What do I need to know for CSDA-like certification exams?

Question

I am interested in taking the IEEE CSDA exam. What are some of the better, individual strategies for learning software engineering practices in preparation for the exam?

Answer 1

I took this exam and passed it in December 2010. This was in the second quarter of my final year in the Software Engineering program at the Rochester Institute of Technology, after I had completed all of the required courses (with the exception of the ongoing senior project).

My approach was to purchase access to the CSDA Assessment Course, which comes with sample exams that are scored. This course was broken into four modules. There were review presentations with an outline of the material and sample exams that were in-depth on the material for each module. There were also PDFs that were between 100 and 200 pages that explained the material in-depth.

Prior to taking the exam (even before deciding to take the exam), I had purchased a copy of SWEBOK 2004 (also available online for free), which I also used to review a high level overview of each topic. I was incredibly fortunate that my university's software engineering curriculum required a number of the books recommended for reading for the exam, and I had kept them. I purchased a few from areas where I needed extra learning and self teaching. If you want book recommendations, there are a number of questions here about book suggestions.