CCNP Completed: Passed SWITCH & TSHOOT today
instant000
Member Posts: 1,745
in CCNP
Thread title says it all.
I over-prepared for SWITCH, and didn't pass by much.
I under-prepared for TSHOOT, and got a perfect. (The ability to compare known good/working configurations helps a ton here.)
So, what materials did I use?
For SWITCH:
Chris Bryant SWITCH book, cover-to-cover
LAN Switching, by Clark
Interconnections ... by Perlmann
TCP/IP Illustrated
OCG
FLG
Quick Reference Guide
Multiple Cisco articles and Links
Iristheangel's notes
SWITCH Lab Manual
Boson Exam Sim
For final stages of preparation:
I did the Boson Exam Sim. I passed it with flying colors, so I went ahead and scheduled the test.
If there were any issues with Boson, I made sure to re-do the labs.
I used one technique that I copied from Tassos (yeah, the Greek guy from ccie-in-3-months). He mentioned recording himself, and playing it back, and I did that for the flash cards I made: about 750 or so of them. It was funny, as I was hearing the flash cards play back, that as I continued in my studies, I saw that some of my misconceptions were WRONG! So it was funny hearing myself say things that weren't true!
How was the exam:
The sims didn't feel as restricted as they usually do. Still can't do regular expressions, though.
My biggest mistake:
I used too many materials.
Seriously, Chris Bryant + SWITCH Lab Manual is all you need. You'd take less time to prepare, and probably pass with a score in the high 900's.
The thing that helped the most:
The self-recorded audio flash cards.
For TSHOOT:
Chris Bryant TSHOOT book, did not read it.
Boson TSHOOT Exam Sim: more to say about this later.
CCNPGuide.com - Reviewed his online info on TSHOOT
The Kevin Wallace Bulls Eye videos on Youtube
For final stages of preparation:
I really didn't prepare much for this exam, to be honest.
My first stage of preparation was to attempt the Boson, and I passed the very first test I took on it, so I decided I would book it whenever I booked my SWITCH exam. So, I booked the tests yesterday afternoon. Yesterday evening, I tried the Boson again ... took the second test, and I failed, and I realized that I was really weak going on my routing protocols (cleared ROUTE back in May '12) ... not good. Anyway, I had booked the test so late in the day, that I couldn't reschedule it, so I was stuck trying to take it. I reviewed ccnpguide.com, and some tips on looking at the routing protocols, I made note of. I thought I'd stay up late and study, but drinking coffee (something I'm not used to doing... just gave me a headache, so I went to bed anyway). I printed out my notes from what I missed on the Boson test, so I could make sure of what ways I could verify the protocols. I tried to review the TSHOOT topology before I went to bed, but I was feeling kinda groggy. I woke up today, and still had a headache. I wound up taking Acetaminophen. I reviewed the Kevein Wallace TSHOOT strategy videos on Youtube, and started to feel a little more confident. I did the final Boson TSHOOT test this morning, while waiting in the test center parking lot (failed again), and I just felt like I was too tired to be trying to take two tests today, and after getting stuck on a couple noob-easy tickets that I didn't resolve, my confidence was quite shaken, going into the test.
How was the exam:
Based on how poorly I fared earlier, I decided to TRUST NOTHING, and VERIFY EVERYTHING, and abort even on tickets I knew what the answer was, but I was still shaky. I made sure to always keep a couple tickets open, even though I knew their answer, but just so I could have them so I could compare the show outputs from something else, to confirm suspicions.
It was a lot easier than I thought it would be. I won't go into content, but it was easy to navigate the interface, and there were no freezes. Make sure to know all your show commands, in case your favorite isn't available.
My biggest mistake:
I didn't review the ROUTE topics prior to scheduling the exam. Also, if I had completed the TSHOOT Topology at least once, I would have been a lot more confident. As it was, I was kinda feeling it out as I went. Fortunately, all the tickets used the same topology, and I felt myself warming up as I went, getting into a groove like I was at work, or something. In retrospect, I sure think it would have been easier if I could have gone through some of the TSHOOT labs over at gns3vault.
The thing that helped the most:
The Kevin Wallace TSHOOT BullsEye strategy videos.
Hope this helps!
Time to update the signature!
I over-prepared for SWITCH, and didn't pass by much.
I under-prepared for TSHOOT, and got a perfect. (The ability to compare known good/working configurations helps a ton here.)
So, what materials did I use?
For SWITCH:
Chris Bryant SWITCH book, cover-to-cover
LAN Switching, by Clark
Interconnections ... by Perlmann
TCP/IP Illustrated
OCG
FLG
Quick Reference Guide
Multiple Cisco articles and Links
Iristheangel's notes
SWITCH Lab Manual
Boson Exam Sim
For final stages of preparation:
I did the Boson Exam Sim. I passed it with flying colors, so I went ahead and scheduled the test.
