CCNP test are hard

[spidey07]

Had to recertify DP/NP so I took the 642-812 Building Cisco Multilayer Switched Networks. Covers all the important aspects of switching.

But holy moly the depth they had on the tests! I know spanning-tree inside and out and some of the questions were very tricky forcing you to really look at everything available to you. Like knowing information about another switch when you only have access to a single one two-4 hops away.

And the HSRP, VRRP, GLBP were also indepth. It almost reminded me of the CCIE written test in many ways. And why in the world were there so many questions about cisco wireless card utility? And TONS of autonomous and lightweight stuff.

And there were questions about IP SLA running on IOS. Really unusual. They're totally revamping the CCNP program and the requirements so maybe they were trying to get initial results or something. But still incredible difficult. I studied for a whole month straight.

 

[drebo]

I'm getting ready to take the new Cisco ROUTE exam. They've taken a lot of stuff off the exam (wireless, etc) in favor of making it more "practical". The guide I have for it (Wendell Odom's) concentrates a lot on getting you to think critically about design specifications and how to design the network, rather than just plunking crap into a simulator. I'm curious how much different it will be.

Also interested in the new TSHOOT, which replaces ONT and ISCW.

Just curious, why didn't you take one of the new tests?

 

[Red Squirrel]

Yep, I barely passed the tests in my Cisco class. Those tests were probably only 10% as hard as the real ones. I don't really get why they make it so hard. In the real world as a network tech you have access to resources such as manuals. I passed my Cisco class with like a 60, and graduated from college and got a full time job. My first task was to get a pix and SecureID appliance to work together, and I had it done in a week between other tasks. Funny thing is, we never talked about PIXes or SecureID in college. Like seriously, who uses thicknet or ISDN these days? Why do they want us to know all that stuff?

 

[drebo]

That's why they're revamping them and focusing more on verification, debug, and design than on implementation. Any idiot can look up a post on Experts-exchange to figure out how to look something up. That's CCNA material. The CCxP stuff is turning more toward design, at least from what I've seen.

Additionally, they're taking older stuff off the test, like frame relay and ISDN and wireless.

 

[spidey07]

That's why they're revamping them and focusing more on verification, debug, and design than on implementation. Any idiot can look up a post on Experts-exchange to figure out how to look something up. That's CCNA material. The CCxP stuff is turning more toward design, at least from what I've seen.

Additionally, they're taking older stuff off the test, like frame relay and ISDN and wireless.

This was the switching one. HEAVY on wireless stuff almost to the point of you had to have worked on it to answer the questions.

Like I really need to diagnose a FIB or adjacency table problem in real life. If you do, something is very wrong.

 

[RadiclDreamer]

ISDN has been removed from the ccna. I wish they would get rid of hubs and bridges as well, pointless

 

[spidey07]

ISDN has been removed from the ccna. I wish they would get rid of hubs and bridges as well, pointless

Umm, a switch is a bridge. The concept is extremely relevant. The impact of hubs is also very relavent and why spanning-tree protection mechanisms are needed. All about the OSI layers, everything depends on understanding of them.

I could tell you about a dozen different ways to introduce a bridging loop in a switched network. My favorite is an access point configured as a workgroup bridge or a client machine bridging network adapters with a NIC and wireless card active.

fun, fun.

 

[m1ldslide1]

<--- Currently prepping for the R/S lab. Don't bitch at me about tests being hard.

(But actually, yes, they're all very hard and I think that's a good thing for our little profession)

 

[drebo]

This was the switching one. HEAVY on wireless stuff almost to the point of you had to have worked on it to answer the questions.

Like I really need to diagnose a FIB or adjacency table problem in real life. If you do, something is very wrong.

BCMSN is the old switching test. The new one is simply (and relevantly) called SWITCH. I believe the reason behind removing wireless is because Cisco is prepping a wireless-specific Professional level cert. CCWP or something, kind of like how they have the CCNA-W. The new 904 CCNA test has very, very little wireless on it at all.

 

[spidey07]

<--- Currently prepping for the R/S lab. Don't bitch at me about tests being hard.

(But actually, yes, they're all very hard and I think that's a good thing for our little profession)

Good luck. I passed my RS written like 8 tears ago but failed the lab.

Going for ccie wireless now.

 

[theevilsharpie]

Good luck. I passed my RS written like 8 tears ago but failed the lab.

