Less than 1 month until CCENT

stunnedsoup

Hi guys,

Been following this forum for about a week now. Learned a ton of information so far - big thanks to everyone for sharing their journeys/experiences. There have been a couple journeys that I recently read and they were very inspiring. I thought I'd attempt to share mine a bit, hoping to contribute.

As the title says, I'm about less than a month out until I plan to sit for the ICND1 (1st ever tech exam); it is more like 3-4 weeks. I will schedule a date as the weeks go by since I never know when I will be out of town for business. I'm hoping to pass the exam by year-end.

I began studying at the end of September using:
- Wendell Odom's ICND1 Official Cert Guide w/ disc
- Full version of his Network Simulator (purchased)

I'm about a month-and-a-half into my studies, and I have already read the book front-to-back. It was long but I did it. I'm humbled by it because I learned a TON. But, how much of it can I actually retain? We'll see.

My goal is to go through the book again to brush up on each chapter (trying to do 2-3 chapters a day) while taking detailed notes and solving the practice problems provided by the disc. Now that I have a good grasp/idea of all the concepts I can hone in on areas in which I'm foggy. I also went ahead and got 1 month of CBTnuggets to watch/listen to during downtimes (ie: lunch break). For the past week I have been doing labs for 1 hour before bed, focusing on learning and comprehending various "show" commands. I created a running list of commands in Word so I know which ones I went over and know well.

Anyway, that is all for now and I'll do my best to keep this topic updated.

Best regards.

TWX

To preface, I did not pass my exam, so I'm not going to claim to be the end-all-be-all, but I took the composite with ICND2 topics too, and I missed by 50 points of 1000, or 5%, so I was VERY angry that I didn't make it...

Go through the Cisco master list of topics for ICND1: https://learningnetwork.cisco.com/community/certifications/ccna/icnd1_v2/exam-topics

Everything should be on that list. If there are old ways of doing things along with new ways (ie, vlan database, access control lists, routing protocol methods of configuration) be prepared for questions on the old ways to be on the exam even if the new way is documented or even emphasized in the curriculum. For example, there are two ways to define IP addresses and interfaces for OSPF, one through the router configuration, one through the interfaces. Know both! They could have either or both.

Second, discuss all of this. That's what I'm doing and it's part of why I'm on here and explaining stuff a lot. It's my way of reinforcing it for myself.

Third, don't focus on the skills that you're good at, focus on the things that you're not good at. Most of us are pretty good at Classful networks, play with classless and variable-length subnets. If you're used to using 192.168.0.0/16 divided into various Class-C, use 10.0.0.0/8 or 172.16.0.0/12, or even play with some of the other reserved non-routing addresses like 198.18.0.0/15, 198.51.100.0/24, or 203.0.113.0/24 (full list here)

Fourth, be prepared to have to retort with the exact syntax of commands. They literally will ask for the exact syntax of a command to do a particular function, and they'll give you multiple choices that are all variations on the same thing, with only one right. They could do this for any kind of topic that could be on the exam. PITA, but it's there.

Fifth, there will be nitpick questions that are only barely mentioned in the curriculum. Go through the early chapters again, look at the details for things that you almost glossed over as you continued. That stuff could be very important on the exam itself.

Here's a list of the topics:



[h=3]1.0 Operation of IP Data Networks[/h]
[h=3]6%[/h]
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1.1 Recognize the purpose and functions of various network devices such as routers, switches, bridges and hubs

1.2 Select the components required to meet a given network specification
1.3 Identify common applications and their impact on the network
1.4 Describe the purpose and basic operation of the protocols in the OSI and TCP/IP models
1.5 Predict the data flow between two hosts across a network
1.6 Identify the appropriate media, cables, ports, and connectors to connect Cisco network devices to other network devices and hosts in a LAN



[h=3]2.0 LAN Switching Technologies[/h]
[h=3]21%[/h]
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2.1 Determine the technology and media access control method for Ethernet networks
2.2 Identify basic switching concepts and the operation of Cisco switches

• 2.2.a Collision domains
• 2.2.b Broadcast domains
• 2.2.c Ways to switch
  • 2.2.c Store
    
