Anyone passed the CCNA composite at one go through self study?

palit

Hi all,Just needed a bit of motivation.Is there anyone who has passed CCNA composite exam at one go and did not have to retake the test?
I am too p***** off with the studies and the vast syllabus.The more I study (most of the days I study till 3 am)burning midnight oil and all the more I feel I have so much more to cover.I wanted to appear for ICND1 and thought I am well prepared for it.But unknowingly I had purchased a voucher from some study centre which permits me to sit for the composite exam only.My exam is on the 22nd and i donot want to ruin my christmas by not passing it.HELP!!!!

Alhaji265

It is possible to request a refund, I did that when I registered through either VUE or Pearson, if I am not mistake.

palit

I asked them about it but since I didnt purchase it from them and instead used a voucher code given to me by openit training centre,I couldn't ask for a refund.It was not in Pearson Vue's hands and Openit wouldn't give me a refund.Tried them all

j4rt02

I passed today on my first go, self study. Don't give up!

For me the key at the beginning was good videos. The Cisco Press books failed to get me excited. My favorite by far was the CBT Nuggets series. They have this 24 pass for $24 dollars, way good deal. Near the end I used it to do some Transcender practice tests. I have to SEE it in order to understand or even be excited. At the end of the series, I filled in the gaps with the books, but by then I was way further than I expected to be.

For things like subnetting, I just had to turn it into a game, like timing all of my responses to subnetting.org - Free Subnetting Questions and Answers Randomly Generated Online and Practice Subnet Skills: Design a VLSM Network, working to beat my averages of the previous day.

At the VERY end, the Cisco Press 31 Days to CCNA had the best coverage / most concise review. Studying this for a week got me nearly closer than months of study.

DANMOH009

Ye buddy dont give up, I passed first go and did self study.

* I used CBT
* Todd lammle
* A hell of a lot of labbing (found sources online) and just kept creating my own labs.

It is possible, but you just got to know your stuff because there are times when nerves take over, but if the knowledge is there you'll be fine mate

ehnde

I passed the composite. Getting CCNA really changed my life, and the knowledge I gained has been very valuable. It has led to promotions and advances for me, and it will do the same for you.

Advice for passing:
1.pretend like you are studying for the CCIE lab exam. Yes, take it very seriously.
2.Have top notch reading comprehension. Probably the most important aspect of taking Cisco exams.
3.Expect subnetting questions to be embedded in the exam questions. Can you subnet anything in under 45 seconds?
4.Before you go to take your exam, treat yourself to some nice strong coffee and a decent meal.
5.Either build a lab, or fork out $100 for this.

I did 10 minutes of subnetting on subnettingquestions.com every day, used mnemosyne to help remember concepts, and reread the chapters on areas I felt weak on.

Alhaji265

ehnde wrote: »

5.Either build a lab, or fork out $100 for this.

Is it actually helpful compared to buying a lab?

inscom.brigade

if you take the exam on the 22, and pass great, right?

Don't say that you will ruin your christmas if you fail, that is something for a boy to say.

Do you know when you complete your ccnp someday, how you will feel! I will tell you, you will feel, more god like than anyone that you know.
You know what:
you need to complete your ccna.

take the test.
pass or fail you are still a winner! take the test you are a winner here.

Illumanati

inscom.brigade wrote: »

if you take the exam on the 22, and pass great right?

Don't say that you will ruin your christmas if you fail, that is something for a boy to say.

Do you know when you complete your ccnp someday, how you will feel! I will tell you, you will feel more god like than anyone that you know.
You know what:
you need to complete your ccna.

take the test.
pass or fail you are still a winner! take the test you are a winner here.

I just wanted to tell you, speaking for myself only, that this was the best post I have ever read, here or anywhere I have ever looked up things.

