Passed BCMSN!

rakem

Passed BCMSN today with a score of 977!

I really didn't find the exam to hard, the BSCI was much harder, i guess i'm just more comfortable with switching stuff. The labs i found super easy as well... pretty basic stuff if you ask me. There was a good range of questions from all topics so i suggest to study everything that is included in the course equally

As always i just do self study and as always I used both cisco press books.

Authorized Self-Study Guide - So much info in this book, to a point where there is probably to much. There is a whole chapter on multicasting which isn't even in the BCMSN at all. But that said it covers every topic in great depth and i highly recommend it to anyone sitting the exam. The labs at the end of every chapter help to drive home all the theory.

Official Exam Certification Guide - Excellent complement to the Authorized self study guide, not as in depth in some sections but still a great resource. These two books really go well together. if i needed more info than this official exam guide had then the Authorized self study guide had the info i needed and the same works the other way.

Also used CBT nuggets and Train Signal videos, both really really good and helped out heaps. CBT nuggets are a bit more, um.. exciting i guess, Chris Bryant is a bit stale at times but he probably goes into more depth than Jeremy does. But still both were very helpful.

It took me about 5 months of study while working 5 days a week to complete it. Compared to the BSCI which took my about 8 months of study.

My Lab consists of:
1 x 2900XL
2 x 2950
1 x 3550
2 x 2610 routers
2 x 1720 routers

Of course the Cisco site and this site are always a great source of info as well.

Anyway here is the break down:
Conduct the operation of STP in a hierarchical network - 100%
Implement Inter-VLAN routing - 88%
Implement gateway redundancy technologies - 100%
Describe and configure wireless client access - 90%
Describe and configure security features in a switched network - 100%
Configure support for voice - 100%

So that's it, two down two to go. Going on holidays to America in a month so i will probably be taking a break from the study till about October, but i hope to have fully completed the CCNP maybe mid next year.

Cheers to everyone who has helped me

scheistermeister

Congrats!

rakem wrote:

Authorized Self-Study Guide - So much info in this book, to a point where there is probably to much. There is a whole chapter on multicasting which isn't even in the BCMSN at all.

That's because it used to be in the BCMSN on the old exams that just got retired. It is not moved to the BSCI.