  • 2.2.c [ii] Forward
  • 2.2.c [iii] Cut through
  • 2.2.c [iv] CAM Table

2.3 Configure and verify initial switch configuration including remote access management

• 2.3.a hostname
• 2.3.b mgmt ip address
• 2.3.c Ip default-gateway
• 2.3.d local user and password
• 2.3.e enable secret password
• 2.3.f console and VTY logins
• 2.3.g exec-timeout
• 2.3.h service password encryption
• 2.3.i copy run start

2.4 Verify network status and switch operation using basic utilities such as

• 2.4.a ping
• 2.4.b telnet
• 2.4.c SSH

2.5 Describe how VLANs create logically separate networks and the need for routing between them

• 2.5.a Explain network segmentation and basic traffic management concepts

2.6 Configure and verify VLANs
2.7 Configure and verify trunking on Cisco switches

• 2.7.a DTP (topic)
• 2.7.b Auto-negotiation

[h=3]3.0 IP addressing (IPv4/IPv6)[/h]
[h=3]11%[/h]
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3.1 Describe the operation and necessity of using private and public IP addresses for IPv4 addressing
3.2 Identify the appropriate IPv6 addressing scheme to satisfy addressing requirements in a LAN/WAN environment
3.3 Identify the appropriate IPv4 addressing scheme using VLSM and summarization to satisfy addressing requirements in a LAN/WAN environment
3.4 Describe the technological requirements for running IPv6 in conjunction with IPv4

• 3.4.a Dual stack

3.5 Describe IPv6 addresses

• 3.5.a Global unicast
• 3.5.b Multicast
• 3.5.c Link local
• 3.5.d Unique local
• 3.5.e EUI 64
• 3.5.f Auto-configuration

[h=3]4.0 IP Routing Technologies[/h]
[h=3]26%[/h]
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4.1 Describe basic routing concepts

• 4.1.a Packet forwarding
• 4.1.b Router lookup process
• 4.1.c Process Switching/Fast Switching/CEF

4.2 Configure and verify utilizing the CLI to set basic Router configuration

• 4.2.a Hostname
• 4.2.b Local user & password
• 4.2.c Enable secret password
• 4.2.d Console & VTY logins
• 4.2.e exec-timeout
• 4.2.f service password encryption
• 4.2.g Interface IP Address
  • 4.2.g loopback
    
• 4.2.h banner
• 4.2.i motd
• 4.2.j copy run start

4.3 Configure and verify operation status of an Ethernet interface
4.4 Verify router configuration and network connectivity using

• 4.4.a ping
  • 4.4.a Extended ping
    
• 4.4.b traceroute
• 4.4.c telnet
• 4.4.d SSH
• 4.4.e Show cdp neighbors

4.5 Configure and verify routing configuration for a static or default route given specific routing requirements
4.6 Differentiate methods of routing and routing protocols

• 4.6.a Static vs. dynamic
• 4.6.b Link state vs. distance vector
• 4.6.c Next hop
• 4.6.d Ip routing table
• 4.6.e Passive interfaces (how they work)

4.7 Configure and verify OSPF (single area)

• 4.7.a Benefit of single area
• 4.7.b Configure OSPv2 in a single area
• 4.7.c Configure OSPv3 in a single area
• 4.7.d Router ID
• 4.7.e Passive interface

4.8 Configure and verify interVLAN routing (router on a stick)

• 4.8.a Sub interfaces
• 4.8.b Upstream routing
• 4.8.c Encapsulation

4.9 Configure SVI interfaces.



[h=3]5.0 IP Services[/h]
[h=3]8%[/h]
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5.1 Configure and verify DHCP (IOS router)

• 5.1.a Configuring router interfaces to use DHCP
• 5.1.b DHCP options (Basic overview and functionality)
• 5.1.c Excluded addresses
• 5.1.d Lease time

5.2 Describe the types, features, and applications of ACLs

• 5.2.a Standard (editing and sequence numbers)
• 5.2.b Extended
• 5.2.c Named
• 5.2.d Numbered
• 5.2.e Log option

