Failed BSCI - First Try

Studied for 5 months, have Cisco Press (Stewart), CBT Nuggets, Lab Portfolio and a darn good lab. Not sure what else to do. Was killed on BGP and Multicast. Is it worth it to buy the Doyle book (Routing TCP/IP) or perhaps the authorized study guide by Teare?

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jovan88

bad luck, what was your score?

burbankmarc

Authorized self-study in my opinion is a must, and to be honest, all you need.

Did you get killed on the labs, or was it the theory?

I read the Doyle books a little, but mostly only skimmed.

What helped me most with multicast was I had a project at work to get multicast working, I spent about a week on it. Prior to that I knew nothing about multicast. So my suggestion is to find a practical lab (stream some videos, or music with VLC) and MAKE it work.

I post these links a lot but like I say when I do, if you can answer all these questions then you should have a solid understanding of the routing protocols:

bgp
eigrp
ospf

mikej412

Definitely get the Authorized Self Study Guide -- that's the book that teaches you the topics. It's the foundation for the rest of your BSCI studies.

The Exam Cert Guide is just for prep for the exam and only works by itself if you already have lots of routing knowledge and hands on Cisco Experience with the routing protocols.

The Nuggets are good -- but they are just an additional source. They point you in the right direction and get you going, but they won't take you all the way to the end (passing the exam) by themselves.

Doyle is another additional GREAT source if you find you need some more work or study on any of the various topics. You can just read the chapters you need -- or you can read them all if you have the time.

AlexMR

I keep failing with the Testout examsim!!! This is a damned tough exam! Since Testout has a pass guaranteed policy Im going to believe them and give the bsci a try when im consistently passing with more than 85% their exams. Problem with this take is that the questions are a lot but limited, and one can end up memorizing the questions and not necesarily grasping the material as you should.

I think Bryant material, for both BSCI and BCMSN is great. I feel he says everything the official self study guide does in about 1/5th of the words/pages. A friend said If i learned absolutely everything on Bryant's guide I was ready for the exam. LOL.

Doyle's TCP/IP is like gthe self study guide on steroids. Pick a copy and read it. It is not a light read but will definitely help you. I feel sooo ready on the topics I studied fromm that book (EIGRP, OSPF, is-is and route control and interoperability) that I dont know why I just dont stop it all and finish reading the rest of the things I am not so strong (IPv6, multicast, BGP) from it and the volume II.

Keep at it. It is for sure a tough material with a kiiller exam (i havent seen it, but im afraid of it).

burbankmarc

Someone on this forum gave simple advice that had a profound effect on me.

"Either you know the material, or you don't"

Now that seems simple enough, but you have to remember to not kid yourself. If you read a chapter, take the questions and barely get a passing score then move on then you're probably not really learning the topics. There's no shortcut to getting this knowledge in your head, you will have to sit and read, reread draw a picture if you have to but do whatever you have to do to retain.

You have to put the work in, and be honest with yourself on whether you actually know this stuff or not. I didn't do too hot on my CCNA so I know how this method plays out.

agent2592

mikej412 wrote: »

Doyle is another additional GREAT source if you find you need some more work or study on any of the various topics. You can just read the chapters you need -- or you can read them all if you have the time.

I see Doyle has several books. Can you suggest with ones? By far my weakest point is Multicast and BGP.

Thank for the reply.

agent2592

I can honestly say I know the Stewart book inside and out. There is just not enough detail on BGP and Multicast.

networker050184

If you are looking for some depth on BGP and multicast check out Routing TCP/IP, Volume II. I learned a whole lot from the multicast chapters in that book a couple months ago.

trackit

im preparing for BCSI and i feel pretty ok in routing protocols, but i feel weak in multicasting :S i dont have a lab either and gns3 does not have switches to practice on. i dont know what to do :S

agent2592

trackit wrote: »

im preparing for BCSI and i feel pretty ok in routing protocols, but i feel weak in multicasting :S i dont have a lab either and gns3 does not have switches to practice on. i dont know what to do :S

After having taken the BSCI once I feel that knowing the routing protocols just isn't good enough. I know EIGRP, OSPF, ISIS and BGP very well. But they are going to ask you nuances of questions and contorted scenarios that will bend your brain. Interestingly the two areas I felt I was weakest (IPv6 and route redistribution/filter) I scored very high on. But the area I studied most (EIGRP/OSPF) nailed me. I going going to go back and work it out. I think the best thing is to fail this exam once so that you know what areas to work on.

trackit

hehe, say no more, im scared enough allready

but i think i will still have to schedule the exam eventually

agent2592

I have purchase Doyle's books (Routing TCP/IP 1 & 2) and the Teare Authorized Self-Study Guide. I have been nailing multicast and so far, I think this is the ticket. Way too little inside the Exam Certification Guide.

