Scheduled CCNA 640-802 Test

Hello all. I have been given 4 months to study and pass the 640-802. The test has been scheduled for January 2nd 2013. I'm a Server Admin by trade by I have recently been informed that I will be moving towards Network Admin. I have very limited experience with configuring Cisco devices. I have configured a port and set tweaked ACL's a few times. But that is about it. My study materials given to me are the CCNA bood from Sybex written by Todd Lammle and an account with Testout with CCNA materials.

I've been through the OSI and TCP/IP sections of testout the last two days and am now rolling into the IOS interface.

My main concern is that I wont have enough time. I am a dedicated guy with a lot of self discipline so I am studying every night for 2 to 3 hours over the next 4 months.

Any thoughts out there if that will grant me a reasonable chance of success? Are there any other materials I should look into that will help?

Find more posts tagged with

Free for TechExams community: Cybersecurity salary guide

Compare cert salaries and plan your next career move

Button

Comments

Ltat42a

With your dedication and commitment, you should do fine. Labs are also an important facet of preparing for the exam. Packet Tracer, GNS3, and/or real Cisco devices are great for doing labs. I also have a bunch of information about CCNA labs on my blog, look in my Sig below.

Here's a tutorial from Cisco on the type of exam -
Cisco Certification Exam Tutorial - Cisco Systems

Youtube is also great resource. This guy has CCNA 1-4:
DansCourses - YouTube

hth

Illumanati

3fJ wrote: »

Hello all. I have been given 4 months to study and pass the 640-802. The test has been scheduled for January 2nd 2013. I'm a Server Admin by trade by I have recently been informed that I will be moving towards Network Admin. I have very limited experience with configuring Cisco devices. I have configured a port and set tweaked ACL's a few times. But that is about it. My study materials given to me are the CCNA bood from Sybex written by Todd Lammle and an account with Testout with CCNA materials.

I've been through the OSI and TCP/IP sections of testout the last two days and am now rolling into the IOS interface.

My main concern is that I wont have enough time. I am a dedicated guy with a lot of self discipline so I am studying every night for 2 to 3 hours over the next 4 months.

Any thoughts out there if that will grant me a reasonable chance of success? Are there any other materials I should look into that will help?

I would do only the exam objectives from CCENT and match them to ONLY the chapters in Testout.com and I would not recommend you try to read that 800-1000 page Sybex tome.

Testout is all you need but you have to document or take notes of each section you do because it is difficult to maintain it since it is ALL online!! Testout, like many others like Measure Up and Pearson Vue etc, are all online "webstream" format so eventhough your progress is only tracked from a completion standpoint, it doesn't measure what you know or got out of it so all I am saying is TAKE COPIUS NOTES when doing any online training like Testout so you have a physical "record" of what you did "physically" by taking notes.

Doing it online, there is no tracking of what you did "physically"!

I would avoid reading from cover to cover any book for CCENT because they might not hit "your target" on how you learn from beginning (starting fresh) or even if you want to start from scratch, the book "might not let you" so since it is an entry-level exam, just read the chapter summaries and maybe do the questions at the end of each chapter for CCENT and then do ICND2 by reading a good ICND2 source "cover to cover" or maybe retake a Cisco IV course and do labs on your own concurrently for ICND2?!

This is my best answer.

Legacy User

I totally understand. When I was given that book it fell off the desk and cracked the concrete floor.

Roguetadhg

Welcome to TechExams.

I think it might be a good idea to read that entire tome.

It's a compilation of theory and lab (at times) as examples. I'm not sure how that book is handled, but the Wendell's... You gotta read it all back to front. Taking notes along the way, and reviewing all the way to make sure you don't forget what you read 3 weeks ago.

You'll definitely need to lab, and know how to subnet your way out of a box. It's going to be a lot to chew on. So get practicing with Subnetting today :P

Labbing, like I said, pick up a lab site and start grinding commands into your grey matter. Look over the output, think of different ways to get the same information. You may not be able to "show running-configuration."

JeanM

Illumanati wrote: »

I would do only the exam objectives from CCENT and match them to ONLY the chapters in Testout.com and I would not recommend you try to read that 800-1000 page Sybex tome.

