Is two months enough time to cram for ICND1 v3?

Chewsmoka

I've just started studying to take the ICND1 exam and noticed today they're retiring it August 20. I was in telco/networking many years ago but all that is history so I am pretty much starting from scratch. Now I'm worried that if I don't manage to pass by then I will have to relearn everything. The book I've been concentrating on is Wendell Odom's CCENT/CCNA Official Cert Guide 2013. So far I've been slowly getting through a chapter every 1-2 days, making sure I fully understand the keynotes/concepts laid out. I haven't gotten to subnetting yet and since I'm terrible at math I know that will likely take me the longest to learn, let alone do quickly.

If there is an up-side its that I have a ton of resources at my disposal ( 3 router 3 switch rack, PacketTracer, CBT Nuggets, practice tests, **** etc. ) and 5-8 hours a day to devote to studying. Should I keep grinding away in hopes that I'll be able to learn everything by then? Or should I take a less stressful approach and not feel rushed to take the exam the first time?

Cheers

Chewsmoka

Sorry I meant the ICND v2.

pearljam

I would personally suggest not rushing it and make sure you understand the material. You mentioned ****, that's not going to get you anywhere. Everyone has their own ways of studying and abilities of retaining information. Some it will take a month to complete others maybe 6 months. Just focus on the material and make sure you understand the information.

Good luck!

OctalDump

There will be a lot of overlap between the ICND1 v3 and v2. ICND1 covers a lot of basic theory, which hasn't changed much in the last 20 years.

Subnetting for ICND1 is fairly straight forward. Many people will learn the subnet details by heart (rote memorisation) and then write them down on the scratch pad to refer to during the test.

If you read and go through the lab exercises, you should be ok. I'd recommend using all the resources you have (not ****, they trick you into thinking you understand things when all you are doing is remembering an answer). If you get bored reading, try labbing, if you get tired of labbing, try watching some videos, when you feel like you might be getting it, do a practice test and see where your areas of weakness are (which is anything you are not sure of, so that includes stuff you might get right by a lucky guess). Then go back over.

Chewsmoka

Thank for the replies and advise . I think I'll keep on keeping on as long as I can comfortably maintain this pace, then when I hit subnetting I'll evaluate whether or not I should keep going full throttle.

WastedHat

I'm on the same boat as you, just started studying for ICND1 and realised they are updating the exams later this year. Now I'm going to be cutting it very close to the expiry date if I want CCNA. It seems pointless to pay for a certification thats going to be outdated as soon as you get it. I think we're better off prepairing for the v3 exam by using the current v2 materials as a supplement and filling in the gaps when it becomes available.

I wouldn't worry about the subnetting, I also thought it was a daunting subject but you'll pick it up quickly once you start practicing. The maths and logic is very repetitive.

If anyone has more info on the new exam please let us know

WastedHat

God damn I just realised the v3 material for ICND1 is already available.

Edit: Got the new ICND1 e-book since there was a 50% discount. Quick comparison of the contents.. just over half the chapters have the same name. There's 2 extra parts, 1 on Ethernet and 1 on Network Device Management. 37 chapters in total 37 being the Final review.

Stevo7

I am yet to do mine, currently doing cisco networking academy at university. I would suggest picking up the new books, they are cheap anyone, and starting on that and don't rush. The goal here isnt to pass the exam, the goal is to know the content properly and make a damn good network engineer. The exam is icing on the cake, and in most cases you need the icing, but icing with no substance is pointless.

I have not looked at the new content yet but i am sure there is a lot of overlap, you wont be losing out, you will be learning more things.

I also dreaded subnetting like nothing else. It was a void that i had no idea what was going on and i tried to understand it. I watched a few videos and out of nowhere it just clicks and you are left wondering, why the hell did it look so difficult, it is really such a simple thing, the trick is being able to do it quickly. I also suck at maths but in no time i was memorizing all the values and i just have to work on my speed a little more.

I had a few udemy courses i was flicking through for subnetting. The Bryant advantage one and also Laz Lazario (Sorry if i spelt it wrong). Laz's videos are awesome and subnetting just clicked with me after watching his video.

I wish you the best of luck in whatever you choose. Remember to learn for you not for the exam.

OctalDump

WastedHat wrote: »

It seems pointless to pay for a certification thats going to be outdated as soon as you get it.

It's still the same certification regardless of which exams you pass. There are probably people out there with current (ie still valid) CCNA Route and Switch that haven't sat a CCNA exam in the last 10 years. The gaps get filled in through work, experience, self study, and studying higher level courses.

WastedHat

OctalDump wrote: »

It's still the same certification regardless of which exams you pass. There are probably people out there with current (ie still valid) CCNA Route and Switch that haven't sat a CCNA exam in the last 10 years. The gaps get filled in through work, experience, self study, and studying higher level courses.

I bet to differ, if the content is updated then its a newer cert. According to the Cisco website CCNA is valid for 3 years before you have to recertify or obtain a higher level cert. Maybe some employers feel obliged to pay for recertification and thus deem an unnecessary overhead if their employees maintain enough competence without it. I do agree that you can stay up to date and learn much more though work but I would think that someone obtaining a CCNA to get their first job in IT would do better with the latest version of the exam.