CCNA FAQs & Tips
CCNA is a long topic to talk about and there are many tips that can help you save much time when sitting in the exam hall. From the comments here and information from other places, this article tries to summarize all the CCNA frequently asked questions to save you some time. Please feel free to ask anything that you are unclear about CCNA so that all of us can help you. I will update this article frequently to bring you newest information about this exam.
1. Please tell me how many questions in the real CCNA exam, and how much time to answer them?
Until now, you have 90 minutes to answer 50 questions in the real CCNA exam but if your native language is not English, Cisco allows you a 30-minute exam time extension. But there are a few requirements to get this extension, so the best way is asking your teacher or mentor before taking the exam.
2. How much does the CCNA Exam 640-802 cost? And how many points I need to pass the exam?
It now costs $295 (big money, right?) :)
The passing score is 825/1000.
3. How many ways can I get the CCNA certification?
There are 2 ways to achieve this certification:
- By taking two exams ICND-1 100-101 and ICND-2 200-101
- By taking only one CCNA 200-120 exam
4. I got the CCNA certification, will this certification expire?
CCNA certification is valid for three years. To recertify, pass the ICND2 exam, or pass the current CCNA exam, or pass a CCNA Concentration exam (wireless, security, voice), or pass the current CCDA exam, or pass any 642 – XXX professional level or Cisco Specialist exam (excluding Sales Specialist exams), or pass a current CCIE or CCDE written exam.
5. After completing the INTRO exam (ICND 1), students currently have a three-year window in which to complete the ICND exam (ICND 2) to earn CCNA certification. Will this option still exist?
Yes, students will still be able to take and pass the first exam (INTRO or ICND1) and have a three-year window to pass the second exam (ICND2), before the first exam expires.
6. If students fulfill the exam requirements for the CCNA certification, will they also receive CCENT certification?
No, students who certify at the CCNA level will not earn CCENT certification. The purpose of the CCENT certification is to provide an option for those who aren’t ready for CCNA.
(Information from http://www.cisco.com/web/learning/le3/le2/le0/le9/learning_certification_type_home.html)
7. Which sims will I see in the CCNA exam?
The popular sims now are EIGRP, Access-list 1 and Access-list 2 sims but no one can guarantee you will not see other sims in your exam. So the best way is practicing all sims on this site.
8. How many points will I get for one sim?
Well, Cisco doesn’t tell how many points you will get for each correctly solved sim but from my experience, you will get from 80 to 100 points for each sim. Cisco maybe is a bit rude for sims because you will just get a few points if you can’t solve the sim completely. So be careful with the sims and try to write all the commands on paper many times before taking this exam.
9. In the real exam, I clicked “Next” after choosing the answer, can I go back for reviewing?
No, this is a very important thing about CCNA exam. You can just go forward! You can visit http://www.cisco.com/web/learning/wwtraining/certprog/training/cert_exam_tutorial.html to be familiar with the exam interface.
10. What is the key to pass CCNA?
The CCNA exam covers many aspects of networking and most of the topics will be asked. But the most important topic is subnetting so make sure you understand how to subnet. Of course other topics are important too so you shouldn’t bypass them.
11. Can I use short commands, for example “conf t” instead of “configure terminal”? Will I get full mark for short commands?
It is another big question in the CCNA exam. Some reports said that you can use the “Tab” and short commands but some said they didn’t work. Sometimes the simulator in the exam doesn’t accept short commands and marks as “incomplete command”. Besides, no one can guarantee it will cost points or not if you use short commands so my recommendation is you should learn the full commands.
12. What are your recommended materials for CCNA?
There are many options you can choose, but below are materials used and recommended by many candidates:
Books:
- Sybex CCNA 6th edition by Todd Lammle
- Cisco Press ICND1 & ICND2 Certification Guide
- CCNA Networking Academy 1-4 (used in Cisco Academy so there is no link)
- Cisco 640-802 CCNA Portable Command Guide
- Cisco Discovery and Cisco Exploration study guide (used in Cisco Academy so there is no link)
The difference between CCNA Discovery and CCNA Exploration is “CCNA Discovery is designed for students with basic PC skills and can be delivered as an independent curriculum or integrated into broader courses of study at secondary schools, technical schools, colleges, and universities. CCNA Exploration is designed for students with advanced problem solving and analytical skills, such as those who are pursuing degrees in engineering, math, or science”. (Reference from “new CCNA faq”).
