Any advice of tips in studying for CCNP?

chapapa

HI!!

Do you mind sharing some tips and advice on how you prepare and study for CCNP: ROUTE, CCNP: SWITCH and CCNP: TSHOOT?

I'm using the OCG and other cbt nuggets videos and INE, would that suffice?

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NetworkVeteran

I read the books and then labbed it up. Your plan sounds okay but I will provide three cautions to help ensure you're on the right track: (1) You don't mention any lab plans, and doing labs is an essential preparation step; (2) The SWITCH OCG is missing material so be sure you check the author's website for the extra content so you don't see it on the exam for the first time; (3) The videos are a great augment to books, but don't be lulled into believing you only need to learn the material at that shallower level.

chapapa

thank you for this!

I forgot to mention that my plan would be 1 week of pure concepts then after that I will spend a week to lab all of the topics I've read, so that I can somehow connect them with each other

Hmmm. what do you mean missing content, is there a blank page in the OCG switch? hehehe

okplaya

The best advice I can give is to study consistently. Make a realistic goal of how many hours per week you can afford and stick to it.

Don't overwhelm yourself with study materials. Don't settle for study materials. I tried Cisco Press but I couldn't really get into it, so I used other books. Do what works for you. Good luck!

chapapa

thanks for the tip. how many hours per day do you study? and how long did it take you to sit Route, Switch and Tshoot?

NetworkVeteran

chapapa wrote: »

Hmmm. what do you mean missing content, is there a blank page in the OCG switch? hehehe

Cisco Press published that book before the exams were completed, and as a result, ended up missing several topics on the exam. If you study the OCG only you have a fair chance of failing. The author's website covers the additional topics. He, understandably, wasn't satisfied with the situation and wanted to ensure his readers would actually pass the test.

I used "CCNP SWITCH Simplified" as my text, another solid option.

I believe I set aside one month for SWITCH, one month for ROUTE, and one day for TSHOOT. Everyone is different and perhaps you will want 2-3 months for the first two exams. TSHOOT will not take you long if you grasped the other exams. Cisco recommends that you have one year of experience in the field before you obtain your CCNP, a good suggestion.

chapapa

NetworkVeteran wrote: »

Cisco Press published that book before the exams were completed, and as a result, ended up missing several topics on the exam. If you study the OCG only you have a fair chance of failing. The author's website covers the additional topics. He, understandably, wasn't satisfied with the situation and wanted to ensure his readers would actually pass the test.

I used "CCNP SWITCH Simplified" as my text, another solid option.

I believe I set aside one month for SWITCH, one month for ROUTE, and one day for TSHOOT. Everyone is different and perhaps you will want 2-3 months for the first two exams. TSHOOT will not take you long if you grasped the other exams. Cisco recommends that you have one year of experience in the field before you obtain your CCNP, a good suggestion.

thank you for the recommendation sir! It is best to sit the TSHOOT asap you completed route and switch?

crrimson

ROUTE - I passed with OCG, practice test on CD, completing all labs and CBT nuggets videos, and the CCNP ROUTE lab manual in GNS3.

SWITCH - I passed with OCG, practice test on CD, completing all labs, and a few CBT nuggets videos, and the CCNP SWITCH lab manual. I also bought Boson ExSim-Max for SWITCH, and found it was the BEST resource as it made me realize I was not ready after just the OCG. The OCG SWITCH book actually does contain the missing chapters in the back of the book now, but on the whole I still think you need something more.

TSHOOT - I passed with OCG, breakout lab with CCNP TSHOOT lab manual, GNS3 lab of the actual topology, and ExSim-Max for TSHOOT. I found that the CD questions for this exam were too difficult, and not necessary to master especially considering that there are only 3 multiple choice questions on the actual test & there were 100 on the practice CD! ExSim-Max for TSHOOT was very accurate with how the test was, although it was slightly easier, so don't be too overconfident.

I took 3-4 months each on ROUTE and SWITCH and TSHOOT. I probably could have passed TSHOOT immediately after switch if I just reviewed a few of the routing protocols. I don't like to fail tests though, so I was thorough and it paid off!

chapapa

crrimson wrote: »

ROUTE - I passed with OCG, practice test on CD, completing all labs and CBT nuggets videos, and the CCNP ROUTE lab manual in GNS3.

SWITCH - I passed with OCG, practice test on CD, completing all labs, and a few CBT nuggets videos, and the CCNP SWITCH lab manual. I also bought Boson ExSim-Max for SWITCH, and found it was the BEST resource as it made me realize I was not ready after just the OCG. The OCG SWITCH book actually does contain the missing chapters in the back of the book now, but on the whole I still think you need something more.

TSHOOT - I passed with OCG, breakout lab with CCNP TSHOOT lab manual, GNS3 lab of the actual topology, and ExSim-Max for TSHOOT. I found that the CD questions for this exam were too difficult, and not necessary to master especially considering that there are only 3 multiple choice questions on the actual test & there were 100 on the practice CD! ExSim-Max for TSHOOT was very accurate with how the test was, although it was slightly easier, so don't be too overconfident.

I took 3-4 months each on ROUTE and SWITCH and TSHOOT. I probably could have passed TSHOOT immediately after switch if I just reviewed a few of the routing protocols. I don't like to fail tests though, so I was thorough and it paid off!

thank you for sharing your experience, it was very detailed! thank you!

hmmm. what topic on route and switch did you find hard?

NetworkVeteran

crrimson wrote: »

The OCG SWITCH book actually does contain the missing chapters in the back of the book now, but on the whole I still think you need something more.

Another point in favor of "CCNP SWITCH Simplified", then. It contained everything needed from a theory perspective, in a single pass, to score very highly on the exam. Quite pleasant to read and by a good author, to boot.

chapapa

NetworkVeteran wrote: »

Another point in favor of "CCNP SWITCH Simplified", then. It contained everything needed from a theory perspective, in a single pass, to score very highly on the exam. Quite pleasant to read and by a good author, to boot.

then im getting the ccnp switch simplified

okplaya

chapapa wrote: »

thanks for the tip. how many hours per day do you study? and how long did it take you to sit Route, Switch and Tshoot?

I think setting a daily goal is unreasonable. I would tell you to aim for 12-16 hours a week. That's a good starting point. Also, if you can keep that pace, take 2-3 months each for ROUTE/SWITCH and 1-2 weeks for TSHOOT. Depending on your learning ability and experience, that could be longer or shorter, but I think that's realistic. For me, it took 3 months for ROUTE, 2 months for SWITCH, and 2 weeks for TSHOOT.

I second the "Simplified" books. I too used them instead of Cisco Press. They are just $10 for the kindle version. Also, Ex-Sim Max were very helpful for all 3 exams. Try not to spend too much money, or take too long.

chapapa

okplaya wrote: »

I think setting a daily goal is unreasonable. I would tell you to aim for 12-16 hours a week. That's a good starting point. Also, if you can keep that pace, take 2-3 months each for ROUTE/SWITCH and 1-2 weeks for TSHOOT. Depending on your learning ability and experience, that could be longer or shorter, but I think that's realistic. For me, it took 3 months for ROUTE, 2 months for SWITCH, and 2 weeks for TSHOOT.

I second the "Simplified" books. I too used them instead of Cisco Press. They are just $10 for the kindle version. Also, Ex-Sim Max were very helpful for all 3 exams. Try not to spend too much money, or take too long.

Is Ex-Sim Max a simulation software?