BCMSN tomorrow at 2pm

I just got home from taking the Cisco skills final for the BCMSN Net Academy class and it was cake, so I am hoping the cert test will be as easy. Only took 30 min and I only missed one part because I forgot that the default action for port-security was shutdown and not protect. Took the online written final for the class last week and got a 90% on it and have been studying since then so I am thinking that I should be fine. Compared to the BSCI and ISCW classes it doesn't seem like there is much to this one to me. Just hoping I am not in for a rude awakening tomorrow. If I do fail for some reason tomorrow though since I learned for here that I can retake the test again for free.

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Comments

Paul Boz

It sounds like you have a solid understanding of the material so you should do fine. How are you on the wireless topics?

scheistermeister

Paul Boz wrote:

It sounds like you have a solid understanding of the material so you should do fine. How are you on the wireless topics?

Well after reading here (mainly your posts) I have been studying up on it quite a bit. Re-read the whole thing last night and have re-watched the CBT Nuggets a few times on it. Unless they get into the really nitty-gritty details of it I think I should be fine on that subject. I think the areas where I would have problems if I did have problems would be MST, QoS stuff or some security stuff like PVLANs (configuring) understand the concepts and how they work fine.

mikej412

Good Luck! Sounds like you'll deal with it!

bighornsheep

Good luck, I wrote and passed this one not long ago. Just make sure you have all the topics covered properly, they are all equally important and difficult unless you are prepared and ready for what is being asked of you.

scheistermeister wrote:

... Re-read the whole thing last night and have re-watched the CBT Nuggets a few times on it.

You actually watched the BCMSN CBT nuggets? And more than once? BCMSN & BSCI were the very first CBT nuggets video I've ever seen, and unless I have all the time in the world with no other resource to prepare for an exam with, I don't will not watch 'em again.

Maybe some people find them helpful, but I would recommend the Cisco Press CCNP video mentor instead, In the CBT nugget, I am pretty I was able to name quite a handful of misleading and border-line incorrect information from those videos.

scheistermeister

Actually I love the videos, especially the configuration ones and have just about all the CBT Nuggets videos they make. I usually watch them (or re-watch them) after reading the Net Academy curriculum since I have gone through those classes at my college. I also have a bunch of test simulators for the last revision of the test that I have been using as well. Also got to do most of the labs on the equipment at school, but there were a few that the hardware we had did not support. Also have practiced a tiny bit with Dynamips using an emulated 2600 with a NM-16ESW in it. Just hoping that I focused on the right areas and can keep everything straight in my head and not confuse myself.

jamesp1983

scheistermeister wrote:

I just got home from taking the Cisco skills final for the BCMSN Net Academy class and it was cake, so I am hoping the cert test will be as easy. Only took 30 min and I only missed one part because I forgot that the default action for port-security was shutdown and not protect. Took the online written final for the class last week and got a 90% on it and have been studying since then so I am thinking that I should be fine. Compared to the BSCI and ISCW classes it doesn't seem like there is much to this one to me. Just hoping I am not in for a rude awakening tomorrow. If I do fail for some reason tomorrow though since I learned for here that I can retake the test again for free.

good luck!!

scheistermeister

Passed with a 864 30 minutes early.

VLANs 90%
STP 77%
Inter-VLAN routing 100% (w00t!)
gateway redundancy 71%
wireless 90%
Security 57%
Voice 66%

Just as Paul said there was a ton of wireless but there was also a ton of voice that I wasn't prepared for. Security I knew I sucked at, but it seemed like it picked the topic in security that I hated the most to ask the most questions on. The sims were super easy and I had 4. The best part of the test was my last question though. It was a classic Cisco question in that they gave you a **** ton of extra information that is covered from another test is a graphic (mainly a huge config) and asked what could be true about it. When I saw it I was like "WTF is all that?!" When I started reading the possible answers I got even more confused until the third answer which was so freaking simple I almost laughed out loud. It was mainly funny though because I sat there for a minute asking myself, "Is this a trick? Can it really be that simple of an answer?"

Over didn't seem like a hard test though. On to ONT!

Edit: Forgot to mention, I love the new sim layout. It is like having multiple tera-term windows open that you can drag around and get the topology, instructions and the consoles open on the same screen at the same time. Props to Cisco for that. Made it very cool while doing trouble shooting sims.

certifyme

congrat on the pass..

gojericho0

Congratulations!

astorrs

Congrats!

dynamik

According to your profile, you haven't done BSCI yet. Is there a reason you're going on to ONT before doing BSCI? It doesn't matter, I'm just curious.

Congrats on the pass

scheistermeister

dynamik wrote:

According to your profile, you haven't done BSCI yet. Is there a reason you're going on to ONT before doing BSCI? It doesn't matter, I'm just curious.

Congrats on the pass

Sorta a long story but... I have been through the Net Academy for all the classes except ONT. So I have had all the classes for 1st) BSCI, 2nd) ISCW and 3rd) BCMSN (including all the previous CCNA classes). These classes have all been part of the degree program I am in (or was) in college, but ONT is not required for graduation... Which just happened for me. ONT is offered, but I have decided not to take it with my school and do it on my own. After going through the other CCNP classes at my school I found out that I learn it quicker and better on my own than if I show up at class and try to go along with the rest of the class and there are a few other reasons.

Now to more directly answer the question... When I started the CCNP program with the BSCI I had not sat for the CCNA test yet. So while I was studying BSCI for class I reviewed for the CCNA (I was taught the old exam and also wanted to get that done before it was completely retired) and passed it on 1/14/08. By the time I was done with all that studying I got sorta burned out on Cisco (Cisco online curriculum for BSCI and ISCW is RETARDEDLY long). So I took my Linux+ in the mean time and then just got lazy. Once I started the BCMSN course I loved it. It was a WHOLE lot easier for me than ISCW and BSCI. So since I just finished it, loved it and thought it was easy I decided to get my feet wet with CCNP tests using it. And since I have left the rest of my class mates to have to go to school during the summer I have decided to study the same subject on my own and pass it before anyone from there does without paying for the class. Not to mention that the online curriculum is short like the BCMSN.

Oh and as a side note, my Cisco Academy instructor currently does not have her CCNP, she did at one time but lost it when she failed a recert test. She also was taught on the old curriculum so the new is new for her as well and I have a friendly rivalry with her and am determined to get my CCNP before she gets hers again.

In truth there are a lot of reasons, but they all probably come back to me having a big head.

mikej412

scheistermeister wrote:

Passed

Congratulations!

jamesp1983

congrats!! I'm hoping to sit this one next week