Anyone here Pass the CCNA Exam?

[WinstonSmith]

What route should I take to prepare for this exam?

Thanks for the help.

.ws

[digip]

Im still in class for my CCNA. I have taken a few practice tests, and th eone thing that I had trouble with was all the details fo the protocols, like rip, rip2, OSP, EIGRP, etc. Physically I can do everything in the class and know my way around the hardware, but the technical terms and details about the protocols are the thing I would start studying if you have the hardware side down.

[h3%5kr3w]

hey, as soon as I get home I'll hook you up with some stuff. be online @ 10pm CST!

I have been in CCNA classes (along with regular college classes) for awhile and I am about to be going into CCNA 3.

I have a few resources that could/would be of great help to you.

[still learning]

I did a google search for (inurl:"ccna practice"+"torrent") and got a bunch of free stuff to practice and study with

the best way i guess is to take some college courses in it, if you cant just read the ebooks and learn it. I myself can not just read a 1000 page ebook and understand everything. (mainly because i dont have the attention span to read a book thats 1000 pages or so) College course is best for me.. but everyone learns different. I guess you will have to figure out which way is the best for you to learn it. I am more of a kenetic learner.

BTW in the google search remove the ( and )'s

[h3%5kr3w]

sry I just now got on here.. there was big lines @ walmart tonight...

for you certain few check your messages

btw, let teh FTP begin! (i got it up)

[decepticon_eazy_e]

I passed it about 3 years ago. There's some very good tutorials out there, but you need to go through the classes. If you don't, you need to buy some routers and switches. Unlike other tests, with 60-80 possible questions, you can't memorize and cheat this one. There's over 800 possible questions with router simulations that can't be memorized. You gotta know your stuff.

Take classes, read books, do labs. Take the test and fail, then you'll know where your weak points are. Schedule your second exam about a month after your first, do that ahead of time. After you fail, you have to wait a period before you can re-register, so if you did it ahead of time, you're good to go. If you pass, just cancel the other and get a refund.

[h3%5kr3w]

My thoughts are just to know all your shiz and do it right the first time, just try to know more than you are supposed to.

BTW, what you will need for equiptment if you are going it alone:

at least one 2621xm w/ (correct me if Im wrong on this) 64mb/128mb (ram and flash)

at least one 2610 w/ 16/32

at least one good catalyst switch.

you also need @ least one rollover cable (rj45 to serial.. dont buy a random cable!! make sure it's for cisco routers!!) Usually when you buy even kicked around routers they come with these, but if not make sure you either buy one, or DIY it (just make sure the schematics are right. I have the proper one if you need).

at least 10 cat5 patch cables *just buy a box of cat5 and rj45 terminators and the crimp tool.. you need to learn how to do it yourself anyway*

BONUS: want a nice rack that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside like you have your own personal 'command center'? check this out: http://www.ciscokits.com/cisco-rack-stand/ 12U, $30, what's not to like???

I have calculated (through deals on ebay) that I could get away with it for around $400. Your mileage will surely vary.

BTW, I couldnt do it on my own.. That's why I am in college. but unfortunately I only have 4 classes left (ccna 3 and 4, and win. server 2, and security class) but have one year until I finish... yeah... 2 classes a semester... BLOWS!

[foo]

my two cents...

if you're in college for networking, take your certs asap after your classes. my biggest regret was not taking several of 'em right after it was fresh on my mind (sec+, ccna, etc). i'm now having to refresh my memory myself, w/o the help of labs/classes, to get the certs i want & need. anyway, imo, like most have said...taking classes is your best bet, if possible.

[h3%5kr3w]

yah, I feel this is the best way too. I have heard of people just mind f*(ing the books over the weekend and passing the written but unless you actually KNOW what your doing then your going to get nowhere fast. I cant wait till this coming semester. Were getting into switching (BLAH WITH ROUTING!!). I know my shiz man, and everybody between the two classes gets pissed at me everytime we have a hands on test, cause I get it done right the first time, usually in about 25minutes give or take, and they take 2 hrs if not having to wait till the next day to finish it..

BTW, anybody ever need any help, I'll be more than happy to lend a hand (as long as it's not in ccna 3 or 4 atm)

TBH after I am a CCNA for a few years I want to study up for the CCNP.

