overwhelmed... :(

dazerskidazerski Member Posts: 106 ■■■□□□□□□□
icon_eek.gif

I personally do not know anyone who is studying for CCENT so I don't have anything to compare with but I really am feeling overwhelmed with even the first 6 chapters of this Odom/ICND1 book.

When I was in college, at least I had an instructor giving me weekly assignments to gauge my progress but I feel in the dark right now.

To keep myself on track, I made a Gantt chart giving myself about a week for each chapter and 2 weeks of exam prep which puts my projected exam date in the first week of July. I know the answer would be different for everyone but do you think that is too much time or is there no real right answer?

I guess probably what I'll hear is that I should definitely know everything in the book and probably more outside of the Odom text. I bought those CBTnugget videos for extra help but haven't started them. Sometimes I think I dig too deep. For instance, the other night in Ch.6 I was reading about TCP/UDP. I started researching outside of the text and its like it goes on and on on various other topics relating to TCP/UDP and I start going crazy because I never know what is enough or too much or too little about these topics to feel satisfied and then move on.

Maybe if someone has some time, they can describe their study habits or something. I dunno... I'll keep on going of course, i just feel overwhelmed.

Sorry, this is more of a study habit question rather than a technical one. I'm already feeling pressure and nervousness about the easiest Cisco exam!!! I want my CCENT and CCNA so bad, its on my mind all the time. The Cisco logo is even my cell phone wallpaper for a constant reminder! lame hu LOL

Comments

  • pookerpooker Member Posts: 129 ■■□□□□□□□□
    Just calm down and relax man, trust me this test is nothing to stress over. Yes you should know the book, but dont look farther than that. Remember the ccent is an entry/entry level test, I cant actually tell you what was on the test, but let me say this, I was going in expecting to do tons of work that I had studied for, and although I never regret studying it was overboard. Just know the book, dont expect to difficult of questions, just take practice quizes and stay calm. Here are the exam objectives for the 640-822
    tcp/ip and osi networking model , I Know in the exam cram there is a pull out chart that tells you everything you will need to know for this test about the osi.
    operating cisco routers and lan switches
    ethernet switch configuration and troubleshooting (remember they put exam objectives for vlans, stp, vtp on the second one so dont fret to much on this )
    wireless lans - just know basics obviously its not gonna have you configuring waps
    ip addressing and subnetting (very important, know this!)
    routing protocols ( remember eigrp and ospf are part of the exam objectives for the second one , so that leaves you with one other major lan routing protocol )
    router configuration and troubleshooting (remember try not to get to technical, but now how to troubleshoot basic router configurations, authentication protocols, etc)
    network security
    wan concenpts and configuration , grade yourself on some free practice exams and identify your weak spots. Most people have a strong point, so this will help you from wasting time reading over and over again what you already know.

    Dont read to deep, I always hear about people changing there answers, dont try to get to technical choose what you think is best. Not what might be a probable solution if this happened or that happened, just read the question thoroughly most of the time I can atleast eliminate a few of the multiple choice questions because of this
    I wanna be ccie
  • nelnel Member Posts: 2,859 ■□□□□□□□□□
    hey man,

    dont let it get to you, when you say your overwhelmed i take it your not understanding the material? most people who start it find that they dont quite understand it somewhere along the line.

    my study so far has consisted of reading the book entirely and making good notes to refer to, then i could read chapters 1+2 over x days and the chapters 1,3 over x days then chapters 2,4 over x days and so on. i do this because i am not a person who can simply read and remember the stuff, i can understand it but i find it hard to remember some key facts - which is why i decided to go this route. i also through in some cbt nuggets to break the ice from time to time. and i have also purchased todd lammles book as a 2nd reference.

    out of all these i find the odom book excellent and use it as my main resource. from what ive seen from the lammle book its a close 2nd but i havent went too far in yet. i have heard todd's book is good for someone who cant quite grasp concepts put across from wendell but i find that i understand the wendell books great - if anyone can confirm this who has read the 2 books maybe it might be worth you purchasing this book to approach topics differently???

    finally i always enjoy cbt's but ive watched a few vids so far and i much prefer the odom books but like i say its a good 2nd resource.

    also you'll find later in the book some practical elements come into play - i have purchased a lab because i find hands on practice the best way for me to cement commands into my head - just practice practice practice. it also helps me understand the theory better for some elements too.

