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CCNA Certification -- Online classes anywhere?

D

DigitalCancer

Diamond Member
Hello all,

I'm looking to get my CCNA and my company will pay for it, there's a local place that'll do it (training + tests) for $4,300...it's a bit pricey.

Are there any other places (online) that I could do the training through (looking for about a week per class).

Thanks guys!
 
DigitalCancer said:
Hello all,

I'm looking to get my CCNA and my company will pay for it, there's a local place that'll do it (training + tests) for $4,300...it's a bit pricey.

Are there any other places (online) that I could do the training through (looking for about a week per class).

Thanks guys!
Click to expand...

You don't need weeks of training for a CCNA. Get the book set and study it. It helps if you have access to a low-end switch and router to play with, but the book does include some simulators.

But, if you really want a class, places like Global Knowledge have an online CCNA course. I'm sure there are others.
 
holden j caufield said:
lots of stuff out there, have you looked at a free emulator

http://www.gns3.net/dynamips/
Click to expand...

I wouldn't use anything but the official simulator. The one I linked is the one they test in. If you get comfortable with it and the tons of help the book gives you with that one, you will have no issues. If you get used to another emulator that is not exactly what your being tested on you are shooting yourself in the foot come test day. The other issue is getting the IOS images to run on dynamips.
 
Those books are good. They are a decent read but technical. It is very much worth reading the prefaces also since he discusses some of the history of Ethernet / serial comms / bus techs etc. It is useful to know why they did something at one point, it makes other things more obvious. He also gives pre-chapter quizzes where if you score a perfect on, you know the chapter and can skip it. He also uses a "keynote" image in the margin to mark stuff that you really need to know. Just as with any self study, don't cheat because all you are doing is cheating yourself.

--edit--

the section about troubleshooting is invaluable as it gives you an insight to how the tests would grade you. Saying "x" doesn't work because g0/1 is down/down would lose you credit. The true answer would be "g0/1 on switch A is down/down because switch B g0/4 is in shutdown."
 
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I have done my CCNA last year. I can tell you what you need!
Book :Todd Lammle CCNA Study Guide (Better then Cisco Press Book )
Video : CBT nuggets
Lab Practice: Packet Tracer (Free)
 
INE has some specials time to time.

The trick is don't listen to people that got any cert by brain dumping.

Most will say CCNA is easy, it's really not.
 
I got my CCNA without brain dumping, and it was incredibly easy.

Practical experience is pretty important.
 
What's the difference between using one of the simulators linked in the thread, and using Cisco's packet tracer? I still have mine on a flash drive from when I took some cisco courses in college.

Thanks.
 
drebo said:
I got my CCNA without brain dumping, and it was incredibly easy.

Practical experience is pretty important.
Click to expand...

Most will not say CCNA is incredibly easy today even for seasoned people (and at times they seem to have the harder time at passing).

I thought it was more challenging than my CCNP since when I did CCNA I didn't have any practical experience. At the CCNP level I had administration experience.

Ciscopress has a Network Sim for CCNA at $129. It's pretty good even for CCNP. For my CCNA I didn't build a lab at all...but I had seat time on gear in my day to day job.
 
jae said:
What's the difference between using one of the simulators linked in the thread, and using Cisco's packet tracer? I still have mine on a flash drive from when I took some cisco courses in college.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

limitations and differences.

The ultimate is Cisco IOU's current version. It's internal only and even as a top 3 partner in the nation, we only have been able to get our hands on their last 'buggy' version and the original IOU which can only do switching via the NM switch module inside a router which doesn't scale to today's test.

The Simulator I mentioned from Cisco Press contains canned lab scenarios...the cart before the horse argument is it's hard for a student to create labs to test himself when he doesn't know the technology yet.
 
jae said:
What's the difference between using one of the simulators linked in the thread, and using Cisco's packet tracer? I still have mine on a flash drive from when I took some cisco courses in college.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Packet Tracer is a simulator. That means that it uses programmed responses to commands, which means it's very prone to bugs.

GNS3 is an emulator, which means it runs real IOS code and behaves as a real router would.

GNS3 is preferred because it's more flexible and more realistic.
 
