This morning I wrote the ICND2 exam and passed. I took the ICND1 on July 14 and 6 weeks later I took this one. The exams are tough but are not impossible with enough time invested. Below is my review on the materials used.
1.) Real hardware lab. Yes it was expensive but I knew I was going to go for CCNP and spent the money on it. I used 3460, 2600xm, 2600, and 2500 routers. I also had 2950's switches. I liked this over packet tracer because nothing can replace the real thing, plus PT does not do switch labs. 2500 routers would have be enough for the CCNA. I did all of Chris Bryant's labs on them with the exception of the 2600 as a frame relay.
2.)Packet tracer: used it at work, for ICND is was decent because it was basic setup. Good to have at work when you have some free time to study.
3.) Odom's books: I really liked his books. Yes, they were dry in some places and went into alot of details. I read the ICND1 book twice and everything started to "stick".
Amazon.com: CCNA Official Exam Certification Library (Exam 640-802), Third Edition (Containing ICND1 and ICND2 Second Edition Exam Certification Guides) (9781587201837): Wendell Odom: Books
4.) Todd Lammle's book: Also a great book. Geared towards CCNA composite exam. The new edition is broken up for ICND1 and ICND2 if the test taker decides to go that route. His writing style is more laid back. I try to read more than one resource, so I chose both his and Odom's book.
Amazon.com: CCNA Official Exam Certification Library (Exam 640-802), Third Edition (Containing ICND1 and ICND2 Second Edition Exam Certification Guides) (9781587201837): Wendell Odom: Books
5.) CBT Nuggets: They are great, enough said.
6.) 31 Days Before Your CCNA Exam: decent book. I read it in a week instead of day by day. Good study plan inside you decide to follow it, referances Odom's books. I usually read a exam cram book after reading my main books, I used this instead. Great to have for lunch breaks at work. You can review a chapter you have studied already in a short amount of time. I read bits and pieces just before my test at the coffee shop.
Amazon.com: 31 Days Before Your CCNA Exam: A day-by-day review guide for the CCNA 640-802 exam (2nd Edition) (9781587131974): Allan Johnson: Books
7.)Cisco Academy: I took the classes. They are decent depending on the instructor. I needed someone to push me to study, the instructor had a laid back teaching method. He read the powerpoints and showed us CBT nuggets. Not all courses are like that, my friend's was the opposite. Not to bad mouth the instructor, he went the route he did because he knew most of us were working professionals and sometimes did not have time for school. I accept the fact I slacked off when taking the classes.
8.) Chris Bryant's CCNA Study Guide: Awesome material. Its 25 bucks, and one of the best study guides I found. Chris is great as you can ask him a question on facebook or email and he responds! I bought it a week before the exam because I was only getting 70's on my pratice exams. I needed something else to fill in the blanks and reading the entire books again was not an option. Also came with the CCNA-S study material. I also liked his free tutorials on his page and yourtube. Great to watch when eating dinner, taking a break from reading, taking a break at work. Who doesn't have 5 minutes to spare in the day?
CCNA CCNP Cisco Security Certification Exam, CCNA Boot Camp CBT
9.) Boson Examsim: I used the one with Odom's book. Great pratice and makes the price for the book worth it. For ICND1 I was hitting 90+% and they were much harder questions than the real exam.
10.) I forgot one book. CCNA Portable Command Guide : Its cheap and good to have on the shelf. Great to have when you mess up and forget how to set the register or wipe the flash and need to xmodem the IOS over. Not that I did that 8:) I plan on keeping this book around for future use.
Taking the Cisco Academy out of the time frame (because i didnt pay enough attention), I passed the two exams in about 5 months. I studied for 3+ hours after work, all day on the weekends. Some days spending 8+ hours. There were some days I did not study because I had to see family or spent time with the GF. I did not keep track of lab hours, and I could have used more but I had a goal to finish this by labor day. When they say you need to eat, sleep, live Cisco they are not kidding. I knew I was ready at the end because I was tired of reading the same information and I was dreaming about STP...not kidding here.
Next for me: I am building my CCNP lab. I plan on finishing my MCSE by March. 2 months to prepare for each exam. It is mainly to help market myself as I work with 2003 Server all the time. I am debating on taking the CCNA-S before CCNP. My other goal is to have CCNP by next fall.
