My path to the CCNA (Newbie)

amb1s1

Hi,
First let me introduce myself. I work as helpdesk for almost 2 years. I'm newbie when talking about network. Last week I decide to start studying for the CCNA. I bought a Cisco prep book by Wendell Odom. My first approach was to take the Intro first and then the ICND, but then I think is going to be harder because I have to take two test. So, my approach is going to study for 2 month, I'm going to take the Global Knowledge boot-camp and I planning to take the test 2 weeks after my boot-camp. I would like to know what you guys think. I'm a person that I always believe in myself, but for some reason I'm kind unsecured about this. I want to know if when you take the test and fail do I need to wait a month or I can take it the next week. Also, for the people that fail the first time, does taking the test the first time help a little be for the second.

sprkymrk

amb1s1 wrote:

First let me introduce myself. I work as helpdesk for almost 2 years. I'm newbie when talking about network.

Welcome to the forums. You will learn a lot from everyone here.

amb1s1 wrote:

Last week I decide to start studying for the CCNA. I bought a Cisco prep book by Wendell Odom.

That's a good book. You might also look at the Sybex 5th Edition by Todd Lamle. It is a favorite of many of us.

amb1s1 wrote:

I want to know if when you take the test and fail do I need to wait a month or I can take it the next week. Also, for the people that fail the first time, does taking the test the first time help a little be for the second.

The first time you fail, you can reschedule any time AFAIK.
Yes, you should be better prepared the second time. You'll know where your weak spots were, you'll know what the testing format and environment is like, and you'll have had an extra week or two of study.

Be sure and check out the CCNA FAQ here:
http://www.techexams.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=7268

Good luck!

iproute

amb1s1 wrote:

Hi,
First let me introduce myself. I work as helpdesk for almost 2 years. I'm newbie when talking about network. Last week I decide to start studying for the CCNA. I bought a Cisco prep book by Wendell Odom. My first approach was to take the Intro first and then the ICND, but then I think is going to be harder because I have to take two test.

I'd recommend going with the two test option, and only using the single test option for recertification. It's more questions to answer and two days (instead of 1) that you have to get all stressed out, but it has its benefits too. It breaks down an enormous collection of knowledge into two more manageable parts. If you pass one and fail the other, that's only 1/2 of the actual CCNA material you have to review before retaking. The reason that Cisco created the two test option is because so many people were failing the one test and getting discouraged. It's really a lot of information to absorb. Don't underestimate it.

amb1s1 wrote:

So, my approach is going to study for 2 month, I'm going to take the Global Knowledge boot-camp and I planning to take the test 2 weeks after my boot-camp. I would like to know what you guys think. I'm a person that I always believe in myself, but for some reason I'm kind unsecured about this. I want to know if when you take the test and fail do I need to wait a month or I can take it the next week. Also, for the people that fail the first time, does taking the test the first time help a little be for the second.

If you really are a newbie as the topic suggests, two months seems a bit accelerated. I followed a similar two month path, but had been working and educated in networking for a while. It's all a matter of personal preference, but it seems a bit speedy to me.

Stotic

The way that I see it is besides OSI stuff, most of the ICND stuff builds on the INTRO stuff so if you're studying icnd you'll be learning most of the INTRO concepts.

Darthn3ss

Stotic wrote:

The way that I see it is besides OSI stuff, most of the ICND stuff builds on the INTRO stuff so if you're studying icnd you'll be learning most of the INTRO concepts.

I kind of disagree. In Intro you learn to subnet, basic troubleshooting, how routers route, routing vs routed protocols, some commands, how to setup RIP and IGRP, ACLs, wildcard masks,etc.

in ICND you apply all that. If you go into ICND and you can't do subnetting or wildcard masks, you aren't going to get far, imo.

mobri09

I just passed the intro on Monday and I will be honest with you. The Intro was tough because the intro alone holds a large amount of information just for part 1. I really don't know If i could of done the 1 examination. Taking the 2 part test is nice and I would highly recommend it for anyone. In this case you can focus and feel more comfortable in regards to 1 specific part, instead of the whole examanation. Everyone has different opinions and whichever you feel comfortable doing is probably the route to take. For instance if your good with absorbing and REMEMBERING tons of information the 640-811 might be a better deal. But if your memory bank seems to die after a certain time frame like myself the 2 part might be a better choice.
Remember its what you feel you think you can do and handle-

amb1s1

I change my plan. I'm planning to take the INTRO like the last week of July and Then I'm going to take classes for the ICND. What I want is to have my CCNA the same time that I graduate with my Network Administrator Assoociate degree (Summer 200.