Failed exam!

I went in for and failed the ICND1 exam last Fri.

I blame this on two facts. Is it common knowledge that:

1) No calculator is provided for the ICND1 in any shape or form.
2) The back button on the exam doesnt work.

Now fair enough, the back button not working can be put down to one of those things and you simply just have to be sure what answer you put in before you click next.

But I have been doing all my revision work on the assumption that a simple calculator would be provided (such as the one provided on Microsoft exams). Although it probably goes without saying, most of this was on subnetting.

So I was sat in my exam, trying to count/increment/work out IP subnets and ranges using my fingers. They could at least provide an abacus!!!

I honestly cant believe how ridiculous this is, but is this common knowledge and am I just being very naive??

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Comments

jmc012

RichAsskikr wrote: »

I went in for and failed the ICND1 exam last Fri.

I blame this on two facts. Is it common knowledge that:

1) No calculator is provided for the ICND1 in any shape or form.
2) The back button on the exam doesnt work.

I honestly cant believe how ridiculous this is, but is this common knowledge and am I just being very naive??

I made sure I could subnet in my head in 10 or 15 seconds before I went in for the test. I really had zero use for a calculator. Just practice your subnetting skills before the next test, once you practice enough it will seem simple.

miller811

RichAsskikr wrote: »

I went in for and failed the ICND1 exam last Fri.

I blame this on two facts. Is it common knowledge that:

1) No calculator is provided for the ICND1 in any shape or form.
2) The back button on the exam doesnt work.

Now fair enough, the back button not working can be put down to one of those things and you simply just have to be sure what answer you put in before you click next.

But I have been doing all my revision work on the assumption that a simple calculator would be provided (such as the one provided on Microsoft exams). Although it probably goes without saying, most of this was on subnetting.

So I was sat in my exam, trying to count/increment/work out IP subnets and ranges using my fingers. They could at least provide an abacus!!!

I honestly cant believe how ridiculous this is, but is this common knowledge and am I just being very naive??

It appears that while doing all of your studying, you forgot to do your homework......

You cannot take anything in to the exam, and you can not review questions you already answered.

Forsaken_GA

RichAsskikr wrote: »

I honestly cant believe how ridiculous this is, but is this common knowledge and am I just being very naive??

Not trying to be mean or anything, but yes, you are. Unless your testing center is different from any I've ever been to, they should have given you some form of dry erase medium and a marker.

Subnetting is a very large part of the CCNA, so if you struggle with it without a calculator, practice makes perfect. I'm not saying you need to be able to do it in your head, but once you put in enough practice, you'll probably find yourself capable of it without even realizing.

Subnetting is one of those things that can be difficult to wrap your head around, but once it clicks, it really clicks and you'll find yourself able to do it without an aid.

As a kid, when I was teaching myself programming, I had a devil of a time understanding bitwise math. I was writing a program that I needed to extract the value of, say, the 5th bit out of a byte. The advice I got was 'just AND the value of the entire byte by 16 and that'll tell you if the bit's on or not'. I didn't get it, and used a very unelegant method to obtain the value. Years later, I'm sitting in my Network Academy class listening to the teacher explain subnetting and it clicks, and my first thought was 'son of a @#$@!'. It all just clicked, and I immediately thought back to that program I was writing. From that point on subnetting was a walk in the park.

Just keep at it, create your own examples, or ask other people that are familiar with subnetting to create some for you, and work through them. The one silver lining of failing an exam is that it shows you where your weak points are, so you know what to study before you go back and kick the crap out of it.

mikej412

Give the ComeBack2009 promotion a try..... it will hopefully make up for your not knowing about no calculator and no mark and review option.

A quick search of the forum should point you in the right direction -- and hopefully a free retest.

Check out some of the Featured Links on the Cisco Certification webpage for exam information (Overview, Information, Policies, etc...).

Kaminsky

You get subnetting down and you will be doing it in your head faster than you could have punched in all the various summs on the calculator anyway.

No back/review button + other such oddities is why CCNA is reknown for being a complete git of an exam.

Your ready for the resit now though. You know what to expect so you will nail it next time.

Good luck.

drew2000

Practice on subnettingquestions.com and IP Subnet Practice

Drew

davidspirovalentine

Cant agree with Drew more!!!

I only learned how to subnet in my head because people like mike, drew and many others on this site told me I need to in order to pass the cisco exams I plan to sit. Okay they didn't tell me directly but they left posts on other pages stating the importance of subbneting knowledge in relation to the cisco certification exams.

Learn how to subnet in your head! I know this is asking for alot of time and commitment but I swear that you will never regret it. People will worship the ground you walk on if you can subnet in your head.

Use my method of studying. I use a system I have developed when I study anything, it consists of three C's

1. Concentration
2. Commitment
3. Coffee

I used these three things (the third one more than the other 2 to study and know I can subnet in my head!!! Yay!!!

I wish you well in your next attempt! What ever you do, do not give up!!! The only failure is not getting up and trying again. Read my signature, I believe it, you should too!!!

apd123

I had issues with my first CCIE failure, but the key I took away was that if I had been more prepared I would have passed. You know what to focus on now do that and you will pass.

RichAsskikr

To be fair, all the above are valid points. I guess my main problem was not doing my homework and assuming that the exam would contain a calculator.

I honestly cant see why they wouldnt provide one. But like most exams, they are very rarely set in the real world so it shouldnt really surprise me.

Although I was spitting feathers and vowing never to do another CISCO exam again (haha!), I'm certainly not one for giving up so I'm currently working on subnetting without a calculator which isnt going too badly actually so I'm re-booking the exam in a couple of wks and i'm confident I'll pass next time!!

miller811

Have you read this yet?

This solved it for me.....

http://www.techexams.net/forums/ccna-ccent/38772-subnetting-made-easy.html