How to prepare for NetApp Certified Data Administrator, ONTAP 162 TIPs and TRICKS

[Jerry2]

Hi all,

my question is how the efficient preparation for the Netapp exam should look like. To be honest, I have no practical experience with storage devices. Neverthless, I have done some Netapp labs, which I find cool.

So, what is better? Just read the 3000+ pages of documentation? Doing some labs? The thing is that the questions starts with the hypothetical claim - what would you do if you experienced this and that issue? I have no clue about this possibilities and how to solve them. Even the Netapp virtual course is not much helpful, since it doesnt prepare for the exam itself.

Then, I would say, it is fair to create a prerequisite certification or course or whatever, which should be interstage between no experience and full NCDA knowledge.

Then, I can read hundreds of text, but I do not know what is important what not. Simply, I can not measure my improvement, which is higly frustrating.

Maybe it would be wiser to have 3 levels of NCDA, lets say Bronze level, Silver level and Golden level of knowledge within one NCDA certificate.

Cheers!

[SpindleNinja · Accepted solution]

There's a reference  list of docs that we create/publish when writing the NetApp Cert. - https://www.netapp.com/pdf.html?item=/media/12176-ncp-reference-documentpdf.pdf

 
Which is better?  labs or docs?   
 - depends,  i personally learn hands on and ref docs when needed.  

Re: prerequisite - for the NCDA we say it's someone with 6 months of ONTAP admin experience.   but not required to take the test.  

If you're interested in how we write these cert tests, here's some reading on it - https://spindleninja.org/2020/05/15/certifications-being-a-sme/

[Jerry2]

Hi @SpindleNinja ,

thank you so much for sharing your own personal experience.

Your blog is very useful to gain an insight into Netapp philosophy.

I wish I had so deep technical overview!

[ameliabenjamin]

To prepare for the NetApp Certified Data Administrator (NCDA) exam efficiently, focus on practical experience by doing hands-on labs, as they help you understand real-world scenarios that are common in the exam. Instead of reading all 3,000+ pages of documentation, concentrate on key areas like ONTAP configuration, storage provisioning, and troubleshooting. Additionally, practice exams are crucial—using platforms like Study4Exam can help you assess your knowledge and get familiar with the type of questions asked in the exam. This combination of labs, focused reading, and practice tests will significantly improve your chances of passing the exam.

[SpindleNinja]

Study4Exam is a "dumpsite", please don't use it.   These don't teach you anything.