blake15 wrote: » I plan on going to Barnes and Noble and starting reading for this exam. I read some threads where people were very critical about the books they read for this cert. Anyone have any advice of which book is easily read, thorough, but not too much overkill? Thanks in advance.
mikem2te wrote: » The Cisco Press Authorized Self-Study Guide is pretty good.
CiskHo wrote: » Agreed. Its the only book I used to pass the CCNA:S.
blake15 wrote: » Ok, glad I didnt buy it.. Here is what I should be looking for right? Implementing Cisco IOS Network Security (IINS): (CCNA Security exam 640-553) (Authorized Self-Study Guide) (Hardcover) by Catherine Paquet (April 27, 2009) Guess I will have to buy it online. They didnt have it at borders either
notgoing2fail wrote: » Ok so the one by Michael Watkins isn't worth it? Is that the one people were critical of? What's the difference between an Authorized Self Study and the Official Exam Certification Guide by Michael Watkins?
Forsaken_GA wrote: » in general, authorized self study guides are more comprehensive and cover more material. exam cert guides are meant as reviews before you actually go take the exam and usually only hit the high points. So if you're learning from scratch, the exam cert guides are not good things to use as your primary resources of learning if you actually want to pass the exam. There are some exceptions, but that's the normal paradigm
notgoing2fail wrote: » So is there an authorized book for CCNA by Cisco Press? Because I've been using Wendell Odom's books but his is "Official Exam Certification Guide". So does that mean there's even a more in-depth set of CCNA books out there?
notgoing2fail wrote: » So does that mean there's even a more in-depth set of CCNA books out there?
mikej412 wrote: » Odom is the exception to the rule. His Exam Cert Guide is more than just a refresher or review for the CCNA. Odom's books are soooooooooo good and in depth that I feel bad for Stephen McQuerry -- the author of the Authorized Self Books for the CCNA. And Todd's book is GREAT for subnetting -- and worth the price just for that. Then toss in that it's a "fun read" has good lab exercises and is a great review for the exam and Stephen doesn't stand a chance.Interconnecting Cisco Network Devices, Part 1 (ICND1): CCNA Exam 640-802 and ICND1 Exam 640-822, 2nd EditionInterconnecting Cisco Network Devices, Part 2 (ICND2): (CCNA Exam 640-802 and ICND exam 640-816), 3rd Edition After the CCNA, then usually the Authorized Self-Study (renamed to Foundation Series in the new CCNP) is the ONE book you MUST read to gain the knowledge & skills for the exam. A lot of people make the mistake of reading the "Review Book" (the Exam Certification Guide -- or Certification Guide) and then try the exam and get a big surprise when they fail.
geezer wrote: » Avoid the Watkins cert guide. Very hard slog, to get through it and feels like a marathon at high altitude. It is full of errors and even after updating the errata there are more errors. I got tired of contacting them to be honest. The chapter on Firewalls - CBAC and ZBF is incredibly poorly written and doesn't cover configuring via SDM nor does the book show CLI configuration of syslog. This book now has some technical printouts stapled to pages, just to let you know how much is missing! I am nearly through the book and it does cover some things ok but found the need to frequently 'google' for more info and use CBT nuggets too (one problem he makes though is saying tripleDES 3DES-EDE is to encrypt, encrypt and encrypt but should be En, Decrypt and Encrypt ) Hoping to pass soon but would have liked to have tried the Self-Study guide but got this before and now not long left... Wish me luck!
geezer wrote: » I am nearly through the book and it does cover some things ok but found the need to frequently 'google' for more info....
notgoing2fail wrote: » Thanks Mike, that was actually my beef with Wendell, I kinda felt like he was TOO detailed. Not that that's a bad thing, but I can completely see why his CCNA book would be suffice... Yeah, since this was in regards to CCNA books, I probably should have mentioned that Odom was the exception to the rule when it came to authorized self study vs exam cert guides. His QoS book is, essentially, the bible of QoS. And as you step up your learning you'll find there's no such thing as too detailed. The one thing that annoys *me* at times with Odom is that he tends to repeat himself, but I choke it down, as I remember that it's actually a pretty good teaching tool. I remember a class with one speaker, who explained that he was indeed going to repeat himself on some points, usually stating the same thing three times in a row, because studies have shown that if you repeat something three times, you're more likely to remember it, and the people listening are also more likely to remember it.
Yeah, since this was in regards to CCNA books, I probably should have mentioned that Odom was the exception to the rule when it came to authorized self study vs exam cert guides. His QoS book is, essentially, the bible of QoS. And as you step up your learning you'll find there's no such thing as too detailed. The one thing that annoys *me* at times with Odom is that he tends to repeat himself, but I choke it down, as I remember that it's actually a pretty good teaching tool. I remember a class with one speaker, who explained that he was indeed going to repeat himself on some points, usually stating the same thing three times in a row, because studies have shown that if you repeat something three times, you're more likely to remember it, and the people listening are also more likely to remember it.
