CCNA Study Group

xnx

The questions are easy, the troubleshooting / simulations are where there's any challenge if at all

ednard

Read through Chapter 13 today of Odom's OCG and am giving it the second read now. I also watched two CBT Nugget videos on TCP/UDP as I feel it's good to jog my memory with some bare bone essentials as I go along. I think tomorrow I'll watch some switching videos again to recap what I read last week, and also move onto Chapter 14 of the OCG.

My subnetting skills are pretty good (without blowing my own trumpet), I've known how to subnet for the last two years because of what I was taught at University during first and all of this year, so this section is very dry reading over everything I know, but it can't hurt to read it again I guess. I'm looking forward to getting some more practice though so I can get quicker.

Really looking forward to getting into some OSPF soon, too. I've read this is a very important part of the ICND1 exam.

shyguyIT

Going over EIGRP today in Odom's book and going to lab using packet tracer.

ednard

Jesus Christ - Chapter 13 of Odom's OCG does half make a meal of explaining classful and classless addressing. I can understand how anyone studying this book with a lack of addressing knowledge would get completely confused.

Magic Johnson

So I've motored through after being stuck on STP and troubleshooting for 3 weeks (!!!) and now I've done FHRP and VPNs.

I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed, there is SO much to take in, way more than ICND1 in terms of it's technicality. My studying is more organised than first time round definitely, but I have a tonne of notes so far and WAY more commands than I did with ICND1.

Eek!

xnx

Magic Johnson wrote: »

So I've motored through after being stuck on STP and troubleshooting for 3 weeks (!!!) and now I've done FHRP and VPNs.

I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed, there is SO much to take in, way more than ICND1 in terms of it's technicality. My studying is more organised than first time round definitely, but I have a tonne of notes so far and WAY more commands than I did with ICND1.

Eek!

We're pretty on the same part but I'm trying to cramm everything else whilst writing a 10,000 + word dissertation and plenty of programming, it doesn't look like I can meet my mid April target at this rate..

ednard

Just a really quick question. Are you allowed a pen and empty paper when sitting ICND1?

bbarrick

ednard wrote: »

Just a really quick question. Are you allowed a pen and empty paper when sitting ICND1?

The testing center will give you a marker and dry erase board I believe.

xnx

Yeah like poster above mentioned

ednard

Ah that won't hurt then. I know under exam conditions my brain will fail to function, so knowing I can visualise my thoughts is a great help.

xnx

My brain froze for 3 minutes or so on my ICND1 exam lab, it meant I couldn't beat my personal 30min exam finish target

ednard

Why did you aim to finish an hour before you had to?

ednard

Practising my subnetting questions on subnettingquestions.com, and I'm pretty sure they've got an error. The question is:

Question: How many subnets and hosts per subnet can you get from the network 172.27.0.0 255.255.255.240?
Answer: 4096 subnets and 14 hosts

I'm pretty sure the answer is 2048 subnets and 6 hosts per subnet? Can someone check to ensure I'm not going crazy please?

Magic Johnson

256-240 = 16 - 2 for subnet ID and broadcast = 14 hosts per subnet.

ednard

Magic Johnson wrote: »

256-240 = 16 - 2 for subnet ID and broadcast = 14 hosts per subnet.

Just realised I made the same mistake during each of the 4 times I calculated it as I'd convinced myself my method was right. Thanks.

mehrukhkamal27

Hello everyone.. I'm new here.. I'm trying to prepare myself for ICND1. i was watching jeremy's video of 640-822 which i stopped around configurations. i have now started watching 100-100's videos.

Are the videos enough to pass the test?

ednard

mehrukhkamal27 wrote: »

Hello everyone.. I'm new here.. I'm trying to prepare myself for ICND1. i was watching jeremy's video of 640-822 which i stopped around configurations. i have now started watching 100-100's videos.

Are the videos enough to pass the test?

The videos will give you an understanding of how things work and the concepts behind things, but they don't go into enough detail. They're mainly used around here as knowledge builders, and then the books are used as knowledge fillers - giving you a much deeper and thorough understanding of them.

I'd advice using Wendell Odom's Official Cert Guide as your main book for revising, as well as Todd Lammle's study guide to use along side it. Wendell Odom's is quite full on where as Lammle's is said to be a lot more laid back and easier reading. I have both but am yet to read through Todd Lammle's.

xnx

ednard wrote: »

Why did you aim to finish an hour before you had to?

I like to over-prepare for exams when possible and I feel 50% of the allocated time is more than sufficient if you've preapred like i'd been before the exam (8am - 8pm) for 4 days before the exam...

ednard

xnx wrote: »

I like to over-prepare for exams when possible and I feel 50% of the allocated time is more than sufficient if you've preapred like i'd been before the exam (8am - 8pm) for 4 days before the exam...

Fair enough. I'm generally not very good at exam preparation, but it's amazing how much more motivated you are when it's something you choose to revise for. I work a full-time job and attend uni full-time, yet I've found time to revise every single day since the opening day of February, whether it's during down time at work, or every single evening after work.

Little ICND1 update. I've finished Switching and have now moved on to Routing.

