ROUTE failed :(

As the title implies I just failed the ROUTE exam 642-902. Let me first say that the exam questions were more than fair, I was just under-prepared.

Was a little irritated however by not being able to use commands like ping, traceroute, sh ip protocols, sh ip ospf neighbor, etc. Show run was available, but I was always under the impression that one of the skills Cisco was looking for in their certification candidates was to be able to use specific commands not just analyze the config file. Any thoughts on this?

Lastly, since today was the last day to sit for this particular exam I will be studying for the new version (after a short break). Can anyone share what the delta is in the material between the old version and the new? I'd like to get going with this asap.

Thanks!

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gorebrush

Yeah they are not *actual* devices in the NP level exams just mock ups -they are quite limited with the range of commands you can actually issue. I did the 640-901 in like... well I will look it up... holy moly, December 2008. Man I can't believe it was that long ago.

Nice to see how things have changed. I'm sorry I can't help with the delta between 902 and 300-whatever it is

rowelld

Sorry to hear. Keep at it though! Strengthen your weaker areas and get right back in.

I had the same concerns when I took 300-115. I couldn't use more specific commands but I think they are doing this to fight against cheaters. That's only my opinion.

Those using **** probably memorized the exact command to get the output they needed. So using only show run you'd have to know what you're looking for.

I like the newer objectives but you should really compare the objectives. Here's a resource: https://learningcontent.cisco.com/cln_storage/text/cln/marketing/ccnprs_keyexam_topic_changes.pdf

theodoxa

rowelld wrote: »

https://learningcontent.cisco.com/cln_storage/text/cln/marketing/ccnprs_keyexam_topic_changes.pdf

it is good to see Cisco specifically say Voice and Wireless are no longer on SWITCH. They didn't drop anything from ROUTE, but added a few new topics. I had originally intended to go with the new ROUTE, but ended up taking the old ROUTE instead.

sp3coz

I failed ROUTE yesterday as well. I didn't feel 100% confident, but it sucks to see it on paper. Now we have to spend several more weeks/months studying new material. I ordered the FLG 300-101 book yesterday...

jude56g

I get your point about the specific commands and cheating etc, but what aggravated me was there were several instances where looking at interface counters or ACL hits would have been helpful . I guess I know better for next time.

ccnpninja

better luck next time

Hondabuff

jude56g wrote: »

As the title implies I just failed the ROUTE exam 642-902. Let me first say that the exam questions were more than fair, I was just under-prepared.

Was a little irritated however by not being able to use commands like ping, traceroute, sh ip protocols, sh ip ospf neighbor, etc. Show run was available, but I was always under the impression that one of the skills Cisco was looking for in their certification candidates was to be able to use specific commands not just analyze the config file. Any thoughts on this?

Lastly, since today was the last day to sit for this particular exam I will be studying for the new version (after a short break). Can anyone share what the delta is in the material between the old version and the new? I'd like to get going with this asap.

Thanks!

100% of your problems are found in the Running Config. Once you do Tshoot you will understand why Cisco limits the commands you can use on the exam.

ITtech2010

^^^^ That is very true. I passed the Tshoot exam last night since it was the last exam before they changed it. I passed it. All of the problems were definitely in the running config. Sh run, Ping, traceroute ect....best friend you can have for the test. Now I just need to pass the new route and switch exams and I'll be CCNP certified.

theodoxa

Hondabuff wrote: »

100% of your problems are found in the Running Config. Once you do Tshoot you will understand why Cisco limits the commands you can use on the exam.

The various show commands are good for identifying what technology is causing the problem.

jude56g

ITtech2010 wrote: »

^^^^ That is very true. I passed the Tshoot exam last night since it was the last exam before they changed it. I passed it. All of the problems were definitely in the running config. Sh run, Ping, traceroute ect....best friend you can have for the test. Now I just need to pass the new route and switch exams and I'll be CCNP certified.

Exactly my point, ping and traceroute were unavailable...

Levithan

I also failed the ROUTE on thurs, only 80 points below the pass level

I must say I was also a bit frustrated about the lack of show, ping and trace commands. I work as a 2nd level engineer and use these tools on a daily basis to find problems, so it seems un-logical to me to prevent test takers from using these commands.

I also really disliked the sims, generally because they all didn't seem to work entirely during the test. Has anyone else seen this?

The main factor was I spent too much time on the first sim, and wasted alot of precious time I could have used on the others.
I ended up having to skip 2 sims simply cause I didn't have enough time to complete them.

I'd also love to know the differences between the old and new tests, would love to get the ROUTE out of the way by the end of feb!

jude56g

Levithan wrote: »

I also failed the ROUTE on thurs, only 80 points below the pass level

I must say I was also a bit frustrated about the lack of show, ping and trace commands. I work as a 2nd level engineer and use these tools on a daily basis to find problems, so it seems un-logical to me to prevent test takers from using these commands.

I also really disliked the sims, generally because they all didn't seem to work entirely during the test. Has anyone else seen this?

The main factor was I spent too much time on the first sim, and wasted alot of precious time I could have used on the others.
I ended up having to skip 2 sims simply cause I didn't have enough time to complete them.

