The CCNA Exam Study Tips Page
How to Pass the CCNA Exam Through Self-Study
By Dietrich Faust
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(If you follow these steps, you can pass the test with no hands-on experience, little or no initial knowledge of internetworking, and no access to expensive courses. You will need to buy study materials, however. Compilation of this guide was finished on 16/11/00. Last update: 22/11/00)
Step 1.
Firstly, you need to obtain some good study guides and other resources. The most popular resources available are those from the publishers CiscoPress and Sybex. The following textbooks cover all topics that you need to know to pass the CCNA exam:
CiscoPress:
a) "Internetworking Technologies Handbook," 2nd edition, ISBN 1-57870-102-3
b) "Interconnecting Cisco Network Devices," Auth. Steve McQuerry, ISBN 1-57870-111-2
c) "Cisco CCNA Exam #640-507 Certification Guide," Wendell Odom, ISBN 0-7357-0971-8or, as a package:
"Cisco CCNA #640-507 Preparation Library," CiscoPress, ISBN 1-58705-003-X
Sybex:
d) "CCNA Cisco Certified Network Associate Study Guide," Second Edition, Auth. Todd Lammle, ISBN 0-7821-2647-2
e) "CCNA Virtual Lab e-trainer," version 1.01, Auth. Todd Lammle, William Tedder, 2728-2 CDor, as a package:
"CCNA Certification Kit," Auth. Todd Lammle, William Tedder, Publ. Sybex, ISBN 0-7821-2729-0
In terms of reading order, I suggest the following: a, then b, d, e, c. This assumes you have little knowledge of internetworking. If you already have a foundation, then you can skip text a) and follow through with the rest of the texts in the order specified. Be sure to read the Appendix on switch configuration in text d.
Take notes when you read. I have a preference for writing NEATLY in my textbooks in pencil, whenever I am stuck on something, or something suddenly makes sense. You may prefer to make flashcards, or jot notes on paper. Whatever method, keep your notes together, and skim over them whenever possible. Make sure you deal with problem areas as swiflty as possible. Try to ask questions on topics that you are unsure about. There are various online forums around, but the best (in my opinion) is the following:
(Follow the links through to the CCNA forum. On this site you will see other Cisco certified forums that you can check out.)
With the tests, always take the chapter tests only after you've read and understood the material for each chapter. Save the exams for later. Nothing is gained from doing exams on topics that you have little or no knowledge of.
Step 2.
Once you have read through the relevant sources and completed the chapter tests, make a two-to-three page summary of what you have learnt. Condensing information down like this is beneficial, and will be useful when exam time comes. Doing this is good for getting an "overview" - looking at the big picture - of what you have learnt.
Step 3.
Revise in preparation for the text exams. Pay particular attention to the areas that you are weak in. Act as if you are about to take the real thing, and you want to get 100%, or at least 99% ;)
Step 4.
Take one of the text practice exams (you should be able to take them on computer, by installing the relevant files from the CD's that come with the textbooks.) I suggest doing the Sybex practice exams first. There are three to choose from: an assessment exam, a practice exam, and a bonus exam. The real exam has 65 questions with 75 minutes for completion. Try to leave just over a minute per question (you may be able to set the time limit on the practice exams). The real exam has no "back button" (once you've answered a question, and hit "Next," that's it...you can't go back). Do likewise, if you can, on the practice exams. The practice exams may give you the option of enabling or disabling the "Back" button.
When taking the practice exam, read each question three times. Don't rush. You have more time than you think. If you are answering a question a minute, you are doing well. Be aware of wording which attempts to trick you. In particular, double negative question/ answers. A good example is the following:
Which of the following is not true?
a) Switches do not increase the number of collision domains.
b) Switches increase the number of broadcast domains.
c) Routers increase the number of broadcast domains.
d) Switches and bridges both use ASICs.
The way I approach this is to write down the options and mark an F next to false statements and a T next to true statements. In this case the F statements are correct!
a) Switches do not increase the number of collision domains. F
b) Switches increase the number of broadcast domains. F
c) Routers increase the number of broadcast domains. T
d) Switches and bridges both use ASICs. F
So the answer is a, b, d. The only true statement here is a wrong answer!
Step 5.
Once you have finished your exam, go over ALL the questions carefully. Make sure you understand why you got the right questions right and the wrong questions wrong. Never accept the CD/text's answer blindly - there are mistakes in these too. Pay particular attention to problem areas.
Step 6.
Redo all the exams until you are getting 100% on them, or anywhere around that figure.
Step 7.
Repeat steps 4 and 5 for all your text exams.
Step 8.
Get hold of the Boson and Techmindworks exams. You won't necessarily need all the Boson exams, or a full 25 day subscription with Techmindworks. The Boson exams are a great confidence-booster, and the Techmindworks exams are tough, very regimental (and thus, excellent) knowledge testers. You can purchase these at:
Step 9.
Repeat Step 3, this time in preparation for the Boson and Techmindworks exams. Make sure you focus on areas that were patchy in when you took the text exams. Don't leave any loose ends. Deal with problem areas by asking questions at
If nobody will help you, I'll do my best! (If you see Deets512, that's me!!)
Step 10.