Does anyone have an opinion of Boson Practice Exams? I normally like Transcender practice exams but the ones for the BSCI are a total joke. I downloaded the Boson and they seem much harder and more like the caliber of question your on the exam.

catalinu

hi,
i'm planning to sign up for bsci in a month and a few adiveces would really help..
Why did you failed ? what you didn't knew how to do/answer ? why do you say bgp and multicast killed you ?

agent2592

catalinu wrote: »

hi,
i'm planning to sign up for bsci in a month and a few adiveces would really help..
Why did you failed ? what you didn't knew how to do/answer ? why do you say bgp and multicast killed you ?

The same study formula you may have used for your CCNA just won't work. Its not enough. With the CCNA if you read the Cisco Press books, work hard to know the exam objectives and practice on a decent lab you will generally do well. (At least that is what worked for me.)

Knowing the exam objectives for BSCI at face value is not good enough. I know them in my sleep! This exam asked very nuanced questions. Of course I can't reveal test content but I will say that it drills down into details that the Official Exam Cert Guide does not provide.
I
In a nutshell here was my study plan:

CBT Nuggets
Cisco Press BSCI Exam Cert Guide - Stewart
Cisco Press BSCI Lab Portfolio
Transcender Practice Exam
10 Routers / 6 switches

After failing I have beefed it up with the following:

Routing TCP/IP I & II(Doyle) - Only certain chapters
Boson Practice Exams Enviroment
Cisco Press Authorized Self Study Guide - Teare
Cisco Online Documentation - VERY GOOD PRIMER

In my opinion this is what I need to get me over the hump. Transcender questions are a joke; I am finding Boson more exam like. I am learning things that my other resources missed. I am taking again in 3 weeks so we will see.

Ryan82

I took this exam on Saturday as well, and failed. Let me offer this bit of advice for anyone debating on taking this exam.

1) Read any material at the ccie level for any of the topics tested on. I recommend Doyle's Routing TCP/IP books for EIGRP, OSPF, and ISIS. I am now reading Interdomain-multicast routing for better multicast coverage. I am probably going to read Halabi's Internet Routing Architecture book for better BGP coverage. Is this overkill? In some area's probably, in other's not at all.

The self-study guide is a good primer and may provide sufficient coverage for some areas. The exam certification guide is worthless. Not even as a last minute review.

2) Don't spend too much time on one simulation. I killed myself by doing this. I must have spent 25 minutes or more on one sim that I knew how to do, but it just wasn't working right for some reason. This killed me later on because I literally had to just click next on a sim later down the road that I knew how to do, but was so short on time. I had about 15 questions left that I didn't even get to look at when the test was finished.

3) Lab EVERYTHING. I used the lab portfolio as well as Narbik's soup-to-nuts workbooks.

avlad

We learn from failures.
Better this to be in an exam and not in a real world situation.

A very good book for BGP is:
Cisco® BGP-4 Command and Configuration Handbook (CCIE Professional Development)

Good luck next time.

yebo2010

I also failed my exam BSCI today, I should say the exam requires preparing! I have worked in an ISP and I believed I knew the stuff(I was wrong

). I only prepared for it for a few weeks(I should have prepared for more).

Another advice I can give to those preparing for the exam, Time management is of essence!!!, If a lab question is taking more than 5 minutes before you figure out what it requires, skip it! I paid a heavy price when I was trying to set up a configuration that consumed me more than 20 minutes.... Don't do this please if you want to finish the questions!

Anyway I will prepare again and try it after a week, now am buying all the necessary books!

For those who have failed like me, let us take the experience to teach us and write again!

stlsmoore

man, this post makes me realize how much further I have to go before I'm ready to sit this thing

Forsaken_GA

the problem with BSCI is that virtually all shiny new CCNA's study their ass off, realize the CCNA wasn't as hard as they thought it was going to be, and immediately jump into BSCI thinking it can't be that hard, it's just a review of the routing protocols you learned for the CCNA with a few more features!

