Post SWITCH Exam Thoughts
I just completed the Cisco 642-813 SWITCH exam and thought I would give my after thoughts on this one. First off let me say I took the older 642-811 BCMSN and 642-812 BCMSN exams and found this attempt to be more challenging for a few reasons; some which I can discuss and some which I can't due to the NDA. First here are the materials I used to study:
Aside from using the online Cisco reference docs, my main point of reference was the FLG. Combined with hands on experience and/or the SWITCH Lab manual, this is enough to cover the majority of topics found on the blueprint.
Amazon.com: Implementing Cisco IP Switched Networks (SWITCH) Foundation Learning Guide: Foundation learning for SWITCH 642-813 (Foundation Learning Guides) (9781587058844): Richard Froom, Balaji Sivasubramanian, Erum Frahim: Books
As far as CBT material I had access to the INE CCNP VoD which was ok, but a few sections could use a little more depth or outright coverage. I skipped the CBT Nuggets for this attempt but from what I understand they are pretty good.
Labs... probably one of the most important parts of studying for any of the Cisco professional exams IMO! I used the CCNP SWITCH Lab Manual for a decent bit of review and I even posted my "night before exam" lab activities as a final review which turned out to be a great idea (can't say more, NDA and all).
Amazon.com: CCNP SWITCH Lab Manual (Lab Companion) (9781587133046): Cisco Networking Academy: Books
As far as how much time spent on preparing for the exam I would say I spent ~6 weeks reviewing and doing labs before taking the exam. I spent a bit of time reading the FLG on my weekly flights to RTP and either SSH'd into my home lab environment or thanks to my Channel Account Manager, used one of the Student Pods that I had access to.
Exam Thoughts:
So the rumors that I read on the cisco forums are true in a few ways... the exam goes deeper to test your comprehension of the subject matter and it does require a fair bit of hands on experience (or at least time doing labs). I left a few comments on questions I felt were unclear or had poor grammar but overall everything was fair game and what I felt a professional at this level of the game should know.
Use the pre-exam time (during the question review/nda review) to write down any notes/ideas that you may feel you need during the exam. Consider it a free 15 minute gift from Cisco/Vue!
Don't stress a failing score, it just goes to show which areas you may need to concentrate on before the next attempt and can help you to become that much better as a Network Engineer.
Last and most importantly take a deep breath and remember, its just an exam!
Now that this one is done, time to review for 642-873 ARCH before the current exam expires. I will admit I should just go for the new version but I've had the material sitting on my bookshelf for a while and I need to complete this one for work. Good luck to everyone attempting the SWITCH exam!
Regards
Edit: Almost forgot, Doing a little research on Tech Exams Forums and the INE Blog is your friend. Use these to your advantage!!!
Aside from using the online Cisco reference docs, my main point of reference was the FLG. Combined with hands on experience and/or the SWITCH Lab manual, this is enough to cover the majority of topics found on the blueprint.
Amazon.com: Implementing Cisco IP Switched Networks (SWITCH) Foundation Learning Guide: Foundation learning for SWITCH 642-813 (Foundation Learning Guides) (9781587058844): Richard Froom, Balaji Sivasubramanian, Erum Frahim: Books
As far as CBT material I had access to the INE CCNP VoD which was ok, but a few sections could use a little more depth or outright coverage. I skipped the CBT Nuggets for this attempt but from what I understand they are pretty good.
Labs... probably one of the most important parts of studying for any of the Cisco professional exams IMO! I used the CCNP SWITCH Lab Manual for a decent bit of review and I even posted my "night before exam" lab activities as a final review which turned out to be a great idea (can't say more, NDA and all).
Amazon.com: CCNP SWITCH Lab Manual (Lab Companion) (9781587133046): Cisco Networking Academy: Books
As far as how much time spent on preparing for the exam I would say I spent ~6 weeks reviewing and doing labs before taking the exam. I spent a bit of time reading the FLG on my weekly flights to RTP and either SSH'd into my home lab environment or thanks to my Channel Account Manager, used one of the Student Pods that I had access to.
Exam Thoughts:
So the rumors that I read on the cisco forums are true in a few ways... the exam goes deeper to test your comprehension of the subject matter and it does require a fair bit of hands on experience (or at least time doing labs). I left a few comments on questions I felt were unclear or had poor grammar but overall everything was fair game and what I felt a professional at this level of the game should know.
Use the pre-exam time (during the question review/nda review) to write down any notes/ideas that you may feel you need during the exam. Consider it a free 15 minute gift from Cisco/Vue!
Don't stress a failing score, it just goes to show which areas you may need to concentrate on before the next attempt and can help you to become that much better as a Network Engineer.
Last and most importantly take a deep breath and remember, its just an exam!
Now that this one is done, time to review for 642-873 ARCH before the current exam expires. I will admit I should just go for the new version but I've had the material sitting on my bookshelf for a while and I need to complete this one for work. Good luck to everyone attempting the SWITCH exam!
Regards
Edit: Almost forgot, Doing a little research on Tech Exams Forums and the INE Blog is your friend. Use these to your advantage!!!
CCIE Sec: Starting Nov 11
Comments
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mikej412
Member Posts: 10,086 ■■■■■■■■■■
I'll take that to mean that Congratulations!!this one is done
are in order 
Great Review!!
:mike: Cisco Certifications -- Collect the Entire Set! -
tndfr
Member Posts: 110
i say if we all keep commenting on their incompetent exam questions eventually someone with an eye for quality (as opposed to money) will hear us out at Cisco's and fix/improve the exam.
is it just me that thinks this is totally unacceptable??!!
no hijack intended, Congrats Working on CCNP 642-813 and finishing off MCSA. -
peanutnoggin
Member Posts: 1,096 ■■■□□□□□□□
CONGRATS and excellent write-up!!
-PeanutWe cannot have a superior democracy with an inferior education system!
-Mayor Cory Booker -
*BB*
Member Posts: 95 ■■□□□□□□□□
Congrats!!
I agree with the labbing comments. Its going to a quick nap and then labbing and reviewing into the night for meProcrastinator extraordinaire -
down77
Member Posts: 1,009
i say if we all keep commenting on their incompetent exam questions eventually someone with an eye for quality (as opposed to money) will hear us out at Cisco's and fix/improve the exam.
is it just me that thinks this is totally unacceptable??!!
no hijack intended, Congrats
Thanks everyone for the congrats. Some of the quality assurance issues can easily be fixed and I do agree that if enough people complain they may listen... I do know that at least one person took note and posted follow up information on a blog. He just happened to be the author of the OEG!CCIE Sec: Starting Nov 11
