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If I take the CWNA exam after Oct 30th would all of the exam objectives been covered in the 3rd edition book or will I need to by the 4th edition?

Hi mr1,
I have just passed today my CWNA examination (81%), and I faced the issue you've mentioned. I'd like to share my impressions about the exam, I hope it will be useful to another candidates with similar backgroud to mine. Of course this is my subjective opinion and doesn't have to apply to other candidates, especially with other backgrounds.
I've been working with IT security for more than 6 years and wireless was something new to me.
I've used:
- the CWNA Guide 3rd edition,
- free flashcards,
- wikipedia and google,
- test questions.
I didn't use:
- any other manuals (the exam topics CAN be put in one manual in my opinion),
- videos (they are wishy-washy for me, and good for exams where you need a "big picture"),
- standards (they are too technical),
- test exams (they teach you only how to pass exams in my opinion).
About the exam:
- stress was put on learning by heart, not on the "big picture",
- deactivated "go back" button was somehow strange, but I didn't perceive it as a nuisance,
- "new" topics were there (after 30.10.2006),
- I liked the immediate exam result,
- I liked the plenty of time, I've been given.
My good advices:
- if you can, use the updated manual. The old manual will still prepare you for the exam, but the "new" topics will steal you some points. If you score around 70% these points can decide if you pass,
- when you learn try to memorize facts (not the "big picture"),
- try to eliminate nonsense answers first. It works with CWNA as well,
- don't hurry with questions, you'll have enough time for the questions. Some exams give you enough time (CISSP, CWNA), some don't (CISA).
And... good luck!
z.

From what I've read, there is no "4th edition" book. There are merely some changes taking place, but not enough to require a new version of the book to be released.

http://www.cwnp.com/exams/pw0100_objective_changes.html
http://www.cwnp.com/exams/exam_terms.html

Hi again,
yes, you're right. The topics are covered in other books.
They say: "This information is already taught in the CWNP v3.x Official Courseware and/or covered by many self-study books in the industry."
What I want to say is - if you rely solely on the CWNA official book - it's not the best strategy now, after the amendment.

- stress was put on learning by heart, not on the "big picture",

So basically this exam is testing if you are good at learning things by heart... or in other words it is testing your memory not if you would make a good wireless administrator...

Must admit... I expected that when I saw the practice tests questions...

There is enough poor administrators in IT that screw things up already by thinking they are good just because they know everything by heart and have passed all certifications but actually have no clue of what they are doing...

When will they put freeform-response questions in these exams ? oh yeah... that would take "people" that they would have to pay to actually read the answers ... which in turn would cost money... and reduce benefits...

**sigh

Zyg, thanks for the info though :)

I have passed the CWNA exam 10 days ago and I can guarantee that if you study only by heart you have good chances of not passing the exam. Many questions required some elaboration of concepts.
What I basically want you to understand is that you certainly have to study a lot of things by heart ( rates, speeds, modulations, etc... ), but if you are not able to apply them in real scenarios you will fail your test.
Believe me, first try to understand what you are reading and then you will find it easy to remember.

fmedina, you're very right. get the concepts (how it works) in the mind rather than learning the book by heart. it's the concepts which would get your mind clicked when every question is raised.

I do read the practice tests a lot. It's not to by heart the answers. I don't even look at the answers. Wot I read is the explanation for the answer. This explanation gives you the concepts and ideas. It will also tell you why a specific answer is right and why a specific answer is wrong. (This will give you a broader understanding of the technology).

fmedina Escribi?3:

...but if you are not able to apply them in real scenarios you will fail your test.
Believe me, first try to understand what you are reading and then you will find it easy to remember.

Hi Fmedina,

I do understand what I'm reading, but I doesn't help me to memorize the "alfabet soup", frequencies, and a lot of expressions related to wireless.

Must I be able to apply my knowledge in a real scenario in order to pass the test? I respect your oppinion but I strongly disagree.

z.