Failed CCNA, seeking advice on next move

MacGuffin

I've been a lurker on this forum for a few weeks now. Found some great stuff. I have a very newbie question so please forgive me if this has been asked and answered before.

I took the CCNA test yesterday and got a score of 722. Passing is 825. The exam report I got after the exam showed I did poorly in the implement/verify NAT/ACL questions and the implement/verify WAN link questions. I did well on the other topics.

Question is, should I try the CCNA test again or try the ICND1/ICND2 path?

I took a CCNA course through New Horizons and have the CCNA practice exam from Transcender. (I don't like the Transcender practice tests so much, I might try to get my money back.) I also have a bunch of Cisco gear that I've been practicing with.

The test proctor said something to the effect of with a score that high I should just try a re-take as soon as possible. I don't know if he was honest and sincere or just trying to sell more exams to another sucker.

With some of the other threads I've read on this forum I've been lead to believe that I should be able to pass the ICND1 exam with little difficulty and no extra preparation. For the ICND2 exam I believe I should get more practice with my Cisco gear before I make an attempt. Does that sound about right?

I'm leaning toward the ICND1/ICND2 path right now since that breaks up the cost and therefore the losses if I fail another exam. A concern I have is that I don't really know what to expect in an ICND1 exam compared to what I've studied for the CCNA exam. I expect the ICND2 exam to be very similar to the CCNA exam.

spicy ahi

You won't have any issues going the two test route. Honestly, that's a pretty good score for having taken the composite test. Was that your first attempt at a Cisco exam? And do you work with cisco equipment or have a lab to play with? Having a lab to play with should help you with the areas you did poorly in. As for splitting the test, I don't think you'd have to worry about it. It's still all of the same information covered in the composite exam. In fact, if the above mentioned areas are your weak points and you did very well in the other areas (80% or better) I'd say you're probably ready to take the ICND1 right away.

SharkDiver

I'd give it another month looking over the material, paying close attention to the areas you had problems with, and go for it again.

MacGuffin

spicy ahi wrote: »

Was that your first attempt at a Cisco exam?

Let's see how short I can make a long story. I took the CCNA test before about three weeks ago. On one question during the test the computer started to act funny. The mouse would not respond to mouse clicks but the timer kept counting down. I called for the proctor, she could not help me, she called for a technician, he saw nothing wrong. I was only able to continue by leaving the question unanswered. Because of the confusion during the first exam I was unable to complete it in the time allotted. I asked for, and got, a free re-take from the testing company. (I'll leave the name of the specific company out of the story, at least for now.)

Whether or not that first attempt "counts" or not is up to debate in my mind.

spicy ahi wrote: »

And do you work with cisco equipment or have a lab to play with?

I have a mix of 2600 and 2500 series routers and four switches. I have a list of the specific equipment in another thread. I feel that only one of the switches is new enough to really be useful for practice so I'm left with mostly reading up for study there. The routers have been quite useful in my studies.

The switching topics have been a bit weak for me since I don't really have the equipment to practice with. Judging from my scores I doubt having another switch to play with would have been enough to put me over the top on my last test. I don't really have the funds for more gear.

mallyg27

MacGuffin wrote: »

Let's see how short I can make a long story. I took the CCNA test before about three weeks ago. On one question during the test the computer started to act funny. The mouse would not respond to mouse clicks but the timer kept counting down. I called for the proctor, she could not help me, she called for a technician, he saw nothing wrong. I was only able to continue by leaving the question unanswered. Because of the confusion during the first exam I was unable to complete it in the time allotted. I asked for, and got, a free re-take from the testing company. (I'll leave the name of the specific company out of the story, at least for now.)

Whether or not that first attempt "counts" or not is up to debate in my mind.



I have a mix of 2600 and 2500 series routers and four switches. I have a list of the specific equipment in another thread. I feel that only one of the switches is new enough to really be useful for practice so I'm left with mostly reading up for study there. The routers have been quite useful in my studies.

The switching topics have been a bit weak for me since I don't really have the equipment to practice with. Judging from my scores I doubt having another switch to play with would have been enough to put me over the top on my last test. I don't really have the funds for more gear.

Use packet tracer then for the switching topics.

spicy ahi

MacGuffin wrote: »

Let's see how short I can make a long story. I took the CCNA test before about three weeks ago. On one question during the test the computer started to act funny. The mouse would not respond to mouse clicks but the timer kept counting down. I called for the proctor, she could not help me, she called for a technician, he saw nothing wrong. I was only able to continue by leaving the question unanswered. Because of the confusion during the first exam I was unable to complete it in the time allotted. I asked for, and got, a free re-take from the testing company. (I'll leave the name of the specific company out of the story, at least for now.)

