How to Pass the Cisco CCNA Certification and What to Expect

The Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) certification is valued somewhat more heavily than other certifications such as the Microsoft MSCE. As with all IT certifications having real world experience will trump having the certification. However it isn’t an either or decision and having the certification certainly cannot hurt you if you also have experience with network equipment. Getting your certification does two things. First it shows that you have at least the basic minimum level of knowledge that Cisco set for you to pass the CCNA, when you get the certificate. The second thing is it teaches you the skills you will need when you get the job the CCNA certificate is supposed to help you get. Lets face it the 90 minutes you spend taking the test is not over random information that was not carefully choose for it’s relevancy to your future (or current) job. As with other certifications it doesn’t matter how you learn the material, a book, a CD, or the certification class. The certification classes are usually priced around $2,000 but training CDs and books are available for less.

About the Cisco CCNA certification test:

The Official test number (ensure any training materials reference this test number)	640-802.
previous test number which is now retired:	640-507, 640-801
Length:	90 minutes
Number of Questions:	50-60
Simulations:	1
Do not enter on the simulation:	write memory
Question type:	Best two - multiple choice, simulator

The simulation is a sample (broken) Cisco router configuration for a small simplified network setup using a simulator. You have to analyze the setup against the displayed documented information and fix error(s) in the configuration. This exercise uses software that emulates the IOS operating system found on Cisco hardware. The simulator exercise is meant to resemble a real world problem. A training CD may include software to help you prepare for the hands on part that a book would not. The manual configuration is meant to take around 15 minutes but it is very hard to guess on and very easy to eat precious time. The other questions are multiple choice, but ask for the best two answers. This makes the test significantly harder to get than traditional multiple choice answers. The test is changed at regular intervals, officially the test answers are rotated but I got the same simulation on my second try. When you take the CCNA test use these tips to help you pass with as few attempts as possible:

• At the end of the configuration you’re expected to save the changes you make, but typing “write memory” to do this may automatically fail the CCNA test for you. The command is “copy run start” which you should type when you’re done with the simulation.
• Don’t spread out your study, if you study for two moths it’s very, very hard to remember what you learned in the first week. This is the main reason I’ve seen my coworkers fail the test.
• When you take the test don’t skip questions, you won’t be any more confident latter in the test.
• When you don’t know the answer, guess. A guess is no more wrong than an incomplete question.
• When you guess, do so intelligently; try to eliminate some answers.
• Don’t be afraid of failure. When you use the fact that you are certified to get a raise or get a job nobody will care how many attempts you failed it on, or your score, just if you passed it.
• If you fail the test go back to studying immediately and take the test in the next week or two.
• If you’re lucky enough to take a course, schedule the exam for the last testing slot available on Friday, even if it means missing a little bit of class or study time. You will do best before you have time to forget it!

The Cisco CCNA certification test is slightly more difficult than other professional tests but having the certificate can be worth a raise, or it can be what you need to get the job. The CCNA is not as hard to get as the CCIE which usually takes over a year to prepare for. If you walk into an interview with no experience but with a certification you are far better off than without it. Being certified is also a sure sign of competency that any HR department will see when you file your job application to ensure it’s not filtered out. Use your head, study, and you can pass it, hopefully on the first time. I have a list of decent training materials bellow. You can get online training from TrainingCenter.com with an online CCNA Course complete with a practice Exam. Here is the official book written by Cisco for CCNA training: CCNA Official Exam Certification Library I would recommend sticking to Cisco’s official books rather than another brand as there will be a greater quality and topic (test answer) coverage. Cisco Press is a department at Cisco.

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