Passed 901 exam today

I've been following this subreddit for a while now since I started studying for the 901 exam. The support I saw in this subreddit inspired me to keep going. Today I thought I'd give my two cents, I hope this will help people studying to have some references on what to expect (time, difficulty, etc.)

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Background

Currently a graduating senior, studying in an IT related major (not comp sci). Close to none real-world technical working experience, but not new to basic hardware, network, programming concepts.

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Study Schedule

I started a little more than a month ago and booked the exam ahead. Study schedule:

• First two weeks: ~3 hours/weekday, ~4 hours/weekend-day
• Last two weeks: ~4~5 hours/weekday, ~12 hours/weekend-day (because I realized I was not studying fast enough)

Yeah, I'm a slow learner :(

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Study Materials

• Prof. Messer's entire 901 Youtube series, entire 901 notes, entire 901 pop-quiz (primary study materials, highly recommend)
• Half of Exam compass practice exams, I realized these practice exams are too technical and suck the life out of me so I stopped
• Three Mike Meyers' practice exams on Udemy (highly recommend)
• A single Quizlet thing I made for the 901 ports (flashcards, used to review before the exam)
• Partial Mike Myer's total seminar series on Udemy, did not watch in full, just used as supplemental to Prof. Messer's videos
• David L. Prowse's Exam Cram book. Did not actually use it due to time constraints but good reviews on Amazon

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Conclusion

Got ~85% on all Mike Myer's three practice exams, got 803 (~89%) on the real exam. I was stressing out about failing the practice exams because I read someone else said that you should get at least 90%s on the practice exams to pass the real exam, glad it worked out. I'd say the Meyers and Messer practice questions are absolutely fantastic and prepared me well. I'll take my weekend off and focus on some school work, and start 902 next week. Good luck with your studies!