    lastly, on your timescale Q...well there is no answer, it just depends on you.personally i have chose not to rush it. i want to learn the material well - even if i overkill because its the foundation knowledge for your cisco career which a cisco guy i knew said is pretty vital to further studies like ccnp etc. btw the same guy took 2 years to do his ccna icon_eek.gif so it just goes to show everyone is different! and he is good at what he does
    Xbox Live: Bring It On

    Bsc (hons) Network Computing - 1st Class
    WIP: Msc advanced networking
  • KGhaleonKGhaleon Member Posts: 1,346 ■■■■□□□□□□
    You shouldn't stress out if you're just now learning the material. Study at your own pace but keep up with it.

    I personally went to a bookstore that had a coffee shop and studied every morning until I had finished the book. :D Only took me a few days or a week, then I spend the rest of the time reviewing the material or anything I didn't know. Then I went and did the same for any other CCNA-related books. I was a poor student and they were expensive to buy(and the main reason being that I wouldn't study at home). Don't study unless you are planning to give the material your full attention.

    Studying in public places like bookstores worked for me.
    Present goals: MCAS, MCSA, 70-680
  • AlexMRAlexMR Member Posts: 275
    I understand what you mean. When i decided to go the cisco route i ordered the Sybex CCNA book by Todd Lammle based on the reviews that were mostly saying it was all you really need. Since the book doesnt follow the exam blueprint i wasnt feeling very confident every time i had covered a chapter, so I got the official exam certification library and decided that I was going to go with the 2 exam path. One of the reasons was that I started hearing here and in other places that time was a huge issue in the 640-802, ad that it was such a hard exam. I was troubled.

    Then, the lack of question to test what you know and feeling insecure again I ordered the Interconnecting cisco devices, since I thought it would cover the topics even more in depth and generally better.

    I think those books are all very good, but i dont think it was necesary to spend that amount of money in order to get certified. Right now i cant afford to be failing exams, but I know a guy with a lot of IT certifications and he says that sometimes you just have to fail because the sources of study doesnt necessarily go exactly with the exam blueprints. So far, this is not the case with Cisco's entry level certifications, but it is something to keep in mind.

    The point is that you should pick a study source after some reasearch and stick to it until you are 100% confident of what you learn. As i said, for this cert there are several sources that supposedly cover 100% the exam and a little more.

    As for the time, when i first received the book i thought i was going to be able to learn it in 8 weeks. I was wrong. I only need to cover WAN technologies now and ive already covered about 40% of it, but I need to recheck STP, OSPF, WLAN and security. I have been studying since january 22, 2008. I think if i had kept studying from one source I'd be done already, but I have learned quite a bit that was not covered in only one book, specially from the interconnecting cisco devices 2 (ICND2).

    It is probably not a bad idea to take a few more weeks than the minimum you COULD possibly use to learn the material. Doing that (if you study a bit more) just reduces your chances of failing the exam.


    I wish you very good luck and keep at it. If you take a couple hours/day to really learn 20-25pages you should advance a WORLD in a few months.

    PS: A question to the MODS: Why would a test exam developer be banned from these forums?? I suggested **** and deleted the paragraph because i realized when i was previewing it was a banned word. Why?
    Training/Studying for....CCNP (BSCI) and some MS.
  • AhriakinAhriakin Member Posts: 1,799 ■■■■■■■■□□
    You won't be 100% prepared for the exam no matter what you read or how many lab hours you put in, but don't let that put you off, nobody ever is and it's very easy to get stuck in 'Paralysis through Over-Analysis'. I kept putting off my first Cisco exam because I had no way to gauge if I was ready or not, eventually I just picked a date and went for it...and failed. But I don't regret it, after that I was accurately able to gauge my readiness and did fine. Sometimes you just need to jump and pick yourself up if you land hard, you won't really break any bones and at least know how far you need to go next time. Treat the first one as Recon and just a bonus if you pass.
    We responded to the Year 2000 issue with "Y2K" solutions...isn't this the kind of thinking that got us into trouble in the first place?
  • GlynixxGlynixx Member Posts: 138
    Hey DD.

    I too am studying for my CCENT and have had the same feelings at time. There is no one right answer (as we all know) because different things work for different people. I too like to ask people who are studying or have already passed what they did because teacher once told me: "to be successful, find someone who is and try to do what they did."

