Failed ccna, need advice

Hello all,

So I took my CCNA exam on thursday and didn't do so good. I'm just looking for some advice as to what I should do next. I'm thinking about taking the CCENT route so I can focus on a fewer range of topics. Is this a good idea?

Also I've read a lot of recommendations for the "CCENT ICND1 Official Exam Certification Guide". Is the "2nd edition" the current edition of this book?

One more Q: to prepare for the CCNA exam, I read Todd Lammle's CCNA book. When I review my notes from this book, are there any topics/chapters that I can totally ignore if I'm only interested in studying for the ICND1?

Thanks a lot for your help.

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Comments

jibbajabba

Did you do any labs at all or do you base your studies solely on book(s) ?

ChickenNuggetz

homer86 wrote: »

Hello all,

So I took my CCNA exam on thursday and didn't do so good. I'm just looking for some advice as to what I should do next. I'm thinking about taking the CCENT route so I can focus on a fewer range of topics. Is this a good idea?

Also I've read a lot of recommendations for the "CCENT ICND1 Official Exam Certification Guide". Is the "2nd edition" the current edition of this book?

One more Q: to prepare for the CCNA exam, I read Todd Lammle's CCNA book. When I review my notes from this book, are there any topics/chapters that I can totally ignore if I'm only interested in studying for the ICND1?

Thanks a lot for your help.

The official cert guides from Cisco Presss are in their 3rd edition. You could use the 2nd edition but just know that you may not be reading the most up-to-date information. Focusing on the CCENT first is a great idea as the range of topics is less like you said. The composite exam from my understanding is really geared for people who have a lot of experience already in the field or are looking to renew their CCNA.

I'm with jibbajabba, labbing is the most important thing you'll do. Packet Tracer and/or GNS3 will work miracles for solidifying your knowledge of the material. Everything you've read about will come into play when you actually configure a switch/router and watch as it works (or doesnt work; this even helps with troubleshooting skills!).

Read up on the exam topics on Cisco's Learning Network and that will give you an idea of what you'll need to filter from Todd Lammle's book to accomplish the ICND1. Good luck to you!

SharkDiver

There is a really nice Official Lab Simulator from Pearson.
Just go to Amazon and do a search for CCNA Simulator. It will take you dozens of hours to go through the 300 labs and you will know your stuff when you are done. It is divided into ICDN1 and ICND2 if you decide to go that route.

Also, the Chris Bryant ebook is a pretty good read that will touch up on all of the truly important things. I have seen on here that he is having a $10 special right now.

Give those a try, and you will find the CCNA to be a breeze.

Roguetadhg

there's nothing I would say you could just flat-out ignore and skip chapters. I know with the Odom book, it's a lot of repeititon - a lot. Although there's a lot of things that can be condensed into general ideas, thoughts, and visual aids to help make it stick. But to get to that point, it takes reading.

Going for the ENT first has a good benefit - it's easier to study for. A lot less range of topics, but it's a little more in depth - as there's less topics to know. It's also cheaper, in case you don't pass. I liked the idea of studying 1 book, passing the exam, and moving on than studying two very large books.

2URGSE

OP:

Don't feel bad, not everyone pass the CCNA the first try, I didn't pass it the second try either.

Did you keep the exam report, it should tell you what areas you need to improve.

This is not an easy exam, it's timed and the navigation throughout the simulator screen is really poorly designed in my opinion, just takes some time to get used to.

2URGSE

Also, make sure you eat a good breakfast and get plenty of rest.

Volt+

I just took it for the first time and got a 775. So I too failed. I used all for Cisco Press text books and 4 eight week classes at my local college. Used lots of packet tracer. I will be doing it again. It is just a VAST amount of material to cover. The one thing I did notice was that I was not strong enough in the sim areas. Multiple choice was probably well enough, however text and written questions are not enough. You do really need to know how to create ACL and be able to look at running configs of network hardware and see why they are not working together.

I was also upset when I failed it, but from reading here and talking with others, it is not uncommon to take this exam more than once. Much like the Bar exam.

If you do not succeed, try again. After more studying obviously.

2URGSE

Volt+ wrote: »

I just took it for the first time and got a 775. So I too failed. I used all for Cisco Press text books and 4 eight week classes at my local college. Used lots of packet tracer. I will be doing it again. It is just a VAST amount of material to cover. The one thing I did notice was that I was not strong enough in the sim areas. Multiple choice was probably well enough, however text and written questions are not enough. You do really need to know how to create ACL and be able to look at running configs of network hardware and see why they are not working together.

I was also upset when I failed it, but from reading here and talking with others, it is not uncommon to take this exam more than once. Much like the Bar exam.

If you do not succeed, try again. After more studying obviously.

+1.

77.5 is actually pretty freakin good for a first time.

homer86

hey, thanks to all for your advice! Special thanks to 2URGSE for your kind and reasuuring words.

Yes I do have my report and know which topics I need to work on.

Also thanks to SharkDiver for recommending the Chris bryant guide! I bought it for $10 and it has all the material nicely divided for each exam. It seems I can totally ignore EIGRP, OSPF, ACL's and IPv6 from my studies..sweet! Another thing I like about it is that it's clear, easy to understand, concise, and gets straight to the point, so really no need to take extensive notes like I did with Lammle's book.

And I do labs mostly with packet tracer and sometimes GNS3. I certainly plan on spending more time on them than I did when studying for the CCNA exam.

I've got a good feeling about the ICND1. Everything I read so far from Bryant's guide seems to be a breeze.