Obligatory ICND1 Pass Thread

djentlemetal

Took me about 40 minutes to get through it. 960/1000 I was able to blast through the subnetting questions and most of the other multiple choice questions. The simulations were tricky but fun. If I could go back in time, I would have taken the exam a few weeks ago. I just wanted to make sure I was confident going in and took some extra time on certain subjects/objectives. Next is the ICND2/CCNA (hopefully, I can knock it out in the next 3-4 weeks or so) and then into Microsoft land beginning with the 70-640 exam.

Jon_Cisco

Great job!

I'm looking at studying some Microsoft too but I am not looking forward to it.

djentlemetal

Yeah, neither am I. This is the route that WGU has me going, though. Also, from the looks of the field and where it's heading, it couldn't hurt to combine my networking knowledge with server/systems knowledge. I am really ​not looking forward to the 70-640 exam, though.

Dakinggamer87

Congrats on pass!!

Good luck on CCNA

Doyen

Congratulations! I felt the same way about taking the CCNA. I kept pushing it back one week for about 10 weeks due to confidence. I found new material for me to absorb each week and felt I wasn't ready until I finished with that material. I eventually ran out of material and didn't push the exam. I went to the testing center with confidence and left with a shock that lasted 4 days that I actually passed after 2 previous failed attempts. Confidence and feeling that you're ready is essential. The only regret that I had is not taking it sooner, maybe 8 weeks earlier.

MTciscoguy

I am working on both disciplines right now, the path to CCNA as well as Windows Server and I am finding Windows easier to comprehend than the ICND stuff, the Windows stuff seems to be sinking in a lot more than the ICND stuff, of course working with and on Windows since version 1 probably has something to do with it, the Cisco stuff is quite new to me.

djentlemetal

@Doyen: Yeah! The confidence thing played probably 50% of it; while the knowledge of what I actually learned filled in the rest (hopefully that makes sense; I'm not awake, yet!). This is why I'm going to just keep making my way through the ICND2 material and go for the test as soon as I feel confident enough to take it, instead of waiting long after that point like I did with the ICND1.

@MTciscoguy: I can definitely see where you're coming from, as I've been using Windows since the 3.1 days (even though I was a kid at the time). The issue arises when I know that I have to dive back in to the Active Directory stuff for the first 70-640 exam: everyone I know that's taken it has just barely passed it, or they've taken at least more than one attempt to pass it. I know why it's such a pain in the ass, too: I took several Server classes (from 2003 to 2008 R2) back at my community college in 2012, and I fondly remember how much of a challenge it is to set up a server/DC and set up permissions, etc. for users/computers with GPOs and all that jazz. The 70-640 exam delves even deeper with certificates, which is where people who've taken the exam seem to have the most trouble. I'm hoping my previous experience with the OS and AD will help, but I'm not looking forward to it. I guess I'm mostly annoyed at the fact that I have to change gears from pure networking to the systems side of things (which isn't bad for real world experience, I realize). I'm extremely fond of networking

MTciscoguy

Actually, I have found Active Directory, quite easy to comprehend, I can set it up in my sleep, but many years ago, we had a similar situation under DOS and Tandy DOS, you just need to take a look at it, and then watch and understand the flow and why it works, if you want to learn Windows, you need to think like a Windows engineer, which believe me, is much different than what is going on now a days, but just remember it made Bill the richest man in the world!

LOL

EngRob

Congrats!

jconst

Can you recommend study material you used?

djentlemetal

Sure! I was supplied with Wendell Odom's Official Cert Guide and a bunch of Cisco lab links that didn't work from WGU. I didn't use ANY of these. I had previously used Todd Lammle's CCNA Study Guide (6th edition, I think?) back at the beginning of last year for my final networking classes at my community college and LOVED the way the book was written (the thing that really sold me was his chapter on Easy Subnetting...the entire class tried to figure out subnetting from some Mike Myers books months before then, and that dude left most of us thoroughly confused).

Anyway, I went ahead to go with Lammle again and ordered his new CCNA R&S study guide. This was my main source of study. To supplement the study guide, I also used CBT Nuggets ICND1 videos (Jeremy's awesome at really driving home the points I read in the book, and Lammle is equally as awesome driving home the points in the videos). For labbing (this is a must for understanding network devices, topology and IOS), I was able to get by easily with Packet Tracer. The only thing that was a little annoying about PT was/is the fact that a lot of the commands cannot be used (e.g. the '|' pipe command), so when I came across some labs in Lammle's guide with commands I couldn't use, I was a bit frustrated. What I learned later, however, is that it's not even a big deal. Learn the different layers of IOS user/privilege/interface/router/blah blah modes and you'll be just fine for the exam (pay attention to OSPF!).

So yeah: Lammle book (or Odom; I was just comfortable with Lammle already), CBT Nugget Videos and Packet Tracer and you'll be golden.

JeanM

Congrats on ICND1 pass! MS exams aren't that bad, I remember setting up AD/DC on NT 4.0, but 2003 and up is so much better

Also, I wonder why you guys are going with Server 2008 track, with 2012 out?

MTciscoguy

I am working on 2008. because I already have all of the materials and based on talking to a few local IT guys and asking the same question on here, in my area the majority of companies are still running 2008, in addition, the couple of Poweredge servers I own also have 2008 installed on them. So right now it makes sense to go ahead and do 2008, then I will judge the market I will be working in and probably get 2012 done as well.

MrPuzzlez

As far as the 70-640 study material, ITFreeTraining has videos on youtube covering the whole exam. The thing about that is, Group Policy will eat you alive if you're not careful.

Also, Congrats to joining the ranks of Cisco!

djentlemetal

Thanks guys:) As far as Server 2008 R2 goes: at first, I did wish that WGU would have upgraded their courses to the 2012 track, but I took a few minutes the other day to check out the MS certification path, and it's just a matter of taking the three Server exams (70-640, 70-642 and 70-646), which is covered in cost by WGU, and then taking the one upgrade exam to switch to the Server 2012 MCSA. Seems like a deal to me! Also, what Montana said: most places are still running 2008 R2 (plus, there isn't that much of a difference between the two; hence, the one upgrade exam).

@MrPuzzlez: Thanks for the info! I'll definitely use those videos for study. From what I'm reading on here and WGU Students, there seems to be a lack of quality in the study material for that exam. Oh, and I remember setting up Group Policies from my community college days and not having too much fun with it and inheritance and all that caca