Roguetadhg

Need to addem what incom said:
"Take the test with using your brains and not stolen tests, you are a winner."

inscom.brigade

self edit: delet, way off topic sorry

palit

What do you mean by stolen tests?

palit

Thanks everyone.Suggestions wer really valuable.@incom YOU WERE THE BEST...I do wanna see how it is like to 'feel like a god'
I got my exam rescheduled to 12th of Jan today.Feeling a little better now )

alexdagr8est

I passed first go through self study 828 with passing mark of 825 - todd lammle CCNA study guide CBT nuggets videos, get a cheap ebay cisco router for home (at least one) and keep reconfiguring it (i bought an 1801) - will annoy your gf to no end to have the internet down all the time, but is awesome practice
Also hit up the packet tracers a bit.

sepisepsep

Hi. With zero knowledge on the IT world, I managed to pass the 640-802 exam.. with a perfect score. What I did is just study and study all day for 2 months. I didn't have a lab. All I used is Todd Lammle's book, Packet Tracer, GNS3 and some more infos from different sites and sources. So, with that, I'm here to encourage you: You can do it! Just stay focused on what you're studying

kweevuss

A teacher at my high school and I went for the CCNA composite. He passed it on the first try, but I did not. Honestly I was trying to rush mine way to fast, and now that I passed ICND1, and taking ICND2 next month, I saw the big wholes in my studying. Just don't give up its possible!

kambalpogi

Focus on your interest and everything will follow
just enjoy and if you love what are you doing nothing is impossible!

palit

What were you practice exams score like?

south

Hi. I totally understand where you are coming from. I passed yesterday with a 947 on the composite. It was my first try. I had been studying for a long time and was still concerned on various topics. I almost backed out of taking my test yesterday, but a couple of members on here really inspired me to go for it.

I have to say. I really stand behind my materials. I had not been in school for a while, and forgot how to study. It was merely trial and error, but I found out what materials worked for me and my learning process.

Again. This is all based on personal preference.

- INE videos > CBT Nuggets

- Lammle > Odom (I feel that Odom does go more in depth, but it can be overwhelming to manage the material)

- Notecards... Notecards... Notecards... using the Leitner system.

- Talk about it. Out loud. I know that it may make you feel a bit silly, but it really helped me. I would talk about it as though I was trying to teach someone else sitting in front of me.

- Boson exams. These were crucial. They pointed me in the right direction on what needed to rehash. I feel like I would have failed not having them in my arsenal. Worth every penny.

- Exam Cram Practice Questions - I loved this book, and I feel like it was close to the level of difficulty of some exam questions.

Make comprehensive note cards. Whenever you are taking a practice test, or doing review questions, make a flash card if you get it wrong. I estimated that I had around 1100 flash cards at the end. Do your labs. Religiously. You will forget the commands if you are not using them regularly. You need to work quick on the exam and if you are having to remember what command to use, you will suffer. I finished the test with three minutes to spare, and if I had not memorized my commands I would have surely had an incomplete lab sim. You have worked hard for this and now it's crunch time. I know you are nervous, but you can do it. Good luck, and if you need any advice or assistance please feel free to pm me. Take care.

palit

Thanks very much and I think I pretty much am using all the books you have mentioned.I did not buy the CBT nuggets videos and so not using it.I have 2 questions here:
1.Could you please tell me if Boson exam is different from the cd which you get with the Odom'd book?
2.How long (i mean how many months)did you study for the exam?

south

I haven't taken the Boston exams that come with the books. I got that set of books second hand. I will say this about the standalone set you buy from Boson. There is a collection of upwards of 700 questions and different test modes. The study mode gives you specifics on what you missed and then provides links to whitepages for reference. It is pretty handy. I'm sure the one that comes with the books is similar. I studied for roughly 10 months I believe. I had a lot going on this past year. I actually started studying for Net +, but never having the intention to take the exam. I started from nothing about a year and a half ago. I really had little to no knowledge on networking. I was just interested in it. Also, the INE training videos are on youtube. or. You can register on there site to watch them for free. I didn't watch them all, but I found the IPv6 one very good.