Testout is all you need but you have to document or take notes of each section you do because it is difficult to maintain it since it is ALL online!! Testout, like many others like Measure Up and Pearson Vue etc, are all online "webstream" format so eventhough your progress is tracked from a completion standpoint, it doesn't measure what you know or got out of it so all I am saying is TAKE COPIUS NOTES when doing any online training like Testout so you have a physical "record" of what you did "physically" by taking notes and then can go back to and not all "virtual" or "in the cloud" that only marks completion.

Doing it online, there is no tracking of what you did "physically"!

I would avoid reading from cover to cover any book for CCENT because they might not hit "your target" on how you learn from beginning (starting fresh) or even if you want to start from scratch, the book "might not let you" so since it is an entry-level exam, just read the chapter summaries and maybe do the questions at the end of each chapter for CCENT and then do ICND2 by reading a good ICND2 source "cover to cover" or maybe retake a Cisco IV course and do labs on your own concurrently for ICND2?!

This is my best answer.

Best reply yet. Do what this guy says if you want to fail.

zrockstar

Hit up INE, their CCNA video boot camp is free right now. Since you already have some admin experience, you can totally get your CCNA by January. Just start going through the material and ask questions here when you run into them. Since it is a requirement for work, I would ask them to spring for some formal training for you. I know there are a couple boot camp style courses in Portland, and the price shouldn't be a big deal to them to guarantee your success. Welcome to TE by the way, nice to see another Oregonian.

johnifanx98

3fJ wrote: »

Hello all. I have been given 4 months to study and pass the 640-802. The test has been scheduled for January 2nd 2013. I'm a Server Admin by trade by I have recently been informed that I will be moving towards Network Admin. I have very limited experience with configuring Cisco devices. I have configured a port and set tweaked ACL's a few times. But that is about it. My study materials given to me are the CCNA bood from Sybex written by Todd Lammle and an account with Testout with CCNA materials.

I've been through the OSI and TCP/IP sections of testout the last two days and am now rolling into the IOS interface.

My main concern is that I wont have enough time. I am a dedicated guy with a lot of self discipline so I am studying every night for 2 to 3 hours over the next 4 months.

Any thoughts out there if that will grant me a reasonable chance of success? Are there any other materials I should look into that will help?

CBT nuggets are good if your boss can cover the one grand subscription fee per yr for you...

Legacy User

What they gave to me is all I am going to get for free. They spent like $1000 for that book, software, and test fee. I got almost 2 hours in last night. I have two kids so the only time I have is after 9pm. I get tired but I really have no other option.

My plan is to go straight through each section once taking each quiz along the way until I complete the whole Testout regiment. Then I will go back to the start and watch each video section again. I will take notes and study those notes before each quiz. I will take each quiz only once. When I am done with the whole thing I will see where I need to focus. Then I will just study my notes and the book until I have comfortably passed each quiz.

Illumanati

3fJ wrote: »

What they gave to me is all I am going to get for free. They spent like $1000 for that book, software, and test fee. I got almost 2 hours in last night. I have two kids so the only time I have is after 9pm. I get tired but I really have no other option.

My plan is to go straight through each section once taking each quiz along the way until I complete the whole Testout regiment. Then I will go back to the start and watch each video section again. I will take notes and study those notes before each quiz. I will take each quiz only once. When I am done with the whole thing I will see where I need to focus. Then I will just study my notes and the book until I have comfortably passed each quiz.

Great plan. Testout will get you plenty of basics QUICKLY. I did the same and learned a lot but haven't completed the entire testout ccna. It's going to take you some time to go thru testout TWICE so I recommend the following: Try to match what you do on tesout to the official CCENT exam objectives. I created an excel spreadsheet online using google docs so let me know if you need to look at it to save you the trouble. Then, as you go through the testout, tick off what parts you know. This will allow you to move into practice test questions *knowing* what you already know "for a fact"!!

Legacy User

I don't get to go for the CCENT. I have to take the composite CCNA 640-802. One shot one kill. I am considering buying the Boson stuff 30 days out from the test. But I have 3 more months until I am that close to decide.

huafist

3fJ wrote: »

I don't get to go for the CCENT. I have to take the composite CCNA 640-802. One shot one kill. I am considering buying the Boson stuff 30 days out from the test. But I have 3 more months until I am that close to decide.

Good luck!
I was going to take the composite test, but since noone is requiring me to, I've elected to split it up. I'm taking ICND1 on Monday.