Customer Reviews

CCNA Practice Questions (Exam 640-802) (3rd Edition)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Reviews are always a bit subjective, but probably even more so with certification material like this book. I feel that this was a very effective book in my case so thats a 5 * to me.

First of all the CCNA Exam Cram assumes that you are involved in networking and your interest in obtaining certification, therefor the concentrate on giving you the Cisco specific information you need to pass. The biggest thing to recommend this series is what they are not.

The most popular book in the CCNA prep field seems to be the Lammle book which is 1000 pages and is really a time waster for someone who has been involved in networking for a few years. For instance Todd Lammle would say "Pay attention because this is very important" and then launch into 7 pages on how basic IP networking works. The experienced reader is then obligated to read through all of that looking for new information since Todd said pay attention, but then there is nothing new for someone who is in the field. Lammle's approach is valuable for someone with little experience or someone coming over from server admin, but the sheer bulk of Lammle (and the two Cisco press books at 700 pages each) make it difficult for the experienced student to just pick out the material that will be relevant to them.

In contrast Exam Cram CCNA (not this questions book) flags particular material as "Exam Tips" in a boxed sections and indicates that some material is "Highly Testable". In my experience with the exam they were exactly right- the type of material they flagged was exactly what was on the exam.

Here is the biggest reason for my recommendation of Exam Cram- the questions are hard enough to be useful to the student. The biggest problem in passing the CCNA Exam is know at what level you should be preparing. On a scale of difficult from 1-10 (devious) the questions in Exam Cram are pitched at 6-8 level. The Lammel book's questions are at a 4. The Actual Cisco exam is a 5-7.5. So even though Exam Cram is probably a bit more difficult than the actual exam it will prepare you for the multiple correct answer questions which can be tricky and for the indirect way Cisco tests your knowledge of some of the skills. For instance, Lammle might ask what a "desirable" mode is in trunking and give you 4 definitions to pick from, while the cisco exam will give you a interface config and will ask you how the switch port will behave based on some settings for a neighboring port.

Exam Cram also covers the following areas better than Lammle- STP designated port process, Wireless BSS/ISS and channel overlap, Security, IPv6. If you just followed Lammle there will probably be questions on your exam that you could not answer. In particular I had about 4 questions on STP designated ports that could not have been answered based on Lammle's treatment.

A word about the exam engine- I could suggest several improvements. It lets you test several different ways including a pop up display of the correct answer and a reasonably good discussion of the incorrect answers. This is very useful to the student. However the the exam scoring does not break down your score by book chapter, so you'll have to do that for yourself. The simulator engine is, as others have noted, atrocious as a simulator- there is no defending it as that. However- the fact that it sucks as a simulator doesnt mean that it isnt useful.

The exam engine will give you a scenario to configure, just like on the CCNA exam- for instance add ip's to a serial link, configure the link for rip v2 and advertise connected networks. The way the simulator engine works is it will prompt you for what subtask you are on and will only accept commands for that subtask before allowing you to go on. There is no auto complete and you can't use ? to see available commands at all. And there are no abbreviations allowed by the parsing engine. You must type "enable" and "configure terminal", no "en", "conf t". Ok this obviously sucks as a simulator- but as something that prepares you for the exam it works. If you can confidently configure things in the Exam Cram engine you will have no problem getting it done during the Cisco exam. Sometimes people get a little too comfortable hitting tab and ? and never really memorize the commands- that can cost you when you are in a timed test.

Another advantage of Exam Cram Questions is that it is a slim book that you can easily keep on you to peruse if you are at a sub shop and have some time. You cant really do that with a fat book like Lammle.

Summary- If you have been in networking for several years and are comfortable with subnetting and routing concepts go with Exam Cram book. You may want to do some additional reading in IPv6 as well. If you are coming to networking with little background or as a server admin use Lammel and at the very least buy Exam Cram Questions. You also should probably use the Cisco Press books for their chapters on VTP, STP, Wireless and IPv6.

Good luck!

IMHO, this book itself is OK for the price, but the test engine is not good.

Some answers are correct in the book, but the same questions in the test has incorrect answers as correct.

Most frustrating is the simulator. One question asking you to configure two switches. I can configure the first switch, but I cannot figure out how to then connect to the second switch to configure it. Exit and ? show as invalid commands. Ridiculous!

Tech support from MeasureUP is very poor. Phone them and you have to leave a message. Can't even get into a queue to wait. Chat support, nobody home!

I will probably not buy any more books affiliated with MeasureUp.

This book is excellent for someone who is working in the networking field, has a lot of experience with switches and routers, needs to recertify, or someone with limited time to study but has previous knowledge. It is not a book for learning networking basics.

My experience with Certification Tests is that knowing the basics will get you through; i.e. IP subnetting, OSI layers, configurations. The CD that accompanies this book has over 300 questions covering the objectives of the new 640-802 test. There are simulations with commands for configuring router interfaces and VTP/VLANs in switches.

The explanations seem to be accurate and concise. These explanations for the most part not only spent time on the correct answer, but why the other choices were not good. I did find one of the simulations that did not "exit" properly. The simulator did not handle errors and unexplained characters well--all error messages were labeled the same "Invalid Command".

There were many troubleshooting questions; the output from commands were displayed in easy to read format and the questions were clear. There is much more emphasis on troubleshooting in this new test.

One interesting change from older products in this line is the ability to see a "quick" answer or a full explanation. This is nice as students study to get quick answers--assuming they already know why the answer is the best!

The Cram Sheet in the front of the book is very nice--a great read right before the test.

My main concern with the book is it is hard to cover all the objectives with only 300 questions on the CD. The questions in the book were grouped according to subject; again, more practice questions on the CD would be nice. Given all the variables of background coming into the CCCNA, I would like to see how someone who uses only this text does on the exam.

