Yay me! Ok so this is my first ever passed post bc its my first cert ever.
I got a 923 which imo is amazing since I accidentally skipped a sim question. I got a multipart sim question which I did the first part of and skipped the rest... NEXT = next question != next part... doh! I pretty much felt as it was all over at that point , but I went through and finished with plenty of time since I never even attempted the rest of that sim question. Here is my break down...
Planning and Designing = 100%
Implementation and Operation = 91%
Troubleshooting = 77%
Technology = 92%
Now what most ppl want to know is how did I actually get to this point... well it was a very long road. I first attempted this exam in February of this year after reading both books in a span of about 2 months off and on. No prac exams, no simulator software, no other resources except the CCNA ICND/INTRO books by Odem. Took the exam thinking "How hard can it be?" and I got a 676 or something around that. Since I got my ass handed to me I decided to reevaluate what the hell is going on and I saw ppl refer to the Sybex book. Read that and now that I felt as if I really knew what was going on I retook the exam and got a 809... close but no cigar. I figured ok I only needed 40 points, reschedule the exam in 4 days and just go over some other small details. Took the exam again (June 1st) and I got 13 points less... 796. This time I was furious... I was hell bent on passing this exam. I ordered switches/routers and made a lab. Spent almost every moment at work on here or on other various websites trying to learn as much as possible. I read the Sybex book once more, I read the ICND/INTRO books again and this time I took my time. I setup numerous labs, made flash cards, and dedicated 6 hours every night and 12-15 on my days off including holidays. None of my friends saw me and I didnt keep in touch with anyone really. Took the last week off from work and I studied 12-15 hours each of those days reading all the books over again but I divided it all up into sections. I did Switching the first day and I read material from every source I could find relating to switches and that followed suite for Routing, WAN, and the rest of the material, per day. I spent the whole day on Sunday just going over everthing briefly, note cards etc. Spent this morning doing the same thing, prac questions for warmup. Took the exam at 3pm and I am now a CCNA. Ordered CCNP books 5 min ago and this time I know how to prepare for the exam. I think that knowing how to study for the next exam is the part I really find almost as valuable as the cert itself. This is, for sure, not like preparing for a final in college...
It can be done.
Now me and NetStudent can start the CCNP lol
