Passed Net+,going for CCENT, any advice?

phdillard

I passed the Net+ with an 805 a few weeks ago. I was surprised by the depth of information on it and the number of simulations. I don't know that I would have passed it had I not already taken Netacad courses 1 & 2, which really made the basic Net+ stuff sink in. Not what I expected from a basic CompTIA exam I guess.

I'm currently in Netacad course 3 and want to take the CCENT before going into course 4. I was amazed at how much I forgot between course 2 and 3 over summer break, so I'd like to get the CCENT if not full CCNA done before ending course 4. I need to use it before I lose it as they say.

Any advice on the current version of the CCENT? Maybe what the most focused on topics seem to be, from your experience taking the test. Or maybe what the trickier questions consisted of. Also, how much of the test were sims and were they very complex? Of course, I ask for answers within the limits of the NDA.

I'm fairly confident in my ability to configure switches/routers and basic knowledge of how networks work. My weak areas are configuring dhcp, acls, and nat/pat.

My courses consist of about 4-5 hours of hands on labs a week and 3-6 packet tracers a week, along with a couple hours of reading the Netacad online material. Outside of class I spend 2-3 hours a week reading the CCENT exam cram and Lammle's newest War And Peace sized CCENT book.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

coralreefguy

CompTIA tells you there will be 5 simulations ahead of time. Cisco doesn't prep you - there could be a lot or just a few sims. I just took the CCENT and passed Saturday (9/13/14). I passed the Network+ in October of last year.

Without breaking the Cisco NDA, you'll need to know your show commands and know what commands and how to use them to fix broken processes. The simulations are not easy if you haven't done labbing, IMO. I do a lot of packet tracer and have a home lab.


My total study time from Start->CCENT was less than 3 weeks. In order, I watched all CBT nuggets videos first. I then went through them again and configured my switches and routers (I have a small home lab). Then read all of Lammle's book while taking notes and highlighting. I then began doing packet tracer excersises daily (maybe an hour a day here during downtime at work / afterwork). I used Transcender practice exams. After feeling pretty confident about everything I read Odom's book while continuing to use packet tracer daily. I knew fifteen questions into the exam that I was going to pass, didn't even need to use the whiteboard! I ended up with a bit over 30 minutes left of time at the end of the exam. If you can't subnet in your head you're going to **** yourself out of valuable time on the exam.

Good luck!

Jon_Cisco

coralreefguy wrote: »

CompTIA tells you there will be 5 simulations ahead of time. Cisco doesn't prep you - there could be a lot or just a few sims. I just took the CCENT and passed Saturday (9/13/14). I passed the Network+ in October of last year.

Without breaking the Cisco NDA, you'll need to know your show commands and know what commands and how to use them to fix broken processes. The simulations are not easy if you haven't done labbing, IMO. I do a lot of packet tracer and have a home lab.


My total study time from Start->CCENT was less than 3 weeks. In order, I watched all CBT nuggets videos first. I then went through them again and configured my switches and routers (I have a small home lab). Then read all of Lammle's book while taking notes and highlighting. I then began doing packet tracer excersises daily (maybe an hour a day here during downtime at work / afterwork). I used Transcender practice exams. After feeling pretty confident about everything I read Odom's book while continuing to use packet tracer daily. I knew fifteen questions into the exam that I was going to pass, didn't even need to use the whiteboard! I ended up with a bit over 30 minutes left of time at the end of the exam. If you can't subnet in your head you're going to **** yourself out of valuable time on the exam.

Good luck!

I wish I could read and still comprehend at your speed! Two books in three weeks with 20 hours of video thrown in. My head would explode.

I took my time to follow the Ned Academy schedule but in total it was one year from start to CCNA.
First I used Net Acad.
Second I watched CBT Nuggets.
Then to review I read Odem's book the month before each test.

I would definitely try to finish your CCNA before the start of spring semester. I tested August 25th which didn't give me any time so try to book a few weeks before the start of next semester if possible.

Good Luck!