Odom Note taking

Guys,

In need of some good tips please. I just finished watching CBT Nuggets CCENT videos.

My next course of action is to study from Odom book. - Whats the best way to take notes from this?

I CANNOT read through the books entirety because I will remember nothing.

Should I just review the key topics, make notes from them and study those?
Or is it better to read/skim through entire book and highlight any possible pertinent information?

After I get my study guide down I am doing packet tracer labs, and practice tests.

My brain is really stuck on a good study method, thanks.

Find more posts tagged with

Save $250 on 2025 certification boot camps from Infosec!

Book now with code EOY2025

Button

Comments

networker050184

Why can't you read the whole book? You say you won't remember anything if you do, but how can you remember anything you don't read?

MAC_Addy

Unfortunately you've got to read the book all the way through. You can't expect to pass the ICND1 exam without completing it. I'd recommend making it a little easier on yourself; break it down into smaller chunks. For example, break down each chapter piece by piece. You don't have to read the whole book in one go. Break each chapter into weeks. Week one, chapter 1. week 2, chapter 2, and so on.

xkaijinx

Thanks for the quick replies.

I can remember main topics but it's the details that are killers I guess.

But listen, I gotta suck it up. That's all i needed to know I will read entire book and make highlighted notes. Just wanted to verify. Thanks

Techmay

I myself use CCNA study guide by Todd Lammle. Its really well explained and really thorough covering everything you need to know. I highly recommend it. And yes I have also watched CBT Nugget's tutorials and i must say its great but if you need whole knowledge you must study from as many sources as possible and take as many tests online as possible, also studying with be worthless if you don't guide yourself with correct book. So I would recommend you Todd Lammle's CCNA Study Guide 7th Edition.

MAC_Addy

When I first started studying for the Cisco tests I originally went in saying that I'd take the one test. But with my busy schedule I had to take the two test route. Going the two test route has definitely helped me absorb the material that I had learned over the past few months. I believe that if you study hard and take the test, you'll do fine. You may even surprise yourself when you need to regurgitate the material on the test.

Roguetadhg

You will remember if you read. You take notes. When you're not reading, think about something that's related to what you've done.

Try to keep as much as you can in your mind. Hate to say "It's that simple." But it's that simple.

You work things into your gray matter by using labs. Read. Do. Remember.

FloOz

The way I tackled his book was like this. I would read the chapters and highlight key points. At the end of each chapter I would make index cards containing the key terms of the chapter. I plan on going through the book one more time at a faster pace before taking the ICND1.

MrXpert

If you're finding it tough going then choose another source. Odom's chaos book is overkill. He managed to explain something in 900 odd pages what most normal people could take 300 pages to do.
Any guy that asks his 10 year old daughter for help on how to explain frame rel.....nevermind. best not upset anyone.

neotesla

Multiple readings are in order. The first time you read any of this CCNA stuff (especially if you don't have hands-on experience) it's going to sound like a bunch of randomly thrown acronyms and something just totally abstract. However, combined with labbing and with reading of other books and materials, with time it will start making sense.

I might be a minority who actually prefer Odom's style over Lammle, but I believe that what I said above applies to Lammle's books too.

I also found that doing CBT Nuggets first and following that with textbooks helps. Jeremy simplifies things, which is very useful if you're new to the Cisco world.

umarbhatti

I am currently studying for my CCNA as well. I have gone through Lammle book. Now gone through CBTNuggests (ICND1) and now reading Odom ICND1 book. From there i will go back to CBTNuggets (ICND2) followed by Odom ICND2. Thats my study plan. Lets see how it goes with me getting my CCNA.

I originally did all the Cisco Sem 4yrs ago and never got around to doing my CCNA.

mgates67

Everyone has their own unique style of studying and taking notes. You'll probably have to figure out what works best for you. For me, I have to write my notes out long hand while watching a video or reading a book. Writing it out helps it to stick in my head. I rarely will mark in the textbook because highlighting a sentence doesn't do anything to help me remember. I will also generally read things a second time with my notebook in hand to make sure I get everything written down.

neotesla wrote: »

I might be a minority who actually prefer Odom's style over Lammle, but I believe that what I said above applies to Lammle's books too.