5.3 Configure and verify ACLs in a network environment

• 5.3.a Named
• 5.3.b Numbered
• 5.3.c Log option

5.4 Identify the basic operation of NAT

• 5.4.a Purpose
• 5.4.b Pool
• 5.4.c Static
• 5.4.d 1 to 1
• 5.4.e Overloading
• 5.4.f Source addressing
• 5.4.g One-way NAT

5.5 Configure and verify NAT for given network requirements
5.6 Configure and verify NTP as a client



[h=3]6.0 Network Device Security[/h]
[h=3]15%[/h]
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6.1 Configure and verify network device security features

• 6.1.a Device password security
• 6.1.b Enable secret vs. enable
• 6.1.c Transport
  • 6.1.c Disable telnet
    
  • 6.1.c [ii] SSH
• 6.1.d VTYs
• 6.1.e Physical security
• 6.1.f Service password
• 6.1.g Describe external authentication methods

6.2 Configure and verify switch port security

• 6.2.a Sticky mac
• 6.2.b MAC address limitation
• 6.2.c Static/dynamic
• 6.2.d Violation modes
  • 6.2.d Err disable
    
  • 6.2.d [ii] Shutdown
  • 6.2.d [iii] Protect restrict
• 6.2.e Shutdown unused ports
• 6.2.f Err disable recovery
• 6.2.g Assign unused ports in unused VLANs
• 6.2.h Putting Native VLAN to other than VLAN 1

6.3 Configure and verify ACLs to filter network traffic
6.4 Configure and verify ACLs to limit telnet and SSH access to the router



[h=3]7.0 Troubleshooting[/h]
[h=3]13%[/h]
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7.1 Troubleshoot and correct common problems associated with IP addressing and host configurations
7.2 Troubleshoot and resolve VLAN problems

• 7.2.a Identify that VLANs are configured
• 7.2.b Verify port membership is correct
• 7.2.c Correct IP address is configured

7.3 Troubleshoot and resolve trunking problems on Cisco switches

• 7.3.a Verify correct trunk states
• 7.3.b Verify correct encapsulation is configured
• 7.3.c Correct VLANs are allowed

7.4 Troubleshoot and resolve ACL issues

• 7.4.a Verify statistics
• 7.4.b Verify permitted networks
• 7.4.c Verify direction
  • 7.4.c Interface
    

7.5 Troubleshoot and resolve Layer 1 problems

• 7.5.a Framing
• 7.5.b CRC
• 7.5.c Runts
• 7.5.d Giants
• 7.5.e Dropped Packets
• 7.5.f Late Collisions
• 7.5.g Input/Output errors

stunnedsoup

I really appreciate the advice/tips. I will definitely keep these things in my mind as I progress through these next few weeks.

bender_fender100

Not only do what TWX said, but I don't think it's a lot of the topics themselves that are difficult to get an understanding of and knowing how to configure them, but the way that Cisco likes to phrase the questions that can be one of the hardest parts about passing it. You could be off by around 30 points just for getting 3-4 questions wrong because you didn't understand exactly what they were asking for or they made the answers really tricky to try to answer and you might have known what the answer was but immediately picked something that kind of looked like the answer but wasn't. If you can, you should invest in some Boson exams and take them and see how you do. They are much harder than the actual test, but you'll get a lot out of it because it forces you to look at the questions differently and you'll immediately know where your holes are in your knowledge are and you start getting used to the exam format. You may think that you have a topic down, but when you go down and sit for the test, that's another story in itself. Know your IP services terms well for easy points and try to get as good at subnetting as you can and from your head even though you should also do your subnetting table before taking the test.

I too also failed by relatively small percentage points for similar reasons two times now. 29 points out of a 1000 is just around 3% and did not look at Boson exams as being as important as I do now. They would have saved me some time, money and trouble.

stunnedsoup

Thanks for the reply, bender.

I am in the process of exploring Boson. I am guessing I can take a solid 2, maybe 3, practice exams if I buy ExSim-Max since there are 174 questions?
Link: 100-101 ICND1 CCENT Practice Exam | Boson

I'm tempted to give it a shot to gauge where I stand. I feel like I have a fairly good grasp of the material. Unfortunately, I can know the material well and still do a poor job of applying it to scenarios/questions.

