So stressed

I studied for months killing hours & hours trying to get to know Cisco since I was new to it. I took the CCNA exam (composite) just over a month ago and didn't pass and it tore me up because I felt confident about it until about question #2 on the exam. From then on, it was pretty much me watching my $250 fly dollar by dollar out the window, but I did manage to score 6xx/825 I believe so it wasn't a total loss, it was moreso a 1st time exam shocker plus the element of information-overload. There is honestly an INSANE amount of information to know for Cisco, considering the line of questioning on the exams and how much detail, memorization and flow you need to know, and know well to successfully answer the questions.

I was super pissed because I pretty much depended on this to change my quality of life, since I'm working 2 jobs, have a BBA and am still somehow struggling, so I've been hoping this would break down a door or two. SO, I decided to slow it down and just do one test at a time, but even that isn't quite the best option because each separate ICND test, as I understood, goes even deeper in detail and is just as long as the composite with the same type of questioning, which isn't really encouraging.

So, I studied some more (by the way, I do NOT like many of the practice questions from the modules at Cisco's website... in fact, it is difficult to test yourself overall - even after answering a million questions from several resources, I still find it hard to test yourself as an actual exam would) & took the ICND1 and failed THAT (775/804). Now even more of my money is gone, and it's just my luck that my car broke down over the weekend so now even if I study AGAIN, I may not be able to take any test again for some time because when anything breaks on a car you can expect to spend no less than $300-500.

Sorry for the rant I'm just venting hoping for some compassion... but, has anyone else gone from taking the full composite to the individual exams and still had trouble getting through? Should I go back to the composite or just do ICND again? My mind is clouded. This is frustrating as hell.

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Comments

AD227529

I would not take the composite exam unless you have A LOT of experience with Cisco gear and Cisco networking. I was new to Cisco when I took the exams, so I decided to break them up and take the ICND1 and ICND2 exams. The exams are tough, but fair. My biggest enemy on the exams was the clock. I knew the material, but was nervous, and that ticking clock did not help my nerves.

My advice is, don't let the exams get you down. Many people before you have passed, and you will pass it too. If I can pass, anybody can. I does take a lot of studying, determination, and yes even a little bit of luck to pass. I used the Cisco Press books, CBT Nuggets, Trainsignal, Packet Tracer, and real Cisco switches to pass the exam.

jamesleecoleman

I'm pretty sure you can do this. The ICND1/ICND2 are tough exams but use that breakdown score sheet that you got after the test to help you go over the material that you need to study on. Make sure you don't forget about the other domains that you did well in, you neeed to study on those too so you don't forget the material. I think that it would be best for you to focus on the ICND1 exam and study hard for it. Since you've studied ICND2 material, I think you should go for that after the CCENT.

odysseyelite

Cisco does not want the exams to be easy, otherwise they become more like Comptia. I'm working on it as well, and its not easy. It is by far the hardest certificiation I have prepared for, with the most amount of time required.

Take the time you have to wait until funds come through and study more. Write things down, don't just read. Practice, pratice, pratice your commands and subnetting.

Take your experiance from your exam. At least you went out and took the exams. I have not even made it to that point.

Keep at it. This is what makes you different than the other techs out there.

JohnnyBiggles

odysseyelite wrote: »

Cisco does not want the exams to be easy, otherwise they become more like Comptia. I'm working on it as well, and its not easy. It is by far the hardest certificiation I have prepared for, with the most amount of time required.

Take the time you have to wait until funds come through and study more. Write things down, don't just read. Practice, pratice, pratice your commands and subnetting.

Take your experiance from your exam. At least you went out and took the exams. I have not even made it to that point.

Keep at it. This is what makes you different than the other techs out there.

Thanks all for the words of encouragement.

I noticed you have Microsoft certs. The last one I got was for Windows NT years ago. How are the exams for that now? Part of my frustration is that I would like to move ahead and start on a MS track, and/or the CCNP material and this CCENT/CCNA bit is killing me. Are the MS exams any easier than this? Can anyone say if the CCNP material is easier to cover/process? It kind of seems so to me since that material was broken up into 3 seperate sections while the CCNA has way too much info to cover for one test and maybe even 2! What do I have to look forward to?

odysseyelite

JohnnyBiggles wrote: »

Thanks all for the words of encouragement.

