The WGU Challenge - Finish in 1 term

I have decided to start a blog of sorts on my journey through WGU. I transferred in 62 credits and have 60 to go. I am pushing myself to be done in 1 term. I have 17 classes. If you do the math, 181 days divided by 17 classes gives me 10 days per class with 11 days of flex time.

Number of exams by Vendor:
CIW - 4
MS - 3
Cisco - 3
Performance - 4
Other - 3

I test pretty easily and don't see and problems with the MS and CIW exams. I am a little nervious about the Cisco exams since I have never taken one and the performance assessments because I have no idea how long it will take to finish them. That is the one thing that makes me not sure about finishing on time.

Week 1: WFV1, IT Fundamentals I, and CLC1, Reasoning and Problem Solving. Passed all practice tests for WFV1 and pre assessments for CLC1. Just waiting on my vouchers so I can schedule the exams. Starting DFV1, Web Development Fundamentals.

I had an iPad until Friday when my boss decided to give it to someone else for a while so I am in the market for a new Android tablet. I am trying to wait until Lenovo's new tablet comes out, but may wind up getting an Asus Transformer Prime.

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Comments

swild

I had the subnetting chart down but totally spaced on the ooutdraw and drop subnetting question that I couldn't figure out because I was supposed to be using VLSM. another weak area was Frame Relay. I had two drag and drop questions about frame relay, one I had to drop the definition on the acronym and the other I had to do the exact opposite with the same terms and definitions.

The security test I knew going in that it was going to be close. I was spending the majority of my time on the LearnKey videos and then opened the OCG and realized that the videos didn't even cover half of the material. My plan is to take the ICND2 this Friday and the IINS next Friday. WGU wants you to wait 2 weeks between attempts but since I will be paying for the ICND2 out of pocket and not waiting on a voucher, Im going to go ahead and schedule it. Also my mentor is on vacation for e next two weeks.

spiderjericho

What did the exam report say your weak areas were?And if you need help, I can try to the. Est of my abilities. It's been a minute.

swild

My worst area was "Implement an IP addressing scheme and IP services to meet network requirements in a medium-sized Enterprise branch office network"

I'm reading through a few sections of Odom's book and skimming the rest. I am only focusing on ICND2 this week, when work permits. Next week will be IINS.

I do have some very exciting news though. I was scheduling my exam for this Friday and decided to look for a discount voucher. I found one on getcertified4less.com that expires this Friday for 50% off! That couldn't have been better timing. My mentor is on vacation and I haven't heard from her since I turned in the failing scores, so I am just going ahead with it. I am waiting for the voucher for the IINS though since it is $250. As long as everything goes smoothly, they should get it to me next week.

Legacy User

swild wrote: »

As long as I pass both of these today, I'm done with WGU. It's been a tough 5 months, but I have already been applying to jobs and from what I am seeing out there, I should be able to increase my salary by 50% to 100%. I'd say that's twelve hundred bucks well spent.

50% to 100% increase in salary

makes me want to start my wgu journey yesterday!
sucks to hear those 2 exams are the only thing holding you back. If you dont pass the cert exam will the class not be considered completed? I

actually heard the 640-553 was fairly simple sdm supposed to be a no brainer. icnd 2 was tough took me three tries to complete kept getting 790. First time I just ran out of time had a brain fart mid exam time ended with 5 questions left sigh.. i know i wouldve passed it a first time if i had a few more minutes. 2nd time i went through it too fast and assume i made dumb mistakes. Had me feeling defeated but 3rd times a charm i guess and put the pep back in my step.

703 isnt a bad score just need to figure out your week points and practice.

swild

I will have Frame Relay and all those acronyms memorized. I know that hurt me. 2 questions with 5 drag and drops. Not sure how it's scored but that is 10 items that I will be getting right next time.

Legacy User

I was considering going the concentration in security how is it at wgu? seems like its more software/programming focused then the other networking concentrations. Were the programming classes difficult or did you already have experience in programming.

spiderjericho

Well Frame Relay is a difficult topic with terms like DLCI, FECN, BECN (and understanding which direction these go), inverse arp, frame-relay map, the commands, etc.

And subnetting is pretty important. Glad you got a discount and I know you'll do well on your retest. Third time is the charm.

swild

dmarcisco wrote: »

I was considering going the concentration in security how is it at wgu? seems like its more software/programming focused then the other networking concentrations. Were the programming classes difficult or did you already have experience in programming.

