Losing it all? (knowledge)

wintermute000

I agree wish Wes.

There's no way I remember all the minute details you have to memorise on the exam, but the fundamentals are hard wired, and specifics are just a book flick / google search away.

For example its been awhile since I implemented two way redistribution with tag/filter to stop looping, I had to do it again recently, pulled up the Cisco design doco and had the proof of concept going in half an hour (15 minutes of skimming, 15 minutes of router time), production change scripted in another 30 minutes and it went exactly as per my lab. It didn't take me long (and I remembered immediately the optimum way to stop two way redistribute routing is filtering via tags, instead of flailing around in a lab for half a day) as I did my CCNP properly and had done this work before in labs and real life.

once you get senior this is how it goes every time unless you have a photographic memory

Iristheangel

Mrock4 wrote: »

I've noticed, the first time I study something, it's easily lost. The second time, not so easily lost. The third, fourth, fifth times- it gets harder to forget that information.

THIS! I find that reading whatever book I am will usually get me past the exam the first go around but if I am really interested in the material, I'll read it a second time and much more slowly which helps my retention.

Prog Snob

Iristheangel wrote: »

THIS! I find that reading whatever book I am will usually get me past the exam the first go around but if I am really interested in the material, I'll read it a second time and much more slowly which helps my retention.

That is some excellent advice. I find that reading it once to get an idea of the topic is a great way to break it into one's mind. Afterwards I'll read it again but this time paying more attention to areas that I had a bit of trouble with. After that I'll watch a video (Jeremy Cioara, Chris Bryant or INE) and use that to get a better visual of the topic.

pert

IMO you need to takes notes on each part (route/switch). This should leave you with 35-40 pages of notes that you should re-read monthly. IF you reread it the information will stick permanently, even if you never actually use it.

You cannot expect to learn it permanently just studying for the test, you have to keep pounding it in and refreshing it. I learned a new language when i was 12 and spoke it daily and fluently for 2 years. I didnt use it since then and now cannot speak or read/write it at all. It doesnt matter how well you learn something if you dont keep it fresh.

Eildor

I guess you have a few ways of making things from CCNP stick:

1. Rereading. If you do as little as 20 pages a day you'd have read the whole thing 4 or 5 times in a year.

2. Labs. Reading is a drag sometimes, the actual configuration is quite simple and should ensure some of the details stick... I find that things stick better when I actually know the context in which they are useful. I've always been told that frame relay isn't used so much in the real world anymore... so my brain automatically switches off. Never liked frame relay, especially combined with OSPF.

3. Install some kind of flash card app for your phone and make decks of cards for each topic and go though some daily. It will probably take some time to get all the important info in there but if you do I'm sure it will help A LOT.