A few Network+ questions for recent candidates

Discussion in 'Network+' started by Asterix, Oct 4, 2010.

  1. Asterix

    Asterix Megabyte Poster

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    Hi Guys,
    I got the Network+ exam next week and a bit more worried about this one as i got to cram this and sec+ in by the end of the year alongside full time work and a MSC module......... and the fact that the exam is over twice the price of MCP exams! I have a couple of questions i was hoping recent candidates may be able to answer:
    1)How long did you study for the exam?
    2)Were the questions more (or less) challenging that expected?
    3)Did any topic areas arise which you wernt expecting?
    4)What do you feel was your most valuable study material?
    5)Any other relevant/notable information
     
  2. Simonvm

    Simonvm Kilobyte Poster

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    six weeks.

    For sure. A lot harder than the A+ questions. Had to go over the exam twice to be sure about everything.

    No, the AIO book had it pretty much covered.

    Mike Meyers' AIO book. And the Professor Messer videos.
     
    Certifications: MCITP: EST, MCDST, MCTS, A+, N+, CCNP, CCNA Wireless
  3. Asterix

    Asterix Megabyte Poster

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    Thanks Simon, I haven't got the AIO book, although went through a couple of older 2005 objective books and the CBT nugget and Testout training, just trying to tie up any loose ends before next week!
    Your Certs you have completed look particularly familiar to me :biggrin
     
  4. Simonvm

    Simonvm Kilobyte Poster

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    :mrgreen:

    Be sure to pay extra attention to subnetting, WAN technologies, WIFI, well-known ports, the OSI model and routing protocols :) Those are the first that come to mind in retrospect.

    Good luck :thumbleft
     
    Certifications: MCITP: EST, MCDST, MCTS, A+, N+, CCNP, CCNA Wireless
  5. Asterix

    Asterix Megabyte Poster

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    -How in depth does the subnetting go? I have studied this before but unsure how much this will be covered
    -In regards to routing protocols does it cover more than OSPF and RIP?
    -can you expand on 'WAN technologies' ?

    Thanks :biggrin
     
  6. Simonvm

    Simonvm Kilobyte Poster

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    Just make sure you know the different classes and how to calculate VLSM. It does not go too indepth but you could get asked to split an existing subnet into multiple subnets, and give the network, broadcast, first host/last host address.

    https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikibo...rnet_Protocol_version_6.29_routing_protocols:

    https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikibo...tegorize_WAN_technology_types_and_properties:

    And ofcourse, all the other objectives mentioned there :P
     
    Certifications: MCITP: EST, MCDST, MCTS, A+, N+, CCNP, CCNA Wireless
  7. GSteer

    GSteer Megabyte Poster

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    Original responses:

    1)How long did you study for the exam?

    - read the books over a 1-2month period on and off, hard studied/revised for two weeks

    2)Were the questions more (or less) challenging that expected?

    - less

    3)Did any topic areas arise which you wernt expecting?

    - nope

    4)What do you feel was your most valuable study material?

    - the Sybex/Lammle book was excellent, the Meyers Passport less so, had errors, content not as good.

    5)Any other relevant/notable information

    - go through the official objectives one section at a time marking which ones you are not 100% sure off.
    - expect IPv6 questions and do make sure you know what a Butt Set is

    Additional Answers:

    How in depth does the subnetting go? I have studied this before but unsure how much this will be covered

    You'll need to be able to subnet on the provided plastic sheet to resolve the answers unless you can do it in your head, ie here's the starting IP gives us this many hosts / nets etc.

    -In regards to routing protocols does it cover more than OSPF and RIP?

    Yes: IGPs, EGPs, RIP, OSPF, IS-IS, BGP, IGRP, EIGRP - know which ones are IGP/BGP and which are Link State vs Distance Vector and know the different versions of each inc IPv6 versions.

    -can you expand on 'WAN technologies' ?