Magic Johnson

xnx wrote: »

I like to over-prepare for exams when possible and I feel 50% of the allocated time is more than sufficient if you've preapred like i'd been before the exam (8am - 8pm) for 4 days before the exam...

I did this as well, but had 2.5 days before it. I'd highly recommend this, it focuses the mind totally on the subject matter and really cements the intricacies like correct syntax and 'tie-breakers'. Very good.

ednard

Gutted. I'm having to cancel my ICND1 exam. Have put in a **** load of effort over the last 4 weeks, and today I received so much work from Uni, I won't be able to set aside enough time to study for the exam AND get my uni work done.

Going to have to postpone until the summer and may just take the composite exam at the end of the summer. I'll still stick around the forums though to try and keep my knowledge as fresh as possible.

Magic Johnson

ednard wrote: »

Gutted. I'm having to cancel my ICND1 exam. Have put in a **** load of effort over the last 4 weeks, and today I received so much work from Uni, I won't be able to set aside enough time to study for the exam AND get my uni work done.

Going to have to postpone until the summer and may just take the composite exam at the end of the summer. I'll still stick around the forums though to try and keep my knowledge as fresh as possible.

I know how annoying it is for something to disrupt your journey! I've just sold my house, we will be moving to temp accommodation and we still haven't bought a new one yet. It has completely ruined my studies, I just can't concentrate with so much uncertainty hanging over my head. I'm really annoyed because you ICND1 lays the foundations for ICND2, I fear if I wait too long it will start crumbling away and essentially I'll be studying for 1+2 just to take 2.

Good luck with your Uni work!

ednard

Magic Johnson wrote: »

I know how annoying it is for something to disrupt your journey! I've just sold my house, we will be moving to temp accommodation and we still haven't bought a new one yet. It has completely ruined my studies, I just can't concentrate with so much uncertainty hanging over my head. I'm really annoyed because you ICND1 lays the foundations for ICND2, I fear if I wait too long it will start crumbling away and essentially I'll be studying for 1+2 just to take 2.

Good luck with your Uni work!

Ah hopefully you can get going again soon. I don't think I'll forget too much of the stuff I've learnt. One of my projects involves creating a network for a company at 3 physical sites with offices and departments in each, and my last semester of this year is about WAN and NEM, so if I do go the composite route, I'll have a head start on the ICND2 stuff from this semester.

xnx

You're lucky that at least you do a networking degree.... my CCNA is being disrupted by my dissertation on a PHP framework I had to create along with a maths type module..

Look on the bright side, what you're learning will be useful to you, whereas what I learn won't be of any use to me. I'm guessing you're in 2nd year so it's not like you HAVE to get your CCENT/CCNA within the next few months, whereas it's essential for me.

ednard

xnx wrote: »

You're lucky that at least you do a networking degree.... my CCNA is being disrupted by my dissertation on a PHP framework I had to create along with a maths type module..

Look on the bright side, what you're learning will be useful to you, whereas what I learn won't be of any use to me. I'm guessing you're in 2nd year so it's not like you HAVE to get your CCENT/CCNA within the next few months, whereas it's essential for me.

I can't think of much that I would hate more than PHP and maths modules to be honest.

But yeah, it isn't critical, I can get it in the summer and it won't make a difference, it would just be nice to be out of the way. When are you planning on taking ICND2?

(and yeah, second year)

xnx

I was planning on early April but that seems ambitious now, It'll have to be in May after my final exam which is luckily advanced networking; essentially a module on QoS and BGP...

Technoracer

I took about a two month break from my Cisco Studies, because of lots of reading and labs in my Windows Server 2012 class, but now it is back to ICND2. Planning to be ready for the exam in about a week.! I hope everyone in the study group is doing well in their pursuit of the CCNA certificate!

Magic Johnson

Technoracer wrote: »

I took about a two month break from my Cisco Studies, because of lots of reading and labs in my Windows Server 2012 class, but now it is back to ICND2. Planning to be ready for the exam in about a week.! I hope everyone in the study group is doing well in their pursuit of the CCNA certificate!

Did you not feel like you forgot a lot of the stuff in ICND1? That's my worry, I have a LOT on my plate and I haven't studied for nearly 2 weeks, I'm really worried I'll forget simple stuff like subnetting and basic command references. Eurgh.

Jon_Cisco

Have not updated lately. Reset my schedule I hope to take ICND1 before the end of the semester and ICND2 sometime around the end of June.

I decided to do a CBT Nuggets subscription for the next two months at least.
I think I prefer reading actually but the nuggets are great for following along with on my lab equipment so it really helps it all makes sense.

Technoracer

Magic Johnson wrote: »

Did you not feel like you forgot a lot of the stuff in ICND1? That's my worry, I have a LOT on my plate and I haven't studied for nearly 2 weeks, I'm really worried I'll forget simple stuff like subnetting and basic command references. Eurgh.

This stuff is pretty hard to forget. I went through the Cisco Networking Academy, for the entire year of 2013, so, except for a few new concepts, most of the stuff I am going over is a refresher. CBT nuggets videos, ccna flashcards and lots of labs should get me ready for the test by next Thursday.