| To pass the CCNA exam, you've got to create a | | | | a job interview (or at 2AM when you've been called in |
| study plan. Part of that plan is scheduling your study | | | | to fix a problem), the correct answer is not "D". You've |
| time, and making that study time count. | | | | got to know what to do. |
| You've scheduled your exam you've created a | | | | And how do you learn these skills? Funny you should |
| document to track your study time you've planned | | | | ask.... Lab Time On Real Cisco Equipment. Again, |
| exactly when you're going to study. Now the plan must | | | | speaking from experience: This is the most important |
| be carried out, without exception. | | | | part of getting your CCNA, succeeding on the job, and |
| What exceptions do I mean? Cell phones. Televisions. | | | | going on to get your CCNP. |
| IPods. Significant others. The list can go on and on. | | | | Getting hands-on experience is critical to developing |
| It's one thing to have a plan, and an important thing | | | | your networking skills, especially your troubleshooting |
| now you've got to make sure you carry it out to its | | | | skills. Although simulators are better than they used to |
| fullest potential. That's easy to say until you're studying | | | | be, they're still not Cisco routers, and they never will be. |
| and a friend calls, or you remember that TV show you | | | | You do your best learning not only when you're |
| wanted to watch is on tonight, or you start surfing the | | | | configuring your routers, but when you screw |
| Web for Cisco information and end up playing a game. | | | | something up. |
| You MUST make these small sacrifices in order to | | | | That's so important, I want to repeat it - loudly: You do |
| achieve your main goal, the CCNA. Any worthwhile | | | | your best learning when you screw something up. |
| accomplishment requires some small sacrifice. | | | | Why? Because then you have to fix it that's how you |
| TV will be there when you're done studying. Your | | | | develop your troubleshooting skills. You can read about |
| significant other will be there when you're done | | | | all the debug and show commands in the world, but |
| studying. And believe it or not, people once existed | | | | you don't really understand how they work until you're |
| without cell phones! Turn the phone off. Turn your | | | | figuring out why your Frame Relay connection isn't |
| instant messenger service off. Turn your text pager | | | | working, or your RIP configuration isn't working. |
| off. Despite what we think, the world can do without | | | | This is true at every level of the Cisco Learning |
| communicating with us for 90 minutes. Remember, it's | | | | Pyramid. I can show you the show ip protocols output |
| better to have 90 minutes of great study than 180 | | | | or what you get when you run debug ip rip, and you |
| minutes of constantly interrupted study. Studies show | | | | might remember it for a little while. But when you use it |
| that while a single phone call causes an 11-minute | | | | to troubleshoot a lab configuration, you WILL |
| interruption on average, it takes well over 20 minutes | | | | remember it. |
| to get back to what you were doing with the proper | | | | Putting your own practice lab together will also help get |
| mental focus. This is true at the office and at your | | | | you over what I call "simulator question anxiety". If you |
| home! | | | | spend any time on CCNA Internet forums, you'll see |
| How To Spend Your Study Time CCNA candidates | | | | discussion after discussion about these exam |
| generally spend their time split between book study, | | | | questions. To a certain point, this discussion is justified. |
| practice exams, and lab time on real Cisco equipment. | | | | The simulator questions carry more weight on your |
| The best study is done by a combination of these, not | | | | exam than any other question while you can earn |
| by overly relying on one. Let's take a look at each | | | | partial credit on them, you've got to get them right or |
| method. | | | | you will most likely fail the exam. |
| Book study - I've never understood why some people | | | | There's no reason to be anxious about them if you're |
| (usually the trolls we were talking about earlier) talk | | | | prepared. You don't want to be the person who walks |
| about book study like it's a bad thing. "You can't learn | | | | into the testing room that's scared to have to create a |
| about technology from books." What a load of | | | | VLAN or an access list you want to be the person |
| manure. You have to learn the theory before you can | | | | who walks into the testing room confident of their |
| understand how a router or switch operates. The best | | | | ability to perform any CCNA task. The best way to be |
| way to learn the theory is to read a good book. | | | | that confident is to know you've done it - on real Cisco |
| At the CCNA level, you doubtless know that you have | | | | equipment. |
| dozens of choices when it comes to books. Some of | | | | There are several vendors that sell routers and |
| the better-known books really do gloss over some | | | | switches on ebay most of them sell CCNA and CCNP |
| important topics, such as binary math and subnetting. | | | | kits that include all the cables and transceivers that |
| Make sure to pick a book or books that go beyond | | | | you'll need as well. (And how is a simulator going to |
| just explaining the theory and that give you a lot of | | | | help you learn about cables and transceivers?) Keep in |
| explanation of router configs and real-world examples | | | | mind that you can always sell the equipment after |
| as well. | | | | you're done with the CCNA, or you can add a little |
| Practice Exams: Practice exams are good in | | | | equipment to it to go after your CCNP. |
| moderation, but don't use them as your main focus of | | | | Whichever of these methods you use (and I hope |
| study. Occasionally, I'm asked for study tips by | | | | you'll use all of them), make sure to keep them in |
| candidates who have taken the exam a few times | | | | balance with each other. Don't depend too much on |
| and not passed yet. I ask them what they're doing to | | | | just one. |
| prepare, and they give a list of companies they bought | | | | On the topic of learning how to troubleshoot... as you |
| practice exams from. (You see a lot of this on Internet | | | | run labs on your Cisco equipment, you'll run into |
| forums as well.) | | | | questions or problems that you don't know the answer |
| Don't fall into this trap. Practice exams are fine if used | | | | to yet. Get used to using Google (or your favorite |
| as a readiness check, but some candidates just take | | | | search engine) to find the answer to these problems - |
| them over and over again, which renders them | | | | but try to figure it our yourself first! |
| basically useless. | | | | There's nothing wrong with asking questions of |
| On top of that, some of them cost hundreds of dollars. | | | | someone else if you're not able to find the answer |
| That's money you'd be much better off spending on | | | | yourself. Trying to find the answer yourself is another |
| Cisco equipment to practice on. | | | | important troubleshooting skill you need to start |
| Again, I'm not against practice exams as a supplement | | | | developing today. Don't be one of these people who |
| to your studies. Just don't make them the main focus | | | | posts a simple question on a forum without trying to |
| of your study. Taking practice exams over and over | | | | find the answer on your own. Besides, you get more |
| and hoping the exam will be just like the practice exam | | | | satisfaction and build more confidence when you |
| is a recipe for disaster. As I tell my students, when | | | | determine the answer yourself. |
| you're in front of a rack of routers and switches during | | | | |