What is the best book to prepare for ccna exam?

The test is the 640-802 CCNA.

I have already gotten my ccna 1 ccna 2 ccna 3 and ccna 4 so I am ready to take the exam. My other questions are that i recieved the ccna 1 2 3 and 4 around 3-4 years ago. So do I have to take those classes again? or can i just take the exam after studying hard?

Also any linkage to the best book to prepare for the exam will help. Also any tools I need to prepare and things that would help. Also lets say I pass the exam and get certified, am I now able to enter the workforce and make 40k a year starting? Or do they require you to have a bachelors degree? Cause I only have 21 credits of college. So do I need to have a bachelors or associates degree to get a job in the IT field? Anything else you guys can think of that would help me prepare for the exam would be helpful thanks:)

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Comments

mikej412

Check out the CCNA FAQ.

The Odem Cisco Press CCNA Certification Library is the book we most suggest, along with the Sybex book. But as a Cisco CCNA Academy Alumni, you should be able to access the new updated courseware. If you haven't signed up for Alumni Access, you should go to the Network Academy website and find the link.

Depending on what you've been doing and how much you remember -- you might just need the Sybex book for a refresher (and for some of the new material). But since it sounds like you haven't been using your CCNA Academy knowledge, you may want to go through Odom or the new Academy Courseware before you attempt the 640-802.

Can someone find an entry level job with just a CCNA and 21 college credits? Yes, lots of people have done it with less.

Will you find an entry level job (that pays 40k) with a CCNA and 21 college credits? A lot depends on you. You'd have to learn the material, earn the CCNA, get someone to give you an interview, and impress them with you knowledge, skills, and desire to work. What's the job market like in your area? The smaller the job market, the fewer the opportunities. What's your competition like? The larger your job market, the greater your competition.

You might want to check the Cisco website and lookup the Cisco Business Partners that are in your area -- it could give you idea how big the Cisco Market is in your area and some possible places to check out for a job.

Good Luck!

bone_matale

Cantgetright wrote:

The test is the 640-802 CCNA.

I have already gotten my ccna 1 ccna 2 ccna 3 and ccna 4 so I am ready to take the exam. My other questions are that i recieved the ccna 1 2 3 and 4 around 3-4 years ago. So do I have to take those classes again? or can i just take the exam after studying hard?

Also any linkage to the best book to prepare for the exam will help. Also any tools I need to prepare and things that would help. Also lets say I pass the exam and get certified, am I now able to enter the workforce and make 40k a year starting? Or do they require you to have a bachelors degree? Cause I only have 21 credits of college. So do I need to have a bachelors or associates degree to get a job in the IT field? Anything else you guys can think of that would help me prepare for the exam would be helpful thanks:)

the material has been updated, NAT, security, Wireless. anyway check cisco for that. you wont get a pass cause they phased out things like X.25 and a couple other things which you might study for no reason.

self study will be a gud option for you cause you have an idea of whats going on. check sybex, and cisco press, get yo self some hands on experience wit a SIM and a lil hardware. DEDICATION!!!! and harwork and you got it

i'm also not taking the bachelor route, at least get a diploma so you not 2 disadvantaged. and that means you can't jst settle for CCNA you got to specialize or go for NP, DP, VP, etc to be really recognized!!

gud luck

tell us when you get the pass

Cantgetright

bone_matale wrote:

Cantgetright wrote:

The test is the 640-802 CCNA.

I have already gotten my ccna 1 ccna 2 ccna 3 and ccna 4 so I am ready to take the exam. My other questions are that i recieved the ccna 1 2 3 and 4 around 3-4 years ago. So do I have to take those classes again? or can i just take the exam after studying hard?

