BSCI and BCMSN or Composite before July 31?

DPG

I am a new CCNA and would like to jump right into the CCNP track.

Would it be possible to pass the BSCI and BCMSN or Composite exams before July 31, 2010 if I started on them today? Which would you recommend (two exam or one exam)? I went through ICND1 amd ICND2 in less than 6 weeks but I understand the CCNP is a whole different monster.

There is a whole lot more resources available for the old exams than the new exams as of today.

I want to take the TSHOOT exam as it looks like a lot of fun so I won't consider the ONT or ISCW.


Edit:

It looks like it would be more realistic to try and complete either the BSCI or BCMSN before July 31. By then there should be more material available for either the ROUTE or SWITCH.
So now the question is: BSCI or BCMSN?

I am still open to any comments or suggestions.

Cyanic

You have just three months. Pick which one you are more comfortable with, switching or routing.

Just know that many spend longer than 3 months for each of these. I took 4 on BCMSN and I've got 3 under my belt for BSCI, and I'm planning on taking it at the end of June.

Ryan82

Start with whichever one you have more experience with. However, you may not have enough time to complete either one by July 31st. Do not make the mistake of assuming that they are equal to the CCNA in terms of scope or difficulty. The good news is that whichever path you start with, there will obviously be a lot of overlap in the new ROUTE or SWITCH exam so very little of your effort will be wasted.

DPG

Would anyone recommend pursuing the CCNA Security first?

notext

DPG wrote: »

Would anyone recommend pursuing the CCNA Security first?

Sure. If you are planning on getting the Security anyway. Study and take the Security while still "semi-study" for the CCNP that way you don't feel the pressure of trying to complete one of the other exams in a certain time. Setting timeline goals is a good practice but there needs to be some flexibility. It would be terrible to try and rush it only to figure out you need another 2 weeks of studying to pass.

DPG

I think I am going to tackle to BCSI first as I have hands-on experience with BGP. Some of the other routing protocols (EIGRP, OSPF) are still fresh in my mind from the CCENT/CCNA.

My goal is to be exam ready by the first week of June.

fieldmonkey

DPG wrote: »

I think I am going to tackle to BCSI first as I have hands-on experience with BGP. Some of the other routing protocols (EIGRP, OSPF) are still fresh in my mind from the CCENT/CCNA.

My goal is to be exam ready by the first week of June.

If you don't mind, what type of experience do you have to pick up all these certs withing a few months.... sounds like you been in the business for 10 years or more.

I'm personally impressed!

qplayed

BSCI cover more than just BGP. CCNA coverage on EIGRP, OSPF are nowhere near CCNP, and don't forget IPv6, multicasting, ISIS, etc.. Hands=on expereicne is a plus....there are always exceptions, so GL! onthe studies.

Nuul

Ryan82 wrote: »

Do not make the mistake of assuming that they are equal to the CCNA in terms of scope or difficulty.

Ryan makes a very good point. What I like to tell people who have just finished their CCNA is read Network Warrior; if you are somewhat familiar with the material in that book then you're probably ready to start towards your CCNP. It's a big step from CCNA to CCNP, but it's doable if you're gotten your hands dirty so to speak.

qplayed wrote: »

BSCI cover more than just BGP. CCNA coverage on EIGRP, OSPF are nowhere near CCNP, and don't forget IPv6, multicasting, ISIS, etc.. Hands=on expereicne is a plus....there are always exceptions, so GL! onthe studies.

Also a good point. In the CCNA you were only expected to know basics about OSPF. At the CCNP level you're expected to know things very granularly. For example: You have a NSSA area, what types of LSAs would you expect to see and what would you expect to see in the route table (I.E. O, IA, N2, etc).

DPG

fieldmonkey wrote: »

If you don't mind, what type of experience do you have to pick up all these certs withing a few months.... sounds like you been in the business for 10 years or more.

I'm personally impressed!

I have about 3 years of experience with Cisco. I built a datacenter network from the ground-up about 2 years ago and have been maintaining it ever since.

