Full Marks

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But the alternative is this... they have the paper, and you don't. That gives them even MORE of an advantage.

You want your resume to be grouped with theirs in the "keep" pile. Then, when you shine in the interview (and they're caught out), you'll get the job. But if you aren't certified, then if they look more attractive than you, they get the interview, and you don't. So NOT getting certification isn't a logical option.

Just because THEY abuse the system doesn't mean you should abandon the system. That's throwing the baby out with the bathwater - you can still use the system for good. And there is no better alternative to the advantage that certification provides.

Exactly. If you cheat, that just means you can pass a test by memorizing answers. If you don't cheat, then you've likely learned something!

Often, it's not negativism, dude... it's realism. I look to the positives as much as I do the negatives. Again, I take ALL of the data available to me and then say 1) likely, 2) not likely, or 3) not enough info. If we come up with the negative result often, it's because the negative (braindumping) often happens. We've SEEN it out there.

Not really. I got my first IT job without certifications doing field tech work. One of our customers (JohnP) liked my work and hired me full time as a systems admin. A former employer (who knew my abilities) then hired me as their only network technician. JohnP then asked if I would come with him to a new company as a senior systems admin. Note that in ALL of these cases, I didn't need certifications... the person who hired me knew what I could do. And by the end of all these jobs, I had a bunch of real-world experience.

The first job where I actually needed the certifications was Transcender.

After Transcender, I got a job as a senior network consultant. I had certifications... but I also had experience. Did they help? Who knows?

Then the process repeats itself: one of our customers liked my work and hired me full time as a senior network admin. Then Boson called - guys who had worked with me at Transcender - to offer me a senior content developer job... again, not because I was certified, but because of what they knew I could do.

Certainly certifications are important. And they have made a difference in my career (and not just because I create certification training! hah!). But have certifications been the primary difference maker? Not even close. The experience is the key.

 

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Nuff said.

 

To be honest, the closer I get to doing my CCNA exam (It's on Tuesday)

The more I realise what people have said previously that you don't need to use braindumps if you're ready.

I will admit I have looked at braindumps, but only a little bit, as I started to do them and was basically answering the questions correctly. After doing a few I realised I am more than capable and that the pride of passing will be knowing I could do it off my own back.

Also, I didn't realise you could get legit exam sims lol - thanks for that point Michael ;)

Maybe, it's dinner time and I need to get my words - well, maybe!

If I fail now after being all noble, I'm going to be f*cking gutted! lol

 

Well my thread about ccent exam is gone lol, but im revising using cisco books, a website, using the physical kit and some cbt style vids i find on youtube and just general websites relating to stuff such as routing protocols for a bit more info than i need.

I havent done any practice exams yet, will be doing those from middle of next week, but im hoping to get 100% on the real thing, i know its pretty doubtful, but it would be cool to prove that braindumps are not needed if you revise properly and know the stuff.

The practice exams to me are useful to get you into the kind of howto do the exam, not what questions you will be asked, which is good of cisco to put up pages for people taking the exam so they can get used to the layout.

Still feel a bit yucky that they dont let you go back through questions as i have a tendancy in tests to misread so will probably be taking this one slower (and use the pad and marker more) for that reason than i do with the MS tests (i fly through those and end up going through them 3 times and still have an hour+ left over lol)

So it will be time to get into privilidged brain mode

ENABLE!

*note - yay my first Cisco geek joke ever! - and it was terrible *

 

Its not about passing the exam is being able to do the role when you are in the working environment, answering a/b/c will not enable you to do a nat overload or set local login if you dont know the commands.

Do you mind me asking what materials you are using for study?

 

I have just finished the Cisco Academy course, been there since September so I mainly used the online academy materials, I also then bought the Cisco Press books (academy versions).

I also have kit at home, and I also already have a job in a Cisco networking role!

Between all that, and packet tracer, I feel I've learned a hell of a lot!

Just hope I don't fail - as a lot of people seem too on the first go.

 

That's great to hear, CoT, especially considering our past discussions. Braindumps are, at best, a crutch that you really shouldn't need and ought not use.

You'll definitely feel better for it. The pride is unbreakable, at that point.

Yep... companies such as Boson, MeasureUp, PrepLogic, and Transcender/Self Test (arranged alphabetically to avoid bias) create unique questions based on the content you're likely to need to know for the exam. On the other hand, braindump companies just copy-and-paste (and take screenshots!) of what is on the live exam - no real effort required on their part!

Thus, braindump companies can sell their "products" (if they can be called that) for cheaper than we can sell ours because there's really no cost involved in creating braindumps, whereas there's a great cost to create unique questions AND detailed explanations. It is our hope that we create a product that makes our customers better techs (because of those detailed explanations) so they'll decide to spend the money on high-quality stuff from us.

Most everyone has failed an exam. I've passed dozens... but I've failed two myself. So if you fail, don't let it get you down. Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, find out the sections where you are weak, and study those sections. Remember what questions you had trouble with and study those things. No, you might not get those exact questions again... but you'll understand those concepts after you study them.

So what if you fail? Study, pay the exam fees, and take it again. You *will* get it. And it'll be all the sweeter if you don't use braindumps to pass, I promise you.

 

Thanks for the post Michael, it's more influencial than you could know.

With it looming now, I have been very tempted even still to pick up the pass4sure and hit it but I really don't need too. If I fail, it's because I need a bit more study and another go, I know that now, just got to be strong.

I didn't really think of it like this before and my original search for these papers was just because I wanted to "practise" what the test would like.

But there is no need, and you're right, I want to have that feeling! Or it was just waste of 9 months of studying around a hectic work and home life!