mosr certifications and they carry almost no weight compared to experience. In other areas, it may be different. But when it comes to Unix, you can't really take the easy way out . . . you may be able to fake it through the test, but not in real life. |
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