CCNP study materials

I am looking for a good study guide for the CCNP tests. I haven't heard particularly positive things about Cisco press. I am planning on using the Boson network simulator and some lab equipment for the hands on stuff. Which materials would you recommend?

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NetworkVeteran

Cisco Press.

Okay, seriously the ROUTE FLG by Diane Teare was excellent. It's their SWITCH books that get a bad rap, the one for being riddled with errors, the other for not covering the material well enough. For that I bought Cisco CCNP SWITCH Simplified.

Like many, I found actual equipment was completely unnecessary and would've slowed learning the material except for the SWITCH exam. For that, I spent less than $50 to rent a managed rack to practice what couldn't be emulated.

Corza

Ive been using How to master CCNP SWICTH and it is quite good. Real easy on the detail - as in you think is this all I need to know.

I also bought and ready the OCG - it was not too bad either tbh. SWITCH seems pretty easy overall. ROUTE was more of a challenge.

FloOz

The Bryant Advantage is also a great video series you should check out.

shecool

I've read Chris Bryant's switch guide, How to Master CCNP Switch, the online CCNP Guide and the OCG(minus Voice/Wlan stuff).

Here's a few thoughts for each:

Chris Bryant's: Great companion for his video series, except for that weird ebook program he uses. In any case, really good material, lots of depth. Though at times I think he could really benefit from a content writing class . I've been a fan of Chris Bryant since studying networking in college, and now that he is using udemy his courses are ridiculously cheap (he has a lot of sales).
How to Master CCNP Switch: Great material! So well organized, great visio diagrams, clear language and easy to read. That said, I really don't know if it is sufficient just to read this --- instructor does provide additional links to his lab lessons though which I never tried, so I could be wrong.
Online CCNP Guide: Good free resource. Very straight to the point. That said, I think of this more as study notes than I do an actual exam guide.
Cisco Press book: I actually didn't mind it. Can be dry and very detailed at times, but I find it to be pretty good. That said, I have read it does not sufficiently prepare you for the exam and I have not taken the exam yet... so who knows.

lrb

For the CCNP I used the OCG for ROUTE and SWITCH, the old BCMSN self study guide, and Routing TCP/IP vol1. You can get away without a specific book got TSHOOT

TheNewITGuy

The Online CCNP Guide

spartangtr

TheNewITGuy wrote: »

The Online CCNP Guide

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Has anyone else used this? I stumbled on this site the other day and was debating if I should buy the ebooks for it. It looks like something that would be great as a supplement for after watching CBT Nuggets or something like that to drive everything home....

chrisone

For the routing exam I would recommend GNS3 for your lab responsibilities. Of course the official cisco press library as well. I would also looking into finding a copy of CBT Nuggets CCNP video course. CBT IT Training Videos Online, Certification and Education | CBT Nuggets or perhaps on ebay for cheaper, or through any other means.

1. Cisco press Official CCNP Library.
2. GNS3 for IOS simulation of routing.
3. CBT Nuggets CCNP Video course.
4. No quit attitude
5. Well thought out plan. (1. Overall goal to complete all 3 exams. 2. total time needed per exam. 3. How many days to study per week. 4. How much time per day to study.)

You should have more than enough to prepare for the CCNP with these materials.