You are not prepared! CCENT Fail... :(

jbrad95706

791/804

...with 7 minutes remaining. I will admit - I ended up with a higher score than I thought I was going to get.

69% - Describe the operation of data networks
50% - Implement a small switched network
44% - Implement an IP addressing scheme and IP services to meet network requirements for a small branch office
81% - Implement a small routed network
67% - Explain and select the appropriate administrative tasks required for a WLAN
100% - Identify security threats to a network and describe general methods to mitigate those threats
100% - Implement and verify WAN links

I ended up skipping one seemingly huge sim because I truly didn't understand what to do. (I did the tutorial.)

(I know for sure that some of it is me not retaining everything.)

CBTNuggets - Jeremy Cioara kept it interesting; however, he was really lacking in detail.

Train Signal - Chris Bryant filled in a lot of the gaps; however, it still didn't fully prepare me.


Going back in a few weeks.

Monkerz

Are you depending on video lessons to prepare you for this exam?

mikej412

jbrad95706 wrote: »

Any study material recommendations?

From the CCNA Forum FAQ

Odom Certification Library AND Todd's Sybex book (6th Edition)
The Wendell Odom Cisco Press CCNA Official Exam Certification Library (CCNA Exam 640-802), 3rd Edition and Todd Lammle's CCNA: Cisco Certified Network Associate Study Guide: Exam 640-802, 6th Edition are the books most recommended by TechExams.Net members.

Odom has the depth you need if you plan to make Cisco Networking a career.

Todd's book is more of a fun read and has exercises you should lab up -- and is great for teaching subnetting (but so is Jeremy's CBT Nuggets).

Someone with lots of Cisco on the job experience may be able to get by with just Todd's book -- but almost all Cisco noobs should include a read (or more) of the Odom books.

The CBTs are "additional resources" that you can use to help guide and focus your study -- but shouldn't be your main or only study materials.

Chris Bryant also has his Ultimate Study Guides which have gotten some people "over the hump" -- but again they are an additional resource and shouldn't be your main study source.

jbrad95706

Monkerz wrote: »

Are you depending on video lessons to prepare you for this exam?

Not completely - I have a pretty decent home lab, and there's a lot for me to play with at work. The hope was that they could fill in the gaps for at least the entry level cert. (I also have the Sybex book, but I haven't spent as much time with it as I would have liked to.)

I was expecting a more hands on exam...

jbrad95706

mikej412 wrote: »

From the CCNA Forum FAQ
Odom has the depth you need if you plan to make Cisco Networking a career.

Todd's book is more of a fun read and has exercises you should lab up -- and is great for teaching subnetting (but so is Jeremy's CBT Nuggets).

Someone with lots of Cisco on the job experience may be able to get by with just Todd's book -- but almost all Cisco noobs should include a read (or more) of the Odom books.

The CBTs are "additional resources" that you can use to help guide and focus your study -- but shouldn't be your main or only study materials.

Chris Bryant also has his Ultimate Study Guides which have gotten some people "over the hump" -- but again they are an additional resource and shouldn't be your main study source.

Do you know how it compairs to the McGraw Hill* book? I have that but haven't put the tiem in with it. Would I be better of just starting fresh with the Odom book?

I'm assuming these are the books:

Amazon.com: CCENT/CCNA ICND1 Official Exam Certification Guide, 2nd Edition (9781587201820): Wendell Odom: Books

Amazon.com: CCNA ICND2 Official Exam Certification Guide (CCNA Exams 640-816 and 640-802) (2nd Edition) (9781587201813):…

Correct?

Thanks again for the info.

Edit: I just noticed you linked the CCNA book. Woudl it be safe to assume the ICND1/2 books would be just as good?

Monkerz

jbrad95706 wrote: »

Amazon.com: CCENT/CCNA ICND1 Official Exam Certification Guide, 2nd Edition (9781587201820): Wendell Odom: Books

I studied using this book, CBT Nuggets and Boson prac exams. Studied hard for 2.5 months and passed the ICND1 last friday.

thehourman

I like Odom's book because he pretty much explained everything. Lammles' book is good too, but some stuff aren't explained very well like Odom's.
I use both Odom's ICND1 and 2, and Sybex CCNA.
I am going to take the ICND1 test on Wednesday. I am going to be a walk-in, let's see what's going to happen.

mtorres

I am preparing for the CCENT using Odom's book and CBT nuggets. I have train signals videos as well but haven't even watched one of those videos yet. I watch the CBT nuggets videos and a lot of times that is enough and when I read odom's book I am bored because I know the stuff already, but a lot of times the book seems to be a lot more informative and goes more in depth than the videos. I can also subnet much faster using odom's method than Jeremy's method. Don't know why but I can do it much faster that way. At the same time some of the stuff in Odom's book was a little fuzzy to me and Jeremy's explanation of the same topic made it click.

I have a small lab at work I am using as well, but haven't gotten my hands real dirty with that, just basic configuration of switches and port security stuff like that, but hopefully that will change when I get to the "Operating Cisco Routers" section.

bermovick

mtorres wrote: »

I am preparing for the CCENT using Odom's book and CBT nuggets. I have train signals videos as well but haven't even watched one of those videos yet. I watch the CBT nuggets videos and a lot of times that is enough and when I read odom's book I am bored because I know the stuff already, but a lot of times the book seems to be a lot more informative and goes more in depth than the videos. I can also subnet much faster using odom's method than Jeremy's method. Don't know why but I can do it much faster that way. At the same time some of the stuff in Odom's book was a little fuzzy to me and Jeremy's explanation of the same topic made it click.

