Failed ICND1 :(

Required 804
Scored 799

One thing I know i messed up on was time management. I got all the simulation questions within the first 15 questions. When I looked at the clock I got 50% of time left for 70% of the remaining questions and freaked out. I did not spend much time on the remaining questions and thats what probably cost me the test

I finished the test with 20 minutes left

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Comments

Jollycork

sorry to hear you failed....

its always a bummer to not pass ... didn't pass ICND 1 my first time either...

you'll pass it next time...

masterk

Its very easy to feel rushed like that, especially if you are new to these types of exams. Think of this as a practice run, next time you know what you are up against.

Futura

This is not an easy test.

I was ready for walking out on it........

Sims are hard. My first question was a sim and it cost me fifteen mins.

you will kill that test next time....

Thinking back now. The questions were not that hard,

the time pressure, format, and nature of the questions make it hard.

Kick back, relax, re-group and hit it hard. you will pass.

alan2308

That really sucks, but you've got this next time. Now go kick its butt.

j-man

You've got what a bunch of us don't have. Experience with that exam.

You know your shortcomings so get back on the train.

You'll get it next time around!

Dakinggamer87

Sorry you didn't pass

You'll get it next time!!

hermeszdata

VinUnleaded wrote: »

Required 804
Scored 799

One thing I know i messed up on was time management. I got all the simulation questions within the first 15 questions. When I looked at the clock I got 50% of time left for 70% of the remaining questions and freaked out. I did not spend much time on the remaining questions and thats what probably cost me the test I finished the test with 20 minutes left

I know this is not much consolation, but, you are not the first nor will you be the last to **** the first attempt on the exam. Even with many years experience in the field I failed my first attempt at the 1 test route for CCNA and I had less than 10 minutes remaining when I finished.

When I passed on my 2nd attempt, I was not happy with the score but at least I passed. The CCNA Exam is by far the most difficult exam I have taken to date (including BSEE course exams) because of the nature of Cisco's exams. Many have said that the CCNA Exam is the most difficult because of the amount of information covered in the exam.

Going forward, look at the areas where you did not do well based on the results printout you received. Review those topics extensively in preparation for your re-take but remember to review the areas that you performed well as well.

As a qualifier for my statemests above, I chose the 1 test route for CCNA. I do not know what is on the ICDN1 test. What I am able to offer is this:

You had 20 minutes remaining when you finished the 1st attempt at the exam.
- With non SIM/SIMLET questions, either you know the information or you don't! Nobody, except Cisco, knows how each question is weighted.
- Even with SIM questions, Cisco has acknowledged partial credit (though nobody knows how that adds up).
Do not allow a single question of SIM impact your mindset during the exam. Focus on the individual questions and move on after each.
These exams are "you know the information or you do not know the information' exam. You now have additional information based on your exam results to help you prepare for your next attempt.

Use the information you gained from this attempt to prepare for the next. Do not let a single question or SIM get under your skin so it effects your mindset during the rest of the exam. Take the exam one question at a time. Once you hit next, forget about the previous question(s) and move on.

In the meantime study the areas you performed poorly, review the areas you performed well, and LAB, LAB, LAB!

sthompson86

How much time would you guys recommend spending on each question? I have heard 2 minutes.. but for some labs that seems a bit short.

hermeszdata

sthompson86 wrote: »

How much time would you guys recommend spending on each question? I have heard 2 minutes.. but for some labs that seems a bit short.

You have 90 minutes total. the average time per question depends on the total number of questions you get on your exam.

Example: If your exam has 60 questions, that averages 1.5 minutes per question. If you spend that much time on each of the non Sim/Simlet questions, you WILL NOT PASS!

Most of the multiple guess (pick X choices) should take less than 30 seconds if you know the material. Subnetting is one skill that must absolutely be mastered and you need to be able to do this very quickly. Subnetting questions can easily burn precious minutes if one is not able to work subnetting tasks very quickly.

As I said in my previous post, Cisco's exams are "Either you know the information or you don't" exams!

As an example, I took the CVOICE v6 exam on 28 Feburary. I had 90 minutes to complete 65 questions. I finished with 43 minutes to spare (47 minutes exam duration) and scored 918/1000. That works out to an average ot 43 seconds per question. Granted, that exam was a different beast compared to the CCNA exam but is does illustrate my point. If you can average one minute or less on the regular questions, that would give you 30 to 45 minutes total for the more complicated sim/simlet questions.

mikej412

I pretty much average 1 minute per question -- including the SIMs.

I think on my first Cisco SIM ever on the 640-801 CCNA exam I spent 1 minute reading the question, 1 minute solving the SIM, and 2 minutes trying to figure out if that's all there was and if I had missed any other SIM instructions/tasks.

The time you save subnetting in your head in 10 seconds (or less) can be used for some of the "harder questions (like SIMLETS that squeeze 4-5 question in 1 question).

I've had a couple exams (MPLS & BGP) where I had twice the number of expected SIMs -- and on one of them I finished with only 7 minutes to spare. I suspect that a couple were beta SIMs and a couple had a surprisingly long laundry list of objectives. I would have been in time trouble if another one of those SIMs had shown up in the last few questions.

Use the time you need -- but keep an eye on the clock and cut your losses on individual questions if you haven't answered a regular question in around 2 minutes, a SIMLET in 4 or 5 minutes, or a SIM in around 10 minutes.

I'd rather leave some time on the clock than find out the hard way after I used all the time that there are some "extra" SIMs near the end of the exam.

sthompson86

Thanks for the advice

Dustin.cisco

sthompson86 wrote: »

Thanks for the advice

Ya dude don't worry about it, first time i took it i failed miserably and the second time i owned the test in half the time provided.

Your second attempt will be a lot easier since you know the feel for the test now!

martell1000

took icnd 1 today and have to say i spent about 10 minutes on each of the sims.

you have to be quick on all the other stuff.

my advise is to be prepared for the single and multiple choice questions so you can just go thru it by "i know it or i dont know it"

mikej412

martell1000 wrote: »

took icnd 1 today

If you drink, don't post. And if you post, don't drink.

You just left us hanging here..... good thing I remembered your other thread. Which beer are you on now?

http://www.techexams.net/forums/ccna-ccent/65062-passed-icnd1.html

Your pass means that's good information.