CCNA Attempt 2: 834 :(

mzinz

I'm SO frustrated.

I took the CCNA my first time two weeks ago, and got a 707.
I got in there and wasted 20 minutes on that stupid RIP lab and just couldn't get it through my head because I was nervous, so I ended up bombing the rest with no time.

I just took it again, my second time, and got a 834... Yes yes, about one question off. I skipped the ENTIRE first sim too.

It really bothers me though because after failing the first time I knew what to study. (Frame Relay, NAT, ACLs). But this time.. man.. there are a couple questions I look back at and I realize were wrong (and now know), but other than that I feel totally solid.

The sim I got rocked on was as follows:
There are two routers (and networks attatched to each router). There is one host computer, connected to just one of the routers. You need to enable comunication between the routers and the rest of the network.
It should be a simple question, but I was so stumped, and there was so much info on that tiny monitor I couldn't even make any progress and skipped it after 10 minutes.

Now what it wanted me to do was set up the router I had console access to, then telnet to the other router and set it up. But since there was no IP on the other router.. how would I telnet to it? Maybe I was just overly confused..

Danman32

Are you sure it had no IP, or you just didn't know what the IPs were?

RandyCCIE#TBD

mzinz - you need to stay calm during the simulations and dont let the massive amount of information throw you off. Cisco is not going to throw complex scenarios at you on the CCNA, eventhough they feel complex to you now, knowing what scenarios they are likely to throw at you is the key. In your scenario where you couldnt telnet to the other router, were you given a serial IP address of the other router? You probably were and just glanced over it, you could have telnetted to that router on its serial IP and then IP'ed the ethernet interface to bring up IP connectivity on both ethernet segments. Make sure all your interfaces are turned up after IP'ing the interfaces. I failed the CCNA with an 847 last month, I came back one week later and got a 910. You will pass the next time for sure. I spent almost 20 minutes on one of my sims, but I didnt give up because I know how important the sims are. If you know the theory you can blow through the standards questions quickly.

Don_PA

Hang in there, you will eventually pass. I failed twice before I got a 910 last month. I heard the sim were graded about 40 to 50 points now with the average of 3 sims. Usually it might involve Router RIP, OSPF, Telnet, Eigrp and maybe access-lists or NAT configurations. So study and practice those areas and typing the commands even if you don't have a simulator. Type a show run to look at the current configuration if anything is missing because you might also have to just fix a command or two and when you are finish just type copy run start to save the configuration. I think they give you partial credit on the router simulations. May the force be with you!

werre300

i took the exam today............i know what u mean by being all worked up........trying to do the sims on a 15 inch monitor and doing them in an enviornment your not used too.........i can say if i had failed i dont' even know what i would have studied............the sims just suck.........i did figure them out and they weren't complex........and i am sure if you sat down at your desk you would have it worked out in a few mins.........i think i just got lucky myself figuring them out............i have practiced many many hours on sims myself............i can setup or troubleshoot anything in the books or sims........or a lab network quickly but the real test is just harder if your not really calm.......sorry to hear about your not passing............take some valum before u sit.

tech671

I hear your agony, I took the test last week too and failed. Those sims really got me I was not prepared for it. I got that similar sims where I had to telnet to configure the second router, I knew at the back of my head to use cdp but I was so pressured and confuse I end up skipping the question. I am trying to study again but this time with a Cisco Library; this book is complete but I little bit hard to swallow not like Sybex it was an easy read and I got the theory down in my head but need to go deeper that is why I got cisco press. I don't want to have to ready the book page by page but rather breeze through it and spend more time on the areas I am bit weaker on like NAT, ISDN, and most definetely hands on Labs. I have been studying really hard for two months. After I failed the test I could not look the book for few days I was so burnt out, but the show must go on. I am shooting for a month take the test the 2nd time and hopefully I will be ready. This time around I will study with more on quality, not quantity. Don't feel bad your not alone.

mikej412

mzinz wrote:

I'm SO frustrated.

You blew off a SIM and still nearly passed -- and you're frustrated?

To do the job, you have to do the SIMs -- so spend some time with equipment (check out wildfire's www.cisco-engineer.com if you need some free weekend access to shake out the bugs), or Dynagen/Dynamips (if you can get a 36xx or 7200 IOS image and have a linux box or XP box laying around) ... or even Boson's CCNA Simulator.

Don't let it bother you and you're eaisly in the 5 day "waiting period" where you can easily make up the points. If you can't get over it -- drown your sorrows this weekend, and schedule the exam for the next week -- and get some hand-on work and review the theory you already know.

Good Luck!

(and watch the NDA -- it counts even if you don't pass)

mzinz

Thanks for the feedback everyone

It's so hard looking back and wishing I would have looked closer at that sim! I ended up ending the test with nearly 15 minutes left too

The more I think about it, the more I convince myself that I was given an IP address on the second router and looked over it. The sim probably was much easier than I made it, so hopefully I can get it next time.
I also had the RIP and EIGRP sim's and they seemed like a breeze compared to this one.

Back to the books!