Customer Reviews

CCNA Official Exam Certification Library (Exam 640-802), Third Edition (Containing ICND1 and ICND2 Second Edition Exam Certification Guides)

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I just took the test today and I'm still in shock about passing the CCNA. About six weeks ago I decided to get serious and start studying for this test. I bought the Cisco Press books and the 'CCNA for Dummies' book. It turns out that I didn't even use the 'Dummies' book. The Cisco Press Library comes with two books, which I read both cover to cover. After reading both books I moved to the CDs that also comes with this set, which have a lot of useful material. The Boson practice exams that come with the book, I think are the most useful. The questions that the practice exams asks are very similar to the questions that the real test asks. With the combination of both the book and the practice exams you will be well prepared. Practicing with all the tricky questions really makes you learn the material to the smallest detail. The DVDs that come with the book are pretty lame and dry, I didn't even use them. I do what to clarify that I did have previous hands on experience with Cisco routers, but I used a free simulator to brush up on some of my skills. This book set is a must and I probably would not have passed without it. I was really nervous walking into the exam, but the resources that this book set provides prepared me very well for the exam.

I'm a full time instructor of Cisco courses and a CCIE. My students sometimes ask for book recommendations for further study and review. So, I hope that this review of Wendell Odom's "CCNA Official Exam Certification Library, Third Edition" will provide some insight for CCENT and/or CCNA candidates considering the purchase of this library. Following are my observations:

- The "library" contains two separate books: (1) CCENT/CCNA ICND1 Official Exam Certification Guide Second Edition and (2) CCNA ICND2 Official Exam Certification Guide Second Edition.

- Unlike some competitive titles you might come across, this CCNA library cleanly divides the topics of the 640-822 (CCENT/ICND1) exam and the 640-816 (ICND2) exam. So, if a candidate wanted to achieve their CCNA certification by taking the individual exams, they could study the corresponding book from the library. Alternately, if they wanted to take the composite 640-802 CCNA exam, they could study the entire library.

- Cisco Press' "Official Exam Certification Guide" series contains several features that readers can benefit from:
o Icons identifying key topics
o A "Do I Know This Already?" pre-test at the beginning of a chapter
o Memory tables
o Identification of key terms

- Each of the two books in the library contains a DVD and a CD. Each DVD contains personal Video Mentor-style demonstrations of topics by the author.

- Each CD allows you to install a corresponding practice exam from Boson, which has a nice testing engine supporting simulation and testlet questions, in addition to the traditional multiple choice questions found in many competing products.

- The author doesn't just hit the high points, but rather provides in-depth treatment to the myriad of topics on the CCNA exam.

- Binary math and subnet masking are major CCNA topics, and one of the CDs contains a binary math game, which plays much like a video game.

The think I find most striking about this library is the price. It includes a total of two books, two DVDs, and two CDs for a list price of $59.99. As an owner of many Cisco Press books, I consider this to be one the best values out there for CCNA prep.

Having taught the Cisco Certified Network Associate Certification class at local community colleges, I am always interested when new Exam Certification material is published. This new CCNA Official Exam Certification Library, which is in its Third Edition, provides the individual who does not have the time or the funds to take an actual class (like I occasionally teach), a complete, step by step approach to studying and passing the current CCNA exams (ICND1-640-822 & ICND2-640-816 or CCNA-640-802). These volumes provide a solid explanation of networking fundamentals and provide a logical progression of topics and understanding, focusing on building an overall solid technical foundation and, of course, passing the CCNA examinations. The current CCNA exams are much more detailed in scope than in past tests, requiring the student to have specific concept and configuration knowledge encompassing internetworking fundamentals and progressing into routing protocols, switching, including Spanning Tree, WAN protocols, Wireless, IPv6, Access Lists, etc. Because the course material has grown in depth and breadth, the book strives to simulate, in some ways, a class environment by having pre-chapter quizzes to allow the student to assess their current knowledge on the chapter's topics as well as a syllabus or foundation topics to review as a roadmap. Included in each chapter are key topic reviews, lists of key terms and command reference tables. These are critical for the self-study individual since there is no teacher to ask questions - and this is where the other features of the book come in handy.

