Study by subject
IT certifications
For an IT certification you learn acronyms, ports, the layers of the OSI model and the exam domains by heart. Lumi asks them back until you can recall them without hunting.
How to turn this subject into cards
Split the official syllabus domain by domain and make one card per acronym, with its definition in one sentence and an example of use. Ports, OSI layers and RAID levels go into fact cards, one value per question. The trap is reading the manual and watching videos in a stream, which gives a feeling of mastery while nothing is pulled out of memory. With Lumi you answer first and then compare, and it is that active recall that holds longest (Karpicke and Roediger, 2008). When an acronym keeps slipping, add a card that ties it to a concrete case from the syllabus. Spread your sessions over several weeks instead of packing them at the end (Cepeda et al., 2006).
What you need to know by heart
- The acronyms in the syllabus and their one sentence definitions.
- Common ports and protocols, HTTPS, SSH, DNS, SMTP.
- The seven OSI layers and what each one does.
- RAID levels and the fault tolerance of each.
- The exam domains and their weighting, as published by the exam body.
It depends on the country
Certifications depend on the vendor more than the country. CompTIA offers A+, Network+ and Security+, Microsoft publishes exams by role, such as Azure or Microsoft 365, and Cisco offers the CCNA for networking. Each body publishes the format, duration and pass mark of every exam, and they change with versions. Always start from the official objectives list of the version you are taking.
How Lumi helps you remember it
You teach your cards to Lumi, acronyms, ports, layers, domains. It forgets over time, like you do, then quizzes you right before you would forget. As your exam date approaches, the Mist settles over the domains you know less well and Lumi asks those first. You arrive with answers that come on their own, not just memories of reading.
Example cards
Three cards the way you would write them, with the answer Lumi expects.
Which port does HTTPS use?
Port 443.
Which OSI layer is the transport layer?
The fourth, above the network layer.
What does RAID 1 do?
It mirrors the data across two disks.
Example card
Try it, Lumi turns it into fill in the blank questions in your browser.
IT certifications · teach this card to Lumi
HTTPS uses port 443. SSH uses port 22. DNS uses port 53. The OSI model has seven layers and the transport layer is the fourth.
Lumi’s question
HTTPS uses port _____.
Pick the missing word
Answer right to light Lumi up
Its lamp fades when a fact slips away.
Frequently asked questions
- How do I remember ports and acronyms?
- One card per port or acronym, one value per question. Lumi asks them back at growing intervals, which fixes them for the long term (Cepeda et al., 2006).
- Should I also take practice exams?
- Yes, they train you on the format. Then write a card for every question you missed and Lumi will ask it again at the right time.
- Can I study for several certifications at once?
- Yes, with one deck of cards per certification. Shared topics, like networking, carry over and Lumi mixes them in with the rest.
Read next
Sources
- Karpicke, Roediger (2008). The critical importance of retrieval for learning. Science, 319(5865). doi.org/10.1126/science.1152408
- Cepeda, Pashler, Vul, Wixted, Rohrer (2006). Distributed practice in verbal recall tasks. A review and quantitative synthesis. Psychological Bulletin, 132(3). doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.132.3.354
Teach this to Lumi
Give Lumi your it certifications notes, it gives them back as questions at the right moment.