Thanks again for the advice.

**Edit**
I did more research on Boson. I decided to go ahead and apply a coupon code to get 15% off. My goal is to sit for the 1st practice exam this weekend once I get a couple of hours of free time.

dtakhar

know your subnetting like you know grade 5 math. it will save you tones of time. draw out the decimal places 128 64 32 16 8 4 2 1 at the top of the erasable board they give you right away.

know your basic show commands. if you have not taken a cisco exam tutorial check out below link. you will also have some time to review this at the start of the test, better to do it before.

should be like 2-3 simulation questions in total.

Cisco Certification Exam Tutorial - Cisco Systems

stunnedsoup

dtakhar wrote: »

know your subnetting like you know grade 5 math. it will save you tones of time. draw out the decimal places 128 64 32 16 8 4 2 1 at the top of the erasable board they give you right away.

know your basic show commands. if you have not taken a cisco exam tutorial check out below link. you will also have some time to review this at the start of the test, better to do it before.

should be like 2-3 simulation questions in total.

Cisco Certification Exam Tutorial - Cisco Systems

Thanks for your insight. I really appreciate it

I have been subnetting a bunch lately, using a handful of subnet practice websites and practice problems from the book. I feel that I have it down fairly well and can answer with good speed with almost 100% success rate. My only big concern is that when I try going for extreme speed I make careless errors. When it comes to writing out powers of 2, I have trained myself to memorize from 2⁰ to 2¹⁸ (for now).

The exam tutorial is a good tool. I messed with it several times and made a HUGE mental note on how I must NOT hit next until ALL subquestions are answered. I have read some horror stories on these forums where test takers accidentally hit "next" without completing all questions.

Thanks again.

volfkhat

stunnedsoup wrote: »

I have read some horror stories on these forums where test takers accidentally hit "next" without completing all questions.
Thanks again.

Happened to me on the ccent.

I clicked next (or maybe it was 'OK') to begin the simulation.
But instead, it simply proceeded to the Next question.
COMPLETE Zero!!

was NOT a happy camper...

dtakhar

very good, you will be fine if you can subnet will that is a huge confidence booster going into exam. also know quickly how to identify what /22 /28 means etc.

/22 is 2 less than a full 24 so its 255 minus 2 places = 252

same with what is /27 its 224
/28 is 240

try to remember these huge time saver.

stunnedsoup

Gotcha - thanks!

On a side note - I've been answering some of the questions that came with Odom's ICND1 book (on the disc). I feel like some of these questions are challenging (which is a great thing), but there is no way I can answer some of these multiple choice and multiple answer questions in less than 1 minute. There are multiple router and switch configuration (like a 4 router and 5 switch w/ 5 host topology) questions that come up and it takes me a minute to at least wrap my head around what the question is asking. Don't get me wrong, there are some I can answer in about 1 minute to 1.5 minutes, but I have found myself to be answering these practice problems in about 2-3minutes on average.

If these are any indication of what the real exam is like I definitely have my work cut out for me and need to really buckle down.
Note: I say this without trying my 1st Boson practice exam yet. I plan to do so this weekend or early next week once I get 2 hours free time.

stunnedsoup

Lately I've been continuing my 2nd pass of Odom's book while watching some of Jeremy's CBTNuggets on the side. I read some other posts where people used both Odom's and Lammle's books, as well as other materials like Exam Cram, 31 Days, etc. All I really have is Odom and CBTNuggets. So, I'm beginning to wonder if the materials I currently have at my disposal will be enough? To answer my own question, I guess yes. However, reading how other people used twice as many resources as me kind of makes me anxious.

Does anyone with experience reading both Odom's and Lammle's books for ICND1 know if one covers material that the other one does not? I would hate to miss a question or two on the exam simply because Lammle's book covered a certain topic in more detail than Odom (or vice versa).

My exam is about 2 weeks away and I am not sure if I can stomach reading another book/600-700pgs while I can be labbing or taking practice exams, questions, practicing my notes page, etc.

Any thoughts will be very helpful!

Cheers!

TWX

CBT Nuggets and Odom's books were almost enough for me, I bombed because I didn't any sleep the night before and missed by 5%.

