CCNA Books – Comparing CCNA Books for the Exam

Posted by ccnaguy

studybook

Choosing the right CCNA Book can be an intimidating process for somebody who is new to self-study for Cisco certifications.  Here we outline a few categories of books and the recommended titles in each category.  The titles outlined below are all for the latest version of the CCNA Exam (640-802).

Self-Study Books

These CCNA books assume no prior knowledge of networking and will provide detailed information on the material to be tested for the CCNA Test.  For Cisco Press titles, these are published under the “Authorized Self-Study Guide” series of books.  These are suitable for candidates who are not taking a separate course with a Cisco Training Partner or with a Cisco Academy.  These CCNA book titles are also extremely useful for learning about the basic (CCNA Level) configuration of Cisco routing and switching technology and provide a good introduction to networking in general.

  • Pros: Comprehensive study material for the CCNA test.
  • Cons: Not particularly useful as a quick reference before the exam.

Our Recommended Self Study Books

Exam Certification Books

These CCNA books are more exam focused and are written perfectly in-line with the objectives for the CCNA Exams.  These are suitable for candidates with prior networking knowledge, or who are already taking a certification course with a Cisco Training Partner or Academy.  They provide less detail and are generally written with a clear objective of having concise (but complete) information to pass the exam.  For Cisco Press titles, these are in the “Exam Certification Guide” series of books.

These titles are also suitable to be used together with the more comprehensive self-study guides as a quick review before the actual exam.

  • Pros: Complete but more concise when compared to self-study series. Good for candidates with prior knowledge or candidates who are recertifying their CCNA certification.
  • Cons: Might be more difficult for a candidate with no prior knowledge to grasp.

Our Recommended Exam Certification Books

Choose Right!

Choosing the CCNA Book can can be confusing.  Hopefully this article has helped provide details on what is available for a self-study candidate.  Best of luck for the exam!

Be sure to check out my 5 top tips for passing the CCNA Exam.

Click here to browse CCNA books at Amazon.com now!

Posted in: ccna books, ccna guide, ccna prep Comments(2) January 2009


5 Top Tips for Passing the CCNA Exam

Posted by ccnaguy

comproom

The CCNA Exam is a challenging exam, but the rewards are well worth it once you pass and become a qualified CCNA.  Here are some tips to help you get through the exam:

  1. Ensure that you are familiar with the CCNA prep material.  I highly recommend reading and re-reading the CCNA books recommended in this post in order to be well prepared for the exam.
  2. Subnetting is an important topic.  Be sure that you are familiar with subnetting and VLSM and you are able to do this quickly.
  3. Time management is key.  It is better to skip a difficult question rather than spend all your time on it and miss out on scoring on the easier questions.  An exception would be the simulation questions – do not skip these as they carry many points.  It is likely that you will fail the exam should you not be able to complete the simulations to a satisfactory level.  There are also specific strategies to save time and I will discuss those in another post.
  4. There will be 2-3 lab/simulation questions per CCNA exam.  Ensure that you are well prepared by using either real equipment or simulation software.  I highly recommend  CCNA Virtual Lab, Titanium Edition for this purpose.
  5. Try not to think too deeply into the questions, as often the exam is looking for a straightforward answer based on the study material.

Click here to browse CCNA books at Amazon.com now!

Posted in: ccna books, ccna prep Comments(2) January 2009


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