Do the Boson exams first. The scores you get on your FIRST ATTEMPT are the most important. If you are scoring anywhere around 90% on your first attempt at the Boson exams, this is a good sign. Go over all questions, understanding why you got the questions right that you did, and the questions wrong that you did. Be wary of all answers: there may be mistakes. Once you have gone over the exams in this manner, then take the exams until you are getting consistently around 100%.
Step 11.
Do steps 9 and 10 for the Techmindworks exams. Start out first with the drills: these are an excellent preparation for the Techmindworks exams. Don't be surprised by the difficulty of these exams: they are harder than the Boson exams. They will jolt you into studying that little bit harder.
Step 12.
If you have made it this far, then you are in tip-top shape to take the exam. Ask yourself if you feel prepared. If you think you will pass, then you most likely will. You could probably walk in there and pass it at this point. Hopefully you will still have about a week left for the exam date, though. The following are final things you should do before taking the big one (the following notes were mainly made by Tracey J. Rosenblath. MOUS, A+, MCP. My small addition is marked with an asterisk):
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******* The Week Before the Exam *******
1) Make sure you study through all of your notes faithfully * I have been in an exam before, and faced a question, that I knew was identical to one that was at home in my notes. I could visualize the page and everything; unfortunately I could not remember the answer. I am sure this has happened to many people. If you are sure to study over all of your notes, this is a problem you may not encounter.
2)Clear up any questions you may have now * The last thing anyone wants to do is to go in and write an examination on a subject that they are having difficulty in. If you have any questions at all, no matter how trivial you think they are, find out the answers now.
3)If you must use braindumps * I would advise anyone to stay away from the braindumps because a lot of the answers are wrong, and in my opinion using them to study from is morally wrong. If you feel that you must use the braindumps, then you should convert them into word documents, and remove all of the answers and explanations. Then you should sit down and use the questions as a test, writing out the answers by hand. This will show you where your weak areas are, and show you what areas you need to be studying the most. Keep in mind that if you don’t know the material well enough to hand write the answer based on the question, then you don’t know the material well enough to be contemplating writing the exam.
4) Do as many practice tests as possible * Practice tests will make you more comfortable with the testing environment, as well as allowing you to determine what your strong and weak points are.
*5) Note DF: I found it good to go over the Virtual Lab e-trainer (Sybex) one last time, so that I was confident with router/ switch commands. You may not need to do this, but why not? It's good for a refresher, and by this stage you should be able to whip through the labs in no time at all. Also, an excellent site for getting hands-on on a real router is: www.r1r2.com. The site allows you to reverse-Telnet into a router and configure it and a connected router so that they are talking to one another. The facility is currently free, but it is likely that they will start charging soon, so jump in while you still have the opportunity!!
******* The Day Before the Exam *******
1) Take one last look over your notes and put them away * Taking one last look over your notes will increase your confidence with how well you know the material. After looking over them once, make sure to put them somewhere where you will not look at them again before the exam. Looking over your notes more than once now will only confuse you, and anything you do not know at this point, you are not going to learn before the exam. * If you feel uncomfortable with the thought of not studying beyond this point, you can still study the cram sheet you made earlier in the course.
2) Get a good nights sleep * The night before the exam I always make sure to get to bed early. There is nothing worse for your concentration than being exhausted due to sleep deprivation. This will also help clear your head before the big day.
******* The Day Of The Exam *******
1) Do not study at all * Take long walks, hot bubble baths - do whatever it takes - but do not study!!! If you really feel that you must, you can take one last look over your cram sheet.
2) Get to the exam center a few minutes early * You do not want to walk into the exam feeling the frustration of being short on time. In order to keep your thoughts clear it is best to arrive a few minutes early.
3) When you sit down in front of the exam, pause to take a few quick breaths * Now is when you really need to be calm and level headed. Taking a few deep breaths will help you to relax, and will help to ease nervous tension.
4) Read every question 3 times * Double negatives are used a lot in the questions, so read them carefully to make sure you know what they are asking of you. I seriously believe that these are the best study methods to prepare you for an exam. I have sworn by them, and they have always worked for me, and for those that I have told about these methods. If you use the methods, you will truly know the material inside and out, before you write the exam, and you’ll not only pass it - you’ll blow it away!!!
(End of section by Tracey J. Rosenblath.)
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Afterword
This guide is quite rigorous and, depending on your learning capabilities, may take some time. I, personally, did not follow this guide as prescribed. I DID have a plan, which does resemble this one partially. It took me about two months of full-time study to complete. You may be quicker. Unless you are a genius, don't expect a walk in the park. You are hopefully wanting to learn about internetworking, not just grab hold of some certificate for little effort. Remember: you reap what you sow. I passed the CCNA test on my first attempt with a score of 892 (pass mark 822). If I had followed the above plan rigidly, I believe I would have scored higher. This is how I would prepare for the exam now, knowing what I know. When I set out to take the exam, I didn't have the benefit of hindsight, unfortunately. Hopefully, there will be no such excuses for you! At least you'll have the benefit of MY hindsight!
Good luck!!
Compiled by Dietrich Faust. BA, CCNA 2.0. "Final Week Preparation" tips by Tracey J. Rosenblath. MOUS, A+, MCP.
NB: This guide does not guarantee a pass on your CCNA exam. It only endeavours to help you increase your chances dramatically. To pass, you do need at least a reasonable memory. You also need intelligence. There are ways to help memorize facts (I'll be putting up a page of internetworking mnemonics, at some stage). Unfortunately, I can't help you with the intelligence factor.