Whether or not that first attempt "counts" or not is up to debate in my mind.

edit: Just saw your equipment post and you're right. With what you have, you had enough to study. I think you could do a solid month review trying to emulate the examples as best you can with what you have and you should do fine. But if you still want to go the two test route, I'm pretty sure you'll blow away the ICND1 so it might not be a bad idea to take and pass that then go back and concentrate on ICND2. Either way, a month of dedicated study will get you over the hump. Good luck!

I have a mix of 2600 and 2500 series routers and four switches. I have a list of the specific equipment in another thread. I feel that only one of the switches is new enough to really be useful for practice so I'm left with mostly reading up for study there. The routers have been quite useful in my studies.

The switching topics have been a bit weak for me since I don't really have the equipment to practice with. Judging from my scores I doubt having another switch to play with would have been enough to put me over the top on my last test. I don't really have the funds for more gear.

Ah, ok. So it is your first completed attempt then. Still, that was pretty good. Depending on how you feel personally, I lean towards following SharkDiver's advice and taking a month to shore up some of your problem areas before attempting. Also, picking up a 3550 and 2950 shouldn't set you too far back and they'll come in handy for your further Cisco pursuits so I'd recommend making an attempt to acquire them. They'll definitely help you shore up your switching knowledge. I've seen a couple of 3550's on ebay for about $100 and a couple of 2950's going for $60. But I can definitely understand that cash is short right now for everyone. (Except the 1%! *shakes fist angrily at the 1% for no apparent reason*) If you can get a hold of packet tracer, you could probably make do.

MacGuffin

SharkDiver wrote: »

I'd give it another month looking over the material, paying close attention to the areas you had problems with, and go for it again.

Yeah, about that... Again I'll see if I can make a long story short.

I lost my job about ten months ago. (Wow. Has it been that long? Time sure flies.) The Veterans Administration has been kind enough to pay for my certification schooling and testing. Thanks to a series of screw ups (the last one mentioned above being the most notable), foot dragging by some of the people responsible for fixing the screw ups (I'll admit, myself included), I'm getting uncomfortably close to the end of the funds allotted to me. I don't have a month. I was supposed to have my CCNP by now. I have a VMware class starting on the 12th. I'd like to try to make up for lost time where I can. I'm thinking that taking the ICND1 on Tuesday and the ICND2 on Friday, with some cramming in between, might be my best chance for getting the CCNA out of the way before I start a new class.

I believe I can delay the CCNP classes for a while but I really need to get the CCNA out of the way for a variety of reasons.

If only the test went smoothly a month ago... No one knows if I could have passed the test back then, I feel I forgot some stuff in that time.

Checking the local job boards I believe I can find a job fairly quickly with a CCNA and/or VMware certification. I believe I can cash in the CCNP test vouchers in at any time before the end of the year.

MacGuffin

mallyg27 wrote: »

Use packet tracer then for the switching topics.

Tell me more about "packet tracer". I have not heard of this before.

MacGuffin

spicy ahi wrote: »

(Except the 1%! *shakes fist angrily at the 1% for no apparent reason*)

You do realize that by being Cisco certified you are part of the 1%, don't you?

martell1000

I don't have a month. I was supposed to have my CCNP by now. I have a VMware class starting on the 12th. I'd like to try to make up for lost time where I can. I'm thinking that taking the ICND1 on Tuesday and the ICND2 on Friday, with some cramming in between, might be my best chance for getting the CCNA out of the way before I start a new class.

allright. lots of stuff going on there. let me tell you my opinion:

seems like your almost there - NAT and WAN are not impossible to grasp in one or two weeks - dive in and nail it

dont put yourself under the double action stress and just go for the composite. you know that you only have to improve on these 2topics - LAB it out, read, ask questions here and just do it.

7-10 days is more than enough to get NAT and WAN links clicking if the rest of the material is not an issue

good luck to you and if you got any questions dont hesitate to ask there are always people around here to help you out.

if the **** hits the fan feel free to pm me since i was in a similar situation one year ago...

Roguetadhg

Don't give up. I failed my CCNA the first time. The failed my ICND2 the first time, with a worse score than you have - 692.