    From the objectives: (and yes they'll ask on any of them)

    Type:
    Frame relay
    E1/T1 (E-Carrier Level 1/T-Carrier Level 1)
    E3/T3 (E-Carrier Level 3/T-Carrier Level 3)
    ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line)
    SDSL (Symmetric Digital Subscriber Line)
    VDSL (Very High Bitrate Digital Subscriber Line)
    Cable modem
    Satellite
    OC-x (Optical Carrier)
    Wireless
    ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode)
    SONET (Synchronous Optical Networking)
    MPLS (Multiprotocol Label Switching)
    ISDN BRI (Integrated Services Digital Network Basic Rate Interface)
    ISDN PRI (Integrated Services Digital Network Primary Rate Interface)
    POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service)
    PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network)
     
    Certifications: BSc. (Comp. Sci.), MBCS, MCP [70-290], Specialist [74-324], Security+, Network+, A+, Tea Lord: Beverage Brewmaster | Courses: LFS101x Introduction to Linux (edX)
    WIP: CCNA Routing & Switching
  8. Asterix

    Asterix Megabyte Poster

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    Thanks guys! Ill have to get on it :twisted:
     
  9. bazzawood30

    bazzawood30 Byte Poster

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    1)How long did you study for the exam?

    2 to 3 weeks reading, 3 to 4 days last min cram learning port numbers etc.

    2)Were the questions more (or less) challenging that expected?

    I found it to be pretty basic not many questions were you had to work out answer maining stating facts.
    Eg whats the max distance of a cat5e cable

    3)Did any topic areas arise which you wernt expecting?

    netbeui got more attention than i expected

    4)What do you feel was your most valuable study material?

    Mike meyers all in one network+

    5)Any other relevant/notable information

    I agree with all the other posts made so far, except that the subnetting questions are very basic. You dont really need to know how to subnet just know the effects of being in the wrong subnet and how a subnet mask is written. EG 255.255.255.0 not 255.255.0.255
     
    Certifications: ECDL,A+,N+,CCENT,CCNA,MCP,MCDST
  10. scottcarmichael

    scottcarmichael New Member

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    1)How long did you study for the exam?
    A good 6 weeks at least (reading) and about a week and a half of heavy studying (at least 1-2 hour a day on average). About 6 hours of studying the day of test (to cram!).

    2)Were the questions more (or less) challenging that expected?
    They were less challenging than what was on the practice exams I took but still not easy. You gotta know the terminology or at least know enough in order to eliminate choices and make really good guesses on questions you are iffy about.

    3)Did any topic areas arise which you weren't expecting?
    Yeah - there was a big focus on many things I thought I had covered "good enough"...don't want to list specifics though, since everyone's test varies...but I will say everything you need IS in Mike Meyer's latest All-in-One book. Try not to skim...but don't get too fixated on just a handful of areas. Everything is covered!

    4)What do you feel was your most valuable study material?
    Mike Meyer's All-in-One Network+ Book (2009 Exam Edition). If you can track down extra practice tests, I'd do it just so you can get used to the type of questions asked. AiO book's CD only comes with (1) exam, I believe. Kinda lame. Stay away from LabSim Network+ prep stuff. Just plain awful and S L O W.

    5)Any other relevant/notable information
    Yeah -- because CompTIA is awesome and gives you LOTS of questions instead of a mere 50-60 *cough* Microsoft *cough* you have a much bigger buffer for errors and guessing. So if you have a quiz with 10 questions and need 80% to pass, you can only miss 2 at the most. Where as if you have 20 questions, the buffer doubles and so on.

    I'm only saying this because while I'm certain most non-IT veteran test takers will be very prepared if they read the AiO book and absorb 80-90% of it well, you're still gonna have a decent-sized chunk of questions that throw you for a loop. So having MORE content to cover will actually help you in the end.
     
    Last edited: Oct 14, 2010
    Certifications: A+ IT Technician, Network+, MCITP
    WIP: Zend PHP 5
  11. vp

    vp Bit Poster

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    1)How long did you study for the exam?

    3 weeks.

    2)Were the questions more (or less) challenging that expected?

    They were about as challenging as I expected, no surprises.

    3)Did any topic areas arise which you werent expecting?

    Not really, one thing Ive noticed having done 3 CompTIA exams is that they cover a very very broad range of topics. While the books will give more page space for the more 'important' concepts, giving you the illusion that some topics arent important. Not true. Infact, what with the questions being weighted, wouldnt surprise me if the more obscure topics are worth more marks.

    So make sure you have all your areas covered. Best way to find gaps in knowledge is by doing loads of practice questions.

    4)What do you feel was your most valuable study material?

    The Network+ passport book and free practice questions I found online. Googled Network+ practice exams/questions and was able to find around 500 scattered through various websites. Ive always learned best doing alot of questions, then I would write down the correct answer for the ones I got wrong and read it a few times to memorise.