And I'll tell you like this... In the CCNA courses, your gonna get pissed, because everytime you see something mentioned that looks interesting and useful, it says "We will not focus on this subject in this curriculum. This subject is studied more in depth in the CCNP courses"

Boatload of crap...

[foo]

TBH after I am a CCNA for a few years I want to study up for the CCNP.

And I'll tell you like this... In the CCNA courses, your gonna get pissed, because everytime you see something mentioned that looks interesting and useful, it says "We will not focus on this subject in this curriculum. This subject is studied more in depth in the CCNP courses"

hah. yeah, i remember that. 3 & 4 were pretty fun. like with a lot of IT related fields, you just kinda have to have the knack for it when it comes to networking. anyone can remember facts etc, but you need to have that common sense when it comes to it, ya know..

[decepticon_eazy_e]

at least one 2621xm w/ (correct me if Im wrong on this) 64mb/128mb (ram and flash)

Those are the max numbers with default bios. There's a bios upgrade for some of the XM models to get up to 256mb ram.

My advice is go to school for it, you'll get a better education, newer books, NetAcademy login, and their equipment. Save the money on the gear and use the schools!

[h3%5kr3w]

I am not going to lie, I could not have done what I have done on my own, so college was a must for me, but if I had access to the resources, I could probably do most of it on my own.

[Iain]

Take classes, read books, do labs. Take the test and fail, then you'll know where your weak points are. Schedule your second exam about a month after your first, do that ahead of time. After you fail, you have to wait a period before you can re-register, so if you did it ahead of time, you're good to go. If you pass, just cancel the other and get a refund.

I don't know if the regulations have changed, but, if you fail an exam, there must be a period of 180 days before it can be retaken. I got it a couple of months ago and it's not for the squeamish! You MUST be able to interrogate a router (or switch) as I had several simulations. I had been told that it's not the sort of exam that can be passed by simply hitting the books and cramming - and I agree. There *are* some pure facts ("the default OSPF Hello interval is .... " etc.) but it's much more aimed at folks who've actually spent time configuring and troubleshooting networks.

Bottom line - read, read, read but also play with as much kit as you can and get somone to screw up a network for you to troubleshoot.

[h3%5kr3w]

the default OSPF Hello interval is.....

shit.... is it every 30 seconds for > 100basetx/fx and every 60 seconds for < 100basetx/fx? or whas that the hello interval for EIGRP??? DAMN IT!!!

<YOU ARE NOT READY>

[DustinW]

Is The Best Way (or only way) To get the ccna cert the cisco learning network or are there other options for education and testing?

[h3%5kr3w]

there are many MANY options for education for the CCNA, but the classes (or at least the books) are the only sure fire way that you know you have all the PROPER resources and answers available to you. There are ALOT of unreliable resources out there that you do not want to use, because you dont want to fail not because you just didnt know but because insertccnacertsitehere.com was setup by idiots that didnt actually know what they were talking about when they made it.

It is best to go from multiple angles on the studying though from different sources if what is in the book does not make sense to you but just make sure after you know what something is, that the book lines up kosher with it, or else it's false information.

[iyeman]

I passed my CCNA in April and I used the CBT Nuggets videos (there are torrents out there if you cant afford the 300 dollar price tag) and I bought some cheap routers on ebay to practice the practical. But im currently studying for the CCNA Security exam (640-553) and ive been useing the cisco Emulater...its cool as shit and runs off a real IOS so unlike the simulators you get ALL the commands that the IOS (torrents are out there) supports. Also has a nifty feature that allows you to map your pc's NIC's to "clouds" in the program and put them out on the network. Id suggest checking out the free software at http://www.gns3.net/ i also suggest the cbt nuggets videos as unlike a class you can pause/rewind/rewatch the lesson as much as you want... And for practice i bought the pass4sure.com testing engine for 100 dollars...which is cheaper than taking it and failing the $250 cert. Useing these tools i went in and finished in under 40 minutes, which the lady at the testing center said was very good for the ccna lol, helped my sim was configureing OSPF and i had done that about 6 times on my lab equipment.

