Failed 640-801 hope this can help someone else.

I failed the 640-801 today by 40 points. I feel like I missed the same thing over and over and havn't seen it explained well in any of my study material. I did find a post on here that explained it much better than any of my books. But then again I didn't know what to look for when I was studying. I'll have to go back and check. That said I finished the Cisco Networking Academy a couple of semesters ago and just put it off untill i heard about the deadline on the 6th. I wish I had pushed myself to take it sooner so that the information was more fresh. I studied the online curriculum guided by 31 days before your CCNA from Cisco Press. I did like the way the information was presented but ultimately it's only a summary from 4 semesters worth of information and you can't cover everything in such a small book. I wish I had worked on more real equipment more recently for the troubleshooting aspects. The Academy I went to was great with the hands on equipment but I think I just waited to long. I used Certsim software and think the information is good for review but it is much easier than the actual test. The simulations were great and just like the actual format of the simulation but a little easier. I also used the practice tests on this site and I love the way you can check the reason you missed the question here and on Certsim. I just feel it was a little to easy on here. Other online practice tests I used was celticrover/brightsparks home page. Most of the stuff on there is very similar to the Academy curriculum and felt very familiar. Very in depth and a lot of information. I do miss not having the reasoning behind the answers, but I do have to respect the amount of work that went into the site.

Ultimately though, I think I didn't put enough time into studying. I would study 4 hours a night, but only for 2 weeks. I think I also I should have tried to push myself sooner after finishing the academy. I think spreading it out over more time would definately help. I just tried to cram "31 days" into 2 weeks. I do wish I had used real equipment to become more familiar with what to expect with show and debug commands. Sites like this one are great tools too. I would love to be able to contribute more into it myself. Sorry for the small essay but I'm hoping this info can help someone else.

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Comments

mrj

I have my test on the 5th, first time, it's really ridiculous as to how much is covered on the CCNA. I can knock out most of the protocols, but when I move onto another protocol I forget the intricacies of the previous. Not to mention the amount of information that is given to you that you expect you need to have memorized (cable speeds, distances, AD/metrics, etc).

The CCNA definitely blows away any of my MCP courses, and I feel, especially for an "entry level" certification is a bit arduous - just by nature of the course breadth.

sbl

mrj wrote:

I have my test on the 5th, first time, it's really ridiculous as to how much is covered on the CCNA. I can knock out most of the protocols, but when I move onto another protocol I forget the intricacies of the previous. Not to mention the amount of information that is given to you that you expect you need to have memorized (cable speeds, distances, AD/metrics, etc).

The CCNA definitely blows away any of my MCP courses, and I feel, especially for an "entry level" certification is a bit arduous - just by nature of the course breadth.

Perhaps that is why it is no longer the "entry level" cert. That would be CCENT now, which you can get by passing only the ICND1 exam (going to CCNA will require passing ICND2 as well).

Of course CCNA is still "foundational" (a base certification you must achieve before going to a higher level such as CCNP) whereas CCENT can be skipped altogether if you choose, by taking the single-exam CCNA which will still be offered.

BEST of luck to you, but if things don't work out this try there is now a new (and possibly better) way to approach Cisco certification with these new tracks.

fonque

if you dont have access to real equipment, like myself, then I would suggest investing in a decent simulator. I mean decent because alot of sims skimp out on available commands.

I have been using the boson ccna sim and practice, practice, practice. Its the only way I remember procedural topics.