Be advised, there are LOTS of gotcha! questions. I'm finding that it's easier to eliminate obviously-wrong answers before evaluating the remaining choices for correctness.

stunnedsoup

TWX wrote: »

CBT Nuggets and Odom's books were almost enough for me, I bombed because I didn't any sleep the night before and missed by 5%.

Be advised, there are LOTS of gotcha! questions. I'm finding that it's easier to eliminate obviously-wrong answers before evaluating the remaining choices for correctness.

Thanks for letting me know to keep "gotcha" questions in mind. What I've been doing while going through the book again is to take notes on little details that may very well be a question on the exam.

For example: If you want the IOS to issue log messages to help troubleshoot an ACL where would you place the "log" keyword in the access-list command? -- or a question may list several commands and ask which is the appropriate use of the "log" option.
^^That is just a random, rough example off the top of my head since I am going through ACLs at the moment.

After my first sweep-through of the chapter, I remembered that you can issue "log" in the command but forgot where in the command to issue it. I went back and found from what I have read that it should be placed at the end of the command.

So, something like:
access-list 1 permit 172.16.50.10 log

Hope this made some sort of sense!

TWX

rt(config)#access-list 66 permit 10.10.10.10 0.0.0.255 log
rt(config)#do sh access-list 66
Standard IP access list 66
    10 permit 10.10.10.0, wildcard bits 0.0.0.255 log
rt(config)#

Does that answer your question?

This is on a 2851 running IOS 15.1 for what it's worth...

dtakhar

you will be fine. the key is to answer the non simulation questions as fast as you can so you have more time on the simulation questions.

for the simulation questions, make sure you read them carefully and look at the diagram and space out your windows. you will have to hover over one of the devices and click on it to run some commands. know your show commands, eigrp command and ospf commands. you don't really have to configure anything but know which commands to run and read the output.

also first command i would run is the show running-config command to get an idea what is going on the device before running other commands.

good luck.

TWX

dtakhar wrote: »

you will be fine. the key is to answer the non simulation questions as fast as you can so you have more time on the simulation questions.

for the simulation questions, make sure you read them carefully and look at the diagram and space out your windows. you will have to hover over one of the devices and click on it to run some commands. know your show commands, eigrp command and ospf commands. you don't really have to configure anything but know which commands to run and read the output.

also first command i would run is the show running-config command to get an idea what is going on the device before running other commands.

good luck.

Be advised, it's possible that one is limited to user-exec mode, and show running-config and show startup-config will not be available. I assume this is to test one's ability to find things out without relying on the startup configuration.

stunnedsoup

Had an extremely busy Thanksgiving weekend. But, I managed to start going over NAT again to refresh my memory.

When it comes to NAT, I am on-board with understanding the concepts of static, dynamic, and overload (PAT). However, I found myself sucking wind while reviewing the configuration part of it. Static NAT configuration seemed fine but the rest (dynamic and PAT) was giving me a headache. Maybe it was just the book that gave me a headache because I noticed that when I closed the book and decided to use labbing to teach myself I did a little better.

Anyway, my goal is to wrap up my 2nd pass of NAT tonight, my 2nd pass of IPv6 tomorrow, review all my notes on Wednesday, then take my 1st Boson late Wednesday PM. I am about 1.5 weeks out from the exam and hopefully by taking my 1st Boson I can have a pretty good idea of what my temperature is/what my pulse is...and adjust my review accordingly.

Again, thank you all for the insight so far!

Jon_Cisco

When I took my practice exams I always kept a blank piece of paper with me. Any time you come to a question or answer that references something that is not familiar to you write it down on the paper.

At the end of the practice test you will have a list of areas you are weak in from your own personal assessment.

stunnedsoup

Definitely. I usually jot down the question # so I know to go back to it later and study it.

On a side note, I had a little scare while practicing my subnetting...

*Note to self: Never underestimate the power of staying fresh when it comes to subnetting*

I made the mistake of taking almost a week off of subnetting so I can dedicate my time to some of my weaker areas. Earlier today I pulled up some practice problems and the very first one I pulled up I drew a complete blank! For about 2 minutes I forgot how to calculate the maximum # of subnets and hosts for the particular problem. I've done this so many times I used to do it in my sleep. Anyway, I ended up figuring it out. Now I will practice every single day before the exam as I cannot have this horror scene happen on exam day!

