LPIC Prep

Certifiable is a series dedicated to helping you get ready to take the LPIC 1 exams, both in mental state and how to study and experiment more effectively.

LPIC Exam Question Types - Continued…

In part 1 of this mini-series we covered how to take apart and answer the more common question types.  In this, part 2, we’ll cover some of the lesser-well-known question types, ones that the typical Microsoft or Cisco candidate won’t have any experience with, and that can be much more difficult to answer.

Fill-in-the-Blank Questions

This question type has been nicknamed by attendees of my bootcamps as TFQs (those fine questions). Fill-in-the-blanks are the most difficult of the types because the possibility of guessing your way through one is about zero. There is just the question and a large, long text box to type your answer into. Typically, the exams contain 6–11 of these questions, by my estimation.

Rule: If it works on the command line, it should be correct. Don’t get tricky, though, and try to show off your skills—simpler is better. Always double-check exactly what the question wanted. Don’t type in a long command string for a question that asks just for the command name.

Sample Fill-in-the-Blank Question

What command with necessary switches shows you the information page and a complete listing of files for a downloaded RPM package file named pkg1.rpm? (Type in the answer below.)

_____________________________

Answer rpm –qpil pkg1.rpm is correct. When typing in answers, be sure you use that standard order of options, such as the q character coming first in queries, followed by the rest of the options. Long options, such as –nodeps, are typically entered right after the short options.

Note: There are multiple correct versions of these answers. For example a tar command that uses the - before options is correct, and one that has the same options without a - is correct, too.

LPI has a table in the exam software that contains all the right strings; your answer is matched against this table when you click Next.

Identify-the-Component Questions

Very few of these appear on the LPIC exams, but the odd one has been sighted by a few people, including the author. Essentially, you’re shown a graphic and asked to identify the component or to select the correct component from a list of graphics shown as answers. Don’t get excited about how Linux+-like this type of question is; very few of them appear on the LPIC exams.

Sample Identify-the-Component Question

What is the component in the exhibit?  (There will be a picture in the testing interface of a physical component such as a PCMCIA Card.)

❑ A. PCI card
❑ B. VLB card
❑ C. PCMCIA card
❑ D. Async I/O card

Answer C is correct. The card is obviously a PCMCIA card due to the size, style, and connector type on the left side. Answer A is incorrect because the exhibit shows a PCMCIA card. Answer B is incorrect because the exhibit shows a PCMCIA card.
Answer D is incorrect because the phrase Async I/O Card is too ambiguous and doesn’t mean anything.

Warning: Watch out for questions about SCSI connectors or cable ends; counting the pins is
the best option.

Additional Exam Tips

If you are not finished when 95% of the time has elapsed, use the last few minutes to guess your way through the remaining questions.

Tip: Remember that guessing is potentially more valuable than not answering because blank
answers are always wrong, but a guess can turn out to be right.

If you don’t have a clue about any of the remaining questions, pick answers at random or choose all As, Bs, and so on. The important thing is to submit an exam for scoring that has an answer for every question.

Danger, Will Robinson

Be extremely careful when changing previously answered questions! Many an attendee has missed the exam by 10 or 20 points, and when queried how many questions they weren’t sure about and changed, the typical answer is “one or two.” Don’t change answers unless you are certain you have found a better answer in a later question—go with your gut.

Good Luck, we’ll cover next how to go back and study more about what you might have missed, particularly if you’re like a lot of people and get to, umm, take the exam again in a few weeks…

Enjoy,

RossB

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