As with most other books in the Exam Cram series, this one is definitely not an introductory, or even a mid-level, book. What the series attempts to do is give a very concise collection of all of the facts that you'll need to remember to pass the test, which becomes far trickier when going into the CCIE; a large portion of the exam questions deal with elaborate and complex scenarios that are near impossible to "cram" into someone's brain at the last moment.
Read our lips: If you're not at least 80% prepared already, this book won't help you. And a lot of the experience that you'd need to pass the CCIE won't come from any book--only hands-on work and extensive real-world preparation will help you.
But, if you're close, and looking to clarify all of those skulking confusions that lurk in every test-taker's mind, this book will get you over the hump. In short, this is the most concise edition of line-level networking protocol information that you could have.
The book is organized in a mostly linear fashion, moving from basic networking theory and going all the way to WAN technologies and security configuration. The writing is extremely dense, but concise (a hallmark of the series), and walks you through the various protocols and configuration information very clearly, sometimes going bit-by-bit through how information gets put on the wire. The reasons behind some of the decisions that are used to decide between two competing protocols--like, say, RIP and EIGRP--are covered briefly.
The CCIE Exam Cram even seems to know that it's too small a book to provide the lowdown on complex interactions; most of the time, it even doesn't pretend that these topics will come up by themselves as a question--if Exam Alerts and Tips is anything to judge by, anyway. It seems to be aimed towards providing you with a gut-level knowledge that'll give you the tools to differentiate between two close calls and troubleshooting the source of some seemingly bizarre conflict; in that, it does a fine job. Intense amounts of information are given here for you to memorize, all of which is critical for the grueling CCIE exam. Nothing can substitute for experience, but the information that's provided here might give you the critical edge that you need. Using this as your last-minute refresher after poring over all of the Cisco official guides and lab exercises would be a good idea, too.
The sample questions tend to be fairly easy, giving readers a choice between simple configuration questions and questions on what protocol is suited for a particular task; not heavyweights, by any measure, but helpful in reinforcing knowledge.
In short, as a final run-through before you actually step into the lab, this book is unparalleled. But, if you haven't done your homework, prepare to be walloped. --William Steinmetz
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Outstanding Source to Tie it All Together,
By Haywood Gelman (Boston, MA USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: CCIE Routing and Switching Exam Cram (Exam: 350-001) (Paperback)
I found this book to be an outstanding guide through the quagmire that is the CCIE written exam. An important fact to remember- the Exam Cram book series in general is not intended to make you an expert in any subject in which you don't already have experience. The structure of this book is consistent with other Exam Cram books: to give you a solid foundation if you don't have much experience, and to act as the glue to tie it altogether if you do have experience. (There are references at the end of every chapter on "Need to Know More" to get detailed information where the coverage is thin in the book.) The fact is, to pass the CCIE written, you need to do more that just read books. Practical experience and hands on are just as important, which is why the author gives configuration examples for every Cisco technology required to pass the exam.Not only did this book help me to pass my written exam, but I could not have done it without it. I found the text easy to read and quick to sink in, which is critical when study-time is at a premium. I finished the book in a week, and then passed my exam. I highly recommend this book.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
CCIE Routing and Switching Exam Cram,
By
This review is from: CCIE Routing and Switching Exam Cram (Exam: 350-001) (Paperback)
The 100 question test will give you a good Ideal if you ready or not for the CCIE test.
10 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Not quite enough...,
By
This review is from: CCIE Routing and Switching Exam Cram (Exam: 350-001) (Paperback)
I looked at this exam cram after I took my CCIE written and it did not cover questions that I had. I specifically looked for LOTS of questions that I saw on the exam and they just weren't in the exam cram. I saw a couple of mistakes (example, picture of RSRB has mismatching ring numbers). I think it's good to get an overview but it doesn't go deep enough to pass the exam. You definatly need other sources. I'm a firm believer that for the CCIE written, there's no 'easy' way to study and you won't find all the information you need in one book.
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