CCNA study material evaluation

hspdion

Hi there,

I'm about to get started with studying for the CCNA. For study guides, etc., I've read the CCNA FAQ here & as many reviews out on the internet as I could find, and have narrowed down the available material out there to a few. I was wondering if people could evaluate and give their opinions on any of the following and whether combined they would be sufficient to pass the CCNA:

[1]
Train Signal's CCNA CBT with Chris Bryant
http://www.trainsignal.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=35

[2]
CCNA Exam Prep by by David Minutella, etc.
http://www.amazon.com/CCNA-Exam-Prep-640-801-Cram/dp/0789735199


[3]
either:
McGraw-Hill Osborne Media CCNA Study Guide by Richard Deal
http://www.amazon.com/Cisco-Certified-Network-Associate-640-801/dp/0072229349/
[flipping through, this looked like a good book, but is it now too out of date to be useful?]

or

Sybex CCNA Study Guide by Todd Lammle
http://www.amazon.com/CCNA-Certified-Network-Associate-640-801/dp/0782143911/


[4]
This CCNA entry kit from Network Hardware Resale that has:
(2) CISCO2501; ETHERNET, DUAL SERIAL ROUTER 16D/16F IP 12.X
(1) WS-C2912-XL-EN; 12-PORT 10/100
+accesories
http://www.networkhardware.com/specials/view/Entry_Level_CCNA_Kit/

[even after reading all the different lab suggestions out there, I'm a little confused as to what is the 'best' hardware to get]


...So there you go. Any feedback on the above [or other, better material] would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

LOkrasa

I have not passed the CCNA yet so I cant tell you what will be "sufficient" but I can tell you that those are all on the right track... Its not really how much material you read/do its how you understand it. I know that sounds pretty fundamental but its a little more complex. The amount of info that is covered in the exam is what is tricky about it not exactly the content. Just too much stuff to remember. I would say start off with the Sybex book for a clean run through of all of the material... It will teach you subnetting pretty well and it goes into enough detail to get the "jist" of it all. Read the Cisco Press by Odom books next to get the Cisco perspective and some in detail depth that is not covered in the Sybex. All the while have some equipment to just verify/complete your knowledge... for a list of suggested equipment, well read the books and they will tell you what they are working on... Grab some routers/switches like the ones people list in the LAB pics thread and off you go. Avoid "kits" because they wouldnt be selling them unless someone was trying to make a buck off of em... plus you gain much more knowledge just by buying everything separately.

Sulblk27

I am currently working with the Sybex, Richard Deal, Cisco Press and Boson simulators...I have found with one book, I go to a corresponding chapter in another book, work the simulators, and things start to sink in...takes a little longer since I'm using the three books in tandem. I really enjoy the Deal book.