2 Most Important Topics To Focus On For The CCNA Exam
by Francis Teo on September 20, 2009
in ccna tips
The CCNA might be intimidating at first, especially since Cisco has expanded the scope of the exam to include more advanced topics such as Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) routing which is traditionally only tested in the CCNP and other professional level exams. Time management during the exam is the number 1 most important thing to do well. This means scoring easy points when possible and to spend more time focusing on those questions which are harder. To maximize the chance of passing the CCNA exam, here are 2 most important (in my opinion) topics to focus on for the CCNA:
Subnetting
Learning how to subnet effectively is the most important thing for the CCNA. It’s also important to be able to size subnets quickly in the real world for network planning and troubleshooting purposes. Because the CCNA (and any other certification exam) is a test of your time management skills during the test, and subnetting can be done quickly (and 100% correctly) if you know the right technique, it’s a quick way to score easy points.
Common subnetting questions include calculating the number of hosts in a subnet, finding if 2 hosts are in the same subnet, and deciding on the correct hostmasks, among others. Being able so solve such questions quickly means that you will be able to free up valuable exam time to solve other questions. Answering such calculation questions are a matter of simple calculations and it’s hard to get them wrong once you know how. Again, the key is speed and you will definitely want to get subnetting questions out of the way as quickly as possible. You might want to take a look at our recommended CCNA books and CCNA notes if you want to be able to learn how to do subnetting well.
Simulation Questions
Simulation questions (commonly now referred to as “sims”) are designed by Cisco to test the practical aspect of Cisco networking. A simulation of a real Cisco IOS command-line is provided to you and you are expected to troubleshoot or otherwise configure the network to the required specification.
These questions are more time consuming but very important. Only Cisco knows for sure how these are actually scored but it’s very likely that you won’t get enough points to pass the CCNA if you cannot answer all the simulation questions to a satisfactory level. The CCNA passing score gets higher all the time, which makes scoring high on the simulation questions a priority.
One good thing about using simulation questions is that you’ll be able to gauge roughly how well you’ve done by showing the running configuration and running other tests such as ping and using other show commands. A good way to prepare for the exam is to use a Cisco router simulator.
I hope this post has helped you prepare for the CCNA more effectively. Till next time!
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Cheers,
Francis (@savvynetcert)
CCNA Notes – 3 Crucial Things To Know When Choosing CCNA Summary Notes
by Francis Teo on September 11, 2009
in ccna notes
CCNA notes, also known as CCNA summary notes or exam cram notes are an essential part of preparing for the CCNA. One of the best known is the Exam Cram CCNA notes book. Employers these days value troubleshooting skills and hands-on configuration skills to be extremely important when they are deciding which network engineer to hire. I believe that one of the reasons that Cisco introduced simulation questions into the CCNA is because of this market requirement.
Even with this new focus on practical skills, the fact remains that if you want to pass the CCNA and become an effective networks engineer, you need to remember all the important networking terms. Factual knowledge such as the OSI model, and the default administrative distances of each of the routing protocols are something that you need to be certain of before taking the exam or trying to apply for an networking job. In this regard, CCNA notes are very useful as a memory aid which can help you prepare for the CCNA exam. Here are 3 points to look out for when choosing CCNA notes:
- CCNA Notes Exam version – This is the most important thing to take note of. Cisco changes the CCNA syllabus regularly perhaps every 1-2 years. It is important that all your certification books and notes are up-to-date with the current version of the exam. This is particularly important as CCNA notes are usually the slowest to get updated when it comes to CCNA study material. Do check carefully to see if the exam revision stated on the CCNA notes is that of the current exam. You can check the current exam version at the Cisco.Com.