[h3%5kr3w]

iyeman speaks the truth. I have all those tools :D

Hey iyeman, just to ask, was the written test setup to completely confuse you, or was it pretty spot on as long as you knew how to work it out yourself? The CCNA College Course chapter tests and exams (made by cisco, not the instructor) are FRICKING REDICULOUS about trying to confuse the hell out of you. TBH it's the hardest tests I have ever taken, because everything from the questions to the answers are designed to confuse the hell out of you. I once spent 20 minutes on one question because it was multiple choice and even if you worked it out it was designed to make you rethink the way you came to your conclusion *there were many times that I had miscalculated, and then second guessed myself*

[L1qu1D]

Just go out and start setting up some home networks. Go out and buy a Cisco 851W it has the full IOS. I think you can get one for like $300. If you really want to get good get a switch, and a patch panel. Learn how to use and install. ;)

[iyeman]

iyeman speaks the truth. I have all those tools :D

Hey iyeman, just to ask, was the written test setup to completely confuse you, or was it pretty spot on as long as you knew how to work it out yourself? The CCNA College Course chapter tests and exams (made by cisco, not the instructor) are FRICKING REDICULOUS about trying to confuse the hell out of you. TBH it's the hardest tests I have ever taken, because everything from the questions to the answers are designed to confuse the hell out of you. I once spent 20 minutes on one question because it was multiple choice and even if you worked it out it was designed to make you rethink the way you came to your conclusion *there were many times that I had miscalculated, and then second guessed myself*

Ive taken MS Certs and they are MUCH worse than the Cisco Questions, The Cisco questions seemed, to me at least, to be pretty straight forward. But it could be that they are confusing but compared to the MS questions (like 4 paragraph questions with 95% being irrelevant to the question asked...) they were a walk in the park if you know the material.

[iyeman]

Just go out and start setting up some home networks. Go out and buy a Cisco 851W it has the full IOS. I think you can get one for like $300. If you really want to get good get a switch, and a patch panel. Learn how to use and install. ;)

Setting up home networks might help you pass the CCENT where its all network theory for the most part but i have yet to see a normal home user running STP, OSPF, VLANS, Etc Etc so that wont help you with the hands on for the CCNA. My Sim (hands on) Question was going into a sim with 3 routers that had OSPF partially configured and you had to use show commands to get the OSPF config off working routers and apply similiar commands to the ones not configured. So like i said setting up home networks isnt gonna help, maybe small businesses that you can talk into dropping the money for a cisco router but most home networks use the el'cheapo linksys/dlink/whatever 60 dollar router.

[h3%5kr3w]

the only thing remotely good to know about home networks that are in the ccna is spanning tree... and that protocol is generally not configurable on most home routers..

Depending on how your mind works, I have noticed that relates to what will come to you easier with protocol configuration or with the theory and details behind it. I can configure OSPF, EIGRP, RIP/v2 with my eyes closed but doing it on paper just kinda clunks my mind.

Actually when you say small business iyeman, to everybody else what he really means is not like the mom and pop stores that just has one or two computers, or the home office.. You would have to have at least a 100 computer network to justify the price of even an entry level cisco router (try around $400 entry level/new, no wifi).

*btw, yes linksys is made by cisco. No, a WRT54G does not run ios*

But @ the same time, IOS is super powerful so you get what you pay for.

But it could be that they are confusing but compared to the MS questions (like 4 paragraph questions with 95% being irrelevant to the question asked...) they were a walk in the park if you know the material.

I have heard about that... not looking foreward to it.

[metatron]

I did Cisco certs, most over three months in Mumbai but I did my CCIE's and CCDE in the US over the space of two years. There really not that hard, I've always loved Cisco products so I already know 98% of things covered.

[Brian Sierakowski]

I did Cisco certs, most over three months in Mumbai but I did my CCIE's and CCDE in the US over the space of two years. There really not that hard, I've always loved Cisco products so I already know 98% of things covered.

You're CCIE and it was "not that hard?"

[metatron]

You're CCIE and it was "not that hard?"

Yeah its fairly straightforward, you should really have a good understanding by that point and it was easier than uni. The Juniper networking certs are worth doing too, same for Red Hat and Solaris.