What to take...

brother weasel

over the last year I took courses at my local community college on a path to get my AS in Computer Networking. I've taken A+, Net+, SEC+ and gotten those certs (A+ then security and finally Net yesterday after putting it off for no good reason)

I have also take the Cisco Academy program all the way through... (just finishing a few weeks ago)

So onto the question, what are peoples opinions on what test to take, the Full CCNA or take the ICND1 and ICND2 tests...

jamesleecoleman

I'm going the two part route just so I can have things easier for me. Also I won't loose $250 for the ccna, instead I'll loose $125 per icnd if I fail. From what I read, the full test has less questions, while the two part has more questions.

Reibe

Personally I took the 1 test route a couple years back. The reasons I took one instead of two was because -

-I had to drive an hour and a half to the testing center and I didn't have a car, so I had to catch a ride from someone.

-Also I was pretty confident in my ability to pass, so I didn't want to worry about taking another test or scheduling it and all when I didn't need to.

-If I took ICND1, I think I would have procrastinated and put off taking ICND2 for a while - which I didn't want to do.

-There was no CCENT a few years ago when I did the cisco curriculum, so I felt in no way compelled to take the ICND1.

chmorin

brother weasel wrote: »

over the last year I took courses at my local community college on a path to get my AS in Computer Networking. I've taken A+, Net+, SEC+ and gotten those certs (A+ then security and finally Net yesterday after putting it off for no good reason)

I have also take the Cisco Academy program all the way through... (just finishing a few weeks ago)

So onto the question, what are peoples opinions on what test to take, the Full CCNA or take the ICND1 and ICND2 tests...

It depends on a lot of things. If you did well in your netacad courses you would want to study more and maybe take the single exam. If you did not do very well in the classes, you may want to do ICND1 and ICND2.

Cisco courses are not like comptia courses. Not to knock them, but cisco exams (to me) are MUCH more difficult. If you had a hard time in the class, you are going to have a very hard time in the testing center.

If you go the two exam route, you also get a CCENT. People commonly think that the CCNA gives you the CCENT as well, but it does not.

Personally, I'd say go the two exam route. That is what I did.

rogue2shadow

I am taking the two exam route as well. Cisco netacad was fun and I did amazingly well but with my transfer to a new school I'm no longer going to be in it . They are using LabSim and lectures so hopefully it pans out for the better.

The reason I am not going for the full CCNA exam is mainly the fact that I am new to certs altogether. I want to use the CCENT as a way to better focus on each side of the CCNA material as well as teach me better time management skills for when the big test comes.

brother weasel

I did well. Travel isnt a problem as my school is a pvue center and 10 min away. 2 may be the way i go im not in a hurry and think id do better studying each section... but i enjoy the advice of people who have done the tests (the comptia tests were easy but i have 20+ years of general exp ccna will be harder as i dont have 20+ years of cisco:))

HardDisk

Is it possible to take the ICND2 if you have not yet passed the ICND1?

I understand that you need both to earn your CCNA cert. I just really get bogged down trying to remember all of the itty-bitty-little ICND1 details. However I really like all of the ICND2 material and look forward to proving that I know this stuff!

My preference would be to take the one test approach and avoid some of the itty-bitty-little ICND1 details. However the $250 gamble is still a major deterrent for me. At this time I am still undecided on which path to pursue. My plan is to finish learning all of the CCNA material and then decide.

Would the one test path improve one's chances of getting a job?

peanutnoggin

HardDisk wrote: »

Is it possible to take the ICND2 if you have not yet passed the ICND1?

I understand that you need both to earn your CCNA cert. I just really get bogged down trying to remember all of the itty-bitty-little ICND1 details. However I really like all of the ICND2 material and look forward to proving that I know this stuff!

You wouldn't take the ICND2, you would take the CCNA exam (640-802) is the one test route to earn your CCNA. The ICND2 is the 640-816.

HardDisk wrote: »

My preference would be to take the one test approach and avoid some of the itty-bitty-little ICND1 details. However the $250 gamble is still a major deterrent for me. At this time I am still undecided on which path to pursue. My plan is to finish learning all of the CCNA material and then decide.

IMO, the "itty-bitty" things are the fundamentals of networking... (knowing the OSI Layer model, the TCP/IP stack, ports, protocols, etc...) those are the things that's going to be a constant in the networking world across any platform in which you come about... don't shy away from the "itty-bitty" details.

HardDisk wrote: »

Would the one test path improve one's chances of getting a job?

Absolutely not... an employer will not ask you if you took the one exam or two exam route to earn your CCNA. They'll be concerned with 1: they can verify your CCNA and 2: do you know the material (or actually, do you know how to apply to the material to their environment). HTH.