    I would recommend that you first go thru the CBT Nuggets. I've done their stuff in the past and they put out great product. This will give you a solid foundation to start or continue going thru Odom's book. If you are having any issues with Odom's book I do not recommend Lammle's just yet. He jumps in with both feet and hits the ground running. Don't get me wrong, it is a great product and has lots of sample questions but stick with the CBT's and Odom for now. Odom's stuff can be a bit thick to get through at first; great but thick. You could also think about Chris Bryant's Ultimate CCNA Guide package. Easy to read and follow and would be a good 2nd or 3rd choice. Remember though, the more you branch out the more $$ you will spend but if you are serious then you may need to make the investment.

    Also, remember that the same material presented a different way can either clarify or confuse you so be careful.

    Once your feel you are well grounded you may want to do some of the following (all my recommendations, there is no real "do this thou shalt pass") :
    1. Video learning (cbtnuggets or trainsignal)
    2. Books: Odom's, Bryant's, Lammle's, McQuery's

    then onto:
    3. Get self test software from either Transcender or SelfTestSoftware.com or MeasureUp for some good practice questions. Practice the questions from Odom's book.
    4. Get a practice lab: The forums here list the equipment types you can use but just like a good study program, different strokes for different folks. There are also router simulators you can buy and play with such as boson.com or routersim.com or cisco's packet tracer application. I use them often enough because I can't always get to my lab.

    Hope this helps.
    Check out www.manager-tools.com for some great management training for free!
  • jscimeca715jscimeca715 Member Posts: 280
    I'm studying the same exact books you are so here's my process on certification self-study:

    1) I read the entire book straight-through, highlighting important parts and terms that I'll need later. I usually do two chapters a day, and before I begin I review the highlighted portions of the previous days chapters just for a refresher.

    2) After I'm done with the book I create flashcards for each chapter of important terms, processes and other topics that I know will probably be tested. In regards to Cisco, I've changed my procedure. I bought the Cisco flashcards book so I may not worry about it this time but sometimes writing something down will help you commit it to memory.

    3) I study the flashcards and watch videos (I bought Odom's video mentor series) for about three weeks. At this point I've studied about a month and a half.

    4) After the flashcards I take a practice exam to verify weak spots. After about two weeks of studying weak spots I test again, with another week of weak spot solidifying. I take one final practice exam and schedule the exam about two weeks from that date. This gives me a deadline so I can work towards something, simulates a pressure environment not unlike what the test will be. I'm also planning on doing some lab work just to provide the application part of the test.

    5) I continue reviewing until about noon the day before the test. I schedule my tests on a saturday morning, so at noon on Friday i put the rest of my faith in my studying and take the test. It's worked twice so far (net+ and a+) so maybe you could use something along the lines of this procedure to help you.

    I also use the technotes and the like, good luck...we can handle this together! I plan on testing in June, that gives me about three months of studying. I'm getting married in June though so I might need to table it until July.
  • AlexMRAlexMR Member Posts: 275
    jscimeca715,

    I wanted to buy a couple practice exams but i dont think it is worth the investment. Most of those practice test are practically the same price of the voucher for the exam. I think it might be better to just go take the exam and get a precise measure of how weak or ready you are.

    What are good practice exams that are not $150 or close??
    Training/Studying for....CCNP (BSCI) and some MS.
  • dynamikdynamik Banned Posts: 12,312 ■■■■■■■■■□
    You also have to keep in mind there are other benefits to using practice exams.

    I often come across many different scenarios that I have not come across in my other training resources. Not only that, but they provide excellent explanations as to why each answer was or wasn't correct. This is great for picking up on any new information or reinforcing what you've already learned. I wouldn't pay $150 to take a few exams just to have them spit out a number along with a pass/fail. There are other benefits besides gauging readiness. Just something to keep in mind.

    I use Transcender, so this may or may not apply to other vendors' practice exams.

    *************

    Regarding the topic at hand, just stick with it. What's confusing and complex today will seem like basic information next week. Don't go too fast and continue on before you've mastered the material you've already been through. You will probably have to read things twice (or more). Draw diagrams, give lectures to you cat, or anything else that makes you critically think about the material. Hang in there; you'll get it.
  • TurgonTurgon Banned Posts: 6,308 ■■■■■■■■■□
    ddzierzek wrote:
    icon_eek.gif

    I personally do not know anyone who is studying for CCENT so I don't have anything to compare with but I really am feeling overwhelmed with even the first 6 chapters of this Odom/ICND1 book.