I'd also love to know the differences between the old and new tests, would love to get the ROUTE out of the way by the end of feb!

rowelld posted a link earlier in this thread w/ the delta between the old and new exams. the ping and traceroute thing was really annoying, I like to validate that things are working properly before I complete a sim, but that was nearly impossible on this exam. Again, I'm not complaining about the content, that was spot on, but the delivery left something to be desired. (Although I did roll my eyes once or twice at a few of the questions, but thats par for the course with Cisco exams)

Either way I'm looking to dive into the new material and start labbing up stuff I have never touched before like DMVPN and stuff. Good luck!!

jude56g

Also, I found this link which details which topics have been removed in the transition to v2.0.

http://tinyurl.com/pzmzbow

Hondabuff

jude56g wrote: »

As the title implies I just failed the ROUTE exam 642-902. Let me first say that the exam questions were more than fair, I was just under-prepared.

Was a little irritated however by not being able to use commands like ping, traceroute, sh ip protocols, sh ip ospf neighbor, etc. Show run was available, but I was always under the impression that one of the skills Cisco was looking for in their certification candidates was to be able to use specific commands not just analyze the config file. Any thoughts on this?

Lastly, since today was the last day to sit for this particular exam I will be studying for the new version (after a short break). Can anyone share what the delta is in the material between the old version and the new? I'd like to get going with this asap.

Thanks!

I think once the sting wears off you will be able to see the exam with a bit more clarity. I Look forward to see you post that you passed this exam, Its a tough one!

Danman32

Going over exam objectives for CCNP Route V2, they appear quite explicit which I like. What I don't see anywhere in the objectives though is MPLS or named EIGRP yet training material for Route V2 goes over those. MPLS is under EIGRP over WAN links in the Quick Reference (nothing quick about that reference book), and I guess MPLS would qualify as a WAN link so I suppose that makes sense.
Makes it hard to study when you aren't really sure what you really should focus on to pass the exam.

theodoxa

Danman32 wrote: »

Going over exam objectives for CCNP Route V2, they appear quite explicit which I like. What I don't see anywhere in the objectives though is MPLS or named EIGRP yet training material for Route V2 goes over those. MPLS is under EIGRP over WAN links in the Quick Reference (nothing quick about that reference book), and I guess MPLS would qualify as a WAN link so I suppose that makes sense.
Makes it hard to study when you aren't really sure what you really should focus on to pass the exam.

EIGRP Named Mode and OSPF Address Family Configuration are covered in the OCG, so there may be something to that. These aren't specifically listed in the exam topics, but could be included under the various "Configure and verify EIGRP _________" and "Configure and verify OSPF __________" topics.

Danman32

Well, I looked again and didn't find any broadly worded topics for EIGRP. Surprisingly enough the topics for EIGRP seemed overly specific than what I would expect to be actually in the exam. There are topics such as summarization that indicate its applied to any routing protocol but didn't see anything that could include MPLS. Looking over the topics again, one could argue that even Frame Relay is covered only on its own, especially when it says "explain" rather than "configure and verify" Searched for the term WAN, was only in the abstract.
OK here's where they get you:
"The following topics are general guidelines for the content that is likely to be included on the exam. However, other related topics may also appear on any specific version of the exam. To better reflect the contents of the exam and for clarity, the following guidelines may change at any time without notice."

That means they could cover anything network related. *sigh*

Well, I have 3 weeks before my first attempt at Route v2. My CCNA expires March 28th so I have some time but I'd like to actually pass when I take it on March 3rd and take a breather before studying for Switch v2. I hadn't dealt with routing protocols much since originally getting my CCNA back in 2007. At least I've done troubleshooting and minor configuration changes on some Cisco routers, a bit more on switches, lots of config changes and a few setups for ASAs. I get to see a lot of existing configurations where I've learned a lot.

theodoxa

Danman32 wrote: »

Well, I looked again and didn't find any broadly worded topics for EIGRP.

The topics are a lot more specific than the old ROUTEv1, but Named mode is just a different way of configuring EIGRP, so a topic like "Configure and verify EIGRP neighborships and authentication" could include both the classic and named mode configuration methods. Same with OSPF Address Family configuration. It seems all the major routing protocols (EIGRP Named Mode, OSPF Address Family, MP-BGPv4) are moving towards this style of configuration where both IPv4 and IPv6 are configured under a single process.

EIGRP Named Mode

gorebrush

Just want to throw a little bit of irony in here. On the TS section of the IE lab - they give you pings and trace routes to test with! But then you are using full blown routers/switches in there not fake ones

Danman32

I would think they would limit Show Run and make you look at more specific show tools. The practice exams hammer you on examining routing protocol show output.
I started doing the Cisco challenge labs where you have a scenario to resolve. They're full routers so you could **** and use any command you want but the lab gives you a list of commands you're expected to use. I thought I was supposed to avoid show run, but had to use it to find out how the EGRP was set up so I could figure out why in the world I couldn't get a neighbor partnership with a router that was supposed to have already been configured. Only by Show Run | Sect Router did I find they were missing a passive default exception. When I was done I checked the answer key and that was indeed the step to take. The hints said basically not to trust someone else's work is completely correct.