- Portability – Portability is something you need to take note of when choosing good CCNA notes. For the usual CCNA candidate, you would have already attended the CCNA class or read throughly the important CCNA books and just need some study material to jog your memory and improve your recall of the key facts. At this point in your CCNA revision, you certainly do not want to be carrying thick and heavy books. Small-sized CCNA notes can be brought anywhere to study and you’ll be able to constantly revise the difficult to remember networking facts wherever you are
- Qualification of Authors – Although there really isn’t a need to get CCNA notes written by certified CCIEs, it is important that the notes are written by qualified professionals. Technical material needs to be written in a technically coherent manner in order to be useful for the CCNA exam. In my opinion, only certified individuals or Cisco trainers will know the best way to present this material. Do check who is writing the book before you buy.
I recommend the CCNA Exam Cram (Exam 640-802) (3rd Edition) CCNA notes for CCNA exam summary revision. It comes from the well known Exam Cram series of books and the current 3rd edition is up-to-date for the 640-802 CCNA exam. It comes in a very portable size and is written by CCNA experts. I used a previous edition of the book to obtain my CCNA previously and I highly recommend the exam cram series of books for clear and concise CCNA notes.
Cheers,
Francis (SavvyNetCert.Com)
P.S. The CCNA Exam Cram (Exam 640-802) (3rd Edition) CCNA notes is available from Amazon.Com with a 34% discount and FREE shipping.
CCNA Video Training – CCNA Certification Breakdown
by Francis Teo on September 11, 2009
in ccna video training
If you’re considering whether to get the CCENT then work on the ICND2 exam, or just take the 1 CCNA exam, you might want to check this video by TrainSignal training.
I now recommend that you always take the CCNA in 2 parts (unless you are re-certifying), just because it costs the same. The ICND1 and ICND2 exams cost $125 each, and the composite CCNA exam costs $250. In addition, you’ll be a certified CCENT once you’ve passed the ICND1 and you can start applying for some basic networking jobs based on that certification.
If you want the best in CCNA training, do check out CCNA video training by TrainSignal.
Cheers,
Francis (SavvyNetCert.Com)
CCNA Network Engineer Tips – An Overview Of Using The OSI Model For Troubleshooting
by Francis Teo on September 8, 2009
in ccna network engineer
For any CCNA network engineer, The 7 layer OSI (Open System Interconnection) model can be said to be the most important reference model for networking communications today. It’s essential to have a good understanding of the OSI model so you can have a common frame of reference with other network engineers in your organization and even elsewhere outside your organization, for example, with service providers and even application developers.
The OSI model is also extremely useful as a basis for network troubleshooting. One way to do this is to isolate problems and troubleshoot from Layer 1 up to Layer 7. This is slightly out of the scope of the CCNA exam but it’s still important to know this for practical day to day troubleshooting. Here is a short overview of what possible issues can happen at the first 3 layers:
- Physical Layer (Layer 1)- At the physical layer, it’s possible to have some issues with the transmission media. This includes faulty, malfunctioning or improperly terminated cable, or even something wrong with the switch hardware. There could also be very low-level errors from the switch or other active media such as signaling or buffering issues.
- Data Link Layer (Layer 2) – The most common layer 2 protocol is Ethernet. In an Ethernet network, problems that can occur in the data link layer include misconfiguration of the switch leading to spanning tree loops, broadcast storms as well as other frame forwarding and switching problems. It is usually quite difficult to troubleshoot issues at layer 2 when they occur, and the convergence time for the spanning tree makes this even more complicated.
- Network Layer (Layer 3) - Since the majority of networks these days are running IP, the network layer is also commonly referred to as the IP layer, due to the fact that IP addresses reside at this layer. The most common issue at this layer are routing related problems, due to incorrectly configured dynamic protocols or misconfigured static routes. Problems at layer 3 are usually easier to isolate when compared to layer 2 issues, however, the potential impact of a routing issue is very high. If a bad route is inserted into the network and this is redistributed across the entire network, the results could be devastating.
I’ll focus on network issues that can happen at layer 4 in a future article. Be sure to subscribe to my RSS feed and follow me on twitter so you don’t miss anything!
Cheers,
Francis (SavvyNetCert.Com)