I have a small lab at work I am using as well, but haven't gotten my hands real dirty with that, just basic configuration of switches and port security stuff like that, but hopefully that will change when I get to the "Operating Cisco Routers" section.

I've studied pretty similarly to you, using CBTNuggets and Odom's book. I agree Jeremy doesn't go in-depth as much, but that let's me get the general concept down fairly well - enough that when Odom gets down to the details I'm ready for it. Without Jeremy I don't know what I'd do

johnwest43

The Odom books are perfect for a noob. Trust me I am one!!

SephStorm

mikej412 wrote: »

From the CCNA Forum FAQ
Odom has the depth you need if you plan to make Cisco Networking a career.

Todd's book is more of a fun read and has exercises you should lab up -- and is great for teaching subnetting (but so is Jeremy's CBT Nuggets).

Someone with lots of Cisco on the job experience may be able to get by with just Todd's book -- but almost all Cisco noobs should include a read (or more) of the Odom books.

The CBTs are "additional resources" that you can use to help guide and focus your study -- but shouldn't be your main or only study materials.

Chris Bryant also has his Ultimate Study Guides which have gotten some people "over the hump" -- but again they are an additional resource and shouldn't be your main study source.

While this is obviously the case, I do find it interesting that some people do mainly rely on the CBT's, and fare well. see here:

http://www.techexams.net/forums/ccna-ccent/55970-passed-icnd1-2-a.html

now, me personally, i read through about half of Odom's book(ICND1) and am watching CBTN. I have see the TS videos, but I don't really like them, as mentioned by previous posters. I am also reading the CCENT exam cram, and I like it. My plan is to use a system similar to turbo's as right now, i am not up to reading Odom's book again. CBTN, EC, and then the Odom book to catch anything i'm not clear on.

mtorres

bermovick wrote: »

I've studied pretty similarly to you, using CBTNuggets and Odom's book. I agree Jeremy doesn't go in-depth as much, but that let's me get the general concept down fairly well - enough that when Odom gets down to the details I'm ready for it. Without Jeremy I don't know what I'd do

Yeah I agree with you. If I didn't have cbt nuggets I would be lost on some of the stuff still. It appears you are watching the videos first and then reading odom. That is probably the smarter way, I am reading first and then watching the videos. But this way anything that stayed fuzzy in the book Jeremy makes it click. Either way is probably good. I have a question though, did you re-read odom's book after you finished? I am thinking that when I am done I am just going to re read a few of the chapters.

bermovick

For ICND1 I picked up Lammle's book so I'd have a different author's perspective on the material, but about halfway through I realized I hadn't really picked up much if anything new, so I just scheduled the exam and only took the boson practice exam you get with odom's book a couple times so even though I wasn't learning I was keeping the material fresh in my head.

With ICND2, because the material is a bit more difficult (I'm finding), I'm spending these last couple weeks doing a daily blog of me labbing the different materials (http://midkemia.dyndns.org/blogs/blog4.php if you're interested). This way the material I'm weak on I'm really forcing myself to focus on by having to re-read/study, plan/think how to apply it in the lab, actually DO the lab and then write about it, to really reinforce the concepts.

[edit] I also have Lammle's CCNA book from when I was going to try to get my CCNA about 7 years ago. It's a bit outdated by now I'm sure, but if I can find the bloody thing I may try flipping through the chapters that are still up-to-date like I did for ICND1.

mtorres

That is real cool, i will have to keep this stuff in mind when I am going for the icnd2.

mtorres

bermovick wrote: »

For ICND1 I picked up Lammle's book so I'd have a different author's perspective on the material, but about halfway through I realized I hadn't really picked up much if anything new, so I just scheduled the exam and only took the boson practice exam you get with odom's book a couple times so even though I wasn't learning I was keeping the material fresh in my head.

With ICND2, because the material is a bit more difficult (I'm finding), I'm spending these last couple weeks doing a daily blog of me labbing the different materials (http://midkemia.dyndns.org/blogs/blog4.php if you're interested). This way the material I'm weak on I'm really forcing myself to focus on by having to re-read/study, plan/think how to apply it in the lab, actually DO the lab and then write about it, to really reinforce the concepts.

[edit] I also have Lammle's CCNA book from when I was going to try to get my CCNA about 7 years ago. It's a bit outdated by now I'm sure, but if I can find the bloody thing I may try flipping through the chapters that are still up-to-date like I did for ICND1.

I have been trying to access the blog you have been doing on your labs but can't seem to get there. I can resolve it just can't get to it.

bermovick

That's one of my gripes with NAT; I can't really test connectivity from outside since I have to resolve to the inside address, and the webserver seems to actually work differently depending on how you've connected to it. My guess would be to try just going to the home page of midkemia.dyndns.org and follow the Blogs link. If that doesn't work I'll have to figure out what I've changed that broke it

mtorres

cool thanks man.

tearofs

ICND2 would be more hand-on tho ...