Also any linkage to the best book to prepare for the exam will help. Also any tools I need to prepare and things that would help. Also lets say I pass the exam and get certified, am I now able to enter the workforce and make 40k a year starting? Or do they require you to have a bachelors degree? Cause I only have 21 credits of college. So do I need to have a bachelors or associates degree to get a job in the IT field? Anything else you guys can think of that would help me prepare for the exam would be helpful thanks:)

the material has been updated, NAT, security, Wireless. anyway check cisco for that. you wont get a pass cause they phased out things like X.25 and a couple other things which you might study for no reason.

self study will be a gud option for you cause you have an idea of whats going on. check sybex, and cisco press, get yo self some hands on experience wit a SIM and a lil hardware. DEDICATION!!!! and harwork and you got it

i'm also not taking the bachelor route, at least get a diploma so you not 2 disadvantaged. and that means you can't jst settle for CCNA you got to specialize or go for NP, DP, VP, etc to be really recognized!!

gud luck

tell us when you get the pass

What is the np and dp and vp? Also how would I go about specializing? Also another question of mine is whats you guys best guess as to how quickly I can pass the ccna if i studied for it 2 hours a day every day? Like how long does it usually take for people with no prior experience to grasp all the concepts enough to pass the exam?

Also to make sure we are clear on this, once i pass the exam then i can get a job making 50k starting? Or do I need some kind of experience that i dont have right now.

Glynixx

Cantgetright wrote:

What is the np and dp and vp? Also how would I go about specializing? Also another question of mine is whats you guys best guess as to how quickly I can pass the ccna if i studied for it 2 hours a day every day? Like how long does it usually take for people with no prior experience to grasp all the concepts enough to pass the exam?

Also to make sure we are clear on this, once i pass the exam then i can get a job making 50k starting? Or do I need some kind of experience that i dont have right now.

CCNP, CCDP and CCVP are the next level up from CCNA or a CCDA. More info here:
http://www.cisco.com/web/learning/le3/learning_career_certifications_and_learning_paths_home.html

I've been in the industry for a while (12 or 15 years, i loose count). You should get some general computing behind you to make the transition easier. If not, I say 3 or 6 months, it really depends on how well you grasp the material. I'll tell you that upfront you need to make an investment, 2 of them actually: TIME and MONEY. You will need books and maybe other materials to learn from (maybe videos, practice exams and lab equipment). There are ways to do it on the cheap but you need to know what you are doing.

I suggest trainsignal / cbtnuggets videos as well as the books listed above.

As far as making a 50k starting, really depends on your area and how well you know your stuff. I'll tell you something plain and simple: You need bench time. Period. Find a VAR now or a job now that needs a helpdesk person, jr network guy or jr server guy. Intern if you have to but make sure you are getting hands on and not getting coffee for someone. You need to understand it from the ground up. Otherwise, when the data center goes down, you will not know how to work under the required pressure.

Good luck.

Cantgetright

Glynixx wrote:

Cantgetright wrote:

What is the np and dp and vp? Also how would I go about specializing? Also another question of mine is whats you guys best guess as to how quickly I can pass the ccna if i studied for it 2 hours a day every day? Like how long does it usually take for people with no prior experience to grasp all the concepts enough to pass the exam?

Also to make sure we are clear on this, once i pass the exam then i can get a job making 50k starting? Or do I need some kind of experience that i dont have right now.

CCNP, CCDP and CCVP are the next level up from CCNA or a CCDA. More info here:
http://www.cisco.com/web/learning/le3/learning_career_certifications_and_learning_paths_home.html

I've been in the industry for a while (12 or 15 years, i loose count). You should get some general computing behind you to make the transition easier. If not, I say 3 or 6 months, it really depends on how well you grasp the material. I'll tell you that upfront you need to make an investment, 2 of them actually: TIME and MONEY. You will need books and maybe other materials to learn from (maybe videos, practice exams and lab equipment). There are ways to do it on the cheap but you need to know what you are doing.

I suggest trainsignal / cbtnuggets videos as well as the books listed above.

As far as making a 50k starting, really depends on your area and how well you know your stuff. I'll tell you something plain and simple: You need bench time. Period. Find a VAR now or a job now that needs a helpdesk person, jr network guy or jr server guy. Intern if you have to but make sure you are getting hands on and not getting coffee for someone. You need to understand it from the ground up. Otherwise, when the data center goes down, you will not know how to work under the required pressure.

Good luck.

I'm trying to come up with a list of stuff to get. So far I have The Odem Cisco Press CCNA Certification Library.