Has anyone ever knew a topic/area well enough for you to put it on the shelf so you can study other things? And then you come back to it and have a "deer in headlights" moment?

TWX

stunnedsoup wrote: »

Has anyone ever knew a topic/area well enough for you to put it on the shelf so you can study other things? And then you come back to it and have a "deer in headlights" moment?

I did poorer on ACLs than I thought I would. I realized that applying them in unfamiliar networks is more of a challenge than I thought they would be.

gorebrush

I dislike the term "gotcha". There are no gotcha's if you are truly, truly prepared for any certification exam.

stunnedsoup

Thought I'd post a quick update on my studies.

I took my 1st Boson a few days ago and got around a 700 on the 1st exam. I was quite dismayed since I felt that none of the questions truly made me scratch my head. When I went to review the answers I saw that I had made NUMEROUS careless mistakes! For example, there was one subnetting problem where I wrote and circled the correct answer on my scrap paper but failed to click the correct bubble/answer on the test! Talk about careless. There were also several questions which I did not read thoroughly - ie: not paying attention to the word NOT. Or not carefully analyzing the topos.Overall, I noted down at least 6-8 questions that I missed due to carelessness.

I learned from my mistakes and pounded my notes, book, and lab simulator all weekend.

Fast forward to tonight, I went ahead and took Boson #2. I ended up getting a 776. Kind of bummed since I was hoping for an 800+. Although the score isn't too hot, I am glad I am at least making progress. Unfortunately, I made several careless, absent-minded errors again because I rushed. I really need to relax and reduce my errors so they do not come back to haunt me.

Anyway, time to continue hitting the books, labs, vids, etc. Hopefully I'm heading in the right direction. I'm about a week away from exam day.

Cheers!

techfiend

Many agree boson icnd1 is more complicated than the exam, especially with tricky questions, not so on icnd2. What I'd do daily at this stage is:

1. Spend 10+ minutes on subnetting.net three times a day.
2. Take a randomized boson test in study mode before you start studying, see the answer to everyone you aren't sure of, focus on why it's (in)correct.
3. Read lammle in order, skipping the parts you are confident in and the subnetting chapter, it's a quick read and clarifies the more complex topics in odom.
4. Briefly lab the show commands, 20 minutes tops.
5. End on another randomized boson test in test mode. This should start to improve daily which boosts confidence.

Spend most of your time testing and reading lammle, least time labbing. You got this...

stunnedsoup

techfiend wrote: »

Many agree boson icnd1 is more complicated than the exam, especially with tricky questions, not so on icnd2. What I'd do daily at this stage is:

1. Spend 10+ minutes on subnetting.net three times a day.
2. Take a randomized boson test in study mode before you start studying, see the answer to everyone you aren't sure of, focus on why it's (in)correct.
3. Read lammle in order, skipping the parts you are confident in and the subnetting chapter, it's a quick read and clarifies the more complex topics in odom.
4. Briefly lab the show commands, 20 minutes tops.
5. End on another randomized boson test in test mode. This should start to improve daily which boosts confidence.

Spend most of your time testing and reading lammle, least time labbing. You got this...

Thank you for your tips. I have heeded your advice the last couple of days and feel pretty good/fresh.

I've been subnetting and labbing a couple times a day as well as going over my Boson exams. I retook one of my Boson's and got a score in the mid 900's. I will note that I did not memorize answers just to simply get a higher score - I simply reviewed ALL questions with their respective answers, regardless if I got it right or wrong. During my retake I made sure to show all my work and explain to myself why my chosen answer is right and the others are wrong. This was a lengthy process but it helped me learn. My retake was not timed (though my 1st raw/cold attempts were timed for 90min - as if it were test day). I whiffed on about 2-3 out all 60ish questions - not bad.

Unfortunately, I do not have Lammle's book. Although I wish I had bought his book a little while back, at this point, I'm going to just stick to Odom and play it out. I've been studying all of my notes and checking off the topics on the ICND1 Guide off the Cisco site.

