I just passed the CCENT after two weeks of studying and one very sleepless night. 948/1000 just wanted to thank everyone on these forums, while I was studying, I frequently came back to these forums to see other peoples experiences and suggestions and they helped and encouraged me a lot. Thank you everyone!
Just thought I would give a little back and help some of you who are preparing for it with some of my thoughts on the test. I'm trying to honor my non disclosure agreement too, so if I say to much, someone let me know.
My study path was as follows:
Watched all of CBTNuggets first for general overview
Read the older ICND1 by Odom
Realized my book was old and got the new ICND1 by Odom, and reviewed
Took all the ICND1 tests from the Cisco.com prep center
Used Packet Tracer 4.11 and Boson Netsim throughout, usually right along with Jeremy
I found the test to be easier than I expected, i finished with about 30 mins to go, and few simulations, so time wasn't an issue, but there were some topics I saw that you should have down before taking.
Subnetting (as if it hasn't been emphasized enough)
How switches make switching decisions + how routers make routing decisions
Be versatile and know what show commands will show you what (this will save you time)
One thing I do feel stupid for, I was in a sim that wanted me to find a connected LANs subnet from the router it was connected to, I spent like 2 mins in user mode before I realized I had to get into priv mode to use the right show commands (major brain fart)
I also found it helpful on a lot of questions to just eliminate the wrong answers. The test was good about not being ambiguous like some of the practice tests I've taken. Cisco isn't trying to trick you. So study hard, and don't stress, there's always the free come back offer if you fail.