You're not a minority (or maybe I'm part of the same minority?) as I prefer Odom over Lammle as well. I just need the facts, not someone's forced attempts at humor to try and inspire me. I couldn't make it past the first couple of chapters in Lammle's book. We're all different, that's what makes the world go 'round!

JustFred

Joining the Odom team. I enjoy getting all the facts and i can not stand short attempts to explain stuff to me, i feel rubbed of knowledge when that happens. Odom is good for what i want to learn. Sure his books may scare people away but its worth giving it a try if you enjoy reading as well as getting all the details on why a certain protocol or feature does what it does.

Death Dream

As said before, everyone is different. I don't even study for every test the same way I study for the last one. So I'll just list my favorite method.

tl;dr = hit bold topics

1. CBT Nuggets - jeremey really does a good job explaining new concepts to you. This is an excellent place to start.
2. Book (Odom/Lammle's) - Go through it once, don't worry about taking notes, just try to understand what is going on.
3. Mess around with Packet Tracer. Try to build your own network without following directions for anything. If you forget how to setup something, refer to the book.
4. OPTIONAL - Convert CBT Nuggets to audio and put it on your MP3 player of choice. Make sure they are numbered in such a way your MP3 player will play them in order. Or make a playlist so they don't shuffle around. You'd be amazing at what material starts to stick even when you are not fully paying attention!!! I would listen to this while I was on projects at work.
5. (while still doing optional 3, multitasking) Start reading the book again. Don't skip topics because you understand them already. YOU ALWAYS LEARN SOMETHING NEW!!! - Take notes this time round.
6. Skim the book again from the start and take notes again, duplicate them, don't think about "Oh, I already have a set of notes on this, I don't need to write this down." WRONG! You write them to get it burned into your brain. Hell, you know as good as I do, you're not going to ever read those notes!
7. OPTIONAL - (Personally, I don't do this step unless there is time for it) Take practice tests.
8. The day before your test (or a few days depending how your time is) Read over your notes. You'll be surprised how much you actually know. "I actually wrote that down?, I didn't know this? Wow..." While reading over your notes, takes notes over your notes. Sounds confusing? Just grab another piece of paper and write down notes that you surely don't remember! This one sheet will be your last thing to study before the test.
9. Test day - read the sheet of paper over and over again until it is burned into your brain and take your test!

I hope this makes sense to some people. Sorry for the grammar and spelling errors. I'm sooooo not going to re-read all of that. haha

mgates67 wrote: »

I just need the facts, not someone's forced attempts at humor to try and inspire me. I couldn't make it past the first couple of chapters in Lammle's book. We're all different, that's what makes the world go 'round!

See, I'm just the opposite, haha. I like how Lammle breaks it up with humor, sometimes his humor actually helps me understand things oddly enough. Sometimes it is nice in hardcore study mode to have a good chuckle and remember not to take it so seriously.

neotesla

Death Dream, that is very similar to what I'm doing. So, thumbs up!

Granted, I have plenty of time (not much work at this stage), so I can afford to take many notes, and then make notes off my notes, and so on. Similar to your 8/9 point, at the end I try to summarize all the notes (just the parts I'm likely to forget) onto a single sheet of paper.

One thing that I like about Cisco exams (ICND1 and ICND2, to be specific) is that I believe the crucial thing is to understand how things work, rather then just memorize stuff. If one really understands subnetting, protocols, switching & routing, that is more than half of the battle won. Sure, there's always things to memorize (like, "how many bytes go into an ATM cell"), but imho that's not the most important component for success at these cert exams.

To get a better "feel" for what's happening down there in them switches, I like to look at videos showing things like WaveSurfer decoders of data signals. One can see the data (voltage interpreted as 0s and 1s) and the clocking ticking underneath. It makes (at least for me) networking concepts feel much more real, almost tangible.