I noticed you have Microsoft certs. The last one I got was for Windows NT years ago. How are the exams for that now? Part of my frustration is that I would like to move ahead and start on a MS track, and/or the CCNP material and this CCENT/CCNA bit is killing me. Are the MS exams any easier than this? Can anyone say if the CCNP material is easier to cover/process? It kind of seems so to me since that material was broken up into 3 seperate sections while the CCNA has way too much info to cover for one test and maybe even 2! What do I have to look forward to?

The 2003 exams were not too difficult to me. I had a good amount of experiance working with them. I'm not sure how the 2008 exams compare. Some advice I can give you is figure out what you want to do as a career. Do you want to do networking, or system administration? They are two different roads with some overlap. CCNP is only going to be harder in my opinion because its goes into deeper level. Networking is not for everyone. What has been your background?

I got tired of the MS suff and networking was always fun to me. Hands on is what works for me, so if you like it but are still not gettting it, then spend some money on a lab or do some packet tracer labs to hammer down the material.

hiddenknight821

JohnnyBiggles wrote: »

Thanks all for the words of encouragement.

I noticed you have Microsoft certs. The last one I got was for Windows NT years ago. How are the exams for that now? Part of my frustration is that I would like to move ahead and start on a MS track, and/or the CCNP material and this CCENT/CCNA bit is killing me. Are the MS exams any easier than this? Can anyone say if the CCNP material is easier to cover/process? It kind of seems so to me since that material was broken up into 3 seperate sections while the CCNA has way too much info to cover for one test and maybe even 2! What do I have to look forward to?

No offense, dude. But I am going to be blunt with you. You sound like one of them paper tiger that's looking for shortcuts, and I'm glad Cisco did a good job filtering these guys out. Don't try to be like Lebron trying to get his first ring. Apparently he failed last night.

First of all, I have no clue what your IT background is, and what certs you have completed/imcompleted. I was even wondering if you are even that good on the networking basic. Looks like a Network+ might be a good start.

I have this philosphy that nothing is that hard as long you put your mind into it. You need to eat Cisco, you need to breathe Cisco, and lastly you need to live Cisco. Everyday, you get up, you think about it non-stop. When you sleep, you dream it. No question asked. I can't think of any other advice, but to say that you do have the potential in you. You need to block out that "you-want-it" motivation and turn it into a "you-need-it" motivation. Nurture your mind with care. Don't cram it or crush it. It took me a year to finish the CCENT, and probably takes me 9-10 months to finish up my the ICND2 if I finish it in the summer.

JohnnyBiggles

hiddenknight821 wrote: »

No offense, dude. But I am going to be blunt with you. You sound like one of them paper tiger that's looking for shortcuts, and I'm glad Cisco did a good job filtering these guys out. Don't try to be like Lebron trying to get his first ring. Apparently he failed last night. First of all, I have no clue what your IT background is, and what certs you have completed/imcompleted. I was even wondering if you are even that good on the networking basic. Looks like a Network+ might be a good start.

I have this philosphy that nothing is that hard as long you put your mind into it. You need to eat Cisco, you need to breathe Cisco, and lastly you need to live Cisco. Everyday, you get up, you think about it non-stop. When you sleep, you dream it. No question asked. I can't think of any other advice, but to say that you do have the potential in you. You need to block out that "you-want-it" motivation and turn it into a "you-need-it" motivation. Nurture your mind with care. Don't cram it or crush it. It took me a year to finish the CCENT, and probably takes me 9-10 months to finish up my the ICND2 if I finish it in the summer.

Great points and nice way to include the Lebron analogy..

. In a way, I do kind of relate to him because my employment situation is nowhere near what I NEED it to be, and my background is in IT but it's very general, overall. So, I want to "take my talents" somewhere that I can have a much better shot at a "title" (decent paying, skilled job/position), and a stable of necessary certs to work with, I'm hoping, will help my progress.

