How I Passed the RHCSA EX200 in 2024
I passed the RHCSA Exam (EX200) in July of 2024.
Study Resources
Link to videos course from Sander Van Vugt + his labs
Books I used
- Red Hat RHCSA 9 Cert Guide: EX200 - Sander Van Vugt
- Covers all objectives but Sander has some unique ways of accomplishing tasks.
- Example “Resetting root password” using init=/bin/bash instead of rd.break.
- RHCSA Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 Certification Study Guide, Eighth Edition – Michael Jang
- Great labs but missing some details on certain objectives
- Great Online material! Docs and Exams
- An example of material not covered so well were Containers. There were not as many examples as Sander’s book or video course.
- RHCSA Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9: Training and Exam Preparation Guide (EX200), Third Edition – Asghar Ghori
- I did not use this book in my studies but looked at it after passing and wished I did!
Technology for Lab
- Virt Manager
- I used virt-manager on a linux OS (RHEL 9 in this case) for my lab purposes.
- Most study materials suggest creating two VMs for study.
- Getting hand-ons practice was the most valuable component of my prep.
I also had a dual monitor display but remember, you will only be allowed to use one monitor on exam day.
Study Routine
3 months from May to the end of July
I read and followed Sanders book from start to finish and did labs along the way. Then, I did the same with Jang’s book.
I used Sanders Video course on Oreilly.com to focus on objectives that weren’t too clear in the books.
I did labs almost everyday and practiced tasks with multiple steps like LVM configuration and containers regularly. I did this because these tasks involve multiple steps and I wanted to reduce the time I spent looking through man pages.
I took breaks when I needed. For example, in a 1 – 2 hour study session I had like 15 two-min breaks.
Yes, I took that many breaks, especially on days that the study material was tough to get through.
If I did not have too much energy after work, I would do at minimum one task related to an objectives – ie a task from the labs in the book resources.
I studied mostly in the evening and right before bed because I was also working a full-time job.
Actual Exam
Pick a date sooner than later. I chose July 29th and stuck to it.
It forced me to study on those busier days.
During the actual exam, make sure to keep going even when you hit a bump in the road.
I remember doing a task, and halfway through, I realized I was doing it on the wrong VM.
Here are some helpful links provided by Red Hat
Getting for the remote, bootable USB set up
Final Thoughts
This was the first practical certification exam I had ever taken and I was nervous going into it. I took this exam for my own personal interests and my success or faliure was not tied to my job, at the time or anything. There was a bit of relief in that but I made it a goal and wanted to be successful!
As cliche as it may sound, if i can do it so can you!