If there were any issues with Boson, I made sure to re-do the labs.
I used one technique that I copied from Tassos (yeah, the Greek guy from ccie-in-3-months). He mentioned recording himself, and playing it back, and I did that for the flash cards I made: about 750 or so of them. It was funny, as I was hearing the flash cards play back, that as I continued in my studies, I saw that some of my misconceptions were WRONG! So it was funny hearing myself say things that weren't true!
How was the exam:
The sims didn't feel as restricted as they usually do. Still can't do regular expressions, though.
My biggest mistake:
I used too many materials.
Seriously, Chris Bryant + SWITCH Lab Manual is all you need. You'd take less time to prepare, and probably pass with a score in the high 900's.
The thing that helped the most:
The self-recorded audio flash cards.
For TSHOOT:
Chris Bryant TSHOOT book, did not read it.
Boson TSHOOT Exam Sim: more to say about this later.
CCNPGuide.com - Reviewed his online info on TSHOOT
The Kevin Wallace Bulls Eye videos on Youtube
For final stages of preparation:
I really didn't prepare much for this exam, to be honest.
My first stage of preparation was to attempt the Boson, and I passed the very first test I took on it, so I decided I would book it whenever I booked my SWITCH exam. So, I booked the tests yesterday afternoon. Yesterday evening, I tried the Boson again ... took the second test, and I failed, and I realized that I was really weak going on my routing protocols (cleared ROUTE back in May '12) ... not good. Anyway, I had booked the test so late in the day, that I couldn't reschedule it, so I was stuck trying to take it. I reviewed ccnpguide.com, and some tips on looking at the routing protocols, I made note of. I thought I'd stay up late and study, but drinking coffee (something I'm not used to doing... just gave me a headache, so I went to bed anyway). I printed out my notes from what I missed on the Boson test, so I could make sure of what ways I could verify the protocols. I tried to review the TSHOOT topology before I went to bed, but I was feeling kinda groggy. I woke up today, and still had a headache. I wound up taking Acetaminophen. I reviewed the Kevein Wallace TSHOOT strategy videos on Youtube, and started to feel a little more confident. I did the final Boson TSHOOT test this morning, while waiting in the test center parking lot (failed again), and I just felt like I was too tired to be trying to take two tests today, and after getting stuck on a couple noob-easy tickets that I didn't resolve, my confidence was quite shaken, going into the test.
How was the exam:
Based on how poorly I fared earlier, I decided to TRUST NOTHING, and VERIFY EVERYTHING, and abort even on tickets I knew what the answer was, but I was still shaky. I made sure to always keep a couple tickets open, even though I knew their answer, but just so I could have them so I could compare the show outputs from something else, to confirm suspicions.
It was a lot easier than I thought it would be. I won't go into content, but it was easy to navigate the interface, and there were no freezes. Make sure to know all your show commands, in case your favorite isn't available.
My biggest mistake:
I didn't review the ROUTE topics prior to scheduling the exam. Also, if I had completed the TSHOOT Topology at least once, I would have been a lot more confident. As it was, I was kinda feeling it out as I went. Fortunately, all the tickets used the same topology, and I felt myself warming up as I went, getting into a groove like I was at work, or something. In retrospect, I sure think it would have been easier if I could have gone through some of the TSHOOT labs over at gns3vault.
The thing that helped the most:
The Kevin Wallace TSHOOT BullsEye strategy videos.
Hope this helps!
Time to update the signature!
Currently Working: CCIE R&S
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/lewislampkin (Please connect: Just say you're from TechExams.Net!)
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/lewislampkin (Please connect: Just say you're from TechExams.Net!)
Comments
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Trifidw
Member Posts: 281
Congrats!instant000 wrote: »I made sure to always keep a couple tickets open, even though I knew their answer, but just so I could have them so I could compare the show outputs from something else, to confirm suspicions.
It was a lot easier than I thought it would be. I won't go into content, but it was easy to navigate the interface, and there were no freezes. Make sure to know all your show commands, in case your favorite isn't available.
There was only one ticket, the first one, where I wasn't able to identify where and what the issue was. Got to the end and had closed them all didn't I. Shot myself in the foot! I did manage to find the issue in the end thankfully. -
webgeek
Member Posts: 495 ■■■■□□□□□□
Way to go!
BS in IT: Information Assurance and Security (Capella) CISSP, GIAC GSEC, Net+, A+ -
Iristheangel
Mod Posts: 4,133 Mod
Congrats! I hope to be there soon myself. I'm glad someone got something positive out of my notes as well. It looks like you were covered pretty well with overall study material -
instant000
Member Posts: 1,745
Thanks for the congrats.
Yes, I did have an abundance of material. Most of it I didn't pay "directly" for (besides INE and lab material).Currently Working: CCIE R&S
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/lewislampkin (Please connect: Just say you're from TechExams.Net!)
