Observations from taking the CCENT exam - Part II

Once again before I begin Part II, I just want to remind everyone that I cannot be too specific about the contents of the exam. Recall that you have to sign a non-disclosure agreement that prohibits you from compromising the secure nature of the exam.

That being said, here are some of my stray thoughts and observations on the exam content, etc:

• First, I was very surprised at the number of questions involving IPv4 addressing (including subnetting) since the new academy curriculum seems to downplay it compared to the old curriculum.  Also, the new curriculum includes a lot of IPv6 which wasn't really reflected too much on the exam.  However, please be aware that IPv4 and IPv6 are lumped together under the IP addressing (IPv4 / IPv6) category on the exam objectives, so there's no guarantee that the next person who sits for the exam won't get more IPv6 questions.
• On the topic of IPv4, I tried out my new cheat-sheet and it was beneficial on every addressing and subnetting question that was on my exam.  As I stated in Part I, you should have plenty of time to recreate the suggested tables on the cheat-sheet, as long as you view the question tutorial before your exam.  However, be forewarned that you must be able to recreate the tables from memory, and you must be able to apply the tables to a given question.  I will post a tutorial on this within the next week.
• Another area that seemed to be covered heavier than others on the exam was switching, and how the switch forwards frames.  Layer 2 switching falls under several category objectives, so I am not surprised it received a lot of attention on the exam.
• Other than that, both NAT and ACLs were represented but nothing all that difficult.  Device security seemed to be important (no surprise there), and OSPF was also well represented.
• The most difficult part of the exam, of course, are the sims, simlets, and testlets (see my exam tutorial for more information). Not because the content is all that difficult, but because you have to move quickly while being careful about your answers.  Remember, these questions carry the most weight. I must admit, there was one simlet that slowed me down considerably and made me nervous.  I'm pretty sure I blew the question, only because I was tired and eager to move on.  You need to practice these types of questions, something that I didn't do too much of.  Most of it boils down to reading comprehension, speed, and general networking knowledge.
• All in all, I had four or five questions that fell under sims, simlets, and testlets.  I had three drag-n-drops, and the rest were all single answer, multiple-choice (25-30), and multiple answer, multiple-choice (10-15). I had 50 questions, total.  By the way, 804 out of 1000 is passing (I think I reported that 840 was passing).  My score was 920, but I know I could have done better had I studied more. Yes, even the teacher needs to study!

That's it for now!  I would be happy to answer any questions you may have, but remember my answers can only be general, not specific.  I will be addressing some critical areas of the exam in future posts, so stop back.  Finally, I hope this helps!

-Jim Stranz (rev 6/14/2014)

Observations from taking the CCENT exam - Part I

As promised I took the CCENT exam yesterday.  My main objectives were to get a handle on the newest version of the exam, since the last time I sat for the exam it was the old retired version.  I also wanted to check out the testing center, Campus Linc, and to test out some of the tips that I tried to impress  on everyone during the CCENT workshop.

Before I begin, I just want to remind everyone that I cannot be too specific about the contents of the exam.  Recall that you have to sign a non-disclosure agreement that prohibits you from compromising the secure nature of the exam.

That being said, here are some of my stray thoughts and observations:

• First, the testing center is very easy to get to, although there was a lot of road construction going on at the time, so I guess timing is everything.  I approached it by taking Niagara Falls Blvd to N. French road (maybe 2 miles north of the I290 exit).  I turned right on N. French and Campus Linc was less than a mile down the road on the corner of N. French and John Glen Drive.  There's an entrance to their back parking lot on N. French, just before you reach John Glen Dr.  Park in the back lot and walk up the sidewalk to the front entrance. You will see a sign that tells you just that. Note: if you park in the front of the building on John Glen, they will tow your car.
• I arrived 30 minutes early which gave me time to talk to the president of the company, Joe Smajdor.  I wanted to clear up a few things concerning the delivery of the exam (more on this later). Mr. Smajdor was extremely nice, answering all of my questions.  The receptionist was also very nice.  She will get you signed in, take your picture, and provide you with a key to lock any personal belongings in a locker.  Finally, she takes you in to the exam room and sets up the exam for you.
• The exam room was very spacious, with six tables and just one work station per table.  There was plenty of room to spread out and the temperature in the room was very comfortable. There were 3-4 others taking tests when I walked in, and several more that arrived during my exam.
• The tutorial on the different question types starts first and runs for 10-15 minutes before the exam begins.  Since I already viewed the tutorial online, I had plenty of time to write down as much as I wanted on the supplied whiteboards.  That's right, "white boards"!  They give you a wire bound booklet with about 5 or 6 inside.  You have more than enough space to create your instant cheat-sheet with IP addressing and subnetting tables (more on this in Part II) and anything else that you would like to write down.
• The only two complaints that I have about the testing environment and accommodations is that I wasn't allowed to chew gum in the exam room (recall that this is a little trick I use to stay alert).  Their reasoning is that it may be distracting to the others in the room (I can see that).  By the way, they supply you with ear plugs, in case there's too much noise for your liking.  There was a little noise coming from outside the room, but it wasn't all that distracting. Also, I had to keep fighting with the mouse because there was not enough wire.

That's it for now!  I will rip into the actual test experience in Part II.

-Jim Stranz (rev 6/14/2014)

A CCENT Challenge

Today's First Challenge: An OSPF Configuration Sim

I created a practice Sim question in Packet Tracer and posted it on my Dropbox drive.  Pay no attention  to the Completion Rate when configuring the router.  You will know that you did everything correctly when you test connectivity using ping.

Today's Second Challenge: The CCENT Practice Exam

Please take the CCENT practice exam inside of the CCNA 2 course on NetSpace.  If you have any problems accessing the exam please let me know and I will fix it.

Good Luck!
Jim

I'm taking the CCENT exam on Thursday

Sorry for not posting this past week but I was out of town at a conference.  I just made an appointment to take the CCENT exam Thursday morning at 9:30.  I can't tell you how many times I've taken this exam over the years, but it's been quite a few.  Although I won't be able to give you specifics of the content on the exam, I will share what I can.  Anyone else taking the exam over the next few weeks?  Let me know.

Look for more exam tips in my next post.

Today's Objective: OSPF

In order to pass the CCENT exam you will need to have a good understanding of OSPF so here are some links to helpful information about this routing protocol:

Boubakr Tech Cisco Commands Cheat Sheet #3
Scroll down to the OSPF commands about half way down the page

OSPF CheatSheet by PacketLife.Net
This will help you with all of the necessary characteristics of OSPF

The Bryant Advantage on OSPF
Videos and Q&A by Chris Bryant, one of the foremost authorities in the field

That's it for today!  More coming soon...

Jim

Thank You!

I would like to thank everyone who attended the live CCENT workshops this past week.  I really hope that they were worthwhile.  This blog will be a continuation of the live workshops, a place you can visit for regular updates, links, tips, practice questions, and a lot of encouragement on obtaining your CCENT.

Jim