ICND2 - Seems easier for me than ICND1?

zaaa

I feel like I am crazy or something.

The material comes to me a lot easier than ICND1. I think it may be because it is actually a lot more interesting to me. I've pretty much finished all the ICND2 videos on CBTNuggets. I've been labbing in my home lab like crazy and have breezed through STP, EIGRP, OSPF multi area, FHRPs, EtherChannel, etc.

I was so nervous about it being so easy that I grabbed Boson NetSim...and am flying through those labs with no issues either. I did my first test on Boson ExSim today and did an almost 70% (which is a lot higher than my first attempt on ICND1 Boson exam).

I take the ICND2 in two weeks and am pretty confident I will do OK as long as I continue to lab and go over ExSim and do a deep dive into those questions.

Anyone else feel the same way? Maybe I have become over-confident or something...

Jon_Cisco

I usually tell people that ICND1 was harder but ICND2 has more information. I think the difference is that everything was new to me when I started. By the time you take ICND2 your familiar with Cisco and networking and your just learning about specific features. So it felt easier to follow.

Good Luck!

GForce75

ICND1 test was easier (as long as you had the subnetting down). Your right, ICND2 is more concrete, but is that good or bad for when it's test time But if you love it, it can is easy. CBT Nuggets was awesome for the ICND2 portion.

[Deleted User]

No your not alone. I also think ICND2 is easier then ICND1. Like Jon_Cisco said, you know how Cisco does their material and how they not only present the questions, but how in depth you need to understand the material. Once you cover the basics in ICND1, ICND2 in my opinion is a lot easier. Using just CCNA in 60 days book (using his book for ICND2, I am on day 10 on the ICND2 material and the concepts are just sticking to me.) I will need to review some concepts but it is going well. Best of luck on your ICND2. From what I have heard, you need an 825 in order to pass and get your CCNA. Not sure if that is true as they don't publish the score. Agree that CBTNuggets is good for ICND2. I am almost done with the entire ICND2 course. Skipped over the ICND1 review material as that is all fresh in my head after taking my ICND1 last week.

NetworkNewb

kMastaFlash wrote: »

No your not alone. I also think ICND2 is easier then ICND1. Like Jon_Cisco said, you know how Cisco does their material and how they not only present the questions, but how in depth you need to understand the material. Once you cover the basics in ICND1, ICND2 in my opinion is a lot easier. Using just CCNA in 60 days book (using his book for ICND2, I am on day 10 on the ICND2 material and the concepts are just sticking to me.) I will need to review some concepts but it is going well. Best of luck on your ICND2. From what I have heard, you need an 825 in order to pass and get your CCNA. Not sure if that is true as they don't publish the score. Agree that CBTNuggets is good for ICND2. I am almost done with the entire ICND2 course. Skipped over the ICND1 review material as that is all fresh in my head after taking my ICND1 last week.

Just watched all the INCD1 review lab videos today =P Took a week off and a little review of everything was nice.

Looking forward to getting onto the new material/videos tomorrow! Plan on watching all the CBT videos then do some reading and labbing. I have the Paul Browning book and the Lammle book, not sure which one I plan on using yet. Will probably go over the chapter questions in both books for sure though.

[Deleted User]

Man we are two of a kind! lol. I booked my ICND2 on 3/18. Studied over my spring break instead of partying so I hope it pays off. My PearsonVUE center at my university is not open after that date during the rest of March and April they only have 1 day a week. I have a few vouchers that are expiring soon so I might as well go in and take it and see how I do.

zaaa

Thanks all...nice to know we are not alone.

Good luck to all!

theodoxa

ICND2 (640-816) felt easier than ICND1 (640-822) for me, but the difference was only 4 points.

ICND2 (640-816)

Switching: 87%
Subnetting: 88%
Troubleshooting: 87%
NAT/ACLs: 100%
WANs: 83%

ICND1 (640-822)

Describe the Operation of Data Networks: 71%
Switching: 100%
IP Addressing: 83%
Routing: 93%
Wireless: 100%
Security: 100%
WANs: 60%

Magic Johnson

ICND1 was a shock to me because it was my first professional exam, the whole getting in to studying and learning how to soak up knowledge was infinitely more difficult than the type of stuff I was trying to learn!

So in that sense ICND1 was harder. Where ICND2 was harder was in the exam and applying the knowledge you had been learning.

I got 88% (I think!?!) on my 1 and 92% on my 2.

The Reluctant Loser

Magic Johnson wrote: »

ICND1 was a shock to me because it was my first professional exam, the whole getting in to studying and learning how to soak up knowledge was infinitely more difficult than the type of stuff I was trying to learn!

So in that sense ICND1 was harder. Where ICND2 was harder was in the exam and applying the knowledge you had been learning.

I got 88% (I think!?!) on my 1 and 92% on my 2.

Congrats! That's a great score!

Christian.

