Customer Reviews

CCNP Remote Access Exam Cram (Exam: 640-505)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I read this "exam cram" the weekend before passing the Cisco Remote Access exam (#640-505). In the hour prior to the exam, I also reviewed the "Cram Sheet" and the sample test in this book which settled the butterflies in my stomach. The book has two things going for it: 1) It covers exactly the topics in the test. Its table of contents is a far better exam outline than the outline on the Cisco website. Had I purchased this book earlier, I could have more accurately scoped out the actual exam and prepared more efficiently. 2) The questions at the end of each chapter and in the sample test accurately match the type of questions one faces in the actual exam. If it were not for a few editing errors, this book would merit 5 stars! If you had time to study only 1 supplementary book, this is it!

After using the exam cram for switching 2.0 (excellent book), I figured that exam cram would be a safe bet for bcran. I have never been so disappointed in study material as I am w/ this book. The errors in the book are so extensive that it's almost funny (except that I'm taking the exam this afternoon!). But that's not the worst part. The author claims to have written this for ccnp 2.0, but rest assured this book mainly covers topics in the 1.0 remote access exam. When the author talks about the other ccnp exams, he referrences ACRC and CLSC!! I would've been better off ripping out the index in the front of the book and burning the rest! I have found tons more useful info on the cisco CCO website that will help me on the test. I have 4 years experience in related subject matter, so I'm not a newbie goin for a "paper cert". I've already passed BSCN and MCMSN w/ scoring over 900 on each test. I used Cisco press and exam cram on BSCN, and exam cram on BCMSN. I am comfortable that I will pass BCRAN today, but if I had to do over again, I'd get the cisco press book. That's the only book w/ decent reviews for this test. This book isn't even useful for a quick cram! GARBAGE! The revised edition is LONG overdue. Hey EXAM CRAM, how bout instead of just publishing a revision, get someone who actually knows the material to write an ENTIRELY NEW book! ...

I found this book to be NOTHING like the BCRAN exam.

I can only suspect that the others who reviewed this book perhaps did the CMTD exam.

The things I didn't like about this book are:

1. Syntactical and Grammatical errors. For exmaple, it will talk about dialer in-band in the text and then dialer inband in the test questions. Also typos are RIFE!

2. Theoretical errors. It clearly states in the text that with bitstuffing you get 56kbps bandwidth, yet the "test" states that 64kbps is the correct answer? Who proofed this??

3. The questions in the BCRAN are markedly different than in this book. I don't expect or want a book that has all the q & a's from the test but I expect a reasonable representation. eg. then test might ask "What cable do you need to use frame on your PRI interface on a xxxx router" Where is this information in the book? It's not there.

4. The book is stated as being for the 640-505 exam yet the actually wrote it for the BCRAN and CMTD exams. So during the book there are veiled references like "You don't need to know this for BCRAN" but how can you believe them??

I thought the book was the WORST exam cram I've seen, and will probably be the last one I've used.

If you insist on using this book to study for the exam make sure you review all the ACRC dialup and queuing information and brush up on your X25 too. Then with the two books, luck and common sense you'll have few problems. This book by istelf however falls many yards short of the mark.

I used this book as my sole study guide for remote access. The authors cover all necessary topics needed to pass the exam. Also, the use of humorous anecdotes help lighten the reading.

Remember that this is an "Exam Cram", not a standard study tool. I just passed the 640-505 exam, and I only used this book and some lab practice as my only sources of instructional material. The book doesn't cover all of the test material (e.g., minimal discussion of h/w products), so you really need to rely on another textbook for the basic foundation.

I've used some of the other "Exam Cram" series (Routing, Switching) as test preparation tools, and this one is about the same quality (...although the author throws in some humorous remarks that help to keep you awake!) It touches all of the test topics, but doesn't provide in-depth discussion (as intended). However, it was sufficient to help me pass my exam !!

I have passed quite a few tests by using only the Exam Cram series of books, and I have no doubt that that I can pass the Remote Access exam if I carefully study this edition as well. Unfortunately, this is not my favorite Exam Cram book. In the first few chapters that I have read so far, the authors tend to use many feeble attempts at humor while clearly not understanding some of the material themselves.

Chapter three really butchers wide area network connectivity.. apparently because the authors do not have sufficient experience/education in either analog or digital telephony (my strongest area). I found numerous errors that were compounded by unbelievably poor examples and at least one diagram that made me bust out with laughter. (The illustration of amplitude modulation)

If you are good at passing exams, none of this book's failings should take away from your ability to pass the 640-505 exam, and the Exam Cram series are probably the most efficient way (in terms of cost and time) to prepare for any exam. Just watch out for the many errors and misconceptions in this particular one!

Although I passed the test, the book really didn't have enough info to pass the test without a little experience or the help of another book. I do recomend purchasing the book though because the quizes and practice test do have quite a few questions that appear on the exam.

This book was written very well and is exactly what you need to pass the BCRAN certification exam. I used it to help with my studies and passed the test the day after the cisco course ended. I read it from cover to cover 2x and went back through it after the exam and found about 80% of the stuff from the test in this book. Highly recommended.

This book is exactly what I expected, a light, concise, easy-to-read, short exam CRAM. it doesn't cover everything you need to know, but it refreshes the things you already know (which is what my idea of an Exam Cram is supposed to be). To this extent, don't use it as your only means to study, but use it as your LAST means of study. It can be easily read in a couple days. Great practice questions. I would give it five stars but there are some mistakes through the book which are minor for a first edition.

This book has a very good table of content and content arrangement. Except for some technical and typo blunders, the score is above average. The content covers the cisco outline.