I would like to get one of these Cisco certifications. How do I go about doing this as quickly as possible? Either one will do, and I’m willing to pay more in order to have the cert sooner.
sorry, I meant CCNA AND CCNP. Since CCNA is a prerequisite, basically I am looking for a fast, reliable preparation method that will ensure (insofar as is possible) success on the tests. I suppose this might be more IMHO than GQ. Sorry.
Depends on your experiance. I took the long route and took classes at the local College. Took me 6 months, and cost just under $1000 for classes and books. Passed the test without a problem. Had to recertify, and for that I just got a refresher book, read it, and tested.
If you have been working with routers then just buying one of the CCNA prep books will probably be enough. If not then there are several “boot camp” type places that will get you ready for the certification in a week or two. These are typically 40 hour weeks so you would have to take time off work to attend.
Remember if you study the test then you might know what they test for, but will have problems with real world configurations which never match the Cisco ideal.
-Otanx
Well, I’ll be totally honest about it. I have no intention to build networks, I just want a CCNP as a resume booster for a job that is unlikely to require me to build networks. Work with them, maybe. But the certification will get me out of fulfilling another qualification that I may not be able to meet in time.
I’ve found that there is a test center about 20 minutes from my house. I found what looks like a good online test prep:
http://www.e-learningcenter.com/ccna.htm
So I’m gonna drop some bucks on the prep courses.
I also wanted to know:
from what I can tell, the CCNP has 4 different tests on different subjects. Do I need to take all 4 to get the CCNP cert?
Google “CCNP “boot camp”” they promise like 11 days or so.
When I worked at Cisco (2000-2001) we were developing an online course for the CCNA. I don’t know if it ever got launched. Back in those days, we put together a lot of training courses that never saw the light of day.
When I tested the online class, it took me about a week (IIRC) to go all the way through it. It had some good animations to help explain concepts.
It might have been launched. I took a course during my Sophomore and Junior years of high school (2000-2002) designed to prepare you for the CCNA test. The course reading material and tests were entirely online for both years and it included “hands on” work with Cisco routers and switches.
I don’t know if the precise course you were developing is the one we took but Cisco did release some online course.
Here is the online prep course i found.
http://www.e-learningcenter.com/ccna.htm
it claims 15 hours for the CCNA course and 17 for the CCNP course. Is it realistic for someone with very limited networking experience (even someone who is as quick a study as myself 
) to take this prep course and then be able to pass both exams?
I don’t know about the CCNP, but with the CCNA, I’d say if you go through the online course you have a pretty decent chance of passing the exam. It wouldn’t hurt to read a book, too, because it will go into more detail.
I took both (and the CCDA) a few years back - actually, they’re all expired by now, not that I care too much - I’ve gotten some better resume fodder in the meantime. (I may retake the CCIE written, see if I can get back in the saddle on that. It’d refresh the CCNP as well…)
The CCNA is easy enough, although I’d supply the on-line course with a study guide (I do like books) - the theoretical underpinnings (OSI model, for one) will come into play during the exam.
Also, I’d look for as many free practice exams as I could find. Cisco cert exams are notorious for convoluted questions, and nothing’s more frustrating than knowing the answer, yet not getting the point because the question was worded in a weird manner. The only way to prepare for that is to go through a lot of test questions.
For the multiple choice questions, there’s normally 4 options, one of which can be discarded out of hand, one of which can be ruled out after 10 seconds of thought, and the last two both appear reasonable. Rule of thumb: If one of the remaining options describes a Cisco proprietary technology, that is normally the correct answer.
The CCNP is another beast and my hat would definitely be off to anyone who can hack that with 17 hours of training as their basis. Some book study is highly recommended, and I’d suggest getting your hands on some hardware and practice a bit as well. It’s 3 or 4 exams - you can combine two of the subjects into one exam, which can save time and money (unless you fail, of course).
Cisco’s webpage has a pretty good forum for those seeking certs, and their information may be a little more up-to-date than mine.
I bought 2ndhand study materials theough Amazon, worked great. Have fun!
Hmm. I had given up on the idea, but maybe now I will give it a shot.
Unfortunately, getting hands-on experience is not going to be possible, so book learning is all I’m going to have to go by. All I care about is passing the tests, I do not anticipate actually building any enterprises-level networks.