    When I was in college, at least I had an instructor giving me weekly assignments to gauge my progress but I feel in the dark right now.

    To keep myself on track, I made a Gantt chart giving myself about a week for each chapter and 2 weeks of exam prep which puts my projected exam date in the first week of July. I know the answer would be different for everyone but do you think that is too much time or is there no real right answer?

    I guess probably what I'll hear is that I should definitely know everything in the book and probably more outside of the Odom text. I bought those CBTnugget videos for extra help but haven't started them. Sometimes I think I dig too deep. For instance, the other night in Ch.6 I was reading about TCP/UDP. I started researching outside of the text and its like it goes on and on on various other topics relating to TCP/UDP and I start going crazy because I never know what is enough or too much or too little about these topics to feel satisfied and then move on.

    Maybe if someone has some time, they can describe their study habits or something. I dunno... I'll keep on going of course, i just feel overwhelmed.

    Sorry, this is more of a study habit question rather than a technical one. I'm already feeling pressure and nervousness about the easiest Cisco exam!!! I want my CCENT and CCNA so bad, its on my mind all the time. The Cisco logo is even my cell phone wallpaper for a constant reminder! lame hu LOL


    I think you are focusing a little too much on what you think you should know before you know much about it so the body of knowledge seems more intimidating than it need to be. All great accomplishments take time but give yourself a fighting chance! Few exams are easy if you are not prepared.

    You are just starting out so little and often is my advice. No more than an hour of reading. Try the end of chapter questions. Get through the book, then read it again. At which point it may make sense to acquire your first router off ebay. Even a 2500 is plenty to get you started. Don't be too disheartened. I started with Lammle's book in 1999 and after about 10 weeks I was through that book several times, playing with my first 2500 and got through the CCNA test. Keep things simple!

    Hang out on the forum and try and answer some of the questions for your track. That can help a lot.

    Good luck!
  • jscimeca715jscimeca715 Member Posts: 280
    AlexMR: I second what Dynamik said. I use the practice exams to solidify my weak spots so I don't wast money on the exam. I mean no offense by this, but taking the actual exam to judge your areas of weakness makes it sound like you're treating it as a practice exam. I don't know if that makes sense but that's what I'm getting from it. The Exam Cert library should've come with a cd with practice exams on it so you shouldn't have to spend any extra money. I got the flashcards and exam practice book from amazon for about twenty bucks and that comes with practice exams as well. Hope this helps.
  • nelnel Member Posts: 2,859 ■□□□□□□□□□
    PS: A question to the MODS: Why would a test exam developer be banned from these forums?? I suggested xxxxxxxxxx and deleted the paragraph because i realized when i was previewing it was a banned word. Why?

    brain **** my friend icon_evil.gif
    Xbox Live: Bring It On

    Bsc (hons) Network Computing - 1st Class
    WIP: Msc advanced networking
  • mikej412mikej412 Member Posts: 10,086 ■■■■■■■■■■
    AlexMR wrote:
    PS: A question to the MODS: Why would a test exam developer be banned from these forums?? I suggested xxxxxxxxxx and deleted the paragraph because i realized when i was previewing it was a banned word. Why?
    If a legitimate Test Exam Developer wanted to Advertise (and not SPAM) here, then they should talk to icon_wm.gif -- but they do not get filtered if a member posts about them. The Legal Practice Exams can be purchased from Cisco Press (Flash Card/Exam Packs), Transcender, Boson, PrepLogic.... and maybe one more that I can't remember.

    The rest of the "Practice Tests" that do get filtered are used by people to ****. Those are the Brain **** sites. They are basically the stolen exam questions and answers -- repackaged and sold on the Internet.

    The **** are usually the same, just repackaged and renamed and marketed to different segments of CHEATERS. There are the **** that try to sound legitimate and get people hooked on the "easy way" to certify. There are the sites that just focus on one vendors certification -- but host multiple websites to **** for the different vendor exams -- that way people can pretend they aren't cheating. And then there is the extreme end -- the ALL-YOU-CAN-**** sites that boast of the REAL QUESTIONS and GUARANTEE a Pass.

    When you posted in this thread
    AlexMR wrote:
    After meeting a couple guys with CCNPs who got there using only Simulators and who are considerd excellent pros in their companies, i think real equipment is highly overrated.
    I almost posted suggesting you ask them which **** they'd recommend -- since I don't know any Real CCNPs that would leave someone with that impression.

