Advice please / ICND2 rant

Hello all!

I was wondering if you guys would offer me some advice on the ICDN2 exam. This exam has been a nightmare for me from the get go. My goal was to become CCNA certified doing a self study and working full time (not in computers) for the least amount of money possible. I have taken the exam 4 times now (in a sense).

The first 2 times I made the most expensive mistakes of my life. I knew the ICND2 exam changed on the 30th of September. I wanted to be CCNA certified before this date so I would be able to use my current study material. What I didn't know, was that both exams were already live. I took it twice, was blown away by the amount of content I did not know and did some research. I found out the exam I wanted (640-816) was way down the list of exams and that I had been taking the new ICND2 exam I was trying to avoid. I hate to admit this mistake but it's true.

So I schedule the correct exam. I fail with an 818/825. Less then a %. Another $150. I schedule it again for today. Fail again with an 818/825. Another $150.00 spent on less than a %.

So far my cheap exam road has cost me $750 minimum if I am going to certify. My question is, is this cert worth taking again before the 30th? This is supposed to be an entry level exam. If I am bordering on suicide trying to pass the ICND2, is it even worth going further in this career? I passed the ICND1 test with no problems at all. This ICND2 half feels to me like its sole purpose in life is to generate cash for Cisco by failing people. It seems like the questions go way beyond understanding concepts, and instead, they want you to know every topic on the exam better than your own children's names. It also seems like Cisco purposely throws in trick questions, difficult verbiage and a short time limit just because they can. If the exams only get harder from here out how do people pass these things?

I have been studying approximately 4 hours a night for a month now since my first attempt. Each exam brings up new questions that I had never even considered. Or even some material I have not even heard of. How do you pass a test when you don't know what to study? Or even worse, what questions you are answering incorrectly?

So the question is, what choice do I go with? Give up on the exam / career entirely? Try to pass again next week before the 30th with my material? Try to pass again next week with purchasing new study material? Reboot and try to get another book and pass the new version in a year or so?

I know everyone says stay positive! Failure is just a stepping stone to success! Try try again ect. But logically, there has to be a limit here with how expensive these exams are to fail.

Sorry for the long rant. I just can't begin to tell you how upset I am becoming over this. I have lost weight, stopped working out, and been bordering on depression because I can't stand when I am incapable of doing something. Admitting you failed again to friends and family can make you feel physically sick. I feel like I'm wasting both mine and my wife's hard earned money on something others say is a piece of cake. Thanks for letting me vent guys.

Thanks again

Sincerely,
Kyle

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Comments

networker050184

First off, you may feel the exam is extremely difficult/unfair, but it is the same exam everyone else has had to pass so it certainly is not impossible.

What materials are you using to study? Do you have a lab/simulator to practice hands on?

I certainly think this is a certification worth getting if you are wanting to work in the networking field.

bndeulogy2

I am using Wendell Odom's CCNA ICND2 640-816 Third Edition book, along with this Pearson IT practice test engine (I do very well on all these questions). I have made a study book with all his Key topic charts and tables and can answer each of them by heart. I also have a plethora of website aids / CCNA blogs / online practice tests. I have many Youtube subscriptions for people like Keith Baker, CTB Micro nuggets, ect.

networker050184

Do you have a lab? Have you gotten any hands on practice? Implementing these technologies can go a long way to helping understand the details behind them.

What subjects do you seem to be doing poorly in from looking at your score report?

bndeulogy2

Yes sorry. I forgot about Cisco packet tracer. As for hands on, I have never touched a real Cisco switch / router. I do very poorly on:

Implement, verify and troubleshoot NAT and ACLs in a medium-size Enterprise branch office network. It seems like the configuration options on ACL's are damn near unlimited. My next weakest area would probably be: Configure and troubleshoot basic operation and routing on Cisco devices. I also have a ruff time with IPv6. On a plus side however, I am stellar at subnetting lol.

bbarrick

Grab the 100-101 book, study ACL's, IPv6 and configuration of the devices till you are sick and tired of it. Spend the next 3 months studying it if you have to. Don't spend another dollar till you know you can go in there and ace that test. That's what I'm doing anyway. I started this book probably 4 months ago. I'm not going to pay 150 bucks until I feel so confident I could take the 200-101 and pass it. Then I'm going to grab his next book and take as much time to study it as I need. My original plan was to take this test in August...then September, now it's looking like a definite October as I'm getting that comfortable confidence I will need walking into that exam room.