Puffy

You could check out these pre made packet tracer labs from Ranet: https://learningnetwork.cisco.com/thread/4933
Those labs helped me alot; did them atleast 2-4 times before I went for the actual exam.

MacGuffin

I took a look at Packet Tracer and it appears one must have a license from Cisco to use it. Since I was not even aware of Packet Tracer before now I doubt I have permission to use it. If I am wrong here, and Packet Tracer is available for free to all, then please provide a link for download. In my internet searches on Packet Tracer I saw some places that offered it for download but the websites had an aura of illegitimacy.

I did some looking on when and where I could take my Cisco tests next week. Looks like I can take any of ICND1, ICND2, and CCNA tests on Monday, Wednesday, or Friday. I'm not sure I want to take any test on Monday, I'd like some more time to study. So the plan right now is to take the ICND1 on Wednesday, pass it, then take the ICND2 on Friday, and enjoy my first weekend as a CCNA before my VMware class on Monday.

In the unlikely event of failing the ICND1 on Wednesday (I feel like I'm jinxing myself even mentioning the possibility) I still have the possibility of re-taking the CCNA test on Friday. Either way I'm thinking right now of setting myself up for two tests next week. I think I have until Monday afternoon to decide, the test center needs some lead time before the test. Does that sound like a plan?

I'm not sure if I want to bother with software emulations like GNS3 or Packet Tracer since I have some real Cisco gear in my basement. I have a couple 2520s I can hookup, add a 2514 and/or 2501 in the mix and I can do some frame relay labs. I found out that a roll-over cable will serve nicely as a cross-over cable for the WIC-1DSU-56k4 cards I have. I can do some PPP labs or something with those too.

Using GNS3 and/or Packet Tracer might be a good idea for my CCNP studies but for right now I'm not sure I want to distract myself with them. Part of the issue is that while I have plenty of computers around here none of them are particularly speedy by contemporary standards. I saw a tutorial on GNS3 tonight and it sounds like that software could consume plenty of RAM I don't have to emulate even a small network.

In my internet research today I came across a mention of a Linux based software switch package. I believe it was called "LiSA". Its an acronym for Linux Switch Architecture or something. I must have closed the web browser window on it accidentally since I could not find it again right quick. Anyone know what this is? Would this be useful for my Cisco studies? What kind of hardware would I need? I'll probably find answers to those questions soon enough but if someone knows something off the top of their head about it then I'm all ears.

JustFred

I read somewhere about Lisa and I searched for it, this is what came up.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Lisa

MacGuffin

FredWatanabe wrote: »

I read somewhere about Lisa and I searched for it, this is what came up.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Lisa

Not that Lisa, this LiSA. This Linux Switching Appliance sounds very interesting. I know I have a shoe box full of 100bT PCI cards in my basement (another gift from the people selling the Cisco gear) and I could probably find a PC with several empty PCI slots down there too. Question is how quickly could I get this software bundle running, and how stable would it be. The screen shots show an interface that is very close to the Cisco IOS. Again, not something I will likely play with for my CCNA tests but something that might prove useful in my future studies.

I'm still not sure what the system requirements are for LiSA. I have a P5/133 PC with 2 ISA slots and 4 PCI slots that I could fill up with network cards. Would that work? Or is that digging too deep into the layers of time?

ChickenNuggetz

Honestly, it sounds like you're rushing it. You state you're worried about passing the ICND1 if you go the two exam route and you're worried about passing if you go the composite route, yet you're considering taking another swing next week. If it were me this is what I would do:

1) Go the two exam route (its still challenging, but allows you to focus in and hone your skill with a smaller list of topics)
2) Read up on the ICND1 topics, using your study materials, focus in on those topics; make sure you know them well.
3)Lab it up. Either with real hardware or packet tracer or GNS3; knowing your commands and how to analyze them will be key regardless of the path you take.
4) Give yourself more than just a week, I'd say two weeks to be fair (especially if you're a full time student or have a job), giving yourself ample time to know the material.
5) Take some practice exams. I used the Boson Exam Sims and they REALLY helped me figure out my weak areas.

