Question about CCENT format/study-time

Hello,

I am new to the Cisco world. Having read the requirements for the CCNA exam on Cisco's website, I decided the the most prudent way to go is to take the ICND1 (640-822) exam first (aka CCENT) and then the ICND2, instead of the mega-one-exam.

In your opinion is 3 months sufficient to cover and master the CCENT material ?

(I signed up for the exam already, 3 months from now and am making may way thru the "CCENT: Cisco Certified Entry Networking Technician: ICND1 (Exam 640-822)"
(Exam 640-822 With CD) by Todd Lammle (Paperback - Mar 4, 200

book.

Thank you for all your feedback and pointers on how best to study.

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Comments

gojericho0

Do you have any background in networking (theory or practical). That will either increase/decrease the learning curve. I think you can do it in 3 months if you put in some good quality study time.

jscimeca715

I'm doing the same thing and after reading through the study guide I've determined that three months is about right. I've posted on here before about how an organized study agenda is the way to go, it helps me stick to a deadline.

dazerski

I see you already have a Network+ cert. I am using the Odom ICND1 book and it seems like a good majority of the first 8 or 9 chapters deal with a lot of non-vendor-specific network theory topics. I have heard others in the past say that the beginning ICND1 and Network+ topics overlap a lot.

I think you will have a nice advantage already being net+ certified when you start going down the CCENT road. I am only on chapter 10 of the ICND1 Odom book.

3 months? I asked a similar question... I think it depends on the person really. I was cruisin right along until chapter 10 and I'm slowing down to make sure I get plenty of hands-on experience using all the IOS commands, not just memorizing them but typing them over and over and just playing around with the ? of each command. It has drastically slowed my progress down but I feel like it is beneficial because the commands are becoming ingrained in my head.

Good luck!

ROMGabe

gojericho0 -->
I just took the Network+ exam and have does HelpDesk and SiteOperations and light System Admin work. I don't know much about how intensive ICND1 is in HW and scenario cases for troubleshooting purposes. And is it required to have a HW lab, and what simulators do you recommend ?

jscimeca715 -->
Just looking at the book (Lammle CCENT), I figured 10 chapters in 10 weeks (done with the long chapter 1 already, and I understand everything excet the HyperTerminal setup portion). I don't have a lab setup or any emulators. What would you recommend ? After going thru the flash-cards in one sittting and the prep test, I realized that most of ICND1 must be about theory and some commands that you have to memorize or know my heart. Is this a correct view in your opinion ?

ddzierzek -->
That's what I am afraid of. The Lammle CCENT book is well put together, but later on I will have to get all the commands ingrained and get lots of practice. Speaking of HW setup, what do you have and recommend. I heard that some ppl. learn by merely SW emulators. Is this doable for the ICND1 level ??

mamono

In your opinion is 3 months sufficient to cover and master the CCENT material ?

Yes, I covered the material for CCENT in one month. I have heard of people covering it in less time than that. I believe that 3 Months is more than enough, just depends on you and how much time you’re willing to commit. Stay focused and on track…! You should be fine.

I heard that some ppl. learn by merely SW emulators. Is this doable for the ICND1 level ??

Yes, I didn’t have any access to actual Cisco hardware. It’s a little difficult for me to obtain access since there is none available or I would have to buy it all, a little difficult to do when equipment can be so expensive. I relied on simulators entirely to create labs for myself. I just created mock networks that I felt mirrored the topic with slight variations to add some complexity and then work to make it functional. That way, I could learn general configuration as well as troubleshooting since the introduced complexity added an unknown element.
I relied on Network Visualizer 5.0. I don’t know if there is a newer version. Gotta love red tag sale bins. It was sufficient to pass CCENT. I am currently using it for CCNA studies and it appears to be somewhat sufficient, but I am running into configuration difficulties once in a while because the simulator does not have as much functionality and sometimes does not execute commands that it shows are available for Switches. Other than these hurdles, it appears to be sufficient so far.

ROMGabe

Thanks mamono. That gives me great courage as I will not have to wait for management in our company to allocate old stuff to our team for test purposes (the last priority ontheir minds, even tho equipment is available, but not allocated. ... management semantics ... got a love their world).