    5)Any other relevant/notable information

    The pass score is 720, which is a little bit higher than A+ (675 for Essentials and 700 for Practical Applications). Exam is 90 minutes long just like A+, same format as A+ so if youve done that you should feel comfortable in there. 2 of the 4 answers are obviously wrong (typically) so alot of the time you can have educated guesses if you have no clue.

    I had 1 question which had an 'exhibit', ie. a picture which pops up and you have to answer a question based on it. Didn't have this for A+ so be prepared for that. Learn your topologies, know how to interpret physical/logical network diagrams, know what common connectors look like etc.
     
    Last edited: Oct 20, 2010
    Certifications: A+, N+, BSc CS
    WIP: MCDST
  12. asje1

    asje1 Byte Poster

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    Second that - though i find this probably isnt the best method, as i find myself memorizing the correct answer, but not actually knowing the knowledge behind whatever it may be... Ultimately it works though :p
     
    Certifications: A+, N+
  13. Fergal1982

    Fergal1982 Petabyte Poster

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    isnt there a term for that? pa... pap.... paper.... something?

    Knowing the answer to a question but not understanding the reason behind it doesnt make you qualified to work on whatever technology you are certifying against. If you get an issue that exactly fits the question, great. but if it doesnt, you are screwed.

    I've no major objection to certifying on things you havent got experience with to a point, but at least make sure that you understand why the answer is the answer.
     
    Certifications: ITIL Foundation; MCTS: Visual Studio Team Foundation Server 2010, Administration
    WIP: None at present
  14. vp

    vp Bit Poster

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    I just studied to pass the exam, I dont understand what you mean by the difference between knowing the answer and "knowing the knowledge". The knowledge IS the answer. The exam requires you to mix knowledge with a bit of reasoning and logic to come up with a correct answer.

    Doing practice questions, especially on troubleshooting topics allowed me to learn the logic of someone actually doing this in a work environment and while I may not have the hands on experience I at least know a bit about the thought process that goes into it.

    If the N+ certification was really about showing practical knowledge, then you would have to do a practical test on real live equipment.
     
    Certifications: A+, N+, BSc CS
    WIP: MCDST
  15. asje1

    asje1 Byte Poster

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    Yeh, Knowledge IS the answer, but there are times when I purely only know the answer to a question because I previously got it wrong, and memorized the correct answer - Doesn't mean I actually have an understanding about the matter... Either way it works.
     
    Certifications: A+, N+
  16. Asterix

    Asterix Megabyte Poster

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    I have now passed witha 860/900 so i thought i would update this (my) post with some useful info:

    1)How long did you study for the exam?
    6 Weeks, about 6-10 hours a week
    2)Were the questions more (or less) challenging that expected?
    Didnt really know what to expect although the challenge is the diversity of questions not indepth technical questions
    3)Did any topic areas arise which you wernt expecting?
    Lots of questions on cables and connectors, nothing that i wassnt expecting
    4)What do you feel was your most valuable study material?
    Prof Messer seem to be right on track..... and free :p
    5)Any other relevant/notable information
    Testout training is very slow although mixed with Prof Messer proved to be very comprehensive.
     
  17. Kopite_21

    Kopite_21 Gigabyte Poster

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    Well Done!
     
    Certifications: National Diploma IT Advanced ECDL
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  18. vp

    vp Bit Poster

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    860 very nice!
     
    Certifications: A+, N+, BSc CS
    WIP: MCDST
  19. Asterix

    Asterix Megabyte Poster

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    TBH in hindsight I could have taken this test a lot sooner than I did, I was a little scared of the £170 exam cost as i was funding this one myself. Although I did learn a little throughout the study process I always expected to pass as I have previously completed my MCSA, have a few years experience and a Degree in a networking discipline (and doing a Msc). I'm jumping on the Security+ now and hoping to knock that out in a month or less (my MSC is in Infosec so I'm expecting a lot of crossover with the fundamentals). Thanks to all that responded to this post and helped me through the study process.
     
  20. Kitkatninja
    Highly Decorated Member Award 500 Likes Award

    Kitkatninja aka me, myself & I Moderator

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    Congrats on the pass :)

    -ken
     
    Certifications: MSc, PGDip, PGCert, BSc, HNC, LCGI, MBCS CITP, MCP, MCSA, MCSE, MCE, A+, N+, S+, Server+
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