Boson vs. Real Cisco Exam

theodoxa

I just took the Boson ExSim-Max Practice Exam (Test A) for ICND1 (640-822) and scored a 901. I missed 7 questions out of 71, all on the areas I felt weakest (CDP, RIPv1, and Wireless) except for one (see below).

One question used an acronym (NBMA) which I didn't know. I googled it afterwards and it stands for Non-Broadcast Multiple Access. I knew the correct answer [once I knew what the acronym stood for,] just not what the acronym stood for. Am I likely to see acronyms like this on the real exam?

Boot-Up Sequence - I looked at this and could not get it in the right order. Anyone know the correct order (I was thinking Load/Execute Bootstrap > POST > Load IOS > Load Configuration? I think I might have omitted "Place the router in user EXEC mode"

One question asked about configuring a Wireless Interface on a Cisco 800 Series Router. It wanted the actual command. I made an educated guess which turned out to be correct. But, I never expected to see something like that. Standards, Bitrates, Media Access Control...yes, but how to configure a WAP Interface on a Cisco 800?

The first Simulation - a troubleshooting sim - really threw me for a loop until I realized I was missing something simple - a missing clock rate command. It took what seemed like forever to resolve. Finishing with 30 minutes left even after that does make me more confident when I finally take the real thing. Some others experiences had me worried about running out of time. Does the actual exam take about the same amount of time as the Boson?

I plan to study up on CDP, Wireless, and RIP and then take Tests B and C (the last 2 practice tests). If I score well on those, I will schedule the actual exam as soon as possible.

ralbertos21

i believe the boot process starts off with the Power On Self Test (POST), the system needs to run this to make sure the Router's hardware is able to function properly to continue

MosGuy

It's possible you may come across terms not seen before. That's why I feel it's wise to read up and master the concepts listed in the exam blue print (beyond just study material). If not for the exam, it'll be beneficial for the real world.

The typical boot process is:

1) A power-on self-test (POST) is performed to discover the hardware components and verify that all components work properly.

2) Copies a bootstrap from ROM into RAM, and runs.

3) The bootstrap decides which IOS image (or other OS) to load into RAM, and loads the OS. After loading the image, the bootstrap hands over control to the OS.

4) The IOS finds a configuration file (typically startup-config in NVRAM) and loads it into RAM as the running-config.

The general consensus is Boson are on par if not a little harder then the real thing. If you score +90%, you should be ready to take the exam.

pamccabe

theodoxa, I was in your position and I would go ahead and schedule the exam. It sounds like you have a firm grasp on the concepts. As MosGuy said, there are exams like Boson that most would agree are harder than the real thing. Schedule it a couple weeks out, you can always reschedule free of charge if you don't feel ready. I find that if something is scheduled you will stick to it and get it done with. You already know your weak areas, focus on those and do it. Good luck bro!