Failed CCNA

So, I took my CCNA today and failed. I got 722. I did fluster a bit and the sims were what caused me the most trouble.

Not quite sure where to for from here.

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networker050184

Have you been spending time on labs? This should help you with the simulation portion.

iamme4eva

Unlucky. If you fall off the horse, jump back on!

What books did you read? I found the Official Certification Guide by Wendell Odom to be good for me. A lot of people recommend the Todd Lamley ones too, though I've never read them.

As networker said, if it's the sims you struggled with then lab lab lab. Practice everything you can, as much as you can, until you can do it without needing books / google. The other good thing about labbing is that you learn extra bits - when something doesn't work, find out why and fix it, it helps consolidate your understanding.

Don't let it get you down, it's a tough exam. Study more, practice more and I'm sure you'll get there in the end.

Mrock4

It is a tough exam, in some ways I think it's harder than the CCNP level exams- by the time you make it to your CCNP exams you've had some experience and they're not that bad, whereas the CCNA has a lot of foreign concepts/CLI.

That being said, I think you could really benefit from playing with some gear (whether that is GNS3 or physical hardware) for a little while- it will go a long way for helping with the sims as already stated above, but it'll also help you with the rest of the exam.

Don't give up, you're close!

Snow.bros

Unlucky for exam but you were getting there, i also failed once it's not a good feeling but it's not the end of the world atleast you have better info about it.

Rodzilla G

wilcochris wrote: »

So, I took my CCNA today and failed. I got 722. I did fluster a bit and the sims were what caused me the most trouble.

Not quite sure where to for from here.

Understandable to be disappointed. If you are going to stick to taking the one test. Buying some gear may help. But you may want to also look at the Boson Ex-Sim Max Practice Exams. Most give really good reviews and they do actually have simulations that could help with tackling the whole simulation aspect of the test. Good luck to you!

kanecain

I feel your pain. I failed it last week, but passed today. Lab, lab, lab. Also take notes from your material, and force it to stick.

Dakinggamer87

It's a tough exam don't give up you'll get it next time!!

I would also recommend GNS 3 to practice labbing it up just to brush up and make sure you know the commands.

Sounds Good

I failed with a 722 my first time taking it too because I pretty much skipped over 2 labs. Labbed a bunch and got that down.

Took the test again and got a 775. This time it wasn't due to the labs as I solved those easily. But it was the multiple answer choice questions that got me. I was sure of 1 of the answers, but unsure of the other choice. With cisco, if you get one of them wrong, it's ALL wrong. There is no partial credit for those questions.

I've since then bought Boson Exsim-Max and it is by far the best tool one can buy for studying. The questions and formats are similar to the way the actual tests are. With Boson, they give you an explanation with EVERY question on why which answers are right and which answers are wrong. This is key in understanding the material and differentiating between the details of what makes a question right or wrong.

I intend to take the test again in 1.5 weeks and will let you guys know how it goes.

NetworkVeteran

The Cisco Press books themselves also typically have a good set of end-of-chapter and "Do I know this already?" questions. The trick, as others have pointed out in the past, is not to be satisfied with "Did I get them mostly right?" but rather to be know why each wrong answer is wrong and also to review the areas where you got anything incorrect.

(Of course, in the OP's case, ample time spent labbing is most likely to be fruitful.)

shezy77

sorry to hear... good luck for your re-try

kaytaurus

Never give up... I believe you gonna make it on the second lap.. Finish the race pal.. Yes you can

cisco_nerd

Use the report you were given from the exam to tackle the points of the exam that you scored lower percetages on. GO over these topics in your study material and test them out in labs to get a feel for what feedback the device will be giving you.

If it is just troubleshooting, then go over some key troubleshooting commands and lab them out and understand all their output so that you can quickly pin point where the fault might be.

Some of my favourite commands for Route/Switch are:
sh ip int brief
sh ip access-lists
sh ip nat translations
sh ip dhcp bind
sh frame-relay { lmi | pvc }
sh ip route
sh ip ospf { adj | neighbor | database }
sh vlan brief
sh cdp neighbors detail