Freudian slip? :awe:

 

[theevilsharpie]

I should probably renew my CCNA. I let it expire a few years back because I didn't work with Cisco equipment enough to justify the expense of keeping it up to date.

I think I might go for an HP ASE cert on one of the ProCurve specialties. I work it day in and day out.

 

[RadiclDreamer]

Umm, a switch is a bridge. The concept is extremely relevant. The impact of hubs is also very relavent and why spanning-tree protection mechanisms are needed. All about the OSI layers, everything depends on understanding of them.

I could tell you about a dozen different ways to introduce a bridging loop in a switched network. My favorite is an access point configured as a workgroup bridge or a client machine bridging network adapters with a NIC and wireless card active.

fun, fun.

Except they dont use them in the study material the way you are describing. I had questions along the lines of cost is an issue and reliability and performance arent an issue, do you use switch, bridge etc.

I've not really seen a hub other than an AP in quite some time

 

[Pheran]

I could tell you about a dozen different ways to introduce a bridging loop in a switched network. My favorite is an access point configured as a workgroup bridge or a client machine bridging network adapters with a NIC and wireless card active.

Yeah, and don't get me started on the geniuses who have a small, unmanaged switch in their office and manage to connect together two ports with a cable (i.e. both ends of the cable are plugged into the same switch).

Thank goodness for "spanning-tree portfast bpduguard default".

 

[Pheran]

<--- Currently prepping for the R/S lab. Don't bitch at me about tests being hard.

(But actually, yes, they're all very hard and I think that's a good thing for our little profession)

Good luck! As far as I know, AT is still short of a CCIE R&S (oddly enough since they are the most common), but we've got Security and Voice covered. If you get your cert, post in the CCIE thread (edit: I see you've been in there before).

On a side note, did anyone notice the new utterly insane Cisco Certified Architect certification that is above CCIE? It costs $15K and has an exam that sounds suspiciously like a doctoral thesis defense. Thanks but no thanks! D:

 

[spidey07]

Good luck! As far as I know, AT is still short of a CCIE R&S (oddly enough since they are the most common), but we've got Security and Voice covered. If you get your cert, post in the CCIE thread (edit: I see you've been in there before).

On a side note, did anyone notice the new utterly insane Cisco Certified Architect certification that is above CCIE? It costs $15K and has an exam that sounds suspiciously like a doctoral thesis defense. Thanks but no thanks! D:

I saw that. Sounds utterly brutal. But talk about making some serious money. You basically have to present and get grilled by a mock board of directors. It will take much more than just technical skills to pass it.

 

[Brovane]

I tried to pass this test 3 times last year. I had my CCNP for over 6-years. However I just don't work a lot with Cisco gear anymore. Most of my work is now on Server and SAN side of thins. However I wanted to renew my Cert again just because. Studied hard and just couldn't pass. After 3 attempts I had to cry uncle. The wireless stuff was getting kind of ridicolous. Sometimes I felt that I was getting more of a Cisco sales job on there wireless product line that taking a test.

 

[m1ldslide1]

I saw that. Sounds utterly brutal. But talk about making some serious money. You basically have to present and get grilled by a mock board of directors. It will take much more than just technical skills to pass it.

I only know one guy who might take that on. He's a triple CCIE (r/s, security, SP) and actually has the job title of "architect" or something working for Cisco. People like that mystify me. I feel like I'm a reasonably ambitious person, but I can't really imagine investing all of the time to get to that point. I also get the impression that even if you are the alpha genius, you won't necessarily get paid all that much by Cisco (if you work for them). At least not as much as a somewhat successful account manager makes off commission.

Spidey you're in the consulting biz, yes? Do you find that the smart guys with crazy certs and skills can make as much as the sales pukes? Or is there just no justice no matter where you go?

 

[spidey07]

The Mad money is in sales. All I gotta say.

 

[freegeeks]

I'm a consultant and the only reason why I got my CCNP because in my line of business having a cert matters. I saw more and more CCNP required job opportunities so I took the plunge. The test itself is good but the ridiculous number of questions on Cisco specific wireless stuff is just retarded imho. I'm slowly working on my CCIE R&S just because I want to up my market value but in the end you have to prove yourself on the job. I'm just doing the certs because I live in the real world and it becomes more and more a requirement to get interesting well paid consulting jobs...