I felt a little overwhelmed earlier because there is just many little details that could be asked as questions on the exam...and there is only so much my brain can remember. Something tells me that I will be stumped on a question or two because I didn't remember a small term or detail that was in fine print in one of the books or videos or etc. However, at this point, I'm just telling myself to "do the best I can and just go take the stinkin' test!"

Cheers!

techfiend

The explanations on the boson tests are very helpful for me, nice to see they are helpful for you as well.

Everything is in the Odom book as long as you have a good understanding of the material you should be fine. I wouldn't worry about the little details in the material, it's a pretty broad test. Unless they've changed the test significantly, subnetting is a very large chunk of the test. I would keep an eye on the tricky questions, you should have plenty of time but remember you can't go back to previous questions. Good luck!

stunnedsoup

I decided to go ahead and schedule for tomorrow. At this point I feel like I know enough to hold my own and be dangerous. My 1st attempts on the last two Boson tests have been in the upper 700s. Not the most appealing 1st try scores but I feel like I'm close. Taking the random exams in Boson helps and have been cracking 950+ on the last few I've taken. The law of diminishing returns comes to mind at this time - I feel like spending more and more time will not really yield much more production/retention of material. I've been hitting the books/Boson/notes/labs hard the last 2 weeks and I've been showing signs of burnout (ie: not really wanting to study anymore, looking at the material and not retaining most of it, getting sidetracked easily). With all this being said, I think I'm peaking at the right time and feel it's time to give it a go.

I will be brushing up everything today and tonight. I will keep posted.

Thanks again everyone who posted!

techfiend

Good luck! I made the same sort of decision yesterday on the VCP6-DCV. Although I felt very overwhelmed by the study material and feel I don't understand storage as much as I should, yesterday I read another resource where I absorbed a bit more. I do well on practice tests and I don't think I'm going to gain much more wherever I move to next. I scheduled it for today, $67 is all it costs with a wgu voucher so a retake isn't a big hit to the wallet.

stunnedsoup

I thought I'd go ahead an provide an update:

Today I sat for the CCENT. Unfortunately, I ended up not passing with a 781. If there is one word to describe how I feel...it's DEFLATED! I was confident I knew enough to pass (though not overconfident/boastful). Still in a complete funk, though not as bad as the first few hours after the exam. This was one of the worst, if not, the worst exam experience I've had in a very long time.

I got a good night's sleep and felt really good going into the test center. As soon as I walked in the door that's when it all went downhill. Between the 45min wait in a sketchy holding room (which included a mattress, crusty futon, toys, and pills & pill bottles laid out on a table), LARGE bullet tip markers, and loud distracting Zumba class next door, I was beyond unnerved and flustered.

As far as the exam goes:
Like some others, I overhyped the exam. But still had a few struggles. My time management was HORRIBLE! Due to the outside stresses listed above I couldn't focus for the first dozen questions (one of which included a sim) and ended up burning through over a whopping 40min. Then another sim popped up and the computer locked up for about 20 seconds. I almost raised my hand for the proctor to help. This immediately caused another panic episode. By the way, the monitors literally had 640x480 resolution. I felt like I was playing SNES on a 1990s CRT TV. But I digress. After my nerves calmed I hear through the walls "Unce Unce Unce Unce...Boom boom boom...'Can you pump it up?!!'" Good grief, Zumba time! I thought this saga would never end. I calmed my nerves again and I was able to focus and breezed through the rest of the exam hoping to mitigate the damage I caused during the first 1/3 of the test. I hit the button to view my score crossing my fingers that my final 2/3 of the exam was enough to overcome the debacle during the first 1/3. When I saw my score my head dropped to my palms. Complete roller coaster of emotions. Completely deflated.

Well, time to buckle up again and give it a 2nd shot. If I have to take it a couple more times I will do so. Speaking of being defeated...I'm watching an ESPN 30 for 30 on the Buffalo Bills losing 4 straight Super Bowls. I don't feel as bad now haha (no offense to Bills fans).

I'm taking the weekend off before my brain explodes and will get back into it Monday. Again, thanks to all who offered tips/advice! Hope to get this one next try!