I've done net admin on servers in the past, but not quite as a senior net admin.. I've done hardware/software support.. light programming.. project management.. etc. Went to school for Business with a concentration in IT, and Network+ was included which I got an A in, but it was all general knowledge or introductory. So now, I'm trying to concentrate into something and Cisco, with its certification tracks, seems to be something challenging and in some kind of demand and a far better alternative to spending another wasteful decade in school racking up debt, in my case. I graduated just as our economy tanked and because of the plummeting value of college paperwork and with whatever other credentials I have plus old experience, I doubt I'll get any worthwhile offers without some hardcore certs, which I'm not afraid to get... I've just been too broke and time constrained to get them. It's hard working 2 jobs and doing this Cisco stuff but despite my shortcomings, I'm too deteremined to get out of this hole I'm in, so it must be done. I guess I'm just anxious to make the major change that I NEED ASAP!

hiddenknight821

JohnnyBiggles wrote: »

Great points and nice way to include the Lebron analogy.. . In a way, I do kind of relate to him because my employment situation is nowhere near what I NEED it to be, and my background is in IT but it's very general, overall. So, I want to "take my talents" somewhere that I can have a much better shot at a "title" (decent paying, skilled job/position), and a stable of necessary certs to work with, I'm hoping, will help my progress.

I've done net admin on servers in the past, but not quite as a senior net admin.. I've done hardware/software support.. light programming.. project management.. etc. Went to school for Business with a concentration in IT, and Network+ was included which I got an A in, but it was all general knowledge or introductory. So now, I'm trying to concentrate into something and Cisco, with its certification tracks, seems to be something challenging and in some kind of demand and a far better alternative to spending another wasteful decade in school racking up debt, in my case. I graduated just as our economy tanked and because of the plummeting value of college paperwork and with whatever other credentials I have plus old experience, I doubt I'll get any worthwhile offers without some hardcore certs, which I'm not afraid to get... I've just been too broke and time constrained to get them. It's hard working 2 jobs and doing this Cisco stuff but despite my shortcomings, I'm too deteremined to get out of this hole I'm in, so it must be done. I guess I'm just anxious to make the major change that I NEED ASAP!

I know how you feel, and I have been in a situation where things did not work out for me the way I expected it to. Maybe you're targeting at the wrong place in your studying. I hope you don't have that CompTIA mentality stuck in you when you took your ICND1/CCNA exam since Cisco exam is a different game. You can't cram then hope to pass the test the next day. Make sure your study resources are genuine, and not for brain ****. You can go on CertGuard to test to see if the website you have been using does test your true knowledge.

Another thing we ought to know is what resources did you use? Maybe the resources you have been using are the problem. I failed the ICND1 once, and didn't take it until 8 months later when i can afford to build a lab. I realized my weak area is mostly due to not having enough hand-on practice on a switch. GNS3 sure didn't help me well enough. I also use Odom's Cisco Press Official Library. I like it because of the complete details it entails in order for me to pass the exam. Who knows Cisco better than Cisco? Doesn't make sense, right? So, this is my trustworthy study resources. The books also contains Boson exams and test simulators. Most would agree that it gauges your knowledge pretty well, so only take the practice test when you feel prepared, but don't overrehearsed it or otherwise you would be practically cramming the answers. Like I said, lose the CompTIA mentality since this is a skill test and a knowledge test. Save the Boson for last. Go back to it when you feel confident that you review the weak areas after taking the practice exam for the first time.

JohnnyBiggles

Part of the problem the first go round was information-overload. I started with the Todd Lammle book but soon realized there were video sets which I found to be better for me (or so I thought), since they give better visuals and actual footage of what is going on with the screens and commands, topologies, etc., and a person explaining it all, sort of like sitting in class but on your schedule, and you could rewind on anything you missed, take notes, Google questions, Youtube questions, and have an hour long session or a 3 hour long session at your own discretion - all huge advantages over being in school. I used Train Signal all the way through, intending to take the full CCNA exam, referring to the book for certain things.

The vids took a long time to get through, and I have probably over 200 pages of notes just from that (I was writing out the commands, and 'show' results), having ICND1&2 material in separate books. I was stunned to see how much information is covered for this, and about half way through the ICND2 stuff, sort of regretted NOT splitting it up since I felt overwhelmed learning so much new information. Things seemed to make sense going through it, but deep into the studies, even with writing out the CLI stuff, I realized I needed to practice this stuff, but, as mentioned, I've been broke and buying lab equipment was not really an option.

