Going for my CCENT

[cpals]

What would be a good way to prepare myself for the class and the test later on? I'm going next month to a 5-day class for the ICND1.

Thanks!

 

[drebo]

I had some practical experience with Cisco equipment already and a pretty decent knowledge of networking fundamentals. So, when I took the CCNA composite exam, all I did was read one of those Exam Cram books. Never took one of those classes...can't comment on how good they are, but the Exam Cram book I read was pretty good at explaining and providing relevant examples.

 

[mcmilljb]

These 5 day entry-level courses are good if you have some previous experience or you'll be able to get some hands-on experience afterwards as well. They'll help you get your feet wet, and then it's up to you practice and prepare for the exam. Hopefully your employer will have a mentor there to help you.

 

[cpals]

Originally posted by: mcmilljb
These 5 day entry-level courses are good if you have some previous experience or you'll be able to get some hands-on experience afterwards as well. They'll help you get your feet wet, and then it's up to you practice and prepare for the exam. Hopefully your employer will have a mentor there to help you.

You mean at my work? Unfortunately, there is nobody to mentor me as I'm the only one with the slightest Cisco knowledge and that isn't very much! We outsource all of our router/switch setups, I pretty much just maintain them.

 

[mcmilljb]

Originally posted by: cpals

Originally posted by: mcmilljb
These 5 day entry-level courses are good if you have some previous experience or you'll be able to get some hands-on experience afterwards as well. They'll help you get your feet wet, and then it's up to you practice and prepare for the exam. Hopefully your employer will have a mentor there to help you.

You mean at my work? Unfortunately, there is nobody to mentor me as I'm the only one with the slightest Cisco knowledge and that isn't very much! We outsource all of our router/switch setups, I pretty much just maintain them.

In that case, you might want to convince your boss to have you continue training onto the ICND2 course to give you more training in an insutrctor-led environment(plus you can get your CCNA). Then possibly take some courses at the CCNP/IP level to fill in more advanced topics you may need on the job. The more experience you get, the more information you will be able to get out of these courses. You will be able to ask better questions and be able to relate what you learn to your work environment.

Just an example of how these courses work. I worked at a place that was switching over to Vista. We had been working on the beta version to test for compatibility and the like. Then we took a week long course that went over all the versions and features. Learned what was different and new. We had experience already using it so we knew a good bit of it. Afterwards, we spent the the following week preparing for the Microsoft exam and passed with high scores. The courses are setup to focus on the skills required for the exam they correspond with. So the more experience you have, the quicker you can learn what's new. You definitely won't remember everything at the end of the week. That's why you spend some time studying if you're taking the exam, but you will know and learn quite a bit since you already have experience.

 

[cpals]

Also, I thought I take the test right there after the class, but I guess you go home and study a little more and then take the test? Is there a time limit of how many days after training you can take the test?

 

[mcmilljb]

The CCNA exams do not have prerequisites, so you can take them whenever you want. If you feel you are ready after the course, go take it. Hopefully your instructor will provide you with material that you can use to assess how well you know the material. You should focus on learning as much as you can from the course, asessing what you know by comparing it to the requirements of the INCD1 exam, and then filling in any areas you might be lacking. The exam itself is assessing how well you know the topics at the entry level. Go ahead and review those at Cisco's website so you can already compare what you know and determine what you need to learn at the course. Then after the course, you should be able to determine how soon you need to take the exam.

 

[seepy83]

Typically, if the cost of the Exam is included with the Class, you're just getting a Voucher to take the exam, and you can take the Exam whenever you want....months after the class is over, even. Just doulble-check with the organization you're taking the class with.