One of my favorite quotes is that true knowledge is to know the extent of ones ignorance.

BSCI is very good at teaching the foundations of true knowledge

DevilWAH

Forsaken_GA wrote: »

BSCI is very good at teaching the foundations of true knowledge

Some thing I think I am going to find true of the ROUTE exam too...

Can I ask those who have failed or passed , did you take any test exams, such as the sample questions on CISCO site, or Boson exam test that come with the official books. And if so how do you do in them?

I often run through them a few weeks before I take a test just to pick out the areas I am weak in. but I was wondering how others find they compare in there depth of coverage to the real thing.

agent2592

I have purchased the Boson ExamMax practice questions and in my opinion they are awesome, the best practice questions I have seen. Way harder than Transcender and very exam-like.

I have been drilling down into multicast using Doyle's and Teare books. I am making up flash card to help with recall. Man! It has been awesome. I am really starting have a deep understanding of how this works and feel so much more confident.

I am going to make flash card up for all of the othe exam topics as well. Press on; BSCI here I come...

Forsaken_GA

DevilWAH wrote: »

Some thing I think I am going to find true of the ROUTE exam too...

Can I ask those who have failed or passed , did you take any test exams, such as the sample questions on CISCO site, or Boson exam test that come with the official books. And if so how do you do in them?

When I took 642-801, I used Transcender, and I did very well on it. When I took the real exam, I saw questions that I'd never seen before in any text book, practice exam, or what have you. I passed by 10 points (and I was dead certain I had failed when I clicked submit)

When I took 642-901, I knew what I was in for. I still used Transcender, but I knew it wasn't going to be enough, and the only thing that was going to save me was lab time, lab time, and more lab time. I passed by significantly more than 10 points, but I attribute that to the majority of the material being review

billscott92787

I would say that some CCNA's do that. But, I honestly have to say that I didn't underestimate this exam at all. I went in knowing that it was going to be the hardest exam that I have ever taken and I was right. I failed by 7 points my first try. This is by far, the HARDEST exam, I have ever taken. I'm not shy to admit that. So for ANYONE that thinks it isn't that hard, because the CCNA wasn't that hard, you're most definitely wrong. I would mentally prepare yourself for that because it's not easy at all.

mikej412

The BSCI exam is especially hard when someone without the networking experience you'd get working at a Cisco Business or on a Global Enterprise network tries to take the BSCI exam without reading the Cisco Authorized BSCI Self Study Guide.

CBT Nuggets and/or TrainSignal are additional resources -- not a replacement for reading the BSCI Self Study Guide.

agent2592

burbankmarc wrote: »

Someone on this forum gave simple advice that had a profound effect on me.

"Either you know the material, or you don't"

I agree 100%, I coasted by on the first CCNA exam but got nailed (thankfully) on the second one. I had to go back and really learn the stuff and when I did I destroyed the exam. Got a very high score.

For this exam I am learning that same principle applies but to a greater degree. You can't just skim over something; its gotta to be a second nature. No time during the exam to think, just do.

netn3rd

BSCI is pretty tough. I only have CCNA and BCMSN to compare it to, but although I passed bsci on my second try with a very high score, I only JUST finished the exam and felt the time pressure the whole way through. When I hit the button to see my score, I honestly wasn't sure if I had passed because I had to be fast on some questions. Some of the questions really make you think.

Someone else said something about time management... Don't sweat the simulator questions. You CAN pass without them, and you can pass very well without them. When I passed bsci, I was doing stuff in one of the sim questions and it wasn't getting me the results i needed and I just hit "next" and forgot about it. I'm pretty sure I got no marks for it. I learned that lesson after my first attempt when i burned a big chunk of time on a sim. 5-6 minutes is the most you should spend imo.

Anyway, keep trying. Once you get through BSCI, you'll find the rest easy imo. BCMSN was a total joke by comparison. I finished with tons of time on the clock and a really high score. I was a little nervous going into the test because people said that while BCMSN wasn't as tough as BSCI, it was still hard. Now I just have to cruise through ISCW and ONT. Then I'm gonna do QOS, BGP, and MPLS.