So I learned about GNS3... which I soon learned has its own lengthy learning curve, and, although a GREAT substitute for actual equipment, is not quite the equipment. Of course, as my luck would have it, my home PC best capable of handling the resources needed for GNS3 caught some unique virus before I was able to DL and install it which even I had trouble removing and took weeks to clear up due to lack of time available to put into it. So, I didn't even get GNS3 until maybe 2 weeks or so before my scheduled exam, which I sort of felt confident about anyway at the time. Big mistake.

During the last week of studies, I came across the Nugget videos, a few of which I viewed just to get a new perspective on the same material. Jeremy breaks things down differently and in many cases even better than Chris B. It had a whole different feel to it.

That all being said, again, it was information-overload... too many sources and broken structure using them all. I did much better on the ICND1 since I just went through the Nuggets vids and the older notes I had already taken, but I still had lots of distractions and I think I still need to organize a structure and timeline as to when and how to approach which study material, so I can grasp the minute details which are obviously NOT so minute. The biggest trouble I can foresee is how to adequately test yourself, since almost none of them test you like the actual exam.

PS: All of the above has definitely led to dreams of Cisco in the middle of the night...lol. So, I guess I'm on my way...?

JohnnyBiggles

Also, I used the testing modules on Cisco's website for both ICND1 and 2. There were a lot of questions that seemed unfair and actually wrong. If you read the comments under each module there are a number of complaints about how more than one answer could be right, the given answer was not right, the question was not worded precisely...etc. I mean, with those you'd need a lawyer to review them...lol. Not the best resource but at the same time, they do provide a huge range questions for you to at least try and think deeply about. Time can be a limiting factor with that, though.

Ron Brandt

The statistics are a 90% fail rate for first time CCNA composite exams..this is up from 80% last year.. Most do it on the second attempt. I did the CCNA Exploration at the college I work for as evening classes.. nearly 300 hours class time plus lab assignments,mid-terms,skills tests,finals and a case study that almost made me quit. Dream CCNA? I have nightmares. Just finished 3 weeks ago. Over the nearly 2 years and 4 modules I averaged an 80%. I cannot convince them to offer the Discovery track with ICND 1 & 2....They say it's too easy for college level. ??? WTF...

I was to write the composite a week ago and postponed until end of July or Aug.(we have our own test center so that was easy) Gave my mind a break by doing Microsoft 70-693 Pro and going do 70-669 on Monday. I may be able to sneak in 70-659 after. Oddly,the Cisco training actually came in handy.

I will hammer on the CCNA come July 5 for a minimum of 80 hours of review/skills practice...I do not want to become a statistic...

Ron

Turgon

JohnnyBiggles wrote: »

I studied for months killing hours & hours trying to get to know Cisco since I was new to it. I took the CCNA exam (composite) just over a month ago and didn't pass and it tore me up because I felt confident about it until about question #2 on the exam. From then on, it was pretty much me watching my $250 fly dollar by dollar out the window, but I did manage to score 6xx/825 I believe so it wasn't a total loss, it was moreso a 1st time exam shocker plus the element of information-overload. There is honestly an INSANE amount of information to know for Cisco, considering the line of questioning on the exams and how much detail, memorization and flow you need to know, and know well to successfully answer the questions.

I was super pissed because I pretty much depended on this to change my quality of life, since I'm working 2 jobs, have a BBA and am still somehow struggling, so I've been hoping this would break down a door or two. SO, I decided to slow it down and just do one test at a time, but even that isn't quite the best option because each separate ICND test, as I understood, goes even deeper in detail and is just as long as the composite with the same type of questioning, which isn't really encouraging.

So, I studied some more (by the way, I do NOT like many of the practice questions from the modules at Cisco's website... in fact, it is difficult to test yourself overall - even after answering a million questions from several resources, I still find it hard to test yourself as an actual exam would) & took the ICND1 and failed THAT (775/804). Now even more of my money is gone, and it's just my luck that my car broke down over the weekend so now even if I study AGAIN, I may not be able to take any test again for some time because when anything breaks on a car you can expect to spend no less than $300-500.