If you have studied the content for the 640-802, 640-822, or 640-816 exams and feel you are ready to put your knowledge to the test, but you are not sure that you want to take the real exam yet, this book is for you. Author Jeremy Cioara, has done an outstanding job of writing the third edition of this book to provide you with practice questions complete with answers and explanations to help you learn, drill, and review for the 640-802, 640-822, and 640-816 certification exams.

Cioara, begins by describing how a network works. Then, the author shows you how to implement a small switched network. The author also describes routing operations. He continues by looking at how to implement an IP addressing scheme and IP services to meet network requirements for a small branch office. Then, the author discusses how to implement a small, routed network. Next, he explains and shows you how to select the appropriate administrative tasks required for a WLAN and Identify security threats to a network and describe general methods to migrate those threats. The author continues by showing you how to implement and verify WAN links. Then, he shows you how to configure, verify, and troubleshoot a switch with VLANs and interswitch communications. He continues by looking at how to implement an IP addressing scheme and IP services to meet network requirements in a medium-size Enterprise branch office network. Next, the author shows you how to configure and troubleshoot basic operations and routing on Cisco devices. He also shows you how to implement, verify, and troubleshoot NAT and ACLs in a medium-size Enterprise branch office network. Finally, the author continues showing you how to implement and verify WAN links.

This most excellent book offers a large number of questions to practice each exam objective that will help you assess your knowledge before you write the real exam. Perhaps more importantly, the detailed answers to every question will help reinforce your knowledge about different issues involving the design and configuration of Cisco networks.

Writing a book to help you prepare for and pass an exam is no easy task but the author and publishers have done a fine job here. Don't be misled by the title - you can find practice questions in a variety of places but when you begin to use this book you realize that you have something more than just questions and answers.

The first extra appears the moment you turn back the front cover; a CCNA cram sheet usefully printed on stiff card which you can tear out and take with you for those last nervous minutes in the exam centre. Nicely laid out and grouped under logical headings are all the facts you need to have in your short-term memory before your date with destiny. There are no subnetting cheats or tables however; if you're reliant on these you'll need to add them yourself.

Another gem can be found at the foot of the page containing the publisher's blurb that nobody ever reads. If you're a Safari fan, you'll find here the access codes to get 45 days of unrestricted online access to the book absolutely free. Choose your start date wisely and you could really benefit from this as you study.

In the book itself you find not one but two contents lists. The first and shortest of these shows which sections relate to each part of the CCNA syllabus. That's right; although the book gives you everything you need to sit the 640-802 combined exam you can also use it to prepare for each of the twin exams 640-822 and 640-816 without studying unnecessary material. The second contents list breaks the material out into chapters.

The chapter structure is excellent with thoughtful design and layout to help you access the material efficiently. Each chapter begins with an overview of the subject area followed by the questions themselves. These are written to make you think about the material and test your understanding while still requiring multiple-choice answers. You'll also find screenshots, sample output and exhibits (diagrams) as you would in the exam. The author has done a good job of including the kind of phrasing and underlying Cisco mentality you are going to come across in the exam; this is valuable as it teaches you to think in the right way to score those all-important marks.

For each question the right-hand margin offers links to both a quick answer and a detailed answer; the former for checking your score and the latter for when you got it wrong and want to know why. We checked a sample of questions across the book and found without exception the questions to be fair and the answers lucid and correct. However we did find one typographical error which sent us screaming to the Detailed Answer section to find out what was going on. In case you buy the book, and I still recommend you do, beware the lower case `b' in Question 9 on Page 6. But to put this in context, we're still awarding the coveted Firewall.cx 10/10 score.

Given the author's evident concern to help you pass it came as no surprise to find an exam simulator inside the back cover. The CD included is from MeasureUp and can be used in study mode or as a simulated 640-802 exam. This is a good product in its own right, and there's a coupon code on their advertising page to give you 20% off a further purchase.

Taking everything together, this is a really good book and one we have no hesitation in recommending. If you're studying for CCNA we're confident it will more than repay your investment.

This book is really helpful for those who consider to sit for the ccna exam. Except for the short question-answer lists it also elaborates on the reason why each answer is correct or false. This helped me save time during studying, since I did not have to go back to my notes in order to find out why the answer I chose was wrong...

3 words - DO NOT BUY. This was the 4th book relating to network certification that I have bought and it is by far the worst. I bought the book to supplement another book which I had purchased to prepare for the CCNA exam. The CD test engine "Powered by MeasureUp!" does not measure up, exhibits were missing from the questions, wrong answers shown as correct, questions did not match output. It's almost as if there wasn't any testing done on the engine.

This is such a wonderful publication that helped me prepare for my CCNA!! It is a must have publication for ANYONE preparing for their CCNA!! Because, lets be quite frank about it, I would not have passed the CCNA without the books I purchased from Amazon.com...This one in particular, the Practice Exam Questions are Identicle to the actuall CCNA Exam Questions!! Must buy!!!!!!!!!

I've seen cbtnuggets video's from the author and was impressed by the way he makes even complicated material clear to the watcher. I think the author has the capability to explain stuff in a way that you really understand what is happening. For that reason I bought this exam training book and it didn't disappoint me at all. Especially the study mode is extremely helpfull on your way to mastering the exam material. Though the questions are not as difficult as in some of the other test exams it gives you a good insight in whether you've understood the material and on what material you need to spent extra time and effort. All in all a great book, worth while the money.

I've read 10-15 pages of review. I've taken ccent and got 60%. These question on dead on. There not exactly on the test but the idea's on dead on. I wished I've read this before taken the test!! haha. So far it's really good.