Got the knowledge but can't do exams.

BackToSchool

Does anybody know of any good books/web sites that prepare you for exams?

I took my CCNA exam for the second time today and failed. My instructor tells me I have the technical knowledge but not the exam skills required by Cisco; i.e. completing 50 questions in 90 minutes.

I am a hands on engineer who learns by doing. I didn't do very well at high school but have completed various vocational IT diplomas over the years.

Also I need to start a Project+ paper soon

JustFred

Make sometime, read the Odom(long read and very technical), Bryant (9.99$) and Lammle Book. Everything will click and make much more sense. I think thats the only way to pass by reading and combining the theory with hands on experience which you already have.

Good luck and try not to get overwhelmed. Try the two exam part if the material is too much. Some people fail 3 times and there's absolutely no shame in that, the key is having the motivation to absolutely destroy Cisco on the exams at the next try haha

Oh and cheer up

DCD

I like Tom Lammle book and Chris Bryant videos. Hopeful your score increased from the first time. What topics are you having the hardest time with or is it time management? And as JustFred said cheer up it an intense exam.

Sett

Don't get me wrong, but if you didn't pass twice you probably don't have the knowledge. "Learns by doing" to me sounds like you are just memorizing which commands to use in which scenarios without putting too much thought what's behind it. CCNA is not so hard of an exam, it's just the beginning. If you really want to be good at this field you have to know the theory behind the technologies and once you do, you'd find passing the exam easy.

jsb515

I agree with Sett. I can tell you now that you will need to know the theory behind it all. I'm currently in a transition at my work place going into a network admin role and they definitely tested me on my theory by having me shadow with another network admin in which he reported back to the managers on how well I understood everything and how much help was I able to provide in setting up some of the switches for a training classroom on our of our floors. Knowing the theory will also make your life much easier later on in the networking world trust me. If you are having hard time understanding the theory take it a step at a time and really try to understand it all. Have you tried doing practice test to find your weak areas?

BackToSchool

I've been through Odom and Lammle books and done pratice exams aswell has hands on practice. I just don't see all the problem areas when doing the exam sims (being careful not to say too much). I do well on the Boson and MeasureUp practice exams and found the INE videos very interesting, it's just the exam . I do see your point Sett.

Onwards and upwards.

instant000

BackToSchool:

The exams test you in a way that stresses how well you understand how the technology works.

I made a thread about what worked for me in studying for the CCNA:

http://www.techexams.net/forums/ccna-ccent/66510-my-journey-ccna-640-802-a.html

I have this learning template thing. I was planning to whip it out when I was studying for something else and post it on my blog, but it might help you right now.

I was just brainstorming one day, on how I could make my learning "more efficient" if that makes any sense. I find myself reading multiple books, taking lots of notes, and doing lots of practice, but I didn't have any concise method behind the madness. I knew what I wanted, and I knew how I felt when I was confident, but I didn't have a clear picture of the information necessary to get to that state (if that makes any sense).

I believe that if you fill out something like this for the technologies that you are tested for (one for each technology) you'd be a lot better off.

I'm too far into my SWITCH prep to make use of it, but if I start on another track, I'll try to remember to post a filled-in example.

I believe that this could be really useful for helping you get a good track on your notes. At least, use it for a technology you might be struggling with.

Here it goes:

Instructions for use:
1 - Fill in the blank with the particular technology being utilized
2 - List the RFCs, books, and web links containing more information that explains the technology.  The references are to be READ.
3 - Explain what problem the technology solves
4 - Provide a definition for the technology, and key terms associated with the technology
5 - Explain how it works
6 - What are the default values for key parameters of the technology
7 - What commands are used to implement the technology?
8 - What steps/methods are useful for troubleshooting the technology?

1 - TECHNOLOGY:  ____________________

2 - REFERENCE

3 - PROBLEM SOLVED

4 - DEFINITIONS

5 - HOW DOES IT WORK

6 - DEFAULTS

7 - COMMANDS

8 - TROUBLESHOOTING

DCD

If you post the results of both test we maybe able to help you with your problem.