Sorry for the rant I'm just venting hoping for some compassion... but, has anyone else gone from taking the full composite to the individual exams and still had trouble getting through? Should I go back to the composite or just do ICND again? My mind is clouded. This is frustrating as hell.

The exam is tough. I think you need to bare in mind what the CCNA is designed to provide these days. When I took it in 1999, Cisco was still a relatively new thing for many shops so what was offered was a very introductory exam called the CCNA, mainly to get more technical people moving in the Cisco direction. It covered basic connectivity commands, basic interface configuration, TFTP IOS upgrade, some ACL work, very basic routing, some basic serial interface verification. The landscape was also different in terms of deployment work. Not only was the trend going from hubs to switches but this was reflected in the study requirement. So the OSI model was covered heavily as was a lot of basic level theory on routing protocols. Frame Relay coverage was limited. No ADSL. No VPN. No WICs. The main thing was to get people acquainted with a new product range from the perspective of moving from a basic mixed protocol environment with some segmentation to one moving from hubs to switches and towards IP on an unfamiliar platform. We had token ring, IBM AS400 SNA traffic, we had Novell IPX/SPX, we had old cabling, we had hubs and bridges, ArcNet, DECNET, AppleTalk, X.25, Frame Relay, ISDN. The configuration requirement of the old exam was not heavy. I worked a 3Com environment at the time and actually passed the exam with Lammle's book and no access to Cisco gear in 9 weeks! But the exam was of its time and challenging in and of itself considering the unfamiliarity people had with the specific vendor and the scarcity of study materials.

Fast forward to today and the metamorphosis that the old CCNA was preping it's readers for has long since taken place. The old desktop protocols have been replaced. IP is everywhere internally and externally. The extent of WAN and VPN has grown exponentially. VLAN separation is in. Routing protocols have had 10 years to really bed into the corporate environments. The expectations of the CCNA readership, and critically the people who need to hire CCNA's have risen. You are likely to join a busy operations team that if it has three people may have a collective experience exceeding 20 years working Cisco products and networks that they have grown with. They will have expectations, sometimes unrealistic, mean and tough expectations based on their own experience of a new hire who holds the CCNA. Dont forget there are still many time served network professionals out there that dont have the CCNA but they have been installing and troubleshooting Cisco networks for many years now. Almost fatal to bluff it these days. The NOC has emerged with discrete tasks that have been defined for a number of years now, surrounded by change control process. So the CCNA holder needs to be able to slot in to those real work requirements. This is why the CCNA has changed, and why it is difficult. It has to be difficult to meet the requirements that employers have of the workforce. Ten years ago if you had the CCNA you would have a lot of scope and lattitude to learn on the job and play things as you saw them. It was relatively new, expectations were wooly and most likely you would know as much about the stuff as the next guy you worked with, or perhaps even more. This is no longer the case and the requirements of the skills needed by a CCNA holder are much better understood in an industry that is more aware of both the network provisioning work to be done and also the skills required of the people who need to be able to carry out the actual work.

So the exam has moved with the times and is a configuration challenge. Dont give up. Carry on with the reading, keep using the practice exams, but forget GNS3. Buy a couple of used routers and switches on ebay and build a practical home lab. Time on the command line will ensure you make more sense of the material and take you over a passing score.

MrRyte

I say try the two exam approach. Each one has a specific breakdown as to what's expecting so you can concentrate your studying time better:
640-822 ICND1 - IT Certification and Career Paths - Cisco Systems
640-816 ICND2 - IT Certification and Career Paths - Cisco Systems

And here's a link that has helped me immensely:
Router Alley - Guides

And master Packet Tracer. Come up with your own networks and then have fun with them.

Don't let the frustration of losing money on the test get you down. Even if you fail more than once (the third time was the charm for me), keep in mind that you're planting seeds for a better future for yourself and your family. The Cisco exams are challenging; but that's what's expels the weak from the willing....

Press on JB, press on.....

odysseyelite

I second the two test approach. I was getting stressed out over all the materal and much there was to know. I have several books, videos, test, lab etc and I was doing circles.

