Train Signal vs. CBT Nuggets?

I'm looking at additional exam study materials and I'm thinking that some of the videos might be helpful. I'm trying to compare Train Signal vs. CBT Nuggets so that I can determine which is the best value for the money. (Both are pretty pricey for my budget, but I gotta get moving on my CCNP!)

Thanks!

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Comments

nicklauscombs

I've watched both for the BSCI exam and can offer this opinion:

Overall I like the CBT Nuggets videos better mainly because I really enjoy Jeremy's teaching style and each video is 30 - 45 minutes (train signal's are well over an hour each) which makes it easier for me to focus and break the topics into smaller pieces. However I feel that the train signal videos go a little more in depth and cover some things the cbt nuggets didn't get into as much and definitely provided more clarity for me in the long run.

That being said no matter which one you choose you won't be disappointed.

networker050184

I watched both when I did the BCMSN and I liked the CBT Nuggets a lot better. Like nicklauscombs stated I think Jeremy's teaching style is better. He keeps me interested the whole time, but the Train Signals were very dry to me.

We have had a couple discussions about this before also if you search the forum. If I remember correctly almost all preferred the CBT Nuggets over the Tran Signals.

Plazma

I think the CBT nuggets for BSCI do a very good job and "grab" you much better than the train signal videos. The CBT Nuggets do lack some detail in a few key topics.. but do a good enough job on the "weaker" areas that it inspires you to read more about it and expand your knowledge on it.

nicklauscombs

also nothing beats Jeremy's impersonations while explaining Stub Areas

dynamik

Poor Chris

I actually thought his CCNA videos were pretty well done. Maybe that's because I didn't have anything to compare them to.

I'll have to check out the Nuggets when I get these novice exams out of the way.

tomset

I used both for the BSCI and BCMSN and they are both good. If I had to choose one, I would pick Train Signal because the information is presented in more detail.

However, CBT nuggets are definitely more entertaining to watch.....

CGN_Spec

Train Signal

Chris does a great job of going into detail on every subject!

ccnpninja

I would go for CBT Nuggets.
Chris doesn't compete with Jeremy in BSCI, although his TS LAB 19 was very good.

itdaddy

I have taken Chris Bryant CCNA and CBT Nuggets

Chris

very very indepth and has some dry humor which is funny but he does explain things in depth and can get long winded but very well covered.

Jeremy

is awesome. I laugh through the entire video waiting for something crazy for him to say.
Personally if you can afford it do both CBTn and Bryants..Both have something great to give.
But if it came down to the wire. And I wanted to pass and cover everything? Bryant might win.
But it is a hard one. Jeremy has flavor to keep you going while Chris has indepth coverage which is needed. That is why it is hard to choose one? This one is tough to choose.

But maybe CBTn with extra practice and q/a labs.
Chris is great too!

But I am not a fan of 60 minute videos I am falling asleep. I love the 30 minute snippets
bam next bam. They both have something to give and I am at an impasse myself :

hogan868

I am very impressed with the CBT nugget videos for the CCNP, I think Jeremy does a awesome job.

tjmapley

CBT Nuggets 70-640 Does not cover R2 Exam Objectives

This series was made for the first version of the exam. Now Microsoft tests for 2008 R2. CBT Nuggets sells training for several other exams including this one that needed to be updated with 2008 R2. Instead of updating each individual series, they made ~10 update videos to cover all of the series. So the update videos are not specific enough to cover any of the R2 exams.

Microsoft did not update the exam number (70-640) when it changed the test objectives between R1 and R2. The exam objectives are not totally different, but the differences are significant. There is no difference on paper between someone passing the R1 exam and the R2 exam. Since CBT Nuggets is so confident they have covered the R2 objectives (I have talked to them personally), I do not believe their instructor took the 70-640 R2 exam before making their videos. If he (James Conrad) had taken the R2 exam before making the videos, they should have included the testable content and the missing exam objectives.

Specifically, here is what is missing from CBT Nuggets 70-640:

PowerShell R2 updates.
- Active Directory Module. There are many more commandlets than this. This is what is relevant to 70-640 R2.
  - CommandLets that deal with users/groups/computers:
    - New-ADUser, New-ADGroup, Add-ADGroupMember, Get-ADComputer, Disable-ADAccount, Enable-ADAccount, Get-ADGroup, Get-ADOrganizationalUnit, Get-ADUser, Move-ADObject, New-ADComputer, New-ADGroup, New-ADObject, New-ADOrganizationalUnit, Remove-ADComputer, Remove-ADGroup, Remove-ADGroupMember, Remove-ADGroupObject, Remove-ADOrganizationalUnit, Remove-ADUser, Remove-ADObject, Rename-ADObject, Set-ADAccountPassword, Set-ADGroup, Set-ADOrganizationalUnit, Set-ADUser, Unlock-ADAccount
  - CommandLets for Fine-Grained Password Policies:
    - Add-ADFineGrainedPasswordPolicySubject, Get-ADDefaultDomainPasswordPolicy, Get-ADFineGrainedPasswordPolicy, Get-ADFineGrainedPasswordPolicySubject, Remove-ADFineGrainedPasswordPolicy, Remove-ADFineGrainedPasswordPolicySubject, Set-ADDefaultDomainPasswordPolicy, Set-ADFineGrainedPasswordPolicy,
  - CommandLets for Active Directory Recycle Bin:
    - Set-ADForestMode, Enable-ADOptionalFeature,
  - CommandLets for Password Replication Policy:
    - Add-ADComainControllerPasswordReplicationPolicy, Get-ADAccountResultantPasswordReplicationPolicy, Get-ADDomainControllerPasswordReplicationPolicy, Get-ADUserResultantPasswordPolicy , RemoveADDomainControllerPasswordReplicationPolicy
  - CommandLets for Managed Service Accounts:
    - Add-ADComputerServiceAcount, Get-ADComputerServiceAccount, Get-ADServiceAccount, Install-ADServiceAccount, New-ADServiceAccount, Remove-ADServiceAccount, Set-ADServiceAccount, Uninstall-ADServiceAccount
Command line (other than PowerShell)
- DNS: dnscmd needs significantly more coverage
- Active Directory Certificate Services: certutil needs significantly more coverage
- Promoting Domain Controllers: dcpromo with all options on command line is not discussed
- Trust configuration: netdom for trusts is not discussed
- Global Catalog: dsmod -isgc is not discussed
- Backups: wbadmin needs significantly more coverage
- Server Core: sconfig, oclist
Other missing objectives:
- Rights Management Add-on for Internet Explorer
- Bitlocker for RODC
- syskey
- Active Directory Federation Services 2.0: CBT Nuggets 70-640 only covers AD FS version 1.0
- Offine Domain Join: Mounting a newly imaged disk and adding the domain information before it is ever booted is not discussed. This is the only way offline domain join would save you time.
- Managed Service Accounts
- effective AD groups: AGDLP
- WMI Queries: mentioned in video series for 1 minute. Needs much more coverage.

anobomski

are you serious? this is a threadon the CCNP not MCITP - SA. you might want to repost elsewhere

TheShadow

Plus this thread was three years old. Anyway if I am not mistaken TS CCNP has been redone by Joe Rinehart. Our noob member has not figured out the site quite yet it seems.

Roguetadhg

considering everyone is discussing an old exam for CCNP :P

blackninja

TheShadow wrote: »

Plus this thread was three years old. Anyway if I am not mistaken TS CCNP has been redone by Joe Rinehart. Our noob member has not figured out the site quite yet it seems.

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