    Now I've just to ask -- did those "excellent pros" suggest that ****/****?

    Using **** is CHEATING. Some idiots want to get into a discussion about why CHEATING is okay, but we don't go for that here. They want to explain why CHEATING isn't really CHEATING -- but that's just an insult to the members here who STUDY to EARN their Certifications.

    The **** are filtered, and the posts/threads are moderated or removed.

    There are only a couple threads about **** that are still around, but there were a lot more where the members here shredded the CHEATING IDIOTS. icon_cheers.gif But even though there were some great posts by the members here -- those threads are still a distraction to TechExams.Net primary mission of helping people STUDY and LEARN to EARN their Certifications.

    http://www.techexams.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=13690
    http://www.techexams.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=20764
    http://www.techexams.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=28495
    snadam wrote:
    **** are for chumps
    :mike: Cisco Certifications -- Collect the Entire Set!
  • dazerskidazerski Member Posts: 106 ■■■□□□□□□□
    This forum is amazing :) Thank you all for your input, tips and encouragement! This CCENT certification (and eventually CCNA) means so much more to me than just simply "being certified". It's a personal quest and I think about this CCENT exam all day. Even in today's departmental staff meeting, while everyone is talking about projects going on in our IT department, I was tuning out everything and trying to complete the memory tables from chapters 2 through 6... I dunno.. maybe thats not the best time to do it :P

    Again, thank you for your encouragement. I have begun to build a home lab for the later chapters. I purchased (2) 2501's - (1) 2610 - (1) 1900 - and (1) 2950. In the beginning video of the CBT nugget series, the guy suggests a specific router that he says has it all including WiFi but I forget the model. He said it averages a couple hundred bucks on EBay so I may pick that one up too.

    Well, Based on what I've heard in this thread, I will probably alter my study habits a bit. I agree that I may be digging way too deep on some of these topics. When I do that, I being a long bunny trail that never seems to end and then when I look up, I realize I have spent an hour reading about RFCs on RFCs and stuff so esoteric and convoluted that it really begins to frustrate me, especially when I can't make heads or tails of whether it is relevant to CCENT.

    Well... back to work. Thank you all again. This forum rocks

    Dale
  • pookerpooker Member Posts: 129 ■■□□□□□□□□
    dang, Mike = hard core OG . I've never met a ccnp before but my teacher is ccna and he definately needed a lab just for ccna, i couldnt fathom to imagine what a ccnp would need.
    I wanna be ccie
  • TurgonTurgon Banned Posts: 6,308 ■■■■■■■■■□
    mikej412 wrote:
    AlexMR wrote:
    PS: A question to the MODS: Why would a test exam developer be banned from these forums?? I suggested xxxxxxxxxx and deleted the paragraph because i realized when i was previewing it was a banned word. Why?
    If a legitimate Test Exam Developer wanted to Advertise (and not SPAM) here, then they should talk to icon_wm.gif -- but they do not get filtered if a member posts about them. The Legal Practice Exams can be purchased from Cisco Press (Flash Card/Exam Packs), Transcender, Boson, PrepLogic.... and maybe one more that I can't remember.

    The rest of the "Practice Tests" that do get filtered are used by people to ****. Those are the Brain **** sites. They are basically the stolen exam questions and answers -- repackaged and sold on the Internet.

    The **** are usually the same, just repackaged and renamed and marketed to different segments of CHEATERS. There are the **** that try to sound legitimate and get people hooked on the "easy way" to certify. There are the sites that just focus on one vendors certification -- but host multiple websites to **** for the different vendor exams -- that way people can pretend they aren't cheating. And then there is the extreme end -- the ALL-YOU-CAN-**** sites that boast of the REAL QUESTIONS and GUARANTEE a Pass.

    When you posted in this thread
    AlexMR wrote:
    After meeting a couple guys with CCNPs who got there using only Simulators and who are considerd excellent pros in their companies, i think real equipment is highly overrated.
    I almost posted suggesting you ask them which **** they'd recommend -- since I don't know any Real CCNPs that would leave someone with that impression.

    Now I've just to ask -- did those "excellent pros" suggest that ****/****?