Once I decided to do the two test route I was able to focus. I am now back to enjoying studying. I look forward of getting off of work and studying for a few hours each night. I now read in the morning while eating breakfast and while at work on lunch. You really have to eat sleep this stuff to make it stick.

Remember if it was easy, everyone would get it.

JohnnyBiggles

Ron Brandt wrote: »

The statistics are a 90% fail rate for first time CCNA composite exams..this is up from 80% last year.. Most do it on the second attempt. I did the CCNA Exploration at the college I work for as evening classes.. nearly 300 hours class time plus lab assignments,mid-terms,skills tests,finals and a case study that almost made me quit. Dream CCNA? I have nightmares. Just finished 3 weeks ago. Over the nearly 2 years and 4 modules I averaged an 80%. I cannot convince them to offer the Discovery track with ICND 1 & 2....They say it's too easy for college level. ??? WTF...

I was to write the composite a week ago and postponed until end of July or Aug.(we have our own test center so that was easy) Gave my mind a break by doing Microsoft 70-693 Pro and going do 70-669 on Monday. I may be able to sneak in 70-659 after. Oddly,the Cisco training actually came in handy.

I will hammer on the CCNA come July 5 for a minimum of 80 hours of review/skills practice...I do not want to become a statistic...

Ron

Wow 90%?? Where did you get this information? I guess with that said, overall, do people REALLY think the current exam material/format is fair? Is this some way for Cisco to rack up money? I mean, do you think they should lower their prices based on that number?

Do you have any idea what that % is for the ICND1 & 2?

hiddenknight821

JohnnyBiggles wrote: »

Wow 90%?? Where did you get this information? I guess with that said, overall, do people REALLY think the current exam material/format is fair? Is this some way for Cisco to rack up money? I mean, do you think they should lower their prices based on that number?

Do you have any idea what that % is for the ICND1 & 2?

I don't think Cisco would care if people failed the first time if a majority of them passed on the second attempt. They probably see this as a success since there are some people out there that tried to brain **** on their exams and assumed that they would make quick bucks. I applaud them for this, even though we were quite disappointed that we had to shell out a few hundred bucks on their exams and failed the first attempt. I know a teacher at my previous school that give students brain **** for A+ exam preparations. I told him about my concern, but he didn't take me serious. Since that day, I lost respect for him, and I hated how he wanted to include me in his "A+ hall of fame" with the rest of other fakers.

JohnnyBiggles

hiddenknight821 wrote: »

I don't think Cisco would care if people failed the first time if a majority of them passed on the second attempt...

I figured that would be the case, and even people who failed might agree that it is a "fair" exam (meaning that the questions given were not disputable). But then again, not many people really know those statistics, if indeed they are accurate. Personally, I'm not too fond of the format - particularly not being able to go back on a question, and the time given, being that much thought must go into each question considering how they may be worded or presented and also considering how much information is covered on the exams. But, it is what it is. I doubt much will change as long as people are still passing at some point.

hiddenknight821

JohnnyBiggles wrote: »

I figured that would be the case, and even people who failed might agree that it is a "fair" exam (meaning that the questions given were not disputable). But then again, not many people really know those statistics, if indeed they are accurate. Personally, I'm not too fond of the format - particularly not being able to go back on a question, and the time given, being that much thought must go into each question considering how they may be worded or presented and also considering how much information is covered on the exams. But, it is what it is. I doubt much will change as long as people are still passing at some point.

Definitely. Think about it. If you never took the Cisco exam, then I can guarantee you that you got thrown off for maybe 5-10% of your exam time because of how the exam was designed. I mean I was trying to get familiar with how testlet, simlet, simulation, fill-in-the-blank, drag-and-drop, and the multiple-choice question. I also have to really re-read the question, since I know I cannot go back to the previous questions. SO probably a lot of us lost a good considerable amount of time we could use to pass the exam without hasting. I think this is the reason why the majority of us failed first time.

mikej412

hiddenknight821 wrote: »

I mean I was trying to get familiar with how testlet, simlet, simulation, fill-in-the-blank, drag-and-drop, and the multiple-choice question.

