A short guide to acing the Linux Foundation Certified System Administrator (LFCS) exam
I’ve longed to share an experience on my recent success in the LFCS exam; however, the time hasn’t really been on my side. Luckily for me, I’ve been able to squeeze this one in.
The Linux Foundation Certified System Administrator (LFCS) exam is one which seeks to validate a candidates ability to demonstrate hands-on expertise in administering Linux systems. It centres on curated domains, such as ;
- essential commands
- operation of running systems
- user and group management
- networking, service configuration
- storage management.
The Journey
Somewhere in the month of April, I applied for the scholarship and got selected in the cloud captains category. My prior aim was to pursue the Certified Kubernetes Administrator exam but on reaching out to some seniors in the tech space, I was advised to go for the Linux Certification instead as it would help provide me with a solid understanding of computer architecture and operating systems in general so I ditched plan A to follow plan B.
My initial preparation was based on the Essentials of Linux System Administration (LFS201) course. I found the contents quite bulky and highly descriptive; however, I knew I was not fully covered with it, so I researched and was able to find the materials listed below quite useful;
- UNIX and Linux System Administration Handbook 5th Edition
- CompTIA Linux+ Study Guide: Exam XK0–004 4th Edition
- Linux Foundation Certified System Administrator (LFCS) (a course by Sander van Vugt)
- LFCS Exam Study Guide (Linux Foundation Certified System Administrator)
It took me about six (6) months to prepare for the exam. I wouldn't like to describe myself as a total beginner as I already had some experience with the basic Linux commands but that was it for me.
Initially, I was spending about ten (10) hours in a week studying but along the line, I started lagging behind due to some setbacks. With the help of a close learning partner and pure determination, I was able to scale through.
On completing the Linux course (in October), I scheduled my exam in November then began to work on discovered weaknesses and on topics which weren’t treated in the material. Sander’s course proved really helpful during that period.
D-day
My preparations got me ready, but one thing I knew for sure was that there was no way I would ever be 100% prepared (I don’t think anyone prepares fully for Linux!) so I sat for the exam with little alacrity.
The exam lasted two (2) hours under supervision. At the onset, I got the usual exam chills but as the questions kept coming, my confidence level grew stronger. I wasn’t able to attempt a few of the questions but in the end, I passed :)
Below are some of the challenges I faced during the exam;
- The terminal was quite slow (possibly due to poor network) and this had an effect on my typing speed. I tried to remain calm during these periods.
- The terminal provided was small so I wasn’t able to enjoy the use of a terminal multiplexer.
Suggestions
My advice to anyone with the intention of taking the exam would be to;
- Maintain focus and do not be discouraged. A lot of people might have tried and failed but you are not them, and even if you fail, there is always a second chance to go hard on the exam.
- Follow the guidelines (both the question and proctor issued guidelines). This is very important in order to avoid answering a question in the wrong server.
- Make sure to schedule a date for the exam midway in your preparation and work towards it. This will help to keep you on your toes and also prevent procrastination.
- Take your labs seriously. Go the extra mile of setting up a test environment on the cloud( you can use AWS, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure, etc.) but make sure to decommission any running service after your sessions. Billings are not a fun thing :(
- Take some time to get a good understanding of the exam in general. Know what is required and what is not. I suggest engaging in the links below
Linux Foundation Certification Prep Guide
Linux Foundation Certification Policies & Candidate Handbook
On a parting note
The entire process was worth it as I got to gain experience on important computer concepts such as; virtualization, containerization, memory management, I/O management, and best of all the Linux kernel.
I would also love to have a share in the Linux Foundation Certified Engineer (LFCE) exam in the nearest future (I heard it’s for the big boys but who cares 😎)
See you at the top!👋
