Ahhh CCNA brainfreeze

Discussion in 'General Cisco Certifications' started by Hello World, Sep 27, 2005.

  1. Hello World

    Hello World Nibble Poster

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    Well this is a real bummer...

    Ive had some stuff going on at home lately and ive been studying CCNA 1 at college... well i kinda forgot everything x.x.

    I only actually do my college stuff two times a week, and this week i missed one of them... anyway i was going over all my material doing some quiz's and my marks are really low ... like 60% or so, as you know doing the cisco syllabus online requires you to do an exam at the end of each chapter... well i have one to do within the next 6 hours and ill probably have another one set tonight, im a chapter behind and my brain just isnt working.

    I know im gonna fall behind, i accept that, but is there any way to like.. get my brain back in gear? Like a crash course or something for the first half of the CCNA part 1 stuff? I really dont wanna screw all this up now ive finally managed to get on the course...

    Basicly last week i fully understood the OSI model, some of the TCP/IP model and all the more basic stuff... but now my mind just dosnt work, all the american over-hyped terminology is just confusing me... im skipping out tons of important stuff as i read it as it all just feels like jargon.

    Really i feel like i never started this damn course, it feels like im guessing every question now.
     
    WIP: CCNA 1, IT Essentials 1(A+)
  2. Pete01

    Pete01 Kilobyte Poster

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    Sometimes it helps to look at the subject matter from a non-cisco perspective.

    Here's a couple of websites you can have a look at at get back on track, this one has excellent tutorials:

    http://www.firewall.cx/index.php

    Here's another website that's very useful for gauging your readiness to take the exam:

    http://www.celticrover.com/tig/ccna/ccnareviews.asp

    The second one has good tutorials condensed, the links on the right are practice questions but on the bottom are drop down menus with the tutorials.

    Apart from that maybe some hands on 'messing about' can help you get back in gear, it helps to remember the reason you're learning all this stuff.

    Go to an onlne rack/lab company like mindtech and set up some networks with all the different routing protocols, calculate the different subnets you want and make up some access list requirements- why not set up some Vlans while you're at it- hehe that's what I've been doing in between theory cramming.....I'm taking the exam on friday :eek:
     
    Certifications: MCP (NT4) CCNA
    WIP: 70-669, Learning MSI packaging
  3. Hello World

    Hello World Nibble Poster

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    Thanks for that, ill take a look... right now im a little pressed for time, ive got like 1 hour to read the remainder of this chapter and take the end of chapter exam before 6, at which time i go to class and am expected to have done my chapt4 crap and listen to a presentation =/.

    The thing thats annoying me the most is the american terminology... the way they call cables media and stuff, and how they use about 20 words to describe what a router is =/. Thats the thing im slipping up on, it aint the actual functions of what they do its the high tech jargon they use.
     
    WIP: CCNA 1, IT Essentials 1(A+)
  4. Bluerinse
    Honorary Member

    Bluerinse Exabyte Poster

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    Build a bridge and get over it :biggrin

    Understanding the jargon and incorporating it into your own vocabulary is essential. If you want to work in this industry. If you can't beat them, join them 8)
     
    Certifications: C&G Electronics - MCSA (W2K) MCSE (W2K)
  5. ffreeloader

    ffreeloader Terabyte Poster

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    LOL. So Cisco terminology is "over-hyped american jargon"???? Methinks you have just a small bit of anti-Americanism there my lad.

    OK. Now that I have my understatement for the day out of way.... It's like Bluerinse said. Every industry has its own terminology and way of saying things, and most times that terminology is in large part set by the biggest companies in that field. It doesn't really matter what company or country the terminology comes from. It's just technical terminology that must be learned if you want to succeed in that industry.

    I think your problem stems from not putting in the hours you need to put in to learn what you need to learn. I can guarantee you that I put in many more hours learning "my" CCNA stuff than you are. I spent far in excess of 50 hours a week at learning it. I know everyone can't put in that much time because they don't have it available, but as things are you're asking yourself to basically do the impossible. Two or three hours twice a week just isn't enough time to really learn all the complex material a person needs to learn when you're in a situation where you only have a limited number of weeks to learn the material.
     
    Certifications: MCSE, MCDBA, CCNA, A+
    WIP: LPIC 1
  6. tripwire45
    Honorary Member

    tripwire45 Zettabyte Poster

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    I have to go with the rest, HW. You are expected to know the technical terminology. I took a look at the current requirements for the Network+ exam and in the last domain, a list of the technical acronyms you are expected to know is included. Like it or not, that's "geek-speek". :tongue
     
    Certifications: A+ and Network+
  7. Jonathan

    Jonathan Nibble Poster

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    Go to an onlne rack/lab company like mindtech and set up some networks with all the different routing protocols, calculate the different subnets you want and make up some access list requirements- why not set up some Vlans while you're at it- hehe that's what I've been doing in between theory cramming.....I'm taking the exam on friday :eek:[/QUOTE]

    What about some nice NAT and Frame-relay :p
     
    Certifications: CCNA
    WIP: CCNP BSCI
  8. Pete01

    Pete01 Kilobyte Poster

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    Nat and Frame relay I forgot to mention, there's ISDN available in that lad as well!

    I'm putting together some quite mished mashed networks on that website hehe, I've done all the labs in the book a few times now so I'm making my own ones up but using all 5 routers and the switch.

    Today I think I'll do ISDN on 2 interfaces with DDR set for 'interesting traffic', some frame-relay sub interfaces multipoint and point-to-point, all routing protocols (not at the same time of course this will be over a 2 hour time slot) and some vlans and access lists.

    Hmm how am I going to do the IP addressing for all this...
     
    Certifications: MCP (NT4) CCNA
    WIP: 70-669, Learning MSI packaging
  9. simongrahamuk
    Honorary Member

    simongrahamuk Hmmmmmmm?

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    I'm with the majority on this.

    Put the hour in and the results will show. I have to admit though, that Like you when I did the first two semesters of the CNAP I was only putting 'minimal' effort in, and by the end of if I was struggling.

    Learn from the past, you are struggling now, but If you read, then re read, then search the web to find non technical explanations of technical stuff you will learn.

    One of the best ways I have found for the CNAP is to only read the Cisco book once, make notes, and then go else where to read up on what you dont understand. The thing with the 'Official' books is that they put a lot of background information in, that s completely irrelevant to you, and serves only to confuse.

    Always have a secondary source of information.

    8)
     
  10. ffreeloader

    ffreeloader Terabyte Poster

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    Good advice. I have accumulated a large library of books over the last three years and it's for just that reason. In most cases exam specific books just simply aren't enough to come to a thorough understanding of the concepts being studied. They're OK as a single source for someone with a few years experience who has the necessary background and knowledge, but not for a newbie.
     
    Certifications: MCSE, MCDBA, CCNA, A+
    WIP: LPIC 1

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