CCENT Confused. 3

[twjua]

I want to start learning some Cisco for work. I'm new to Cisco so here is the issue:
At work we have a kit from Cisco that is CCNA Intro exam 640-821 and CCNA ICND books. I am interested in CCENT to start. So my question is, Should I take the time studying from 640-821 and 640-811, or should I break down and find the ICND1 book someplace? I might want to take the test one day.
Do the two "expired" books ones equal the ICND1 books?

 

[jabare]

Hi there Twjua;

Last year Cisco revamped the CCNA exam curriculum and in doing so toughened up the requirements and subdivided the certification into two steps: CCENT and CCNA. It is still possible to obtain a CCNA with only one exam (640-802), but now we have the option to take it in two steps, ICDN1 (exam 640-822), which gives you the CCENT certification, and then test on the ICDN2 material in a separate exam (640-816) which results in CCNA.

You can see from this link that the 821 material has been retired:

http://www.cisco.com/web/learning/le3/current_exams/640-821.html

I think it would be lunacy to invest the considerable amount of time and energy into studying the obsolete books that you have found. The CCNA exam is very tough - please do not underestimate the difficulty of it. To pass, your command of the material has to be beyond simply understanding it - you need to be able to draw inferences from limited clues and decide the root cause of a network problem and know the command syntax for the solution. The kicker is that you have on average a little over a minute per question, so there is no time to muddle over the concepts and piece together your thoughts.

Anyway, that is my opinion on the matter. I would get the up-to-date Cisco Press book and possibly the Lammle book also and read them in parallel. Also, this is a great forum to get answers and pick up tips on your journey.

Good luck!!

- Jabare

 

[CiscoGuy33]

twjua,

I agree with Jabare above - You should be able to pick up a Cisco Press book and Sybex CCNA Study Guide by Todd Lammel for less then $75 for both at Amazon or

http://www.bookpool.com

Check the FAQ here for a list of lots of free stuff but these should be used WITH an up-to-date book so that you are research and checking only that which is on the current exam.

Also follow the prior links to Wendell Odom's blog about setting up a home CCNA lab at

http://www.Networkworld.com/community/node/24916

Hope this helps!


E.A. Broda
CCNA, CCDA, CCAI, Network +

 

[twjua]

Great, thanks guys.

 

[burtsbees]

Do you have real routers and switches to play with????

Burt

 

[maczen]

On a similar note! Do not throw those books out!!! Yes, there are many new concepts incorporated into the new CCNA exams.. Primarily Wireless and Security but there is a huge overlap in material. I would suggest purchasing some updated study material but you will often find that an explanation in one book (even older books.. often older books actually) is much better than an explanation in another book... You essentially have more references and more explanations which is a good thing!!!

B Haines
CCNA, FOI