Video Training:
- CBT Nuggets
- Train Signal
- Testout
From my point of view, these video are just optional materials and they cost much, you can definitely pass the CCNA exam without buying them. If you have strong budget and want to learn in a more comfortable way then buy them! (but it is difficult to pass if just listening to them without reading books, believe me!)
Simulators (luckily, they’re the best and free):
- Packet Tracer (and you can get real exam labs on my site here)
- GNS 3
GNS 3 is really good and it uses real IOS so all the commands are available but these IOS are copyrighted so it is hard to get. Besides, GNS 3 needs much RAM to run so from my experience you should use the Router c2600 with 64MB RAM to run if your labs are simple (like assign IP addresses, hostname, RIP…). If you need to configure OSPF or EIGRP, use higher router. These two simulators are enough to practice labs for CCNA but if you want to learn about other simulators, check out my Free Router Simulators article. Packet Tracer is light, quick and convenient for common tasks but sometimes it doesn’t act like real devices. A good point of Packet Tracer is that Cisco has many good labs (.pkt files) to practice with.
Websites & Forums:
- Cisco website
- certcollection.org/forum
- examcollection.com
- sadikhov.com/forum
- networking-forum.com
- certforums.co.uk/forums
- mcmcse.com/forums
- proprofs.com/forums
- 9tut.com, 9tut.net of course :)
About Dumps…
If you use dumps like pass4sure, Testking or ActualTest… make sure you understand the concept behind each question. It’s a very big mistake if you just learn which answer is correct without understanding the concept. Notice that in the real CCNA exam, you will be given different IP addresses, subnets and more options to choose; so it is easier to understand them than to learn them by heart. Finally, my advice is you just should use dumps as a final review after finishing the CCNA course.
13. How much time should I spend on each sim?
You should not spend more than 15 minutes for each sim. Recall that you only have 90 minutes so if you spend 15 minutes for each sim x 4 sims = 60 minutes (now the sims have been reduced to 3 but we calculate 4 sims for safe). The 30 minutes left is for solving 40 multiple choice questions. If you are not a native English speaker and have 30-minute expansion (ask your teacher or testing center to confirm) than you can spend 20 minutes for each sim.
14. Can I pass without doing sims?
As mentioned above, each sim will cost you from 80 to 100 points. In the real exam you will have to solve 4 sims that give from 320 to 400 points. Suppose you answer all other questions perfectly then you will get 600 to 680 points but the passing score is 825. It means that you surely fail if ignore them.
From the calculation above, if you miss only one sim the chance to pass is average but if you miss two, the chance to pass is very, very low.
15. I need to know if the exam questions are the same in all the geographical locations?
Yes, the exam questions are the same in all geographical locations. But notice that Cisco has a pool of questions and each time you take the exam, a number of random questions will show up so you will not see all the same questions as the previous exam.
16. I am going to take the exam in a few days and I wonder can we have a pen and paper for IP calculations or calculator itself?
You are not allowed to bring a calculator or anything else to the exam room. You can’t use the virtual calculator in Windows, too. You will receive a rough paper or a small board to write everything you need during the exam. However, you should bring a pen or a pencil because sometimes the exam hall doesn’t have one (yes, some exam centers are not good) and maybe it will make you more comfortable.
17. I failed the exam. Will I see the same questions and sims in my next try?
Cisco has a pool of questions and sims so you will see some same (but surely not all) questions in your next exam. Luckily, the sims are the same (read question 7 for popular sims in the exam).
18. In the exam, how can I access to the routers in the simulator?
As you can see in the exam, there is always one PC connected to the router you need configure. Just click on this PC to be taken to the CLI of the router (no need to type telnet … or do anything else). Of course it is not true in real life but maybe Cisco did it that way to save you some time!
19. I am going to take the exam in a couple of days. Where can I get newest information from candidates who have just passed the exam?
You can visit the Share your experience section in this site, scroll down to the bottom of that page to read newest information about CCNA exam.I really want to say thanks to all candidates who are willing to share experience after taking the exam. It is an invaluable gift for CCNA candidates.
20. I passed CCNA. Do you have any site similar to 9tut.com for CCNP?
We have digitaltut.com for ROUTE, certprepare.com for SWITCH and networktut.com for TSHOOT, voicetut.com for CCNA Voice, securitytut.com for CCNA Security and dstut.com for CCDA. We always try our best to bring you newest information about these exams, hope you enjoy these sites too!