    Using **** is CHEATING. Some idiots want to get into a discussion about why CHEATING is okay, but we don't go for that here. They want to explain why CHEATING isn't really CHEATING -- but that's just an insult to the members here who STUDY to EARN their Certifications.

    The **** are filtered, and the posts/threads are moderated or removed.

    There are only a couple threads about **** that are still around, but there were a lot more where the members here shredded the CHEATING IDIOTS. icon_cheers.gif But even though there were some great posts by the members here -- those threads are still a distraction to TechExams.Net primary mission of helping people STUDY and LEARN to EARN their Certifications.

    http://www.techexams.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=13690
    http://www.techexams.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=20764
    http://www.techexams.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=28495
    snadam wrote:
    **** are for chumps


    Mike save your breath.

    Braindumpers..all you do is throw your money away to crooks. Times have changed. It's not like 1998 when the world was a plethora of non routable protocols linked by bits of string and a range of complex bridging protocols to encapsulate over TCP/IP these days to make the dot.com promise a reality. Back then, any cert, let alone a CCIE held by someone inexperienced in the new technologies (and there were many of them) was a licence to print money.

    It's over. Know what you are doing for a change because the folks that hire you and write your paycheck have been through the mill.
  • dynamikdynamik Banned Posts: 12,312 ■■■■■■■■■□
    pooker wrote:
    dang, Mike = hard core OG

    It always frightens me that something so cute icon_mike.gif can bring such massive pwnage.
  • SlowhandSlowhand Mod Posts: 5,161 Mod
    It sounds like you have good study habits, you're on a good path, and you've got good study material and tools. The only thing you need to remember is that it's just an exam, and not to let the excitement of pursuing it turn it into an unattainable spot on the horizon. The CCENT, CCNA, CCNP, and even CCIE, are only certifications, at the end of the day, with a finite amount of information covered. Take some time to wrap your brain around the list of topics you need to know, and you'll be well on your way to knocking out that test.

    That list is all of it, that's it. It's not that long when you break it down, and you'll find that the list looks pretty small as you progress in your studies. As huge and unwieldy as the thought of this test is, you'll wrap it up into an 8 1/2" x 11" cert-page with your name on it, before you know it.

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  • mikej412mikej412 Member Posts: 10,086 ■■■■■■■■■■
    There really isn't much more to add to the suggestions that have already been posted. Everything you need to learn for the CCNET is listed in the ICND1 Exam Blueprint. And the Odom ICND1 book does a good job of covering what you need to know for the exam, and then some. Todd's Sybex book has its good points -- so we usually just suggest both. Check out the CCNA Forum FAQ for some more hints, tips, and links.

    Don't get carried away following every stray Internet Link or searching for additional information while you're still reading a book section or chapter. It may take another reading or the 2nd source before something sinks in -- but jumping around the Internet looking for the perfect link usually is just a time waster. I'm not a video person, but the CBT Nuggets or TrainSignal videos do have a good "bang for the buck" ratio. They may not cover every little thing you need to know, but they hit the highlights pretty well.

    The biggest mistake people make is probably not doing enough hands on practice. When you study and practice the material, you tend to remember it better.
    ddzierzek wrote:
    I'm already feeling pressure and nervousness about the easiest Cisco exam!!!
    Um, we're usually pretty good about being supportive around here, but I have to be honest -- it's going to get worse the closer you get to the exam. And if this is your first certification exam, you may even be "jittery" during the exam icon_eek.gif

    We usually just remind the new guys to watch the time management on their exam and spend no more than 10 minutes on a SIM question. Read the question, all the answers, and then read the question again in case you missed something the first time -- then pick the correct answer(s). If you're prepared and can work through any jitters you have, you should do fine.

    While we suggest being able to subnet in your head (the practice link is in the FAQ), scribble down an emergency subnet chart on your dry erase marker note sheets as a fallback. Jot down any notes about things you've had problems remembering. You've got the time before the exam where you should be reading the Cisco NDA (and agreeing to it) and the Exam Tutorial that you can use to jot those notes. Use the links in the CCNA FAQ to read the NDA and watch the Exam Tutorial before you get to the exam.