-Peanut

ZZOmega

peanutnoggin wrote: »

IMO, the "itty-bitty" things are the fundamentals of networking... (knowing the OSI Layer model, the TCP/IP stack, ports, protocols, etc...) those are the things that's going to be a constant in the networking world across any platform in which you come about... don't shy away from the "itty-bitty" details.

Agreed. While it is true that you need to memorize a lot of "Cisco" terminology, ICND1 material applies more to the fundamental understanding of networking. In my opinion, this is the most important. It aids you in troubleshooting, security, preventing common mistakes, plus it makes you sound smarter to use technical terms!

peanutnoggin wrote: »

Absolutely not... an employer will not ask you if you took the one exam or two exam route to earn your CCNA. They'll be concerned with 1: they can verify your CCNA and 2: do you know the material (or actually, do you know how to apply to the material to their environment). HTH.

-Peanut

This is what I want to know for sure. The two-exam route will earn you both the CCENT and CCNA certifications, showing that you know both ICND1 and ICND2 material in-depth. The 640-802 path earns you only the CCNA, but shows that you're confident enough in yourself, as well as know both ICND1&2 material well enough to gamble on a single exam!

I do agree with you though, an employer will most likely be concerned only with verifying your certification and how well you can apply that knowledge in the field. However, I also believe that timing is a factor here too, since working in the IT field can be challenging at times to say the least. From what I have heard, people will study ICND1 material hard, earn their CCENT, then move on to studying the ICND2 material. After becoming confident in their knowledge of the modules, they'll most likely earn their CCNA first or second try. This creates a time gap between when they earned each certification, and at the very least I would have to say 2 weeks.

Now I've never been an employer and probably never will, but I do think that assessing the time gap created by going the two exam path would be in an employer's best interest.

-Devon

alan2308

ZZOmega wrote: »

Now I've never been an employer and probably never will, but I do think that assessing the time gap created by going the two exam path would be in an employer's best interest.

There's way too many variables for the time gap to be a real meaningful indicator of anything. Maybe I know it all but still decided to take the two test approach, and took them a week or less apart. Maybe I took ICND1 and then got laid off the same week so my priorities changed and I wasn't able to take ICND2 until a few months later. How does the time gap say anything about what I do or don't know? Like is often said on this forum, you either know it or you don't. Isn't that all that really matters?

ZZOmega

alan2308 wrote: »

There's way too many variables for the time gap to be a real meaningful indicator of anything. Maybe I know it all but still decided to take the two test approach, and took them a week or less apart. Maybe I took ICND1 and then got laid off the same week so my priorities changed and I wasn't able to take ICND2 until a few months later. How does the time gap say anything about what I do or don't know? Like is often said on this forum, you either know it or you don't. Isn't that all that really matters?

Well you're basically making the same point that I was getting at. By "assessing the time gap", I'm talking about making sure an applicant still knows the material from both exams.

HardDisk

Thanks Peanutnoggin,

I understand that my planning is a little out of the box. However my question stands can you take the two test route in reverse order?

Why not consider all options?

Why do that? You might ask. Since I am now finishing Odom's book two CCNA ICND2 and Todd Lammle's CCNA Certified Network Associate Study Guide simotaniouly I could probably pass the ICND2 very soon. For that matter I may even be able to pass the single (640-802) exam but I do not want to gamble the $250 exam fee.

For added value and your viewing pleasure I have listed what I have used to prepare for the CCNA exam.

GNS3 and PT
A Cisco 851W router with Cisco SDM
CBT nuggets - Jeremy Cioara
Tom Lammle Videos
Cisco CCNA Video Mentor Second Editon by Wednell Odom
CCENT/CCNA ICND1 Official Exam Certification Guide by Wendell Odom
CCNA ICND2 Official Exam Certification Guide by Wendell Odom
CCNA Cisco Certified Network Associate Study Guide by Todd Lammle
Exam Cram CCNA Pratice Questions (exam 640-802) (3rd Edition) by Jeremy Cioara
CCNA Exam Cram (Exam 640-802) (3rd Edition) by Michael Valentine
Boson Practice exams and Network Simulator
This forum and a few others plus of course Google and Youtube....

alan2308

ZZOmega wrote: »

Well you're basically making the same point that I was getting at. By "assessing the time gap", I'm talking about making sure an applicant still knows the material from both exams.

Ok, I thought you were saying that the length of the time gap was somehow meaningful.

HardDisk

Many years ago I passed all four parts of the National CPA exam. The four parts were: Practice, Theory, Law, and Audit. I was able to spread these four exams across 18 months.

My point here is that there are CPA's who took all fours parts together and passed. Which CPA would you rather have as your CFO?