Real Cisco 500-442 Exam Questions: Try These for Guaranteed Success

Arithmetic Operations

• Addition: Combining two or more numbers to find their sum. Commutative property applies (order doesn't matter). Associative property applies (grouping doesn't matter).
• Subtraction: Finding the difference between two numbers. Order matters.
• Multiplication: Repeated addition of a number. Commutative and associative properties apply.
• Division: Finding how many times one number goes into another. Order matters.
• Properties of Zero: Adding zero to any number results in the original number. Multiplying any number by zero results in zero.

Basic Algebra

• Variables: Symbols (letters) representing unknown values.
• Expressions: Combinations of variables, numbers, and operators.
• Equations: Statements showing two expressions are equal. Solving an equation involves isolating the variable.
• Inequalities: Statements showing one expression is greater than or less than another. Solving inequalities often involves similar steps as solving equations, but with important considerations regarding flipping the inequality sign when multiplying or dividing by a negative number.
• Order of Operations (PEMDAS/BODMAS): Parentheses/Brackets, Exponents/Orders, Multiplication and Division (left to right), Addition and Subtraction (left to right).
• Evaluating expressions: Substituting values for variables and calculating the result according to the order of operations.

Mathematical Reasoning

• Problem-solving strategies: Identifying the problem, analyzing information, developing a plan, implementing the plan, and evaluating the solution.
• Deductive reasoning: Using general rules to draw specific conclusions.
• Inductive reasoning: Observing patterns and making generalizations.
• Counterexamples: Showing a statement is false by providing a specific case (example) that disproves it.

Word Problems

• Translate word phrases into mathematical expressions or equations. Look for key words that indicate operations (e.g., "sum," "difference," "product," "quotient").
• Define variables to represent unknown quantities.
• Solve the problem using algebraic methods or arithmetic operations.
• State the answer with proper units.

Number Properties

• Commutative Property: The order of numbers does not affect the outcome of addition or multiplication.
• Associative Property: The grouping of numbers does not affect the outcome of addition or multiplication.
• Distributive Property: Multiplying a number by a sum or difference is the same as multiplying the number by each term in the sum or difference and then adding or subtracting the results.
• Identity Property of Addition: The sum of any number and zero is the original number.
• Identity Property of Multiplication: The product of any number and one is the original number.
• Inverse Properties: Opposite operations (addition/subtraction and multiplication/division). They cancel each other out.
• Zero Property of Multiplication: The product of any number and zero is zero.
• Properties of integers: Rules governing negative and positive numbers (adding, subtracting, multiplying, dividing) such as the rules for signs, opposites and absolute values.
• Prime numbers: Whole numbers greater than 1 that have only two factors: 1 and themselves.
• Composite numbers: Whole numbers greater than 1 that are not prime.
• Factors and multiples: Factors are numbers that divide evenly into another number. Multiples are the products of a number and an integer.
• Divisibility rules: Rules for determining if a number is divisible by another number without performing the division.
• Place value and number sense: Understanding how the value of a digit changes depending on its position in a number.