ROUTE fail, thoughts on the exam

I did have to skip the final simulator which was a kick in the balls, as I had about 12 minutes left and 10 more questions, so I just had to hope I'd nail those (which I think I did pretty well as I made sure to really dig into this topic), but still got that first fail out of my system.

The exam wasn't difficult relative to the topics (mostly) and the questions were worded much better than when I took my CCNA.

The one thing that surprised me is I got a lot of multiple choice / multiple answer, which sucks when you know say 2/3 for sure, and that 3rd is a 50/50 toss up and if you get it wrong you fail the entire question - I think that really killed me.

Whoever said the verification commands are as important as configuration is absolutely correct, as you need to be able to identify where the problem is ASAP to start working at that point in the network - This is where I really f'd myself for time.

I looked at the clock and because I had just multiple choice question when I hit my first sim I had well over an hour left so I felt I could just casually tshoot the issue, and before I know it 20 minutes elapsed and it was not resolved. Never slow down your pace!

I knew the verification command, but didn't realize how to use it to find the source of the issue for 10 minutes or so as I panicked going router to router looking at the same verification commands over and over with the answer right in front of me until I thought through it logically.

ROUTE has won this battle, but the war is far from over Cisco, FAR FROM OVER!!

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MitM

ande0255 wrote: »

Whoever said the verification commands are as important as configuration is absolutely correct, as you need to be able to identify where the problem is ASAP to start working at that point in the network - This is where I really f'd myself for time.

Yep Yep, that was me, super important. What I found useful during studying was to lab things right and view the output of the verification commands. Then lab things wrong and view the output of the commands.

Great positive attitude, though. You'll win the war. Keep at it.

ande0255

I love to piss ***** and moan about unfair Cisco is, but in this test, outside of a few questions not covered in training it was fair.

For newbies, nothing can prep you for the actual exam, failure is just a step towards success.

Legacy User

Sorry to hear that you did not pass but you will get it next time! Based on our past conversations from all of the material you used to study in your opinion which would you say covered the material in the test and which did you wish you did not waste your time on.

thanks

fredrikjj

ande0255 wrote: »

ROUTE has won this battle, but the war is far from over Cisco, FAR FROM OVER!!

Good attitude. I regret giving up on CCNP:SP after I failed one of its exams. You should definitely try again!

Welly_59

What score did you get Ande?

ande0255

Absolutely terrible, a 540, which is barely beyond showing up for the exam.

I felt really good about two sims, one I think I missed just one config that should have been second nature, the second I got it to work but the instructions didn't specify how to get it to work, so I'm not sure if my method was counted as wrong, third I had to skip due to time.

So looking back the multiple answers was a ***** cause that 3rd answer was always so iffy, I could have probably flipped a coin and scored better with those.

The problem was the first Sim, I looked at my time and thought I have a TON of time, and just slowed down for some reason. When you are going through that exam it has to be full throttle no matter how far ahead you are or how good your feeling about the questions behind you.

I've learned that, the "gotcha" topics I can expect now, and the verification commands to immediately ID where issues are in sims to begin working that way.

So I booked it two weeks out from my last test date, this one I will be prepared for, I knew I'd have to take a fall once in the ring to see what I was up against and get back to my feet to win the fight

adrianm68

ande0255 wrote: »

So I booked it two weeks out from my last test date, this one I will be prepared for, I knew I'd have to take a fall once in the ring to see what I was up against and get back to my feet to win the fight

Great attitude - I have been delaying my switch exam for months now, this time its locked in, ready or not. Sometimes you just have to see the beast, retreat, and then come back prepared.

Best of luck to you.

/adrian

--chris--

ande0255 wrote: »

I love to piss ***** and moan about unfair Cisco is, but in this test, outside of a few questions not covered in training it was fair.

For newbies, nothing can prep you for the actual exam, failure is just a step towards success.

This is the only way to view a failed attempt. Its THE BEST SIMULATOR money can buy lol. Good luck, should be easier next time.

ande0255

Yeah you need to see the question type and depth, then take that back to the drawing board with what you already know, and hopefully come out with a Pass round 2.

There was a couple of wtf moments in reading answers, however they were just tricky in nature, and not worded like it was made in the tribal jungles somewhere like back in the oooold CCNA days. Those test questions were sometimes hardly readable!

Danielh22185

Bummer to hear about the fail. Trust me when I saw I know the feeling. Route is a beast and you have to nail down every single one of those sims with 100% accuracy to even remotely stand a chance to pass.

My suggestion to anybody who is going after this exam (rather any from Cisco under the IE level). Take the time you need to practice the sims during the test. If you don't get it right away take the time to learn the sim and study what it is asking for. Yes this might end up in you failing because you may not have time for everything but you will gain a really good lay-of-the-land to get comfortable with the sims. This way you don't just skip or hammer through it ending up with the wrong answer and not knowing / having a decent idea of what the correct one is (failing anyway). This strategy will also help you memorize the sim a bit better so you can practice / re-review the topics again with better efficiency outside of the exam.