Failed CCNA - need advice, please!

Gumby

I recently failed my first attempt at the CCNA exam. I thought that I had done well but anything less than 849 is a failure! Anyway, I think that my biggest issue was 'time management'. By that I mean that I had 30 questions left to answer with 30 minutes remaining on the exam! This failure really spooked me. I could really use some advice as to how I should proceed or prepare for the exam. I do want to say that this forum was very helpful in my prep even if I did not pass. Any comments will be appreciated. Thanks!

mikej412

Where did you eat up the time? Sims or Questions?

If it was the Sims -- then try to get more hands on practice with real hardware (or a simulator or dynamips/dynagen). You shouldn't spend more than 10 minutes on a Sim anyways.

If it was the questions -- then you just have to study more so the facts just spill out of your brain. You can try some practice exams like the ones that come with the Cisco Press books or Flash Cards. Boson does the test engine used by Cisco Press books/flashcards and also sells practice tests.

Either way -- check your score report and compare the breakdown against the Exam Blueprint to try and figure out if there are any areas you should pay particular attention to when you study for your rematch.

Gumby

Thanks. I do think that I spent way too much time on the sims and in turn got rattled when I had to answer so many questions with so little time remaining. I felt like I had a good handle on the material and only ran across a 1 or 2 questions that stumped me (WAG - Wild Ass Guess). Thanks again for your comments....

pr3d4t0r

Don't give up, keep trying m8

Johnny 5

Been a long time since I did CCNA (2002), but I can sympathize on the Time management issue. On Cisco exams, you can't mark and come back to question the way you can on Microsoft exams. I most recently felt "the crunch" on CVOICE. The sim was interesting because you could "test" your config. I was sure mine was right, but the test kept failing and I burned well over 10 minutes on the question. As a result, I ended up with 15 minutes to finish 15 questions. Know I clicked the wrong answer by accident on at least one of those questions and ended up not passing by one point. It sucked. I am an independent contractor and pay for all exams out of pocket.

The biggest thing to remember is that Sims are not weighed any more than a multiple choice question. My rule is if a Sim is going to take me more than 3 minutes, I skip it. While the Sims are a great idea, I feel written exams should test your knowledge. Work and labs are to test your ability. In the real world, are you going to be told "We need this configured in under 5 minutes and you can't ask any questions and there's only one right answer and only 2 debug commands are available to you and we won't tell you until you try to type them"? Nope. Your work will be evaluated based on quality and the ability to deliver over days, weeks, or months, not minutes. Having a working config in a home lab is 10X more valuable than a right/wrong on a sim question.

gzjn3y

is that right

"The biggest thing to remember is that Sims are not weighed any more than a multiple choice question" ?

so if i didnt pass that section but had over the pass % i would pass ?
thanks

mikej412

gzjn3y wrote:

is that right

"The biggest thing to remember is that Sims are not weighed any more than a multiple choice question" ?

so if i didnt pass that section but had over the pass % i would pass ?
thanks

Nope.... SIMs ARE weighed more than the other questions. It is probably the only thing Cisco has admitted publicly about the exam scoring.

From the Forum CCNA FAQ

Webmaster wrote:

: How do the actual simulator questions work and how are they scored?

As mentioned in Cisco's Certifications Online Support section, the SIMs carry greater weight than regular test questions in calculating the final score. This is something most people do know or at least assume, which only led to more questions. Understandable.

I've seen that post on Cisco.... there was one in the Cisco Network Academy Alumi discussions.... and its probably also mentioned in one of the CCNA "Certification TV Specials"