passed 640-553 today!!!!!!!!!!! now what?

dmb2002man

Hello everybody,

After studying alot for the ccna security exam, i finally passed with a 1000. I actually thought the exam was very easy compared to the ccna. I read the cisco press book twice. I went through the cd questions. I watched cbt nuggets a few times. I played with gns3, vmware and sdm 2.5 alot. Searched cisco.com when i didn't understand something. I just thought the answers were really simple as usually one of the answers stuck out always and you could usually eliminate 1 or 2 that you knew weren't it. I thought the simulations were very easy as you just had to browse through sdm and you would see what the answer is. I guessed on a few answers but i guessed them correct. Now i am just debating on what book to order next. Should i go ccnp, cssp or upgrade my mcse 2003 to 2008?

I have bachelor degree in IT, mcse 2003, ccna, ccna security.

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ConstantlyLearning

If I was you and had my heart set on cisco security (neither true) I would start preparing for the SNRS exam. (CCSP track).

dmb2002man

ConstantlyLearning wrote: »

If I was you and had my heart set on cisco security (neither true) I would start preparing for the SNRS exam. (CCSP track).

I was even looking up ccdp as well. I started looking for books for snrs but the cisco press book is old for the updated exam for that. This security book was easy reading and could of gave alot more tutorials though in which it lacked. I would just like a good quality book to read rather than purchasing 10 different books for the new ccnp exams.

https://supportforums.cisco.com/message/432156?tstart=0

i am talking to chris bryant now and hes saying i shouldn't have a problem finishing bsci and bcmsn by july to beat the deadline and then just take the ccnp troubleshooting exam as the bsci and bcmsn will transfer over.

mikej412

Congratulations!!

Good Luck with your Studies

-- whatever they turn out to be.

dmb2002man

mikej412 wrote: »

Congratulations!!

Good Luck with your Studies -- whatever they turn out to be.

is is possible to pass bsci without real cisco gear.

mikej412

dmb2002man wrote: »

is is possible to pass bsci without real cisco gear.

Dynamips (with either Dynagen or GNS3 front end) works fine for the BSCI exam -- if you have access to a supported IOS image. But if you've never touched real Cisco hardware for your CCNA or at work (or school), you'll be at a disadvantage competing against other job candidates in the future with real hands on experience (unless you're in a 3rd or 4th world country where a lot of jobs candidates don't have access to real hardware).

dmb2002man

mikej412 wrote: »

Dynamips (with either Dynagen or GNS3 front end) works fine for the BSCI exam -- if you have access to a supported IOS image. But if you've never touched real Cisco hardware for your CCNA or at work (or school), you'll be at a disadvantage competing against other job candidates in the future with real hands on experience (unless you're in a 3rd or 4th world country where a lot of jobs candidates don't have access to real hardware).

mike,

I had real cisco routers and switches when i studied for my ccna. I had 2620xm, 2 2950 switches, 2912 switch, 1900 switch, 2500 series routers. Also, what is the best book for the bsci exam. I found a bunch of them on amazon and found one that was 2400 pages which is crazy. here is my lab that i use to have.

http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s62/dmb2002man/Cisco%20Equipment%20for%20sale/DSC01145.jpg

http://www.amazon.com/CCNP-Official-Exam-Certification-Library/dp/158720178X/ref=pd_sim_b_5

http://www.amazon.com/Building-Scalable-Internetworks-Authorized-Self-Study/dp/1587052237/ref=pd_sim_b_6

http://www.amazon.com/CCNP-BSCI-Official-Certification-Guide/dp/158720147X/ref=pd_sim_b_6

http://www.amazon.com/Building-Scalable-Internetworks-Portfolio-Networking/dp/1587132133/ref=pd_sim_b_7

dynamik

dmb2002man wrote: »

passed 640-553 today!!!!!!!!!!! now what?

You mean after the requisite :drunk

Congratulations!

dmb2002man wrote: »

I found a bunch of them on amazon and found one that was 2400 pages which is crazy.

You know how everyone considers 70-291 to be The Beast. I'm pretty sure BSCI is The Beast of the Cisco world

I think you're at a critical juncture in your studies. I think you're well-rounded enough, and now you need to decide what you're going to specialize in. If you don't, you're just going to keep chasing random certs on a whim and spread yourself thin instead of obtaining mastery-level knowledge in your area of interest.

dmb2002man

dynamik wrote: »

You mean after the requisite :drunk

Congratulations!

You know how everyone considers 70-291 to be The Beast. I'm pretty sure BSCI is The Beast of the Cisco world

I think you're at a critical juncture in your studies. I think you're well-rounded enough, and now you need to decide what you're going to specialize in. If you don't, you're just going to keep chasing random certs on a whim and spread yourself thin instead of obtaining mastery-level knowledge in your area of interest.

thanks for not answering my question. I am not even talking about 70-291 and thats a shitty microsoft exam. I need someone to please let me know which book i need so i can order it and start my bsci studies so i can pass before july.

http://www.amazon.com/CCNP-Official-...ref=pd_sim_b_5

http://www.amazon.com/Building-Scala...ref=pd_sim_b_6

http://www.amazon.com/CCNP-BSCI-Offi...ref=pd_sim_b_6

http://www.amazon.com/Building-Scala...ref=pd_sim_b_7

dynamik

dmb2002man wrote: »

thanks for not answering my question. I am not even talking about 70-291 and thats a shitty microsoft exam. I need someone to please let me know which book i need so i can order it and start my bsci studies so i can pass before july.

Hey, no problem! Thanks for being incredible rude for no apparent reason, not reading any of the stickies, or applying any critical thought of your own!

The lab guide is an excellent resource for obtaining the requisite hands-on skills; I would also recommend the portable command guide as a compliment to that (which wasn't on your list). The authorized self study book goes into more depth and focuses on teaching the technology while the official exam guide is more geared towards someone who is already familiar with the technology and is more interested in focusing on the exam itself. This is one of the books available in the CCNP library. If you are only interested in taking BSCI, it probably does not make sense to purchase the official exam guides for all four exams in the current CCNP track, especially since they will be expiring shortly. I'm sure many people don't bother to read the first paragraph of the description, and I'm glad I could clear that up for you.

You may also want to look into Transcender, The Bryant Advantage, CBT Nuggets, and/or Trainsignal to supplement your studies.

I humbly apologize for attempting to simply offer a slightly humorous congratulations post and not researching all the available BSCI resources for you.

Good luck with your future studies!

dwtherock

Congrats 1000!!!