Question regarding Cisco Netacad Alumni

katakatak

I'm currently studying for my MCDST and Network +, but was looking to take the CCENT/CCNA two test method after the Network + test. I was planning on using the Netacad Material, but there is alot more courses then before. Which material should I be studying from: CCNA, CCNA Discovery or CCNA Exploration. Also which parts should I be studying for in regards to CCENT or then for the CCNA?

tech-airman

katakatak wrote:

I'm currently studying for my MCDST and Network +, but was looking to take the CCENT/CCNA two test method after the Network + test. I was planning on using the Netacad Material, but there is alot more courses then before. Which material should I be studying from: CCNA, CCNA Discovery or CCNA Exploration. Also which parts should I be studying for in regards to CCENT or then for the CCNA?

katakatak,

The "CCNA" curriculum is geared towards the 640-801 CCNA generation of exams. Both the "CCNA Discovery" and "CCNA Exploration" curriculums are geared towards the current 640-802 CCNA generation of exams. Since you mentioned that you'd like to earn the CCENT certificate, I'd choose either the CCNA Discovery or CCNA Exploration curriculums.

Ultimately, both the CCNA Discovery and CCNA Exploration are designed to meet the same material for the 640-802 CCNA exam but take different paths. The CCNA Exploration curriculum is technically-oriented and therefore resembles the CCNA curriculum that you may have gone through. That is, the CCNA Exploration curriculum is a series of technologies such as network fundamentals, routing, switching, WANs. The CCNA Discovery curriculum on the other hand is the new curriculum on the block. The CCNA Discovery curriculum is designed for those with non-technical backgrounds who would like to understand networking technologies. The CCNA Discovery curriculum is organized in terms of home and small businesses, small-to-medium business or ISP, routing and switching in the enterprise, and design and support computer networks. Either way, both curriculums are supposed to cover the same material towards the 640-802 CCNA exam generation, to include the 640-822 ICND1 exam for CCENT certification.

Keep in mind that as a Cisco Networking Academy Alumni, you may download and use Packet Tracer v5.0 which recently was upgraded.

katakatak

Cool! Thanks alot tech-airman. So just to resume I should be studying both the CCNA Discovery and Exploration for the ICND1 Exam right? Sounds good. But for the ICND2 Exam do I study the old curriculum?

scheistermeister

tech-airman wrote:

Either way, both curriculums are supposed to cover the same material towards the 640-802 CCNA exam generation, to include the 640-822 ICND1 exam for CCENT certification.

You know I was talking to my Cisco instructor about that and she was saying that at all the Cisco conferences she has been to there was a big stink about one of them. She said the major complaint was that one was focus more for High School and the other for college and that one did not give students all the info they needed to take the cert test or move on to the CCNP.

Now which one I don't remember as I have not gone through the new CCNA material and took my CCNA test on the old material.

tech-airman

katakatak wrote:

Cool! Thanks alot tech-airman. So just to resume I should be studying both the CCNA Discovery and Exploration for the ICND1 Exam right? Sounds good. But for the ICND2 Exam do I study the old curriculum?

katakatak,

Yes, to study for the 640-822 ICND1 exam, feel free to use both the CCNA Exploration and CCNA Discovery curriculums in the Cisco Networking Academy website. For the 840-816 ICND2 exam, you continue with either the CCNA Exploration curriculum or CCNA Discovery curriculum and NOT the CCNA 3.1 curriculum or earlier.

AlexMR

A friend of mine is part of the cisco net academy and I saw the discovery.I think it is OK but the info doesnt seem to be align with the published exam topics. If i were starting now (i have been studying for 4months now) I would buy Todd Lammle's book, the official certification library and both Interconnecting Cisco Network devices books ... I have all of them, and they all seem to complement each other. Ive felt ready many times and I go to the review questions on each book and find something that is not so well...learned.

For the one exam route Lammle's book seems to be the most spot on and concise.

jovan88

I used the new Exploration for my CCENT and I'm continuing to use it for my CCNA. Its good stuff, it has almost all the info you need (except SDM ) and it has tons labs you can do on packet tracer or on real equipment. It also has activities which very much resemble the real test.

Sometimes it goes into a lot of detail and tries to make it sound as academic as possible. So whatever you have trouble understanding I recommend using CBT nuggets or another source to make it easier.

Also if you decide to use Exploration, just be careful because its kind of jumbled around. You have to map whats on the test to what chapters you need to study. I studied a lot of things I didn't need for the CCENT until I looked at the exam topics on the Cisco website .