Lately, I have taken on more of a management position in which I rarely get my hands dirty with anything Cisco. I figured pursing these certs would help to sharpen my skills. Even though I have experience with some more advanced technologies, I still learned some new things while studying for the CCENT and CCNA.

DPG

Reading all of the BSCI horror stories here on the forum is kind of discouraging.

Then again there are plenty of people that had trouble with the CCENT/CCNA but I managed to knock them out rather easily.

agent2592

DPG wrote: »

Reading all of the BSCI horror stories here on the forum is kind of discouraging.

Then again there are plenty of people that had trouble with the CCENT/CCNA but I managed to knock them out rather easily.

I studied for BSCI for around 9 months, 2-3 hours per day average I say.They best thing I did to prepare for it was take it once and fail. That way you realize the caliber of knowledge you need to have.

peanutnoggin

DPG wrote: »

Reading all of the BSCI horror stories here on the forum is kind of discouraging.

Then again there are plenty of people that had trouble with the CCENT/CCNA but I managed to knock them out rather easily.

DPG,

Don't be discouraged by the forum. I think most people are just trying to inform you that rushing to gain the knowledge for the purpose of a cert is not the best way to go. When you rush through the material and only know it for the purpose of the exam, it brings discredit to those who put in the time and effort to really understand the situation. I'll give you an example... At my company... my team lead saw they way I studied for my CCNA (and recently my CCNA Security). He decided to enroll himself in a bootcamp for a week or two. After studying for the past couple of years he now holds the same certs I do. The problem is... when we have any type of outage, configuration change, or update... he doesn't have the knowledge to even offer a suggestion. He just took his CCNA two or three weeks ago! I took my more than CCNA a year ago.

So I said all that to say... study for the exams (BSCI or BCSMSN). If you feel you're ready, you've truly grasped the material (not just for the purpose of the exam)... then go for it. Just don't become one of those paper CCNPs that totally discredits the Certification. I hope this helps... now get to studying...

You're running out of time!

Good luck.

-Peanut

DPG

After some very minimal studying for the BSCI, I have decided to switch over to the BCMSN and will try to beat the July 31st deadline.


Now I am looking to build a lab to practice the switching technologies.

Here is what I currently have:

2x 3550-EMI
4x 2950-SI
2x 6509 - SUP720-3BXL

Is there anything I will be unable to do with this setup?

Cyanic

Please tell me this lab is at your place of employment.

Nuul

Cyanic wrote: »

Please tell me this lab is at your place of employment.

It'd have to be, the 6509 would eat up several hundred dollars a month in power.

DPG

Nuul wrote: »

It'd have to be, the 6509 would eat up several hundred dollars a month in power.

The one I have online would use ~$75/month of power if I it ran 24/7.

zerglings

4 x 2950 is overkill in my opinion - two of them is fine plus two L3 switches. How much more the 6509 with Sup 720!

We only used 2 x L3 capable switch (3560) and 2 x 2960 for our CNAP labs. I also did the labs on my 2 x 3550 and 2 x 2950.

CChN

DPG wrote: »

Reading all of the BSCI horror stories here on the forum is kind of discouraging.

People love their fear factor analysis!

Instead of blowing the dust off their networking texts or putting in sufficient lab hours, they're more concerned with building mental walls to fuel their self-fulfilling prophecy of failure.

DPG

CChN wrote: »

People love their fear factor analysis!

Instead of blowing the dust off their networking texts or putting in sufficient lab hours, they're more concerned with building mental walls to fuel their self-fulfilling prophecy of failure.

The main is reason for the change is that IPv6 has thrown me for a loop. I want to get some real-world experience with it before I attempt the ROUTE exam. I plan to implement IPv6 on my network later this year. I just wish I would have requested my initial allocation from ARIN when it was still free.

CChN

Just booked 642-892 for July 23rd!! How's that for cutting it close?

And at > $300 a pop, you can bet there's no way I'm failing it. Charging that to your CC is a great way to light a fire under your @ss and start studying!