help with icnd1

hi all,

First off, let me just say that this is an amazing forum that i have come across..

I am a newbie.. and preparing for my icnd1/icnd2 etc etc...
I have read the icnd1 book by wendell odom & have started my second read on it.

From what I hear everyone say on forums, I think this book is not enough & I should also read Todd Lamle??

Apart from that I also have the Train Signal videos. I am planning to start that once I am done reading wendell odom second time.

I do not have any router/switch to practice anything. Is that going to be a problem for me?

How tough is icnd1? I have been studying for a month.. How much time is enough to prepare for the exam??
I have so many doubts right now.

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Comments

AD227529

Welcome to the forum! The Cisco Press book by Wendell Odom is very good, but don't rely on it alone. I used it along with Matt Walker's book and the Exam Cram book. For the video series, I used Transignals and CBT Nuggets. Both are excellent in my opinion. If you don't have a home lab with a router and switch, try to get a copy of Cisco's Packet Tracer. I did not have a home lab and just used Packet Tracer and still passed. I can't say if one month of study is enough to pass. I studied for about three months, at least an hour a night, and the test was still a challenge. Most of my hard questions were near the beginning of the test, and the easy ones were near the end. If you really know the material, you should have plenty of time to complete the test. You definately need to know show commands such as show ip interface brief and show cdp neighbors detail. Know how to use the show cdp neighbors detail command to complete a network diagram. That's really all I can tell you without violating the NDA. Good luck and let us know how you do.

Megadeth4168

If you are completely new to networking concepts or configuring Cisco devices, then I would definitely recommend picking up a second book and some equipment/a good simulator.

I really liked the book by Todd Lammle, I found it much easier to read and understand than Odom's book.

I have real equipment, but I also had a copy of Packet Tracer 5.1, for when I wasn't at home. I would honestly say that it is entirely possible to pass the exam without having touched real equipment, but I wouldn't recommend it. I know it can be pricey, but it is worth the cost in the end.

Best of Luck on your studies and Welcome to the Forum!

mikej412

You should always use more than one source for your studies when possible.... but the Odom books probably are the best single source of study for the CCNA.

Todd's book is great for subnetting and is considered a "fun read" -- so it makes a great book to use to review the main topics for the exam. Someone with industry experience and some work related knowledge of Cisco could try to get by with just this book.

With the last changes to the CCNA, the ICND1 exam covers the basic skills necessary to setup a basic network -- so hand's on practice is highly recommended. If you look at the CCNA Exam Blueprints you can figure out the "hands-on tasks" by the keywords in tashs -- perform, verify, implement, troubleshoot, and the other "action" words. The more time you spend working on real hardware or a simulator, the better you'll probably do on the exam.

If you can go through the exam blueprint and understand all the topics and what they could cover or ask you about, then you're probably ready. If you find some topics that don't make sense to you, then you probably need to hit the books and/or lab some more.

adeetee

thanks guys.. i started reading the wendell odom again... but at the same time, i have started listening to train signal videos.. and i can already see that there's some stuff which is not covered in wendell odom..
once i am done with that, i will move on to todd lammlle..
Also, I will be getting the packet tracer.
Thanks for the advice!! I will keep you posted on my preparation..

AD227529

Packet Tracer is a great tool if you don't have actual equipment. Practice setting up RIP routes, switch and router configurations, show commands (interfaces, cdp neighbors, etc), vty lines, and security and you should be fine on the sims. Know how to interpret the output of the show cdp neighbors detail command and how to determine what interfaces are connected to. Good luck!

adeetee

I have one more question... Which practice tests do you recommend for icnd1?
I am looking to buy some and not sure which one?

adeetee

And... let me also say that I got CBT Nuggets... & I am finding them extremely helpful.. Definitely Wendell Odom was missing a lot of stuff.. I am glad I found this forum..

At this time, I am finding myself comfortable with subnetting, networking concepts, OSI etc... But I am not comfortable with SIM questions... Any recommendations?

rwwest7

adeetee wrote: »

And... let me also say that I got CBT Nuggets... & I am finding them extremely helpful.. Definitely Wendell Odom was missing a lot of stuff.. I am glad I found this forum..

At this time, I am finding myself comfortable with subnetting, networking concepts, OSI etc... But I am not comfortable with SIM questions... Any recommendations?

I was just about to tell how much better the CBT Nuggets are over Train Signal. The Train Signal ones have a lot of info, but they just put you to sleep. You should definately look at the Transcender practice exams. They are the best money can buy.

adeetee

rwwest7 wrote: »

I was just about to tell how much better the CBT Nuggets are over Train Signal. The Train Signal ones have a lot of info, but they just put you to sleep. You should definately look at the Transcender practice exams. They are the best money can buy.

you are so right.. Train Signal was like reading bullet points & CBT Nuggets have everything in detail.. I am learning not to trust one source & study a few instead...

But I also think, By the time I am done studying on CBT Nuggets & study Wendell Odom once again, I do not think I will have the stamina to read Todd Lammlle which everyone here has recommended.. Any say on that?

And thanks, I will check the Transcender practice exams.