Anything else you guys think I need to really get ready for the test and be prepared for the job.

dynamik

www.thebryantadvantage.com might be worth a look as well. He's the instructor for the Train Signal series.

Paul Boz

All I used was the Sybex book and the internet. The Sybex book is very well written and very thorough.

netwayne

I'll 2nd it for the Sybex book authored by Todd Lammle. Just make sure you go to his forum (lammle.com) and look at the errata for the book as you go through it.

As others have said, CBT Nuggets are good and you definitely need some lab time on actual Cisco gear or simulators.

IMO, learning from multiple sources makes grasping the material somewhat easier.

Good Luck!

calaverasgrandes

I'm in a somewhat same situation. I had a union job that got outsourced. So we all were offered A+ and CCNA training. I finished the A+ no problem. The CCNA I kind of had problems with because there was no access to a lab and I didnt work very hard on the material I did get.
That was 4 years ago. I wish I had taken the test back then! Its much harder now, covering a lot more info and very deeply at that. A lot of the stuff I studied from teh original cisco books wasnt even touched on in the practice exams that came with my more recent cisco book. And as mentioned above, there is a lot more emphasis on switching, wireless, and security.
I wouldnt go so far as to say the Cisco press books are bad, but the Sybex 6th edition book seems to be more up to date. However, it does skip through some areas that I wish I had more in depth coverage. Like dealing with the nitty gritty of switches. Or some more info on frame relay!

From my perspective you have to get some hardware. I just cant learn from reading and playing with sims. I got my whole lab for less than $200. thats 3 routers and 3 switches. Some stuff you cant do on the older gear. But 2600 series routers domost of what they cover on the test.

I also am working in some entry level capacity. I do datacenter grunt work. Racking and restacking. Patching etc. It's mindless compared to some of the really complicated cisco stuff. But it's neat to see how subnets and vlans are laid out in the real world. However I really cant wait to get my CCNA. I am getting tired of the grunt work!

About needing a degree to get a decent job. The IT pros I talk to about this have generally agreed that neither a degree or cert will guarantee anyone a job. What they like more is a no-BS attitude, abilty to work outside of your comfort zone (some IT gigs I have done have gone way over 12hrs in a shift!) and minding details. Degrees are needed if you want to move up the corporate ladder into a management postion. Certs are just door openers.

bone_matale

calaverasgrandes wrote:

I'm in a somewhat same situation. I had a union job that got outsourced. So we all were offered A+ and CCNA training. I finished the A+ no problem. The CCNA I kind of had problems with because there was no access to a lab and I didnt work very hard on the material I did get.
That was 4 years ago. I wish I had taken the test back then! Its much harder now, covering a lot more info and very deeply at that. A lot of the stuff I studied from teh original cisco books wasnt even touched on in the practice exams that came with my more recent cisco book. And as mentioned above, there is a lot more emphasis on switching, wireless, and security.
I wouldnt go so far as to say the Cisco press books are bad, but the Sybex 6th edition book seems to be more up to date. However, it does skip through some areas that I wish I had more in depth coverage. Like dealing with the nitty gritty of switches. Or some more info on frame relay!

From my perspective you have to get some hardware. I just cant learn from reading and playing with sims. I got my whole lab for less than $200. thats 3 routers and 3 switches. Some stuff you cant do on the older gear. But 2600 series routers domost of what they cover on the test.

I also am working in some entry level capacity. I do datacenter grunt work. Racking and restacking. Patching etc. It's mindless compared to some of the really complicated cisco stuff. But it's neat to see how subnets and vlans are laid out in the real world. However I really cant wait to get my CCNA. I am getting tired of the grunt work!

About needing a degree to get a decent job. The IT pros I talk to about this have generally agreed that neither a degree or cert will guarantee anyone a job. What they like more is a no-BS attitude, abilty to work outside of your comfort zone (some IT gigs I have done have gone way over 12hrs in a shift!) and minding details. Degrees are needed if you want to move up the corporate ladder into a management postion. Certs are just door openers.

i have to agree certs are door openers !!!!