Hello,
I just passed Tshoot exam this morning and I’m now a CCNP.
I will talk here about my experience and preparation for the 3 exams.
CCNP Switch:
I started to study for this at the beginning of 2013 using the Official Certification Guide but after 2 chapters I couldn’t stand how it was written and decided to use Foundation Learning Guide instead. After getting a little side-tracked I resumed my studies in April.
I didn’t use any videos but I work mainly in a Layer 2 environment, and that helped a lot. My work experience made the preparation for this exam very easy.
I had my Switch exam in May, passed with a score of 1000
CCNP Route:
This time I didn’t even bother to get the OCG, I went straight to FLG book. After reading the book I decided to watch some videos and tried CBT Nuggets, as I’ve heard a lot of good reviews about them. Jeremy Cioara may know Cisco very well but I couldn’t tell, his non-stop laughing and getting off the subject annoyed me incredibly, I stopped watching him after a few videos. Instead I went to using INE’s CCNP videos. Now that was amazing, when Brian McGahan speaks it’s pure knowledge, I loved how he presented every subject. He has a unique way of making everything easy, he’s now my favorite trainer.
For the route exam I intensely used GNS3. I recommend GNS3 training videos from CBT Nuggets, Keith does a good job of explaining how GNS works and how to use it. I could only practice OSPF in my work lab and I few times I coupled that with my GNS topology. It was interesting to see OSPF working between different vendors, and the redistribution experience was great. I used Ixia to inject a lot of routes in my lab and then redistribute them into GNS. Too bad I don’t have a better computer, I was sometimes limited to the number of routes when redistributing from live into GNS BGP, as it could easily overwhelm my resources.
I passed the Route exam at the end of July with 988
CCNP Tshoot:
It didn’t take much to prepare for this exam. With the route material fresh I went very fast through the Quick Reference book and started to watch some videos. As I didn’t use INE for Switch I decided to watch them now, coupled with the Tshoot videos. After that I tried to replicate the topology from Cisco’s site in GNS and practiced a little on it. I was very impatient regarding this exam, I couldn’t wait to finish CCNP. I was thinking I rushed it, I was afraid I didn’t practice enough, but it was impossible for me to study anymore, I just couldn’t and decided to just go for it. So this morning a passed Tshoot with 1000 points.
Overall the exams are well written but it’s my opinion that they don’t accurately reflect the CCNP knowledge level, and what it’s expected from someone earning this title. Even though I got high marks I feel that I need more practice and hands-on experience before being successful in a CCNP type job.
After this review I think my background is required
I’m 23 years old and got my first certification, CCNA, in Spring 2012. I got my first job ever in networking, as a QA Engineer, immediately after passing CCNA, having a total work experience of one and half years.
If you have any questions about these exams, feel free to ask. Wish you all the best and good luck to all of you preparing for this certification!