D-star

To help me study for the 640-816 I read the Todd Lammle CCNA book and watched the Chris Bryant Udemy videos in addition to a bunch of other stuff on YouTube. I think you can pretty much do the same if you take the 100-101 since Chris Bryant has new videos out for the 100-101.

smcclenaghan

This advice may be too late to be useful, but I would have failed without a lab.

I bought three 2610XM routers and three 2950 switches with cables etc.. for around $400 on ebay. (you can get cheaper labs). The lab made *all* the difference for me.

D-star

smcclenaghan wrote: »

This advice may be too late to be useful, but I would have failed without a lab.

I bought three 2610XM routers and three 2950 switches with cables etc.. for around $400 on ebay. (you can get cheaper labs). The lab made *all* the difference for me.

I really wanted to buy a set up like that with 3 routers and 1-2 switches per router but I just couldn't afford it. So i went on a mission to try to understand all I could via packet tracer and videos

gadav478

I suggest that you lab... it really teaches you things that the literature won't.
I failed with a 774 and got some labs, practice, and passed with almost a 900. I learned a lot of things I didn't see in the literature. 101 labs for the CCNA exam is a good resource. Costs $5 on your Kindle.

Somnipotent

I took me 3x to clear the ICND2. The key to my success... labbing on real gear.

theodoxa

It's not cheap, but I found that the Boson ExSim-Max ICND2 was actually more difficult than the real thing, which made it a good practice test as long as you reviewed the areas you did poorly on and understand why you got each wrong answer. Their ACL questions were particularly nasty. Yes, there are alot of options for ACLs, but the ICND2 doesn't cover them all. For ICND2 you should probably know all of the most popular TCP/UDP Ports Numbers (80, 23, etc...), Names (www, telnet, etc...), and Protocols (HTTP/Web Server, Telnet, etc...) Even if you know how to configure ACLs backwards and forwards, they can still ask you to use "only port numbers".

Here's my ACL Study Notes if you are interested:

http://www.agredon.com/security.odt

goldenlight

MY community college offers the CCENT for about $1600. This does not include books

I my self spent a total of $644. Half of my money was used for the retake of ICND1/ ICND2

So in all took each test twice before I passed it.

Dude you are so close. You just need to touch up on one area and BAM! you will passed.

Zartanasaurus

I see people say they can't afford a lab all the time. Well... can you afford NOT to buy one? You've identified your weak areas and it's an area that happens to require labbing, not memorization. The reason you think ACLs have infinite options is because you haven't sat down at the CLI and learned how to use them. And being weak on ACLs is probably the reason you're weak on NAT. NAT is another subject that requires you to put in some lab time. There are no trick questions, just questions you don't know the answer to.

As far as not knowing what to study, Cisco publishes a blueprint for all of their exams. Know the stuff on the blueprint and you'll know the stuff on the exams. It's not any harder than that.

DCD

You're so close I would try it one more time, Try youtube for some of the video on your weak points maybe something will click in. Good luck on you next try.

bndeulogy2

All,

Thank you all for the advice. I especially appreciated all the tips on materials and the your notes theodoxa. If anyone needs a quick **** sheet for ACLs, his notes are very concise and well written. I have decided to give it one more go and see if I can't scrape another half a % or more out of this next exam. I'll let you guys know the results soon.

Thanks again
Sincerely,
Kyle

bndeulogy2

All,

Well it took me three attempts but I finally showed the ICND2 exam who's boss. I think the 101 CCNA labs kindle book that Gadav recommended was the icing on the cake. Thank you all for your support and advice. Sometimes you just have to talk to others that have gone through the same testing ordeals.

Thanks again guys,
Kyle
CCNA