- Exam Details
- Trouble Spots
- Preparation Hints
- Recommended Study Resources
- Exam Objectives
- Where to Go from Here
Recommended Study Resources
Because of the two possible paths to get your CCNA (1 exam or 2 exam), many Cisco Press products have an ICND1 product, a matching ICND2 product, and the two items are sold together for CCNA study at a lower price. In some cases, the product has an ICND1/CCENT edition, and a CCNA edition.
If you plan on taking the CCNA Routing and Switching 200-120 exam, the most cost-effective option is to purchase the CCNA version of each product. For example, most people buy a product like The Cisco CCNA Routing and Switching 200-120 Official Cert Library.
This product contains two books: The Cisco CCENT/CCNA ICND1 100-101 Official Cert Guide and the Cisco CCNA ICND2 200-101 Official Cert Guide. These two books together cover all the CCNA topics, and they supply a reading plan you can choose to follow when going for the CCNA Routing and Switching 200-120 exam.
Do you like studying by using questions? Cisco Press bundles the eBook version of each book in the Cert Library along with some extra practice questions, in the following products:
- The Cisco CCENT/CCNA Routing and Switching 100-101 Premium Edition eBook and Practice Tests
- The Cisco CCNA Routing and Switching 200-101 Premium Edition eBook and Practice Tests
The printed books in the Library come with a DVD, and the rights to a large number of practice tests. The Premium Edition gives you eBook files in multiple formats, supporting popular eReaders, as well as extra practice exams.
To get hands-on skills, use the CCNA Network Simulator. This software product acts like small networks built with Cisco routers and switches; you type commands, and the software reacts as if you were doing the same thing on real gear. More importantly, this product is far more than just a place to type commands. It includes hundreds of scripted lab exercises that focus on the points you must know to do well on the exam.
These products also help round out your study library, with extra reference and practice tools:
- Cisco CCNA Routing and Switching 200-120 Flash Cards and Exam Practice Pack provides you with more than 1,400 flash cards, practice questions and study sheets for the CCNA exams. This product includes three proven study methods: print and online flash cards challenge you to test your knowledge of exam topics with long answer questions. The Pearson IT Certification Practice Test is a customizable software product that allows you to take exam realistic practice tests that help you assess your exam readiness. Finally, the quick reference guide contains hundreds of study sheets that help you do quick reviews of key exam topics.
- CCNA Routing and Switching Portable Command Guide, 3rd edition (ISBN: 1587204304) summarizes all CCNA R&S certification-level Cisco IOS® Software commands, keywords, command arguments, and associated prompts. You’ll find dozens of tips and examples for applying these commands in real-world networking scenarios. Configuration examples throughout the book provide you with a better understanding of how these commands are used in basic network designs.
- If you need help organizing, preparing, and reviewing all the CCNA objectives, use the “31 Days” books from Cisco Press. There will be one focused on the ICND1/CCENT and another for ICND2/CCNA. As a day-by-day guide, the features of each book empower you to fit exam preparation into an otherwise busy schedule. 31 Days Before Your CCENT or 31 Days Before Your CCNA Exam offer you a personable and practical way to understand the certification process, commit to taking the exam, and finish your preparation using a variety of Foundational and Supplemental study resources like those mentioned here.
Finally, studies show that many people that pursue Cisco certification use two separate primary reading sources. The CCNA Routing and Switching Foundation Learning Guide Library, also from Cisco Press, includes two books based on the two authorized Cisco courses related to CCNA: the Interconnecting Cisco Network Devices, Part 1 (ICND1) and Interconnecting Cisco Network Devices, Part 2 (ICND2) courses. Each book uses the same examples, figures, and sequence as those courses. This is an excellent source for alternate explanations and examples as compared to the CCNA Exam Certification Guides.