    The good news is that the "during test jitters" usually go away after the first one, and the "pre-test jitters" eventually do go away -- after about 15 exams or so in my case. Then you can just drive yourself crazy worrying about did you prepare and register for the right exam icon_eek.gif

    The bad news is that once you get over your "pre-exam jitters," then you then start to worry about oversleeping the night before your CCIE Lab Exam and being late or missing it icon_lol.gif

    If you put in the time and make an honest effort to practice everything in the books and mentioned in the exam blueprint, you should pass easily. Then you can worry about being over confidant for the ICND2 exam, since ICND1 is the "easier exam" in the 2 exam route to the CCNA. icon_lol.gif
    :mike: Cisco Certifications -- Collect the Entire Set!
  • SteelyEyedKillerSteelyEyedKiller Member Posts: 1 ■□□□□□□□□□
    Not sure if anyone already mentioned, but if you have taken and passed (with a good understanding) the CompTIA Network+ exam, then you already know most of the ICND1 (CCENT) material. Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad thing to be over-prepared...but no reason to stress too hard. And as I have noticed people talking about ****...DON'T DO IT! You may get your foot in the door...but it'll get smashed real quick if ya don't know what you're doing. The book covers more than enough to pass the exam and provides pretty good detail (sometimes too much). Also...hands on is good...try a tool called Packet Tracer from Cisco if you can't get on a real network. Good luck.
  • nelnel Member Posts: 2,859 ■□□□□□□□□□
    mikej412 wrote:
    AlexMR wrote:
    PS: A question to the MODS: Why would a test exam developer be banned from these forums?? I suggested xxxxxxxxxx and deleted the paragraph because i realized when i was previewing it was a banned word. Why?
    If a legitimate Test Exam Developer wanted to Advertise (and not SPAM) here, then they should talk to icon_wm.gif -- but they do not get filtered if a member posts about them. The Legal Practice Exams can be purchased from Cisco Press (Flash Card/Exam Packs), Transcender, Boson, PrepLogic.... and maybe one more that I can't remember.

    The rest of the "Practice Tests" that do get filtered are used by people to ****. Those are the Brain **** sites. They are basically the stolen exam questions and answers -- repackaged and sold on the Internet.

    The **** are usually the same, just repackaged and renamed and marketed to different segments of CHEATERS. There are the **** that try to sound legitimate and get people hooked on the "easy way" to certify. There are the sites that just focus on one vendors certification -- but host multiple websites to **** for the different vendor exams -- that way people can pretend they aren't cheating. And then there is the extreme end -- the ALL-YOU-CAN-**** sites that boast of the REAL QUESTIONS and GUARANTEE a Pass.

    When you posted in this thread
    AlexMR wrote:
    After meeting a couple guys with CCNPs who got there using only Simulators and who are considerd excellent pros in their companies, i think real equipment is highly overrated.
    I almost posted suggesting you ask them which **** they'd recommend -- since I don't know any Real CCNPs that would leave someone with that impression.

    Now I've just to ask -- did those "excellent pros" suggest that ****/****?

    Using **** is CHEATING. Some idiots want to get into a discussion about why CHEATING is okay, but we don't go for that here. They want to explain why CHEATING isn't really CHEATING -- but that's just an insult to the members here who STUDY to EARN their Certifications.

    The **** are filtered, and the posts/threads are moderated or removed.

    There are only a couple threads about **** that are still around, but there were a lot more where the members here shredded the CHEATING IDIOTS. icon_cheers.gif But even though there were some great posts by the members here -- those threads are still a distraction to TechExams.Net primary mission of helping people STUDY and LEARN to EARN their Certifications.

    http://www.techexams.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=13690
    http://www.techexams.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=20764
    http://www.techexams.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=28495
    snadam wrote:
    **** are for chumps

    well put mike!
    Xbox Live: Bring It On

    Bsc (hons) Network Computing - 1st Class
    WIP: Msc advanced networking
  • KGhaleonKGhaleon Member Posts: 1,346 ■■■■□□□□□□
    http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y62/KGhaleon/mj412.jpg

    Couldn't think of a better caption. :p
    Feel free to change it.
    Present goals: MCAS, MCSA, 70-680
  • rfult001rfult001 Member Posts: 407
    lmao..awesome. I think I have been nervous before and during every exam. I'm sure it'll go away over time.
  • jscimeca715jscimeca715 Member Posts: 280
    Being nervous is something I struggle with before every test I take. I think it's important to remember that everybody gets nervous at some point in time and that if you trust your abilities it will goo away. I've noticed with both exams that I've taken that I get the first few questions right the nerves go right out the window.
  • AlexMRAlexMR Member Posts: 275
    mikej412 wrote:
    AlexMR wrote:
    PS: A question to the MODS: Why would a test exam developer be banned from these forums?? I suggested xxxxxxxxxx and deleted the paragraph because i realized when i was previewing it was a banned word. Why?
    If a legitimate Test Exam Developer wanted to Advertise (and not SPAM) here, then they should talk to icon_wm.gif -- but they do not get filtered if a member posts about them. The Legal Practice Exams can be purchased from Cisco Press (Flash Card/Exam Packs), Transcender, Boson, PrepLogic.... and maybe one more that I can't remember.

