passed CCNA Voice this morning
Passed with 988/1000 this morning.
Here are a few comments that may help others.
How does CCNA Voice study compare to regular CCNA ? :
Easier, because you already have the CCNA foundation knowledge in place and the voice field is narrower than CCNA. It is still hard work (see below) but not nearly as hard as a newbie learning CCNA from scratch.
After getting through CCNA, when you first look at CCNA Voice material it seems quite easy.
However that is deceiving. It is actually quite a challenge to familiarize yourself with the functions of each component in the Unified suite of applications and the roles that each one performs.
The concepts involved can also be confusing, especially CSS, partitions, COR lists, profiles, pilots and route patterns. Reporting is another big area, which is rather boring, but must be understood well in order to pass.
So don't underestimate the time it will take to get a good solid, grasp on the material. For me, it took about two months and that included building a home lab. It takes a lot of time before it all starts to click together.
Motivation and time:
For me, there was no need to attend classes. In fact there were no voice classes available where I live. You can teach yourself this subject, but you MUST have strong motivation, time and self-discipline.
Should you build a home lab ?
Absolutely, I would not recommend to do it without one. Sure, you could pass without a lab, but you will not have the familiarity and deep understanding that comes with manually putting things together. And, yes, it really is a thrill to get your first phones ringing.
Sure it will cost a fair bit of cash to get set up, but you can just recoup that money by flogging the gear off on Ebay after the exam, or keep it to carry on studying CCNP Voice.
Don't bother trying to set up virtual labs using sim software. It is too complex and then may not work properly. Just pressure mom or granny to give you some cash and then buy the real gear.
Common sense:
Like with all certifications, don't bother taking the exam unless you know the subject through and through. If you happen to wing the test without knowing the subject properly, you will only get caught out in the workplace and will probably get fired in the first week when the boss realiizes you don't really know what you are doing.
When you are prepping for Voice, view it as an exercise in learning the material, NOT just cramming enough info to wing the exam.
Study material:
Of course the main source is Jeremy Ciaora's video series and his book. But he does talk a lot of crap which stretches the videos out to many, many hours. I wish he would be more concise. I really don't need to know about how cute his rugrats are, or a 10 minute story about how much dog hair he has on the floor.
I found it was essential to combine both i.e. you can't get by just watching the videos. There is not enough detail in them. In addition, reading is a more effective method of learning for most people.
I would read the book and then when I couldn't read anymore, I would put his videos on to break the monotony. That worked well for me. I listened to his videos three times. It took that for the material to sink in to my brain. Each time you relisten, it all clicks together much better. Once is not enough.
Now, lets get started on prep for CCNP Voice !
