Different books advertise with "everything you need to know for ccent" .. not quite

Hi,

I wanted to book the ccent exam end of February because I felt really comfortable with all the topics.

I used todd lammle's book(s), his older CCNA and the new CCENT book.
It is great, it's easy to read and he explains it in an understandable way. I took his two practice exams which come with the book and did all chapter written labs/hands on labs/review question.

I had no problems at all with answering everything. I'd say I had a 95% success rate.

And then.... BAM
I was able to get a copy of the Cisco ICND1 official exam guide. I went through the "what do you know question" and felt like a complete idiot. I'm close to quitting, I mean.. it's so frustrating when you think you can do it, are really motivated and then it hits you like a hammer.

I mean.. wtf? Either the questions in the Official exam guide are waaaayyy harder than the actual question at the exam, or the first book I've red just doesn't teach you that much.

Any advice?

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Comments

snunez889

i say don't give up.. Anything worth getting is gonna take some hard work. I'm currently reading the same Cisco icnd1 book and find it to be a good read. Repetition is key to remembering the information and different sources is a good way to go.

ramrunner800

I'm not familiar with the specific What You Need To Know questions you mentioned, but I used Lammle's CCNA guide to prep for CCENT, which I took and passed first time. I also used the Boson Netsim. While Lammle covers the material very well, I think some first hand experience with the Cisco command line is critical to internalizing how the various commands function.

If you need another book to study, a lot of people around here recommend the Cisco Preas books by Wendell Odom.

iamme4eva

Stick with it. Read through the book, skim the bits you are comfortable with. Learning from another source can only increase your understanding of the concepts. If you fully understand the concepts, the exam will be a breeze.

networker050184

This is why I always reccomend the official guides by Odom. They may not be as easy to get through, but they have everything you need to know in them.

jsb515

i bounced between both books

jdballinger

I never recommend using a single source for learning. I probably used for our five different books, plus videos from CBT Nuggets and INE. The more resources you use the better the chance you won't miss anything, plus since different people explain different topics different ways it helps me to think sideways sometimes.

NotHackingYou

I used Lammle's books for the CCENT and CCNA as well as CBT Nuggets. I found them both to complete when compared with my exams.

W Stewart

I've found plenty of study material that just doesn't cover enough of what's actually on the exam for ICND1 or 2. ciscopress in my experience covers everything you need to know for both exams. They have good reading material and good simulations.

draught

Not just for the CCNA but for any cert it's always best to use more than one source if possible. The CCNA is a harder cert, it's not easy, and that's what makes it valuable. Give up now and if you have any real passion about the IT field you'll regret this later.

My advice is change up what you are studying to gain back your morale. Universally CBT nuggets with Jeremy Cioara are regarded as great training videos for the CCNA. Watch his ICND1 series, rebuild your confidence and then start studying with the official cisco press books. Best of luck.

jdballinger

CBT Nuggets is now offering a $99/month subscription, which would be a great way to watch his CCNA series. Well worth the cost, as buying that series alone would run you about $400 if I remember right.

notheory

Thank you all for your advice and motivation

.

I think I will do following:

draught wrote: »

My advice is change up what you are studying to gain back your morale. Universally CBT nuggets with Jeremy Cioara are regarded as great training videos for the CCNA. Watch his ICND1 series, rebuild your confidence and then start studying with the official cisco press books. Best of luck.

How long did you guys have to study for the CCENT? I'm feeling bit dumb as I probably will have at least 6 months, just because I do have a full time job and family.

Oh and I hope they won't introduce an exam change in the next few months? A bit worried about that to be honest.

jdballinger

From start to finish, I was introduced to Cisco at school, and it was about 17 months until I got my CCENT. The amount of time that it takes you to obtain your CCENT should not be based on anyone else, as people learn at different speeds. What's important is that you KNOW the information at the end, and if it takes you 6 months or a year, so be it! I've met people who got their CCNA in 3 or 4 months, but can't remember enough of it to explain how something as basic as encapsulation works. They memorized enough to pass the test, without gaining a true understanding of the information that they were learning.

Take your time, don't get discouraged, and have fun with it!

Good luck!