Customer Reviews

CCNP(TM) Routing Study Guide (Exam 640-503)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

All right fellow readers, bad news first!

Let me explain why I took away 2 stars.

Firstly, this book misses 1 * for numerous of typos, syntax errors, and logic errors all around the book. These errors will slow your study time down.

- Typos: when you see inconsistent diagram or R1 and R2 mistakenly switched, you'll have to think twice and reread the whole paragraph again to fit all things together. You can find this kind of errors all over the place. I found out that they're really annoying! They're not 'normal' typos like 'advaned' instead of 'advanced' which can be corrected quite easily using any word processors.

- Syntax error: if you take all the command syntax for granted and sit for the exam, you'll be in trouble. Always double check with Cisco web site or actual router commands or even another chapter of the book. For example, one chapter tells you that the command to change EIGRP hello-interval is ip eigrp hello-interval, while another chapter tells you is ip hello-interval eigrp which is off the correct one.

- Logic error: this is the worst error of all! I couldn't believe my eyes the Advanced EIGRP chapter teached me that the best path for EIGRP is the one with the highest metric, while the previous chapter just explained quite clearly that is the lowest one. It seems that the author of this chapter doesn't even understand the basic concept of EIGRP!

Secondly, I took another 1/2 * for lack of 100% of coverage as advertised. Where are the bgp peer group and bgp community sections as stated by official curriculum from Cisco? The basic coverage of BGP is also shallow.

Lastly, I took another 1/2 * for:

- Bad ExamSim software not as promised. The ExamSim only contains 65 questions taken from the book and that's it! No pools of questions and the test engine is not as sophisticated as it's advertised!

- Inconsistent style of writing

- Lack of correct configuration mode for the commands explained, i.e. you don't know whether the command is for interface or router configuration mode

- Not providing summary of commands in the end of chapters.

It will make the readers' life easier if the editors did their jobs properly to eliminate typos and errors and to make the style of writing consistent throughout the book. Anyway, that's what they are paid for, right?

Now, the good news for the sake of fairness!

The overall coverage of the book (although not 100% as explained before) can make you pass the CCNP Routing (640-503) exam, if you read careful and sceptic enough and given the pass mark of the exam is still 690. That's what the 3 * for. I hope the publisher can make the book better in the next edition.

Conclusion: My suggestion is to get a better book while you could, like Cisco Press' CCNP Routing Exam Certification Guide, which is the best book I've ever seen so far for the Routing exam (their test engine is superb!). If this book is your only choice, just take it. Be patient, and cross check. You still can pass the exam like I did!

Router#end-review my-off

This book is by far the worst book I have ever read. After only reading 2 chapters I have found numerous mistakes, some of which made it very difficult to understand. Some of the scenario questions asked the reader to answer things that were not even covered at that point. I did however complete the reading of the entire book and was more confused then when I first started.

When trying to contact the author and editor for comments, I was passed from one HR personnel to another before eventually giving up.

I've developed technical courseware books in the past and highly recommend not to buy this book if you are studying for the CCNP Routing exam. Other recommendations would be to read the Exam Cram and Cisco Press Routing books.

Some good ideas, but confusion reigns with a multiplicity of errors. These aren't just charitably typo's, but downright mistakes.

Additionally, the book seems to be missing pieces that were intended to be included. Review sections refer to topics having just been covered - that were never mentioned at all in the preceding material!

From this, it seems it was rushed into print in order to capture the market for the new Cisco 640-503 test, in what is a most cynical manner, because if the intent is to teach, not just make money, then it's a failure to give people who are buying the product false information.

Too bad. It's a good pre-publication rough draft suitable for editorial review, not for sale. In my opinion Adam Osborne ought to give purchasers a refund. Or be sentenced to re-typeset it personally, using his original Osborne-1 transportable CP/M-80 machine...

This book had so many errors that I couldn't believe it. I mean very easy to catch errors, typos, etc.

More disappointing was that the CD continued to have those same errors.

For example, it says that a PRIVATE address range was:

10.0.0.0 - 255.0.0.0

When the correct answer is:

10.0.0.0 - 10.255.255.255

Please do not buy this book! Unless you think its fun to constantly be checking with other sources to ensure what you are studying is correct.

Avoid this book. Mistakes, poor coverage of OSPF & BGP, poor "exam-sim" software. Spend your money elsewhere.

I got half way through this book and gave up. There were SO MANY MISTAKES I could not believe it. This is the worst Study Guide I have ever read, DO NOT BUY IT.

The chapter on BGP was so confusing that I read the RFC instead !

I am now using Todd Lammle's Book instead, which is much better.

If the editors of this book had done their job, this would be a great study book. But, after just 2 chapters I have found many mistakes. The examples given are full of bad mistakes and this is where accuracy is crucial. We're not just talking misspelled words here. Text refers to graphics that don't show what the text is explaining. IP addresses are mistyped to the extent you can't figure out what they should have been. The errors were so distracting I couldn't concentrate on the points I was trying to learn. I only got through 2 chapters and am not going to waste any more time. Unfortunately, I also bought the 640-505 (BCRAN)book in this series at the same time I bought this. I will be returning them BOTH! TAKE HEED! Buy the Sybex (Todd Lammle) book instead. I, too, should have just waited for Lammle's book to come out.

I used Todd's books to get My MCSE as well as my CCNA & CCDA. I Deserve this horrible book for not waiting for todd's book to come out. This is the worse Cisco book I have ever read. There are Mistakes after Mistakes. I takes you double the Time to read the book Because you keep going back and fixing authors mistakes. Mistakes are in Cisco Ios commands, VLSM And diagrams. Save Time and Money by Todd's Books

ANKUR RAWAT CCNA,CCDP, MCSE, MCSE+I,

I found this book to be full of mistakes and repetitions. The material is very disorganized. It jumps from one topic to another without proper transition or explanation of terminology. It's very frustrating to read the book. I feel that each chapter (or even each section in a chapter) is written by different people. Poor cohesiveness. Don't recommend it. I will try a better-written text.

Not a bad book - not great either. Just too many mistakes for a tech book, especially a study guide. However, if you can find the mistakes I guess you are learning! The CD is not the best, with a high percentage of questions that are simplistic and some others not worded well. Would make a good supliment book should you use more than one - which is the best idea anyway.