How I managed my CCNA Certification

Walking tall

It has been quite a while that I have had the pleasure of a spring in my step, a sense of achievement that has come from hard work where doubt and uncertainty has swirled around like they were going to consume me.

In the midst of this is determination and resolve, I have decided to just continue doing what I know best and eventually things will come good.

Course for courses

When I took off to India in December for courses, it was to reacquaint myself with developments, some quite new as well as obtain new knowledge that might well presage a different career path.

It was really a last-minute decision to tack the Cisco Certified Network Associate curriculum to my activities where Koenig Solutions had planned on delivering the complete material in 6 working days and expect me to master the content in order to pass the certifying test. [I have noticed that the curriculum has now been extended to 9 days.]

There are many who just about scraped through doing the main CCNA composite test after practicing test questions and other sometimes suspect material. In my case, I felt I needed practice, study and more understanding of the topics such that no matter how difficult the question, I will know what to do to answer the questions correctly.

My scheme

So, I planned on splitting the CCNA test into its component parts, the ICND1 test leading to the CCENT which provides an entry level qualification and the ICND2 which completes the CCNA certification requirement.

Along with the Cisco Official Exam Certification Guides (ICND1 & ICND2), I had the use of both the TrainSignal CCNA CBT Course and the CBT Nuggets ICND1 & ICND2 CBT Courses. I gravitated towards the CBT Nuggets offering, the structure and delivery of the material was better suited to my study habits and the trainer’s demeanour was just right.

I also found that it was better to load the videos which were in AVI or WMV format into a media player playlist than having to click through each course, one could use the media player features to control the pace and bookmark sections through the course.

Now, I must commend my trainer at Koenig Solutions for have the prodigious ability to recall every single aspect of the CCNA curriculum without referring to the books and we did have a few spats on the content, but it was entirely worthwhile.

Tough, rough but done

I will be the first to say both the tests were probably the most difficult that I have taken; my management of time was not perfect by any means. On the second test, I remember looking at the clock with 12 questions to go and 10 minutes left. Did I not silently pray that the remaining questions be basic multiple-choice questions rather than simulations requiring extensive configuration or troubleshooting?

My prayers were answered as I was left with 100 seconds when I ended the examination and waited almost interminably for the score, the screen that said Pass.

Yes, it is done and I am told after this first hurdle, you can chart where you want to go next and none of this would have been possible without the help of friends who paid for the tests and encouraged me when I appeared to flag or despair.

Thank you – on to the next challenge.