CCENT Fail Today

Unfortunately I failed ICND1 today. I had gotten a score 775. At least from printout I can tell my weak areas. I'll especially focus on WAN and Subnetting. I'm confident I can pass if I study for a week or two more. On a side note, does everyone suggest I take the newer ICND2 afterwards? I'm not sure I'll be able to beat the date before Sept 31st.

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Comments

Jinuyr

Sorry to hear about your results. Now that you know your weakest points, I'm sure you'll crush it next time! ^_^

I highly recommend taking the newer exam if you are just starting or about to start ICND2. It going to be a bit more hands on than ICND1 from what I can tell and it never hurts to give yourself more time to study if you need it.

Carpe Porcus

Sorry about the result. Unless you have a need to get the certification as soon as possible (which negates the learning) then take time to learn the weak areas in the score report and try again. If it were any other area besides IP I’d say book the exam and attack it again.

However, IP addressing and subnetting is one of the core elements in routing and if you don't know it second nature then the rest of your studies and future exams etc. are in jeopardy. You need this as a foundation for everything that follows regarding routing, interface configurations, DHCP, NAT etc., make this your priority.

The exam isn't going anywhere so take your time until you are comfortable with IP then schedule the resit.

Ismaeljrp

It won't negate learning, but such compressed study time can sometimes hurt knowledge and skill retention. Now this doesn't hurt always, 4-6 weeks is a comfortable timeframe for any ICND 1 or 2 studies IMO. The real trick to retain knowledge is follow through and repetition. Don't get the cert just for the sake of having it. Learn the material, and once you have the cert, keep coming back to your studies and practice.

TechGuy215

Keep your head up!

These are tough exams! For me the biggest issue with CISCO exams is time management. Try not to spend too much time on a single question, and if you REALLY get stuck on a SIM, just skip it. I'm sure you will pass next time!

WilyOne

TechGuy215 wrote: »

if you REALLY get stuck on a SIM, just skip it

Sorry from everything I've heard, that is bad advice. The sims are weighted heavily and worth more points. Supposedly you do get partial credit for completed objectives, so even if you get some parts wrong you should not skip any sims.

TechGuy215

This is true WileyOne... I meant to only skip if your REALLY stuck. If you spend more than 10 minutes on a single sim, it is highly unlikely that you will pass the exam. But you are correct in that the sims have a pretty big impact on your score, I'm not sure if you can receive partial credit on them or not..

Iristheangel

Sorry to hear that. Keep going. I know it's frustrating to have a fail but the CCENT/CCNA are beneficial certifications to have if you would like a core understanding of networking or to go into networking. I would suggest switching up your study material - maybe get another book or set of videos - focus on your weak topics but also keep reviewing everything else so your skills don't weekend. Lab, lab, lab. Nothing like hands on practical work to commit it to memory

jjasso21

Thanks everyone. I figure I'll try the new ICND1 so I won't be rushing for time. I'll definitely focus even more on simulations. But as everyone has said, time management is definitely an issue. As for subnetting, I am getting much faster evertime I practice.

Carpe Porcus

An easy method for subnetting is as follows:

Write down the incremental numbers for an octet starting from 128 upward.

128 192 224 240 248 252 254 255

Next, starting from 128 again for an octet, write the decremented values underneath the first table

128 64 32 16 8 4 2 1

Giving:

128 192 224 240 248 252 254 255
128 64 32 16 8 4 2 1

Finally, add the vlsm notation above all eight entries for the class in question:

/17 /18 /19 /20 /21 /22 /23 /24
128 192 224 240 248 252 254 255
128 64 32 16 8 4 2 1

or

/25 /26 /27 /28 /29 /30 /31 /32
128 192 224 240 248 252 254 255
128 64 32 16 8 4 2 1

Use this simple table for reference.

Then with a question such as "In which subnet does the IP address 192.168.23.55 /28 reside you know immediately that /28 is a 240 mask for octet four and this is the octet to which the increment is applied. In this case 16 which is the bottom row of /28 and 240 column.

This produces:

Subnet Host Range Broadcast

192.168.23.16 17-30 31
192.168.23.32 33-46 47
192.168.23.48* 49-62 63
192.168.23.64
192.168.23.80
192.168.23.96
etc.

192.168.23.55 resides in the third subnet so you can also confirm the network address of 192.168.23.48, usable hosts 192.168.23.65-62 with 192.168.23.63 being the broadcast.

Same applies to the third octet.

192.168.23.55 /20 (used for continuity)

/17 /18 /19 /20 /21 /22 /23 /24
128 192 224 240 248 252 254 255
128 64 32 16 8 4 2 1

Again, you know immediately that /20 is a 240 mask for octet four and this is the octet to which the increment is applied. In this case 16 which is the bottom row of /20 and 240 column.

The difference being that you are now subnetting the third octet as per the mask so you need to include the calculation across two octets as opposed to one.

Subnet Host Range Broadcast

192.168.16.0* 16.1 - 31.254 31.255
192.168.32.0 32.1 - 48.254 48.255
192.168.48.0 48.1
192.168.64.0 64.1
192.168.80.0 80.1
192.168.96.0 96.1
etc.

192.168.23.55 resides in the first subnet (taking into account the lower number of bits for few subnets but greater hosts per subnet).

This method applies to determining network subnet values as well as host ranges and broadcast addresses. With a little practice you learn the octet number and VLSM to which the octet belongs.

Tried several times to get the spacing in the tables right but the post defaults and removes spacing!

Danielh22185

I'm sure 90+% of us here have had a fail at one point. These exams are difficult, which is great because it helps hold value in the industry. I also suggest trying other materials like a new book, videos, etc. Expand your knowledge and come back prepared and ready to go get it again!

taternuts666

@Carpe Porcus - Thanks for the tip on subnetting! I have my CCENT exam tomorrow and I'm totally going to use that!