Customer Reviews

CCNA Routing and Switching Exam Cram, Second Edition (Exam: 640-507)

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Put simply, this book is full of errors and unlike the real test. I agree with some of the other reviews in that this book's questions were too easy and lacked quality and coverage. I have lost a lot of faith in Exam Cram books although they are usually pretty good. With a serious and popular exam like the CCNA though, you would definitely expect better quality from Coriolis.

I used the Exam Cram books to study for my MCSE and found them invaluable. Unfortunately I cannot say the same for this book. There are FAR too many elementary errors for a reader to have confidence in what the authors are actually saying. [Although I did feel more confident about knowing the subject matter by realising the mistakes - an unintended benefit I think!].

The format is good, although the actual IOS commands need more attention in terms of examples of use [confusing].

I studied for the exam using the Sybex Lammle Paperback Study guide, the exam cram book and the CCNA Fastrack on ccprep.com , as well as taking the ICRC course.

I'd recommend the Sybex book [better written] over the ExamCram book, although if they could edit the ExamCram book it would be better due to it's slightly more in depth format.

I was going to wait until the ExamCram book came out before I start studying for my CCDA, but on the strength of this book, I'm going to start straight away!

For what it's worth, I passed the CCNA today with 88%. I had a few more switching questions than I was expecting. As everyone says, know your OSI, and your IOS. Not as much TCP/IP as I was expecting, with quite a bit of focus on IPX!!! A fair share of ISDN and frame relay....

Cheers, Justin Dyson, MCSE, CCNA jmdyson@hotmail.com

I took the practice test at the back of the book the night before my exam and only missed 4 questions out of 65. The next morning at the Prometric center, I needed to answer only 5 questions before I realized I would probably not pass the test. I scored 806 while 822 is a passing grade.

At least 20% of the questions on the real 640-507 exam were not covered in the book at all or were covered in an extremely superficial manner.

Add to that the frequent typos in the book, including a very serious one involving the NONEGOTIATE option in trunking (a table in the book shows the option as NEGOTIATE), and this book is a waste of money.

I'm very disappointed that I wasted $30 on this book and another $100 taking a test for which I was inadequately prepared, thanks to this book.

Everyone tells me the Sybex book by Todd Lammie is the best. I only wish I'd done adequate research before buying the ExamCram book. Beware! Spend your money on a good book.

This book is not intended to be the *only* source of your CCNA preparations. What it is intended to be is a solid overview of the general items tested. If you're comfortable with the concepts and IOS commands commands, well and good. If not, then this is a good highlight of what you should review. The explanations are good, albeit brief. Overall, worth the purchase.

I took the CCNA exam (passed)and used the cram exam book as one of my sources. The actual cram exam book covered NOTHING that was in the test. I definately got the "off the wall" pool of question set though. In fact, I actually thought I was taking the CCNP. I had never seen the type of questions they were asking and the only thing that actually help were the academy classes.

If you want to learn just the basic information covered for the CCNA, this would be the book. But, if you want to learn the guts and glory for the test, better get a more thorough book.

This book was focused on the exam, but I would suggest that you read it after you read Todd Lammle's CCNA book by Sybex. Hands on experience is a must for this test. You really need to know your stuff :-)

The Exam Cram series is supposed to be used for a general review of the major concepts of a study area and this book, like it's sibling books does its job. This book does a good job of reviewing the major CCNA topics and is easy to read and has review questions (maybe too easy of ones) at the end of each chapter and then a final test at the end. Like many have said before me, this is not meant to be your only study guide to be a CCNA (that would be Todd Lammle's book), but if you want something that as a review before you take the exam then this is a great buy. I passed the Exam in April of 2002 having this and Lammle's book and scored a 961!

I passed with 946/1000 using this book and several free online practice tests. Everything was straight to the point with very little errors. The chapters and material are also organized well making it easy to follow. The real test was very similar to the practice test in the back of the book. No negative comments..

This is the primary book I used to study for the CCNA and it covered everything well enough. To say it was the primary book is a bit misleading, it was pretty much the only book I used. The book is laid out well and easy to understand. The practice test questions are pretty easy, but so are the real test questions. If this book seems to simplistic as it addresses the material, you're probably taking the test too serious; it is an exceptionally easy test. As usual, the Cram Sheet at the front of the book was outstanding, and the text covers that material more than just adequately. This is a very good book to use to prepare for the exam.

All in all I think the book is outstanding, but probably rushed to press just a bit too quickly. There were some mistakes, especially in the quizzes, but if you can't catch those mistakes, you probably shouldn't be a CCNA anyway. The mistakes are there, and they are glaring. If you can't catch them, maybe you should try the A+ instead. All things considered this book is well worth the price and an outstanding source for the CCNA test. The book delivers what it promises, and if you are capable of understanding the information and have the practical experience, you'll pass the test.

I just passed my CCNA exam. I used the Exam Cram "study" book and the Exam Cram pratice tests. Used in conjunction with the Todd Lammle study guide it is helpful. I found the subject matter and the exam questions to be shallow. The key is to understand EXACTLY why an answer is correct/incorrect. If you can do this, the CCNA test is really only a matter of trying to figure out what it is that they are asking. Read the questions VERY carefully and you will do fine. Best of luck.