Study plan for CCENT

Hello all,

I am new to the IT world. I recently completed my Associates Degree in IT but have quickly found it will get me nowhere fast. I am now pursuing my CCENT and hope to obtain my CCNA shortly after. My question to you guys is: what should I focus my study time on for the CCENT? Does anyone have an outline to follow or a few pointers to maybe give me an advantage when studying? I have purchased the Bryant Advantage Study Package as well as the Official CCENT/CCNA official exam certification guide by odom. Is there anything else I need? Any input will be greatly appreciated.

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Comments

dynamik

That's a good start. Do you have any equipment, dynamips/dynagen, simulators, etc.?

Welcome to the forums, btw

jovan88

I would say focus a lot of your time on subnetting.

Grab a router and a switch or atleast use packet tracer so you can get the feel of what your learning about.

Lastly, I would recommend CBT nuggets, it really helps you understand the concepts which may seem fuzzy from textbook reading.

jjbrog

Is a associates degree that worthless? I just started college for network administration.....if I am waisting my time would be good to know...

mikej412

jjbrog wrote: »

Is a associates degree that worthless?

Yes -- if you thought that it was a magic ticket to a job and the extent of your career planning to date has been:
1. Get Associates
2. Have Great Job that Pays Well Fall into Lap

Try something more like this:
http://www.techexams.net/forums/jobs-degrees/45813-career-expectations-planning-advice.html

.... rather than being a C Student with Good Attendance like this:
http://www.techexams.net/forums/off-topic/45474-if-your-degree-doesnt-work-sue-college.html?highlight=average+good+attendance

WilliamK99

jjbrog wrote: »

Is a associates degree that worthless? I just started college for network administration.....if I am waisting my time would be good to know...

Anytime you are learning, you are not wasting your time, if you are just getting started with Network Administration, you need lots of hands on experience and any learning you can get...

RandomHero84

dynamik,

i do not having any equipment. I was planning on purchasing time from the Bryant Advantage website. Do you think that purchasing my own equipment would be a better idea? I guess in the long having my own equipment would make things a bit more convenient.

dynamik

You can rent rack time too. There are pros and cons to each approach; do whatever works for you. The important thing is that you spend some time getting down-and-dirty with the gear

human151

When I studied for my CCENT, I had Todd Lamles CCNA Study Guide and the Sybex Router Sim. For me, the sim was great for leaRNING BAsic commands, but you can go deeper with it, it had over 200 labs included with it. With just the book and the sim I was able to pass. Now honestly I did buy some other material but in all honesty the other material did not help. Just the book, Lammle expl;ains subnetting better than anyone, imo, and the router sim.

For the CCENT you need to know Subnetting. I cant emphasize that enough. Although subnetting is not the only thing on the test, obviously, if you cant subnet quickly in your head then you WILL fail.

That said, you may want to ditch the SIM and just buy your own gear and CBT Nuggets, CCNA. You can buy your CCNA lab piece meal off ebay for about $350 and the CBT nuggets are separated into an ICND1 and ICND 2 sections. I bought my own gear and the nuggets after my CCENT and I know if I would have done so sooner, then I most likely would have passed quicker.

I had to take the ICND1 test 3 times before I passed, after buying the Nuggets and my own lab I passed the 640-816 on my first try. Watching CBT nuggets is like having your own personal instructor.

My CCNA lAB was made up of the following:

2 2950's
1 2509
1 1721
1 2621

GL on your journey

PS I never read the Bryant Advantage material. Let us know how you like it. I am really considering getting his BSCI material.

kevin31

human151 wrote: »

When I studied for my CCENT, I had Todd Lamles CCNA Study Guide and the Sybex Router Sim. For me, the sim was great for leaRNING BAsic commands, but you can go deeper with it, it had over 200 labs included with it. With just the book and the sim I was able to pass. Now honestly I did buy some other material but in all honesty the other material did not help. Just the book, Lammle expl;ains subnetting better than anyone, imo, and the router sim.

For the CCENT you need to know Subnetting. I cant emphasize that enough. Although subnetting is not the only thing on the test, obviously, if you cant subnet quickly in your head then you WILL fail.

That said, you may want to ditch the SIM and just buy your own gear and CBT Nuggets, CCNA. You can buy your CCNA lab piece meal off ebay for about $350 and the CBT nuggets are separated into an ICND1 and ICND 2 sections. I bought my own gear and the nuggets after my CCENT and I know if I would have done so sooner, then I most likely would have passed quicker.

I had to take the ICND1 test 3 times before I passed, after buying the Nuggets and my own lab I passed the 640-816 on my first try. Watching CBT nuggets is like having your own personal instructor.

My CCNA lAB was made up of the following:

2 2950's
1 2509
1 1721
1 2621

GL on your journey

PS I never read the Bryant Advantage material. Let us know how you like it. I am really considering getting his BSCI material.

What subnetting method did you use?

human151

I used Todd Lammles method as explained in the Sybex CCNA study guide, 6th edition.

kevin31

human151 wrote: »

I used Todd Lammles method as explained in the Sybex CCNA study guide, 6th edition.

Great thanks!