Since I teach, I wanted some true `students' opinions, so I handed off my copy of this Library set to a number of individuals who had either just passed their test or were studying with other materials. I asked them their opinion of this new edition, asking them to look at all the new study materials and features included in these volumes. The comments I received back were very enthusiastic. They really liked the fact that the books contain both DVD and CDrom resources. The DVD has a series of videos on IP addressing and subnetting, while the CD has several practice scenarios with excellent step by step of explanations how the answer was achieved (just like in a class room). There is even a companion book website that assists the student in further clarification of questions in the book and new postings by the authors on relevant topics. One response back on the book especially liked that it spoke clearly to what is on the CCNA exam and the fact that there was an exhaustive table of Exam topics and where in the book the subject was covered. Other feedback from my small group referred to the testing engine from Boson that provides the student a chance to test just like the real thing. Suffice to say, my little group students wished they had had these great resources when studying for the CCNA.

As for my opinion of the book, I think that the writing and clarity of the composition, in logical progression and consistent format, is what I strive to deliver when I teach, so I really appreciate the effort that went into the creation of these books by the authors. I understand the amount of work it takes to create solid educational materials. Lastly, there is a good last chapter that goes into final preparation, including study plans, relating how and what to practice and how to approach the CCNA testing. This is the same advise that I give students when I teach. This new CCNA Library is a great resource and I would recommend it to anybody who is looking for a self-paced, study program or as supplemental material in addition to other CCNA learning materials.

Gary Roesler, CCIE #11451

Just like his previous works, Odom writes a comprehensive but very dry 640-802 Certification Library. Which I have always found a refreshing style. The major problem I have with this edition of the cert library is the lack of after chapter questions that were featured so prominently in the last edition. Basically if you could answer these questions without looking, the CCNA was a piece of cake. You could really tell that care was taken to prepare and pick these questions. Also the new chapters really kind of stick out. There is little effort in them to really reinforce the learning with repeated references to key topics that Odom pulled off so well in previous editions.

Overall the lack of review questions and polish in the new chapters really give the reader a sort of "rushed" feeling.

A group of coworkers, myself included, selected this book as our guide for a CCNA study group. So far, this book has proven informative, yet it reads as if the author had a target number of pages he had to submit (similar to a term paper with a predetermined minimum page count as assigned by your favorite college professor). There are multiple instances where the author will take a 3 or 4 page tangent on a topic without really explaining the topic all that well, and just when you're to the point of complete confusion and wondering what you missed, the author proclaims "don't worry, we'll cover this in chapter such and such." Our general consensus as a group is "why did he even talk about this subject then? Why didn't he just save it for the next chapter instead of punishing us with unrelated information now?"

Other than the obvious attempt to pad the page count (and the distracting nature of his tangents) once you can get past this the book is really quite informative. As a group, we are getting a lot out of it, and his way of explaining subject matter has proven to be thorough. He also doesn't seem to be talking down or assuming you should already know more than you do. I could do without the tangents as previously stated, as well as some awkward attempts at humor throughout the book, but all-in-all, not bad. Then again, we may change our minds depending on how we do on the tests!

I don't recommend this book. The reason why is that the book does not present all the information for the CCNA is a very organized and logical manner. All the information for the exam is in the book, but it doesn't display it in a way that's easy for the reader to understand.

Examples. The book often refers to examples and diagrams througout the book, but often the diagram is not on the same page. It can often be 2 to three pages off causing a lot of flipping which makes associating the information more difficult. This wouldn't be a problem except when most of the example are like this.

Subject Grouping. Subjects are not very easy to understand because they are often spread out through a chapter, or several chapters. For example, the subject of OSPF DRs and Bridge IDs are split up to a degree where it's not easy to see how the two relate to each other. And for those who don't yet know about the two terms, knoing the ID is essential to choosing the DR.

While I believe the book has prepared me for the exam, I do believe I could have gone learning it in an easier fashion. Studying for the exam is already a large task that does not need to be further complicated. I'm giving it a rating of 3/5 because it has all the information one can look for in studying for the CCNA, it's just not sorted very well.