The demo you can go through at the the test center before the exam is also available online: Certification Exam Tutorial - IT Certification and Career Paths - Cisco Systems

hiddenknight821

mikej412 wrote: »

The demo you can go through at the the test center before the exam is also available online: Certification Exam Tutorial - IT Certification and Career Paths - Cisco Systems

Thanks Mike. I saw that somewhere before, but I didn't know about this when I took my CCENT for the first time. I was not used to the interface, and even if I do know what the actual test is gonna look like, I still find myself trying to figure out how it works in and out. I felt like I missed one of the three panes that I could have found useful to select the best answer due to the time limit. I was rushed through the exam.

Turgon

hiddenknight821 wrote: »

I don't think Cisco would care if people failed the first time if a majority of them passed on the second attempt. They probably see this as a success since there are some people out there that tried to brain **** on their exams and assumed that they would make quick bucks. I applaud them for this, even though we were quite disappointed that we had to shell out a few hundred bucks on their exams and failed the first attempt. I know a teacher at my previous school that give students brain **** for A+ exam preparations. I told him about my concern, but he didn't take me serious. Since that day, I lost respect for him, and I hated how he wanted to include me in his "A+ hall of fame" with the rest of other fakers.

There is a lot of this about, schools and instructors handing out ****. The driver is wanting high rates of pass success, bragging rights to entice more students. If people are shelling out for expensive training they often do expect to pass the test at the end of the course. It's a dirty business.

odysseyelite

I saw the same thing in my classes for Cisco. I was speaking to my teacher about my experiance in his office before class. He handed me a copy of ********* book or something of that nature. I declined and said I did not need it. I told him it does not do much good to just pass the exam and then get out into the real world with a memory of just Q & A's.

From what a friend said after he took his CCNA, he doesn't even see how people could use the brain **** and still pass. It is not like comptia's all multiple choice questions which are short and sweet with no sims.

ehnde

JohnnyBiggles wrote: »

Wow 90%?? Where did you get this information? I guess with that said, overall, do people REALLY think the current exam material/format is fair? Is this some way for Cisco to rack up money? I mean, do you think they should lower their prices based on that number?

Do you have any idea what that % is for the ICND1 & 2?

I'm wondering where he got that statistic too

I don't think Cisco shares that information.

The exam is fair, and a good measure of competence. I took and passed the composite exam on the first try. Looking back on it (I passed in March) it was absolutely critical that I get the CCNA for the job I have now. However, at the time I didn't know it would be that way and I didn't care.

I was having so much fun studying for the 640-802 that I didn't care anymore about playing video games or even my favorite t.v. shows. That is the secret to getting your score up. Try not to think about what new job you might get or how much it might pay when you get your CCNA. Be very, very interested in your studies!! That is all I can add to what I've already seen on this thread (some really great advice).

Your scores are not ridiculously low. You are closer than you think. Hang in there!

viper75

It's part of the Cisco Cert world.

My suggestion is to study 24/7. Like someone else said. Live, breathe, dream Cisco. You have to put your time in and DO NOT rush it! Take your time! You will truly know when you're ready for the exam. Save your money until you "KNOW" you're ready

One thing is to "think" you're ready, and another thing is to "know" that you're ready.

I worked with Cisco for many years before I took the exam. Lots of hands on whether labbing or at work plus reading the books helps put things together.

Taking practice exams over and over does not do anything for you. Because by the 2nd or 3rd time you take the practice test, you would have memorized the questions and answers. It happens to all of us. And at the end you're not really doing anything positive or learning much.

On the positive side of taking practice exams, you get a feel for what you might encounter during the real exam. The type of questions, wording and you also, learn the time management aspect of taking the test. A lot of people run out of time and fail.

Read, lab, watch videos, read, lab, watch videos is pretty much what you have to do on a daily basis before things start to stick.

Best of luck next time!

Turgon

odysseyelite wrote: »

I saw the same thing in my classes for Cisco. I was speaking to my teacher about my experiance in his office before class. He handed me a copy of ********* book or something of that nature. I declined and said I did not need it. I told him it does not do much good to just pass the exam and then get out into the real world with a memory of just Q & A's.

Again, just another example of unprofessional practice by an instructor. It's rife. My gut feeling tells me that most people these days with vendor qualifications have used ****. There is an equalizer though, interviews and real work. The quality of many certified candidates coming through is very poor these days. It's hire and fire.