I have C++ experience that hasn't been used in a decade. I'm sure that it helped a little for the basics, but I really didn't know Java at all when I started. That MTA Web Dev Fundamentals course was tough though.

spiderjericho wrote: »

Well Frame Relay is a difficult topic with terms like DLCI, FECN, BECN (and understanding which direction these go), inverse arp, frame-relay map, the commands, etc.

And subnetting is pretty important. Glad you got a discount and I know you'll do well on your retest. Third time is the charm.

There were 5 or 6 acronyms in those questions that I missed on Frame Relay. DLCI was one, but I don't remember the rest.

powerfool

Well, just buckle up and get at it. You probably just need to do practice exams. Do you guys have access to MeasureUp? They are pretty good from what I hear, as you can do "Study Mode" and it gives you information and references for why certain answers are correct and others aren't. Transcender used to be this way, too, but I am not sure anymore.

Legacy User

go over frame relay again if you missed something. Are you labbing with anything? packet tracer, gns3, real gear?

swild

WGU now has a couple of extra learning resources that are really nice. Both are from Cisco learning network. There is a practice test and a set of labs. I just ran though a couple of the labs and they are pretty nice. Tomorrow I am going to try out the practice test and will report back.

I do have to say that the price of the labs is $75 and while I guess that is cheaper than my home lab setup, I don't know that I would say that I would give that much for it if I had to pay. WGU gives you a voucher.

onesaint

Are those new labs anything like Packet Tracer? When I went through it, Packet Tracer was instrumental in my understanding. Being able to quickly deploy a scenario then stop the packet flow and walk through communication really drove home what happens at both OSI layesr and within the packets themselves.

herman.lavender

drumrolfe wrote: »

I already had my CCNA and an A.A.

I finished in two terms with an average of 36 cu per term. If one were to focus completely, I could see finishing in one term as a viable option.

IMHO - going to school to get an education should be about absorbing the material, learning new concepts and skills, not just about passing the tests to earn a peice of paper. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to judge - but consider the value of a degree. Is it going to be used only as a ticket to gainful employment OR to better yourself, expand your knowledge, and lay the groundwork for a continuing passion for lifelong learning (along with a ticket to gainful employment)?

Completing a degree quickly is great, but learning and absorbing in the process is even better!

Best of Luck!

I agree with you and just had that discussion with a friend. However, I know a many of people that have their masters from a traditional university and are dumb as rocks.

VisionITTech

I can't wait to start...I don't think I will be able to knock out as many classes as I would like (with a full-time job and a family) but will make this my second priority.

swild

VisionITTech wrote: »

I can't wait to start...I don't think I will be able to knock out as many classes as I would like (with a full-time job and a family) but will make this my second priority.

Knowing your priorities is a great start. Family has to come first.

swild

onesaint wrote: »

Are those new labs anything like Packet Tracer? When I went through it, Packet Tracer was instrumental in my understanding. Being able to quickly deploy a scenario then stop the packet flow and walk through communication really drove home what happens at both OSI layesr and within the packets themselves.

I haven't used Packet Tracer, so I can't say.

themagicone

Do you have the CCNA and CCNA: Security Sybex books? If not, PM me - I'll hook you up. They were my ticket to passing.

swild

I have the CCNA Cisco Press and Sybex books but only the Cisco Press books from CCNA:Sec. Was the Sybex book that much better? With my CISSP, I have a pretty good handle on most of the security basics, I just need to know the Cisco specific stuff. Since so much is(was) done in SDM, it pretty easy to fumble through it.

I do have one major complaint about the CCNA Sec test. Some of the screenshots were damn near unreadable. There were 2 questions that if my vision was any worse, I would not have been able to make out the text. I didn't have this problem at all on the ICND1/2 tests. I wonder if they have fixed it on the IINSv2.

themagicone

I'll track down my digital copy of the sybex security book and send it your way. That is a common complaint with the test is the unreadable questions.

swild

Good news, bad news.

The good news is that I received a pass on my Capstone. Don't over-think this one. My final draft was 14 pages including coversheet, title page, 2 pages of references, and competency matrix. Take out all of that and it was only 9 pages. My grade was a 3.36 out of 4 and I am perfectly happy with that.

The bad news is that I didn't pass my 3rd attempt at the ICND2. 776. This was by far the hardest of the 3 tests I have taken. My worst score on this one was on ACLs and NAT!!! Of all the things, this has got to be the easiest part to memorize. I'm so pissed off at myself. I plan on locking myself in my room and labbing until I pass out and then do it again tomorrow. I have to test again on Friday. If I don't make it this time, there is no way I will be able to fit in the IINS without an extension on my term. I passed the CCENT nearly 2 months ago. argh.