Mike-Mike

Dont get discouraged, I failed ICND2 multiple times, but finally passed today

MacGuffin

ChickenNuggetz wrote: »

Honestly, it sounds like you're rushing it. You state you're worried about passing the ICND1 if you go the two exam route and you're worried about passing if you go the composite route, yet you're considering taking another swing next week. If it were me this is what I would do:

1) Go the two exam route (its still challenging, but allows you to focus in and hone your skill with a smaller list of topics)
2) Read up on the ICND1 topics, using your study materials, focus in on those topics; make sure you know them well.
3)Lab it up. Either with real hardware or packet tracer or GNS3; knowing your commands and how to analyze them will be key regardless of the path you take.
4) Give yourself more than just a week, I'd say two weeks to be fair (especially if you're a full time student or have a job), giving yourself ample time to know the material.
5) Take some practice exams. I used the Boson Exam Sims and they REALLY helped me figure out my weak areas.

You seem to be confusing my contingency plan with a lack of confidence. I am confident in being able to pass the ICND1 it's just that *IF* I do not pass the first time around I still have the opportunity to take the CCNA again so I can start my next class without the lack of a Cisco certification hanging over me. I am hoping for the best and planning for the worst.

Also, I am not stating that I will definitely take the CCNA test in the unlikely event of not passing the ICND1, merely stating that as a possibility. I will make my next move based on my ICND1 score.

I'm doing some labs on my hardware today and tomorrow. Likely I'll take some practice exams as well. I'll see if I can find a test for Wednesday or Thursday as soon as I post this.

Mstavridis

I failed ICND1 once and ICND2 once, But now that i think back on it, it would have been easier to take the CCNA test. I would had studied more and for a longer period of time.

ChickenNuggetz

MacGuffin wrote: »

You seem to be confusing my contingency plan with a lack of confidence. I am confident in being able to pass the ICND1 it's just that *IF* I do not pass the first time around I still have the opportunity to take the CCNA again so I can start my next class without the lack of a Cisco certification hanging over me. I am hoping for the best and planning for the worst.

Also, I am not stating that I will definitely take the CCNA test in the unlikely event of not passing the ICND1, merely stating that as a possibility. I will make my next move based on my ICND1 score.

I'm doing some labs on my hardware today and tomorrow. Likely I'll take some practice exams as well. I'll see if I can find a test for Wednesday or Thursday as soon as I post this.

Ah, I apologize; I had misread your post. I was also not implying you had a lack of confidence, it merely seemed that (after reading your post) you seemed to be conflicted as to what to do. In any case, my advice still stands (if youre still interested). It sounds like you have a solid idea of what to do next; I think labbing it up and taking practice exams will help tremendously and considering your first score on the composite, I really dont think you'll have trouble with the ICND1!

Good luck and let us know how things go!

break

Take the composite. ICND1 is easy, ICND2 is moderately difficult. Combine the two and it's moderately easy.

fsanyee

How can you know that it's difficult? Have you ever done it?
I don't understand why people say that without experience.
Sorry if I'm wrong.

xbuzz

fsanyee wrote: »

How can you know that it's difficult? Have you ever done it?
I don't understand why people say that without experience.
Sorry if I'm wrong.

Cause people just assume stuff.

Anyone that i've heard of that has done the both the routes, has said the 2 exam route is harder.

Mike-Mike

I took the 2 exam route, I thought part two was a beast

MacGuffin

The short story is I took the ICND1 today and passed.

The long story...
Didn't sleep well last night. Could have been the stress of studying and a test coming up, could be a cold coming on. I don't recall being so stressed when I sat for the CCNA. Anyway, I think I slept through my alarm clock. Woke up late, tired and with a headache. Shaved, showered, got dressed. Grabbed a couple Mountain Dews and a fistful of granola bars to consume on the trip, that was breakfast. What would normally be a fairly uninteresting drive down the interstate turned into a white knuckle ride as the wind tried to knock my little SUV off the road. I saw a tractor/trailer blown over in the ditch along the way.

The original plan was to be in town an hour and a half before the test so that I could get lunch before the test. My delays meant I had to go straight to the testing site. Thankfully my headache was gone, only to be replaced by hunger. I woke up a bit more but still felt tired and groggy. I ended up getting to the place a half hour before I was scheduled. The receptionist recognized me from last week and had me logged in for the exam quickly.

I sat for the test and it didn't seem too hard at first. There were a couple questions that seemed dated. I know I can't be too specific because of the NDA. The dated questions asked about the best solution considering cost. I don't know how much the different network technologies cost, didn't cover that stuff in the classes. I took a best guess at those. A couple questions were on wireless stuff that also seemed dated. A lot has changed in Wi-Fi in the last couple years. After a couple tough questions in the middle the test seemed to get easy again. It reminded me more of my Network+ test than my CCNA test. Probably better that way, I passed the Network+ test.

