I originally said I wasn’t going to bother with the CCAA exam, but sometimes a whim just takes you and you have to give it a go (especially after reading this post by Hersey Cartwright)! 2 Days after my CCA exam I had a spare evening so crammed a bit, and took the exam the next lunch time. To be honest I found it no harder than the CCA and more enjoyable as you actually did some lab sims.
As a native English speaker you get 210 minutes (and an extra 30 if English is not your first language). This seemed more than generous to me when actually implementing the exam. As per the official guide, the passing score is a fairly standard 65% and the exams consist of 46 questions including 4 simulations. Obviously I can’t go into any more detail than is published by Citrix, but I will try to give a couple of suggestions as to how to approach the exam.
For the simulations I suggest you write the numbers 1,2,3,4 at the top of the page, then once you complete each sim, mark it off. This will ensure you can manage your time effectively and keep track of where you are. Ensure you give yourself at least 10-15 mins per sim question and if it takes you more than 20, move on to the next question to avoid wasting time when you could pick up points easier later on. You can always come back and partial points can be awarded as long as you complete the critical elements! The simulator environment is explained in detail in the official exam prep guide listed below. Unfortunately the sim demo in the official guide (http://citrixtraining.com/456_demo2/) does not appear to exist any more. I assume to encourage you to do the XD7 exams instead! 🙂
My biggest tip for the sims is to read the questions very carefully (even several times over – you have enough time!) and make sure you only do exactly what the question asks. It is possible to do more than required, but this may end up penalising you.
One thing that is a bit annoying about the sim is that the clock is not displayed (other than that of the virtual server) because the sim takes up the screen. Considering Pearson Vue make you remove your watch before entering the exam, I think this is a tad mean!… you can still alt-tab to the main window to see your remaining time though, so bear this in mind.
There really aren’t many additional resources over those I have already mentioned in my CCA 1Y0-A20 XenApp 6.5 Exam Review and Study Guide as it goes above and beyond the CCA requirements, however I did come across one or two additional resources worth checking out:
- Official Exam Prep Guide – A gold mine of information here. I wish I had noticed the CCA version too before I took that exam! I suggest you go through each of the items listed in the exam requirements and ensure you know how to implement them. Test them in your lab to make sure you have it down!
- Instant EdgeSight for XenApp – You need to have at least a basic understanding of the EdgeSight product for the exam. Interesting as it isnt covered in any of the typical XenApp courses. PacktPub to the rescue! Don’t forget to use your voucher code (if it is still working) for 40% off any PacktPub books. – bawdanu
At time of writing you also get 50% of any second book purchase, so why not check out and see if you can find anything else of use, such as the books mentioned in my previous post on the CCA.
If you’ve already successfully passed the CCA, then I suggest don’t even think about it… book the CCAA and just get it done. You already have the skills!