TSHOOT 2/12. New CCNP!

nel

Well just got back from taking my tshoot exam and are here to report i am now CCNP!

after listening to some feedback from the boards here i decided to book it at the earliest date i could, which was 2 weeks after i had taken my ROUTE exam. Received 100% in the troubleshooting section but must have got 1 question wrong in the MCQ, so i scored my highest mark to date.

Here is my advice, make of it what you wish.

1) Imo this exam is best left until last. Take it very soon after your 2nd NP exam as its a refresh of the route/switch configurations really.
2) I read the OCG. I thought the book was OK but it was very much an overview. Looking back i guess it was appropriate as the exam is an overview of the prior two. The thing that bugged me is that it threw some newbies in like multicast etc that were never mentioned in either route or switch.
3) Get used to the Exam Layout!!!! i cant stress this enough. Get used to working on a crappy small screen with multiple windows! its very frustrating imo.
The demo can be found at TSHOOT Demo Item
4) Download and study the topologies from the cisco website!!! These are available to all before you go in the exam.
5) You cant take the topologies into the exam nor are you given a copy. I would recommend taking the first 10 minutes of it writing them down on a notepad that you are given. I asked for an extra board so i could draw all 3 topologies and additional notes. Some people see this as a waste of time but you get 2hrs+ for the exam and its plenty. This was a key move in my exam success i feel especially for quick reference.
6) if you arent sure on a question simply abort, move on and come back later. As the demo states, once you complete the ticket you CANNOT go back to it!
7) i would highly recommend watching kevin wallaces "abort" approach. it helped in a few questions for me. TSHOOT Bull's Eye Strategy #3 - YouTube
keep a close eye on the SMALL details! dont overlook and just assume stuff, simply confirm the IP your pinging for example.
9) remember only some commands are supported, not all, so dont flap and find an alternative. It usually means it isnt relevant in the scenario. Remember show run is your friend . See point 7 on how to compare configs between tickets.
10) Try not to guess things as if you choose the wrong source for the problem then you will get the subsequent questions wrong in the ticket too and it will have a domino effect on your score.
11) when troubleshooting i always confirmed client connectivity first using ipconfig. Once confirmed i then proceeded to ping the border router to verify connectivity. If there were issues in between then i would zone down by pinging each hop. If not i would investigate external links.

Studying the topology:

As cisco give you the topology a quick study of it shows what problems you may run into so i devised a plan in what to look for straight from the topologies provided and concentrated around these:

1) NAT
2) ipv4/ipv6 routing issues - ospf/eigrp/bgp/ripng
3) redistribution
4) HSRP
5) L2 issues - VLAN, etherchannel
6) DHCP

A few other things popped up but that would violate the NDA so cant mention them.

Hope that helps.

Thanks

Andrew

DPG

Congrats! I knew you could do it.

wrwarwick

Awesome. Great accomplishment, great write up.

Bl8ckr0uter

Awesome job. What's up next?

SharkDiver

Congratulations!

Great job.
Those darn multiple choice questions.

creamy_stew

Great job!

nel

hey,

Thanks everyone.

Well im not entirely sure what to do next. Im quite tempted to cross over into the JNCIS-ENT as alot of it is overlap in terms of theory. i just need t learn the junos commands. Plus i work with junos quite alot so it would be helpful. After that, i want to do the CCIP. At work we use BGP alot and i need to strengthen up in this area more. Plus we are looking to build a new MPLS network too, so it makes sense to do the IP as it will go with some great hands on experience whilst doing it. Plus if i do the IP it would set me up nicely for (dare i say it) the IE . Thats a long term goal anyway. Plus i need to finish my Masters degree dissertation between now and may too. So i have plenty t get cracking with

Thanks for all your support and answers to silly questions too. i love this forum man! great place.

pham0329

Congrats!

I was kind of like you after I finished my CCNP. After the CCNA, I knew I wanted the CCNP, but once I had the NP, I had no idea what to do next. So now, I'm just reading up on things I'm weak in such as QoS, ASA/Security, MPLS, etc..

nethacker

pham0329 wrote: »

Congrats!

I was kind of like you after I finished my CCNP. After the CCNA, I knew I wanted the CCNP, but once I had the NP, I had no idea what to do next. So now, I'm just reading up on things I'm weak in such as QoS, ASA/Security, MPLS, etc..

same as me too. i am just so confused on what to read for next. But i have been reading randomly by checking out what CCIE syllabus contain so i am gearing my study towards that. Although i am currently reading advanced routing and switching.

nel

nethacker wrote: »

same as me too. i am just so confused on what to read for next. But i have been reading randomly by checking out what CCIE syllabus contain so i am gearing my study towards that. Although i am currently reading advanced routing and switching.

Yeah, i know the feeling. Im torn between going for the IE R&S or continue on with pro level certs and wait for more exposure and experience. I have to say, im VERY tempted by the IE R&S but feel i may be out of my depth if i do .

DT and co have given me some good advice in my thread http://www.techexams.net/forums/ccie/72405-when-go-ccie.html

nethacker

nel wrote: »

Yeah, i know the feeling. Im torn between going for the IE R&S or continue on with pro level certs and wait for more exposure and experience. I have to say, im VERY tempted by the IE R&S but feel i may be out of my depth if i do .

DT and co have given me some good advice in my thread http://www.techexams.net/forums/ccie/72405-when-go-ccie.html

as much as i am tempted to do so too, i would never deceive myself as regards my readiness for the exam. With the bootcamp all around and intense study i know i can pass the exam but that can never be enough for me if i don't have the necessary experience that a CCIE is expected to have. Just don't want to be a paper CCIE like a friend of mine who dumped and pass CCNP but couldn't do basic routing protocol troubleshooting.
As for me, i want to have the necessary exposure and experience required of a real CCIE. The fulfillment comes when you know that you TRULY merit the CCIE.