MrRyte

Turgon wrote: »

Again, just another example of unprofessional practice by an instructor. It's rife. My gut feeling tells me that most people these days with vendor qualifications have used ****. There is an equalizer though, interviews and real work. The quality of many certified candidates coming through is very poor these days. It's hire and fire.

And therein lies the issue for me. This practice sacrifices long-term sustainability for the sake of short-term profit. If there are more people that are ****-certified, eventually it will get to the point where employers won't seriously consider looking at anyone with a less than a CCNP (thus making the CCENT/CCNA practically useless.....

)

Hopefully the interviewer will have a solid enough basis to weed the "dumpsters" out BEFORE they unleash their ineptitude on the network.

viper75

MrRyte wrote: »

And therein lies the issue for me. This practice sacrifices long-term sustainability for the sake of short-term profit. If there are more people that are ****-certified, eventually it will get to the point where employers won't seriously consider looking at anyone with a less than a CCNP (thus making the CCENT/CCNA practically useless..... )

Hopefully the interviewer will have a solid enough basis to weed the "dumpsters" out BEFORE they unleash their ineptitude on the network.

You will meet A LOT of paper Engineers throughout your IT career. On paper they look good with all these certs, including Cisco, but you put them to work and they can't figure out how to create an SVI on a switch. Kind of sad!

There was this guy I used to work with in my previous job and he swore he was a CCNA and his cert expired. But then claimed he didn't have much switch experience and when asked to configure a port on a layer 2 switch for a certain VLAN, he was clueless and didn't know how to do it.

This guy was a character. But sad, it's annoying working with people that claim they can do all these things, but when put to work, they freeze and know nothing.

The only reason why this guy kept his job as long as he did was because he was a good brown noser. He got canned after I left a few years ago.

JohnnyBiggles

MrRyte wrote: »

And therein lies the issue for me. This practice sacrifices long-term sustainability for the sake of short-term profit. If there are more people that are ****-certified, eventually it will get to the point where employers won't seriously consider looking at anyone with a less than a CCNP (thus making the CCENT/CCNA practically useless..... )

Hopefully the interviewer will have a solid enough basis to weed the "dumpsters" out BEFORE they unleash their ineptitude on the network.

I don't think you can braindump your way through the CCNA or even the CCENT for that matter at all, the way it currently is. I'm not familiar with how it was years ago, but from what I understand they have changed it to be more "real world" at least in the last 3-5 years and it does feel that way even being new to it... it just feels as if you need to be an expert on the material on every level from entry. I plan to pursue the CCNP and more, but I'm REALLY hoping that the companies aren't in the older state of mind of how it was and realize how difficult the exam/certification process has become and they don't let the value of the CCNA sink down to Geek Squad level salaries (no offense to anyone working at Geek Squad, I just think there should be some respectable base salary for a CCNA no matter where you are and from what I hear, what they pay is ok for a starting tech but not a 2011 CCNA). I know you have to start somewhere but people have to live!

Asif Dasl

JohnnyBiggles wrote: »

I don't think you can braindump your way through the CCNA or even the CCENT for that matter at all, the way it currently is. I'm not familiar with how it was years ago, but from what I understand they have changed it to be more "real world" at least in the last 3-5 years and it does feel that way even being new to it...

I think you are kidding yourself if you don't think the CCNA and CCENT is being braindumped. Even the CCIE written probably gets dumped a lot. The sims do make you know the material better but the rest of the test could be braindumped as easily as any other test. And I don't know for sure, but maybe even sims get braindumped.

FWIW CCNA is entry level Cisco so don't expect it to pay as much as a CCNP. I don't think you will ever get paid Geek Squad salary levels with a CCNA, unless you have a CCNA and you still work in Geek Squad... but then you have other problems

blackberry

ccna was the hardest exam to prepare for because of the amount of topics to study for, ridiculously extensive so I know where your coming from.

I failed 1 time and passed the second.

A lot of what I learned in CCNA i can apply to my job but just because I passed does not make me a master in switching and routing

I took a ccna security bootcamp, and i am behind studying because my ccnp switching bootcamp starts in a couple of weeks so I have to take care of both in the next 2 months