Options

Need some CCNA Testing Advice

southsouth Member Posts: 43 ■■□□□□□□□□
in CCNA & CCENT
Well, I have been studying for my CCNA for off and on for nearly a year now. I have a lot going on in my life and it's been difficult, but I have stuck with it. I have have logged what feels like countless hours reading, reviewing, and doing labs. I have also taken Boson practice exams (The last two of which I passed). I felt really prepared. I then scheduled my lab for next week. I took another Boson exam and out of the gate was stumped on a Lab Sim and then proceeded to goof on the followup question. I am now going to push back my exam. I admit I feel really down about it right now. I need some perspective.
My study routine consists of going through roughly 1000 flash cards, building labs, and re-reading material to keep it fresh. I feel like I am in some sort of loop. I'm not progressing to a point in which I know I am 100% ready for the exam. Furthermore, I think what I find the most beneficial is fixing something that's broken, but it's not easy to build your own broken lab. When I take a practice exam and try to troubleshoot I am taking too long. I know how to configure it, but I'm not noticing why it didn't work quick enough or not at all.
Also, I'm wondering if the Boson exam sims are that much more difficult than the real thing? I have passed two, but sometimes the questions catch me really off guard. One question that caught me off guard was matching all the configuration register values to their definition. I had not even thought about memorizing every single config reg. command.
So.. if it were you, and you were 2-3 weeks away from your exam; how would you shake things up? Should I do something different in regards to my labs? I have done all the techexam labs, most of the 101 lab, and many more that I have found online. What did you do to keep it fresh and relevant for the exam?

Sorry if this was long. Thanks everyone.
· Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Comments

  • Options
    jukemjukem Member Posts: 33 ■■□□□□□□□□
    i can definitely relate to the feeling of being "stuck in a loop". The solution I found was to just take the test and not push it back. There's only so much preparation you can do before things start to feel like they become overlapped in your head. I would go into the test looking at it as a learning experience. Pass or fail you will get a breakdown of your strong and weak points that you can then practice and make sure you fully understand.

    Hope this helps and good luck!
    “You got a dream, you gotta protect it. People can’t do something themselves, they wanna tell you, you can’t do it. If you want something, go get it. Period.”--Will Smith in the Movie: Pursuit of Happyness
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Options
    MonkerzMonkerz Member Posts: 842
    Do you have packet tracer? GNS3?

    If so, create a lab, send the topology and configs to me. I will mess up a few things and send it back to you to paste into your lab and troubleshoot. Of course I would have to trust that you wont use Notepad++ and compare the configs.

    Or you can create the lab in PT or GNS3, send it to me, I will start it up....mess it up....and send it back.

    Im always looking for a challenge.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Options
    jdballingerjdballinger Member Posts: 252
    I'll second what Jukem said. If you really feel that you are 100% ready to take the test, then take it! Don't put it off any longer than you need to, as I think you'll risk getting bored with the information. If you truly understand the material the test shouldn't be any problem for you at all. As far as taking too long to troubleshoot, well that can happen. Just remember to not get too wrapped up in the minutiae of it all, for a CCNA exam you should be able to flush out the answer pretty quick and obviously.

    Good luck, if you have put in as much study time as you say you have, you'll be fine!
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Options
    southsouth Member Posts: 43 ■■□□□□□□□□
    Today I passed the 640-802 exam with a score of 947. This was my first attempt and I am very happy with my score. I really want to thank these people who responded to my post, and encouraged me to take it. I will post more information if anyone has questions. This is such a unique site, and I feel very fortunate to have discovered it. Good luck fellow test takers!
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Options
    RoguetadhgRoguetadhg Member Posts: 2,489 ■■■■■■■■□□
    good work man. What are you going to do now?
    In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure.
    TE Threads: How to study for the CCENT/CCNA, Introduction to Cisco Exams

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Options
    jdballingerjdballinger Member Posts: 252
    Congratulations on your pass! That's an awesome score too by the way, be proud of that!

    So now that you have passed that milestone, what's next on your agenda?
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Options
    gadav478gadav478 Member Posts: 374 ■■■□□□□□□□
    Congrats. I gotta admit, I would questioning the whole 1000 flash cards idea, and now I see why you use them. Great score.
    Goals for 2015: CCNP
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Options
    palitpalit Member Posts: 96 ■■□□□□□□□□
    Thats an excellent score...r u a genius of some knd?
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Options
    LinuxRacrLinuxRacr Member Posts: 653 ■■■■□□□□□□
    Wow, great score.
    My WGU B.S. IT - Security Progress : Transferred In|Remaining|In Progress|Completed
    AGC1, CLC1, GAC1, INC1, CTV1, INT1, BVC1, TBP1, TCP1, QLT1, HHT1, QBT1, BBC1 (39 CUs), (0 CUs) (0 CUs)
    WFV1, BNC1, EAV1, EBV1, COV1 | MGC1, IWC1 | CQV1, CNV1, IWT1, RIT1 | DRV1, DSV1, TPV1, CVV1 | EUP1, EUC1, DHV1| CUV1, C173 | BOV1, CJV1, TXP1, TXC1 | TYP1, TYC1, SBT1, RGT1 (84 CUs) DONE!
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Sign In or Register to comment.