    The rest of the "Practice Tests" that do get filtered are used by people to ****. Those are the Brain **** sites. They are basically the stolen exam questions and answers -- repackaged and sold on the Internet.

    The **** are usually the same, just repackaged and renamed and marketed to different segments of CHEATERS. There are the **** that try to sound legitimate and get people hooked on the "easy way" to certify. There are the sites that just focus on one vendors certification -- but host multiple websites to **** for the different vendor exams -- that way people can pretend they aren't cheating. And then there is the extreme end -- the ALL-YOU-CAN-**** sites that boast of the REAL QUESTIONS and GUARANTEE a Pass.

    When you posted in this thread
    AlexMR wrote:
    After meeting a couple guys with CCNPs who got there using only Simulators and who are considerd excellent pros in their companies, i think real equipment is highly overrated.
    I almost posted suggesting you ask them which **** they'd recommend -- since I don't know any Real CCNPs that would leave someone with that impression.

    Now I've just to ask -- did those "excellent pros" suggest that ****/****?

    Using **** is CHEATING. Some idiots want to get into a discussion about why CHEATING is okay, but we don't go for that here. They want to explain why CHEATING isn't really CHEATING -- but that's just an insult to the members here who STUDY to EARN their Certifications.

    The **** are filtered, and the posts/threads are moderated or removed.

    There are only a couple threads about **** that are still around, but there were a lot more where the members here shredded the CHEATING IDIOTS. icon_cheers.gif But even though there were some great posts by the members here -- those threads are still a distraction to TechExams.Net primary mission of helping people STUDY and LEARN to EARN their Certifications.

    http://www.techexams.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=13690
    http://www.techexams.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=20764
    http://www.techexams.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=28495
    snadam wrote:
    **** are for chumps

    Dammit. TBH, i was about to buy one of those things. I first saw the term braindump here or in another certification forum i was checking (it was probably here) and how they were used to **** on exams. That is not my intention by any means. I wont do it. I am after a career change, as i am currently a civil engineer and im a little desperate to get into IT (maybe a combo of desperate to leave C.E and desperate to get into IT), but i dont see the CCNA as something I must get, but instead as an education program in which i have to become a master in order to keep going further. That is my current goal, more than the piece of paper by Cisco systems...

    The IT professionals I am talking about are guys who are working for the biggest ISP/telco here in Dominican Republic and they said they used the site for the exams, but they didnt say anything about cheating. One of them even told me that the site was suggested by one CCIE (i think we have 3 here now so go figure how hard it is to find him, although several have got the CCIE but are not in the country now) . It is obviously cheating if the question are actual exam questions. That really sucks because it just lower the certifications, although it is still unlikely (imo) that somebody who doesnt understand what he's doing can pass the exams based on a massive memorizing session of questions, but i dont know. It still lowers the overall quality of the certified professionals/technicians and it shouldnt be accepted.

    I am sorry for bringing this topic that has already been covered but when i asked before i didnt get any specific names and i didnt do any research about it.

    On the topic of their qualifications based on that comment, i wouldnt know. The ISP i am talking about provides absolutely anything you need in order to get more education no questions asked. They had equipment available when they were studying (at least one of them im sure) but the comment they made were more because they used the real equipment and could compare and picked the sims because they could set up everything faster and all that. I think I also mentioned something about those comments being specific for CCNA level...
    Training/Studying for....CCNP (BSCI) and some MS.
  • dazerskidazerski Member Posts: 106 ■■■□□□□□□□
    Thank you all again for the advice and encouragements! I have changed my study habits and I see I may have been digging a bit too deep for this exam. I plan on making sure I spend a lot of time on labs. I just hit the chapter where I get to power on my switch and start doing some CLI stuff, I'm stoked! I can't wait to get home from work today to start.

    Thanks! Take care and have a good day :D

    Dale
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