In my case I scored higher in ICDN2 than ICND1 (907 VS 867). The content of the first chapter goes all over the place, the second one focus more on what you already studied.

phdillard

The ICND1 covers a wide array of basics. If you go into it with no networking knowledge it is a lot to take in. ICD2 in, my opinion, has a much narrower focus, so once you have the ccent basics down, the ccna topics seem a lot less overwhelming.

squirrelonfire

ICND1 is super easy. Most of the questions are already posted on examcollections.com
All of the multiple choice AND the answers to the lab (practically identical) are posted on it. If you don't care about networking and just want a cert on your resume, you can memorize all the questions and answers and get 1000 easily.
I haven't taken the ICND2 yet but so far it is so much more difficult to study because I can't practice some of the topics like NetFlow, SNMP, PVLAN, MPLS, EtherChannel that uses LAcP or STP for that matters. GNS3 can't emulate the switch completely and the fake simulator packet tracer doesn't have all the commands for a real STP practice. I really hope the ICND2 questions are already posted on examcollections.com

theodoxa

squirrelonfire wrote: »

ICND1 is super easy. Most of the questions are already posted on ***.com...I really hope the ICND2 questions are already posted on ***.com

"Super easy" if you ****. This is a huge problem with Microsoft exams. The exams themselves are quite difficult (owing to Microsoft's inability to word questions in a way that can be understood and their unwillingness to use simulation questions), but I hear so many folks say how "easy" the exams are. In almost every case, it turns out they simply used a **** (****) site to memorize all the answers and don't know the first thing about the technology they're certified on.

The Reluctant Loser

squirrelonfire wrote: »

ICND1 is super easy. Most of the questions are already posted on *****.com

Also, use this method if you want limited earning potential. This will get you a J.O.B. but this will also kill your career.

Edificer

Pray I meet a "Know it All" type of tech in an interview, claiming to have certs but can't back any up vocally, I will shred him up in front of my boss decisively, and mercilessly.

NetworkNewb

squirrelonfire wrote: »

ICND1 is super easy. Most of the questions are already posted on examcollections.com
All of the multiple choice AND the answers to the lab (practically identical) are posted on it. If you don't care about networking and just want a cert on your resume, you can memorize all the questions and answers and get 1000 easily.
I haven't taken the ICND2 yet but so far it is so much more difficult to study because I can't practice some of the topics like NetFlow, SNMP, PVLAN, MPLS, EtherChannel that uses LAcP or STP for that matters. GNS3 can't emulate the switch completely and the fake simulator packet tracer doesn't have all the commands for a real STP practice. I really hope the ICND2 questions are already posted on examcollections.com

Have fun looking stupid at job interviews

And for GNS3 you can set it up so you just use the routers inside GNS3 and have them work with real switches...

zaaa

squirrelonfire wrote: »

If you don't care about networking and just want a cert on your resume, you can memorize all the questions and answers and get 1000 easily.

I don't understand how these sites exist. Everyone that uses them is killing certs for the rest of us. You guys go in and score 1000 and they bump the curve for the rest of us, and it turns into something that is "easy" and kills the value of the cert. It provides negative benefit for all parties...you devalue the cert, have no real knowledge, and make the rest of us with the cert who worked our ass off look like idiots because we scraped by to pass legitimately.

When studying my MCSE the last two exams were the biggest pain in the ass exams...yet MS tests are supposed to be "easy". I wouldn't call myself a genius by any means but I am far from an idiot. People who call the last two MCSE exams easy had to of cheated...it's the only way I can explain it.

The only way 99% of people who are scoring 1000 on these exams is through cheating. I wish vendors could/would do something about it.

Can a MOD please remove **** links from this thread...and lock it if appropriate?

theodoxa

zaaa wrote: »

When studying my MCSE the last two exams were the biggest pain in the ass exams...yet MS tests are supposed to be "easy". I wouldn't call myself a genius by any means but I am far from an idiot. People who call the last two MCSE exams easy had to of cheated...it's the only way I can explain it.

The only way 99% of people who are scoring 1000 on these exams is through cheating. I wish vendors could/would do something about it.

I remember mentioning to a former coworker once how difficult I found the Microsoft exams and he replied "They're easy. You just go to xxx and they have all the questions so you can memorize the answers." That pretty much sums up the problem.

ssnyderu2

Cheaters always make it harder on everyone else.

mikeybinec

I subscribe to Chris Bryant's bulldog ccna boot camp, and one of the folks was commenting on how he also loves the nine ****** site. I warned him this is a brain **** site. Most of the people there were using their real name and I wonder since he admitted he peruses it, some cisco operative took that info.. Nahhhh

Magic Johnson

squirrelonfire wrote: »

ICND1 is super easy. Most of the questions are already posted on examcollections.com
All of the multiple choice AND the answers to the lab (practically identical) are posted on it. If you don't care about networking and just want a cert on your resume, you can memorize all the questions and answers and get 1000 easily.
I haven't taken the ICND2 yet but so far it is so much more difficult to study because I can't practice some of the topics like NetFlow, SNMP, PVLAN, MPLS, EtherChannel that uses LAcP or STP for that matters. GNS3 can't emulate the switch completely and the fake simulator packet tracer doesn't have all the commands for a real STP practice. I really hope the ICND2 questions are already posted on examcollections.com

Word of warning then, at the interview for my current jobs a couple of CCNPs and my boss devised their own questions based off of knowledge that would have been gained via CCENT (I was working on ICND2 at the time).

Had I cheated as above I would have absolutely bombed and made a t1t of myself.

So ask if it's worth it.