Customer Reviews

InsideScoop to CCDA Certification: Cisco Certified Design Associate

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I bought each of the CCDA books figuring it was cheaper than the course. They all covered the same material but I liked the way this one was written. It covered the depth of the exam but was easier to understand than some of the others. I passed the test on the first try and I think having more than one source to study from was what did it. The real added value here was the Quizzer which alone was worth the price of the book. After I was able to get 95% on it I knew I was ready for the test.

I recommend at least 2-3 sources for study, and make sure this is one.

I recently took and passed CCNA. I then bought this book and started my study for CCDA. Today I took and passed CCDA but I don't think it would have been possible if I hadn't supplemented my studies with other books. This book has a great structure with pop quizes and chapter reviews that really make sure you are learning your stuff as you go through. However its coverage of certain areas is non-existant (cisco's product line) and its coverage of other areas is very brief considering their complexity (newtworking protocols). If you're weak in either of these two areas you NEED another book as well. CCNA will help with the protocols, but even with CCNA you need to research the cisco product line and understand when different products should be used (for case study questions). The other major problem with this book is its tests questions. Many questions on the quizzer are fill in the blank. If you enter a correct answer and fail to capitilze even one word correctly the quizzer counts it as wrong. Combined with the fact that is impossible to know what exact wording the quizzer is looking for makes the scoring of the quizzer absolutely useless. In conclusion I really liked this book and it really helped me quickly prepare for and pass CCDA. If you don't know the cisco product line, are weak in networking protocols, or need an accurate measure of your knowledge through quiz questions be prepared to get another book to supplement your knowledge.

This book was truly excellent. It flows well and I read it in only two weeks. I passed the exam the first time. I tried this before with the Sybex guide but found the book too long and boring. This one was short and to the point, whats more it had all I needed to pass and taught me a lot I took back to the job.
The practice exam CD is great too. If you can memorize those questions and answers then the exam won't be much different.
This is THE book for the CCDA exam.

Just used this book and passed the CCDA. Took about three weeks to read and I did some of the Case Studies. The CD Test was real good too (they must have fixed it). I was certified in a month. Can't beat that. Buy the book and forget the courses.

This book was a real winner. It started at the basics and moved real well into advanced concepts. Everything was well explained, the OSI Model, network devices, and a real good section on WAN technologies. The information flowed real well and had a lot of good examples and progressed into the more complex areas of network protocols and such. There was also a lot of pop quizes and especially good was the exam notes which were right on with what I ran into at exam time. The Case Studies were a real good prep for what I saw at exam time too. I passed with time to spare.

I now use it as an on the job reference guide and "won't leave home without it." Great book!

I found this book to be great!

I received my MCSE in 1998 and my CCNA in early 1999 and have since haulted on certifications, because as you gain experience you find that certifications mainly appeal to techincal recruiters and human resource people, but don't mean anything to experienced administrators who will drill you down in the interview.

Ok, that aside, I bought this book because I heard it is better than any other CCDA book and really explains WAN technologies well. Although I work in an environment where I am part of a team that manages a LAN, MAN, and WAN, this book still educated me on things I didn't typically run into. An example is traffic shaping on frmae relay, or how broadcast radiation effects your network (versus broadcast storms), or how much overhead is associated with different protocols (in terms of Kb per protocol).

Buy it. You will learn a lot! Really!

The book was real well written and covered a lot of different topics. I did notice it was not real in depth in some areas such as Cicso IOS commands but I didn't find any of these on the test either. It's not a complete book of Cisco networking but it covered all I found on the exam. What I liked most though is it moved well and was easy to read. The author covered the material without a lot of unnecessary technical detail. I liked it and I passed so I have to say I accomplished what I bought it for.

The book is well written and logical. However, the online test simulations leave much to be desired. Many of the questions are not multiple choice, but require the student to type in an explanation which the software almost invaribly marks wrong (even true and false questions require the user to type in "true" or "false"). In fact, some of the "correct" answers provided by the application are not correct at all (HSRP does not stand for Heirarchical Standard Routing Protocol!) If you're looking for an accurate simulation of the exam, look elsewhere.

This book did an excellent job of preparing me for the real exam. The combination of the written material and the simulated exam CD helped me learn and remember what I needed to pass. The exam really wasn't that hard or at least wasn't any harder than the practice exam here and I passed with time to spare. I also learned a lot which I have been using here on the job. Great book , I'm glad I bought it.

The book is well written, however if you're planning to take the test - take CCNA first. Few topics are not explained deep enough, you'd need more advance knowledge, especially on routing. Wouldn't keep this book for future reference and self-preparation software is just awful. Three stars only...