There are enough 'simulator' questions in the exam, requiring you know the CLI and both show and configuration commands. There were 6 (each with 4 - 6 steps or questions) on the 802 exam last time I re-certified (2010), and the word is that you have to get most of them as they are weighted pretty high. Some required you actually configure something, others that you can find answers to 4 or 5 questions by using show commands.

Even if you've got a super memory, I don't see how brain dumps would get your through the simulators.
 
MtnMan said:
There are enough 'simulator' questions in the exam, requiring you know the CLI and both show and configuration commands. There were 6 (each with 4 - 6 steps or questions) on the 802 exam last time I re-certified (2010), and the word is that you have to get most of them as they are weighted pretty high. Some required you actually configure something, others that you can find answers to 4 or 5 questions by using show commands.

Even if you've got a super memory, I don't see how brain dumps would get your through the simulators.
Click to expand...

The brain dumps include the sims usually. Knowing what you will be tested on exactly makes it easy.

It's really hard to google test help without stumbling on a brain dump or two. Personally for me I feel let down when I do. It makes me want to ask for a new question.
 
I used the testking pdf to screen for any questions I wanted to add to my review topics and had my ICND 2 exam mid February. It did not have exam questions word for word but it also didn't really add to the material I was already looking at. I think they most closely emulate the way that Cisco questions are worded, though.

I'd recommend train signal for their practice exams and video lectures. They cover the material in the most straight forward manner. Once you understand the material as it's presented there you should be able to think your way through cisco's testing hoops. That along side a good study book (like the one linked above) should cover your theory.

At that point you should really be able to pick things out of the book to configure. I ended up doing more router spam on the gns3 for routing protocols, access lists, and nat on the gns3 than anything else. I never figured out how to emulate switches properly( 😳) so maybe I shouldn't comment on that part of exam prep. 😉
 
Ghiedo27 said:
I used the testking pdf to screen for any questions I wanted to add to my review topics and had my ICND 2 exam mid February. It did not have exam questions word for word but it also didn't really add to the material I was already looking at. I think they most closely emulate the way that Cisco questions are worded, though.

I'd recommend train signal for their practice exams and video lectures. They cover the material in the most straight forward manner. Once you understand the material as it's presented there you should be able to think your way through cisco's testing hoops. That along side a good study book (like the one linked above) should cover your theory.

At that point you should really be able to pick things out of the book to configure. I ended up doing more router spam on the gns3 for routing protocols, access lists, and nat on the gns3 than anything else. I never figured out how to emulate switches properly( 😳) so maybe I shouldn't comment on that part of exam prep. 😉
Click to expand...

You are saying that you must of pirated an old copy of the testking then. So not only did you cheat on your test, but you cheated the braindumper site.
 
I used the Todd Lammle CCNA book as well as both Train Signal and CBT Nuggets videos. In addition I also referenced the official Cisco exam books for additional clarification.

I used the Boson Netsim software but it costs around $180. Would recommend it though.
 
Boson is awesome stuff, TreyRandom here can help with pricing sometimes. You may have to do a little extra work, but it's well worth it. For my CCNP I paid full price for their TSHOOT sim. It was my first perfect score on a Cisco test and the product was not a braindump. It really taught me a lot.
 
alkemyst said:
You are saying that you must of pirated an old copy of the testking then. So not only did you cheat on your test, but you cheated the braindumper site.
Click to expand...
I got the ccna testking and took the icnd2 test. I don't know if the questions are significantly different between the prep / test or I just didn't remember the exact questions on the sheet. Like I said, the point wasn't to go over the sheet 25 times and show up for the test. I didn't cheat myself that way and wouldn't recommend anyone else bother with the testking at all, as per my post above.

And don't you think you're being a little aggressive considering you accidentally Google your way into test questions direct enough to make you feel guilty and want a different question? I get how testking devalues certs and might make you a little mad, but surely you didn't take my post as an endorsement.

Oh well. I probably shouldn't have even responded to the call out, but it just comes out of left field.
 
testking = cheating. That's all anyone need to know.

accidentially is exactly how those things happened, there was no italics in it.

Its really hard to type something like 640-XXX advice and not end up seeing stuff you didn't want to.
 
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