21. I am going to get my CCNA exam and I have a question: in the drag and drop questions are the answers must be arranged?
It depends on the questions. If the question clearly states that you have to arrange the answers in a given order (for example, from smallest to greatest; from lowest to highest; step 1,2,3…) then you have to arrange them correctly. In most cases, you don’t need to arrange them so don’t worry and don’t try to learn the order shown in the materials you use before taking the exam.
22. Hi all, I want to ask if out of 5 questions in the sim 1 or 2 questions are answered wrongly, do we get 0 marks for that sim or get something for other correct answers?
You still get points for the parts you answered correctly so try to answer as much as possible for that sim.
Is there anything you want to ask, just ask! All of us will help you.
(Please don’t ask for copyright materials here)
hi 9tut……… i saw this question but culnt figure how to do it!
Q. Which two privileged mode ios commands, can be used to determine a cisco router chassis serial number. (choose two)
A. show inventory
B. show flash: file sy
C. dir flash: include chassis
D. show diag
E. show controllers
Answer……. A & D ……how?
Please help me with CCNA 642-802 Dumps. i’m planning to take exam on 22nd Oct. And tips and sim questions from exam taken people. Ur help will be really thankful. My mail id is nr241284@gmail.com
Can anyone send me the latest dumps twpk2003@yahoo.com
Thanks
kindly anyone send me the latest dumps to manao.user@gmail.com, please. it will great thank for your help. i’m planning to take exam next week.
@eric, check this web site and look for these two commands, some of them have figures to check and see the real command in action, hope that answer your questions as to why that specific question had those answer… regards. LINK TO WEBSITE: http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/ios/fundamentals/command/reference/cf_s2.html#wp1074016
must i write the exam at an exam centre. cant it just be writtten online in my house
@siis
no, it has to be at the exam center
is there any question regarding the cisco SDM in the exam? I could not find anything here and in the dumps.
regards
Appreciated if anyone could email me for the lastest dump. skdlaw@gmail.com
Many Thanks
@ Alex,
thanks so much
…….at least now i can give the 2 answers with confidence, if they appear in my exam
I passed my exam on friday these are good dumps:
http://www.multiupload.nl/3DL4TBN1BO
you study these questions and the labs on 9tut.com and you will be fine!
good luck :)
Hi, will be writing on Tuesday, 23rd October, I haven’t done any labs on frame-relay and OSPF…is this needed, and if so, what will you recommend.
Thx
Ella
Hi everyone,
I still dont get the precedure of sims questions on the real exam ?
Would i have all the devices for each sim or cisco have an emulator like gns3 to write the three eventual sims ?
i am convinced it’s wo not a big deal but i am little bit confused ans i will appreciate if someone could clarify this point !!
thanks in advance.
Muchas gracias 9tut, el lunes di mi examen y lo aprobe con 92%.
my ccna exam is in 2 days can someone please send me exam dumps? please
my email id is mahajanmitesh@yahoo.co.in
Hi I got the SIMs from packet Tracer on this page but it says not compatible with my version 5.2
What can I do? I need help fast please!
jo123@live.ca
@JW: You should download the newest version of Packet Tracer.
i can`t understand where the all simulations if these collected in category ccna lab sim
or distributed to all questions categories
pleaaaaaaaaaaaase help meeeeeeeeeeeee
Hi guyz,
I’m going to exam in 2 days, i have one question that want to know,
are the questions answers coming in the same order as it is in the dumps or no?
and IP subnetting questions is it coming with the same IPs
I’ll give CCNA exam in first week of November..
please send me valid dump…
er.anita.annu@gmail.com
-Anita Singh
Does Cisco can extend the duration time for international students to finish the CCNA?
Hi every one,
I am going to take CCNA (640-802) in november. So, please send me some recent valid dumps to my mail
chirunanda1985@gmail.com
Hi , i m going to take CCNA test 640-802 on november , if someone send me recent valid dumps please , my mail is abca17@hotmail.com ..
hello,i am going to give ccna exam on tomorrow Can anyone send me the latest dumps plz
on sagarbansal12@gmail.com .
please i realy need it
Please , please , help …
Hi .. I will take the exam in the two next days … so my question to all whom pass the exam:
Should I answer the question before I leave it (are the answers straight forward) ? Or if I don’t know the answer I can returned back any time to it.