I was able to finish the test with more than 30 minutes to spare on the clock. As pleased as I was in passing the test I was a bit disappointed with myself on the score. I got 887 points with 804 as the passing threshold. Looking at my scores for the individual sections I see that I chose poorly on the wireless section, I got a big ol' goose egg for a score. The other parts I got either 100% or 75%.

Afterwards I had a short conversation with the receptionist. I asked him about the possibility of taking the ICND2 on Friday. He said that if I took the test then I'd have to schedule by phone since they reserve Friday testing sessions for their own students. The online system will not let people schedule for Friday tests but he'd make an exception for me since I had to drive so far. He then said that they'd be closing early on Friday, I could not schedule a test that started after 11:00. Considering the disappointing score in my hand, and the troubles I just had in getting there by noon, I pretty much made up my mind at that point I would not be taking the ICND2 on Friday.

I thanked the guy and made my way home. I got outside and saw that the weather had not improved, merely changed. The wind died down a bit but it was now raining. I stopped to get fuel ($70!! Ouch!) before getting on the interstate. A few miles out of town I was reminded of my hunger but I didn't feel like eating, if that makes any sense. I pulled over at the next rest stop and got a bottle of Mr. Pibb from a vending machine, that was lunch.

After a couple more hours of wind and rain, and seeing quite the production to get that tractor/trailer out of the ditch, I got home. After all that I was exhausted. I collapsed on the couch and slept for a few hours.

What a day. Not something I want to repeat any time soon.

noobsrevenge

Failed my CCNA today too. 775 of 825 passing. Woohoo im joining the club!

xbuzz

Congrats Macguffin. Did my ICND1 test yesterday also, thought I had failed it tbh. Also got a goose egg on WLAN, but think I only had 1 question on it (thank god). I was actually suprised, I found some of the questions themselves very evasive, in that I knew the stuff, but a few of the questions seemed to have no proper answer listed (as the question was worded wrongly).

I was pretty nervous also, as I only started studying 2 weeks ago by myself. Think i'll take abit longer to do ICND2 to cut the stress abit.

Volt+

Hey guys, sorry to hear about not passing the CCNA. I am actually taking it tomorrow morning at 9:30 am. I'm really not sure how I feel. What I am really worried about are the sim questions. I know they are rarely the same on each test. However, do you remember what kind of sims you had? Was it NAT? NAT scares the hell out of me. ACL? EIGRP? curious what you had to do, and was the ? option available for helping write out your commands? Thanks for your input.

spicy ahi

Congrats on the pass! At least you've got part one done. You should take part two ASAP (not Friday though ) so you can get it out of the way and breathe a little easier. That and now you've only got 1/2 (well, kinda sorta) of the CCNA material to worry about now.

MacGuffin

Volt+ wrote: »

Hey guys, sorry to hear about not passing the CCNA. I am actually taking it tomorrow morning at 9:30 am. I'm really not sure how I feel. What I am really worried about are the sim questions. I know they are rarely the same on each test. However, do you remember what kind of sims you had? Was it NAT? NAT scares the hell out of me. ACL? EIGRP? curious what you had to do, and was the ? option available for helping write out your commands? Thanks for your input.

I'm not sure what I can state about the test content without breaking the NDA. The topics covered on the tests are not a secret, you will be asked about NAT, ACL, EIGRP, and a few other combinations of capitalized letters.

The ? command did work for me but I've heard it did not work for others. I suspect the simulation software has improved and the ? command was added. I recall that tab completion worked as well. I've read claims that use of tab completion and the ? command will take points off your score, I have trouble believing them though.

I've heard others give this advice and I used it. You will have some time between getting your little dry erase board and the start of the test, use this time to write down some notes. This will save time and reduce some of the inevitable panic and doubt during the test. I wrote down the powers of two and other computations to help with the sub-netting questions.

MrXpert

Volt+ wrote: »

Hey guys, sorry to hear about not passing the CCNA. I am actually taking it tomorrow morning at 9:30 am. I'm really not sure how I feel. What I am really worried about are the sim questions. I know they are rarely the same on each test. However, do you remember what kind of sims you had? Was it NAT? NAT scares the hell out of me. ACL? EIGRP? curious what you had to do, and was the ? option available for helping write out your commands? Thanks for your input.

Good luck Volt+
let us know how you get on.
Once you pass, you'll look back and think nothing to it