Firstly I am thoroughly convinced that if your sole desire is to become CCNA certifed, this kit has the content you need to pass. If you are diligent, study hard and have the patience to work with the material you won't have a problem passing.

Wendell Odom is a noted authority in the field and I am a huge fan of his.

Having said that, I have done about a dozen certifications and these books are by far my least favorite of any certification books.

A) The logical arrangement and progression of how the material is presented is VERY difficult to grasp at certain points. He makes references to concepts that the reader has yet to study and does not help the reader get "the forest" and instead continues to articulate trees at a slow tedious pace. Even with concepts I already understood, had I not possessed a prior knowledge of that given topic, it was would be difficult to have understood them from the authors explanation.

B) The author is obviously very intelligent but a little out of touch with the needs of a learner that is at the CCNA level.

C) The testing software that comes with the kit, Boson, is full of errors. I have contacted Boson and they have yet to fix any of these. From what I have seen the Boson questions are way harder than the real exam and that definitely helps in the preparation.

If I had to do this over again I would probably stick with these books, since it is the best value for the money and will prepare you to succeed. There is a ton of extra material on the CD's that come with the book. Also the two book set makes it easier to prepare for the ICDN 1 & 2 if you are doing the two exam path.

FYI: I also used CBT Nuggets and Transcender for test prep. Watching the CBT Nuggets before each chapter will help with your reading. Good luck!

I am intimately familiar with these contents, having been the author's technical editor for almost all of the editions of this book (and other Odom titles). I'm also a professional trainer in the computer security arena.

Odom has a remarkably clear way of explaining sometimes complex material. He ties things together and gives good memory aids for remembering related terms and concepts. The books are organized in a logical progression, but the individual chapters do not assume that the reader is treating the book like a novel and reading each word in sequence. You could begin your studies on page one of book one or you could use the book as a reference -- just looking up topics that you're finding difficult while taking a course, for example.

The exam engine is easy to use and the questions are at the right depth for the exam. There are no "gimmes" in the pool (for example, a question with a long answer that's correct and a several short wrong choices). Even a question asking the reader to match a binary number with part of an IP address has 4 good choices (many competitors make elimination easy by choosing an even number in decimal then providing two or three obviously odd numbers -- last digit is 1 -- in the binary answers).

The actual Cisco CCNA tests have simulation questions. Rather than just asking about concepts and syntax, you have to act as if you were connected to a router or switch and configure it. This book has software from Boson that gives you the same experience.

The bottom line is this: When you do these assessment tests, you'll know that the score you get reflects your level of preparation. You'll know your strong areas and you'll know where you need to focus your studies in order to get the cert.

The single topic that most new CCNA candidates have trouble grasping is subnetting. The good news is that once you get it, you wonder what was so hard about it. This book gives you a DVD with Odom explaining subnetting; in less than an hour you'll be in the "that was easy" camp.

This is a highly recommended resource.

I disagree with some previous reviews: reading this book - and only this one, I mean both tomes of course - will get you through the CISCO CCNA exam. Also, even if you do not want to go through the exam, Odom has written a very good, pedagogical, complete and friendly introduction to networking in general. This is highly recommended to all interested in computer networks - even the newcomers. After this you are ready for the advanced texts from the likes of Comer, Stevens, Radia Perlman ...

These books are very good sources of information for those interested in learning more about internetworking (with Cisco Systems equipment). Although the books are very informative and technically accurate, I think they would be better if there was a lab section at the end of each part of the books (Part I, Part II, etc.) to give the reader some suggested lab activities that reinfore the concepts that were covered in each chapter. There doesn't need to be one lab per chapter, but a lab for each part of the book, which groups chapters logically, would be a nice addition.

This certification library is a significant improvement over the last version of the CCNA Certification Library, including information that is more appropriate for new network engineers and the internetworking problems they will be faced with. Detailed coverage of modem standards, DDR, and physical-layer WAN technologies has been summarized to make room for an introduction to newer topics like IPv6, VPNs and Network Security.