And another thing, I found the perfect job opening. I applied and probably won't hear back for a month, but I'm so excited. I have been watching this company for more than a year for any opening that I am eligible for.

powerfool

Well, you have seen the exam a few times now... start studying for exactly what you have seen. You'll get it.

spiderjericho

Yeah, I'd watch INE or CBT Nuggets on the score sheet's weak areas.

NAT and ACL aren't too bad. Hopefully there are Cisco labs you can do, since you mentioned you had access.

NAT is mostly identifying what type of NAT, making an ACL to identify the network needing translation, a NAT statement and finally an inside and outside interface.

ACLs are a bit more complicated, but as long as you understand the implicit deny, how you should go from specific to general, the different types of ACLs and the directions in/out, you should be fine.

From your last reports, it sounds like Frame Relay, Subnetting/Addressing, NAT and ACLs are the topics you need to brush on the most.

And good luck in getting that job and congrats on the capstone pass.

LayOffPayOff

Calling all DFV1 survivors. I have bitten the bullet and scheduled the exam tomorrow. My question is, should I fail, will the score sheet have a break down of which objectives I should focus on for the next attempt?

swild

ICND2 passed on my 4th attempt with a score of 874. Man, am I glad to have this one done.

Materials used:
Odom's CCNA OCG library
Lammle's CCNA Deluxe Study Guide
Lammle's CCNA IOS Command Survival Guide (Safari Bookshelf)
CCNA Exam Cram (just used the CCNA Cram Sheet from the back of the book) (Safari Bookshelf)
INE Streaming CCNA Videos
Odom's CCNA Video Mentor (Safari Bookshelf)
Cisco Learning Labs for CCNA ICND2 (free with WGU voucher)
Cisco Certification Practice Exam for 640-816 (free with WGU voucher)
Cisco Aspire CCNA Edition (only did the free section)
Boson Ex-Sim Max ICND2
Home Lab: 3x 2950 switches, 2x 3640 routers, 1x 2510 router.

To be honest, I'm not sure why I had so much trouble with this exam. The course mentor said that this is the hardest exam that anyone has to take at WGU but even with that I feel like I had more difficulty than I should have. In the past 24 hours, I completely read though the 300+ page CCNA IOS Command Guide, which is a huge help since there are so many command specific questions.

I highly recommend against the Cisco Practice Exam. Half the questions' answers could not be found in either the Odom or Lammle books. There are also some very antiquated questions like "Which options listed below best explains the difference between PPP and SLIP?" I found the answer to that one by Googling and pulling up an MS Win 95 help page.

I'm kinda wiped at the moment, so this is the best write-up I can muster. If you have any questions about these resources or anything else I can say without breaking the NDA, ask away.

hiddenknight821

swild wrote: »

I highly recommend against the Cisco Practice Exam. Half the questions' answers could not be found in either the Odom or Lammle books..

Congrats on the pass! The ICND2 was a beast.

So you don't find the Boson exam that came with the Odom OCG helpful? Usually the questions have answers with links to the pages in the book and it will launch the PDF book.

swild

It was alright, but I really like the Ex-Sim Max tests a lot more because they have the answers posted directly under the questions and they are not just a link to the book. That gives me a different view of the answer than the one I have already read. Also, you can set it to just test you on the questions that you missed the last time you took the exam. Even though I failed the test a couple of times, I'm not getting a refund on the Ex-Sim Max test-pass promise because I think that the exams are very well done and it isn't Boson's fault that I didn't pass.

onesaint

+1 for Boson Ex-Sim Max. I really wish the Cisco exams looked more like the Boson exams; cleaner. The detailed answers and sims are second to none.

Congrats on passing swild. I don't think knowledge is the difficult part of the Cisco exams. They are rules, you learn the rules and you know the material. For me, the difficulty was more about time management with the exam.

Are you done with the CCNA:S as well?

swild

I will be taking CCNA: Sec next Friday, just waiting on WGU to give me a voucher.

onesaint

knock 'em dead.

kgb

LayOffPayOff wrote: »

Calling all DFV1 survivors. I have bitten the bullet and scheduled the exam tomorrow. My question is, should I fail, will the score sheet have a break down of which objectives I should focus on for the next attempt?

Pass or fail, you get a breakdown. But, it's not super detailed. I don't have it infront of me at the moment. I want to say it's broken down into like 4-5 sections.