Thank you
@RADI: In the exam you can’t go back so answer the question before you press “Next”.
Please can you tell me How much time does the preparation for CCNA take ?
multiple choice questions in which we have to choose more than one answers like (choose two) (choose three) . if i do select one right answer and one wrong answer, i will get any points for right answer or it will consider the whole question wrong??? please answer
hi
any one havd full version of latest visual certexam suite and can you send me the links of shekar dumpsplssssssssssssssss
kindly send me latest dump at tahirmuhammad028@gmail.com
Hi every 1 here ,i wish u all guys will be blessed..Guys i need ur help ,can any1 tell me that from which website i can have or download dumps of Shekar ????
@jorgen
your multiupload link contains maleware
Hi all
Anybody can tell me, fill-in-the blank is there in a CCNA exam ? my exam is Nov 14 2012.
PLEASE tell me?
Thanks
the Latest dumps update http://www.brothercert.com
Saket –
None of those links for the nuggets are valid.
Error – The file link that you requested is not valid.
Is het it possible tot use the questionmark (?) in the CLI in the sims?
Yes it is possible to use the question mark. It won’t list every single parameter that is available in an actual IOS but it will give you more than enough to help you solve the problem.
I see a lot of people here talking about brain dumps. In my experience, brain dumps may be helpful but should never be a substitute for practical knowledge and understanding of the concepts. I teach these topics for a living and I noticed that the individuals that actually took the time to learn the concepts did better on the exam than those who relied on just brain dumps.
Also, you may begin to see in the near future that the value of a Cisco certification will diminish because the field is being over saturated with individuals that just pass exams but have no practical experience when dealing with networks. It would behoove those that are training up to become CCNA certified to either purchase some equipment on their own or try to get a job as an apprentice where they may have a non production lab set up to allow someone to practice.
Other than that, this is a very well designed website to help individuals get better prepared to sit for a Cisco exam. I personally used this site a couple of years back to help reinforce the knowledge that I already had. I always recommend this site to individuals that ask me how they can better prepare themselves. Good job 9tut! I’ll definitely be using the companion sites as a resource to help prepare for the CCNP level.
Hello everybody, just to express my gratitude to this site and to all the people that contribute with experience and knowledge that help people like me, with the ccna study, i took the test today and cleared the exam with a score of 894, 50 questions 3 simulations 120 minutes, i know that it’s not that big of a score, but right now i feel like i’m in heaven, thank you 9tut, by the way i didn’t use any brain dumps, i did use todd lamle’s book, and also cbt nuggets by jeremy Cioara, and the practice labs from this site.
In some questions where you will be asked to choose three correct answers and you were able to choose one or two correctly out of three. Do you still get some marks for it?
Is there any filling he blanks question?
@Anonymous: No, there is not.
where is the full version of vce file..anyone giveme the link…
Hello, I have to take the exam on December 17. I’ve never done laboratory tests. You send me the latest dump of the laboratories?
thanks
gnerru@yahoo.it
you can get the shekar dump from http://www.examcollection.com
pls send me VCE reader not a trial version my email pingueandrewniko@yahoo.com thanks..
Please send me latest CCNA dumps nethunter.hunter@gmail.com
I am totally having some unfortunate luck with all of my Cisco attempts for 640-802 and then stepping down to doing the two part 640-822 and 640-166. On my last two failed attempts with the 802 exam, I failed both exams by 10 points which caused me to go hysterical. When I decided to go for the 640-822 test, I studied hard for another 3 weeks with all sorts of tools provided:
- Leadpass
- CBT Nuggets
- Testout
- Boson 7.0 Netsim
- ITU
- Cisco Press ICND1 book by Wendell Odom
- Cisco Packet Tracer
- 9tut
- ExamCollection
- VCE
- subnettingquestions.org
and I still ended up failing for with a 775/1000. I was for sure that I passed the exam when I was killing all of my practice material. I definitely do not know what is going on and this is extremely disturbing. I keep seeing others with great success stories, and I’m trying to reach that pinnacle also to relay my experiences, but damn, I’m in a hole I can’t get out of. Can anyone out there feed me some of the latest dumps for the ICND1 exam. I would definitely appreciate this as I’m trying to be a family member in the Cisco world.
Please contact me at cehiem@yahoo.com
$125 per test, no courses as of yet, but I’ll be wonrikg on something either online, e-book, or study guide, or all three! Not sure yet…Thank you for writing!