Jason T. Waters | Matthew J. Rees | Jeffrey T. Coe | Matthew J. Rees | Matt Waters
1 Absolute must!
This book is very well structured with great content.
The concepts are explained well and in exactly the right detail.
I read this book and got my certification the first time.
2 Serves its purpose
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!
3 Good Review of Exam Materials
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.
4 Apply The Cost Toward Better Study Material
This book is of no benefit in preparing for the CCNA exam. It is barely more than a list of what is on the exam. I took and passed the exam and in retrospect can say that this book did not help me in any way. While it is well written, it is completely inadequate and can give the reader a deeply erroneous impression of the exam itself. It is of no value as a reference either, because of lack of depth in the material contained. A CCNA candidate would do well in applying the cost of this book toward better exam preparation material.
5 946/1000
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..
6 I studied, I read, I passed (apologies to Julius Caesar)
I've just successfully completed the six month Cisco Academy CCNA Course.
On the final day of the course our Instructor, a very recently ex-Australian Army Signals Corp CCNP, CCDP, CCAI, Network+ and now CCIE 'Student', gave us some tips on sitting the exam.
One of the resources he recommended was this book (He's using the Exam Cram CCIE book for his CCIE Exam by the way).
I bought it, worked my way through it, checked the on-line curriculum in any areas I was weak in, sat the exam and got 946 out of 1000 with the pass mark being 849.
As they say in "the Land of the Free" - "'Nough said"
7 Average
This was a very average book. I thought this book was less than adequate for the CCNA exam. The Exam Cram series was great for the NT 4 MCSE, but I thought it fell short for the CCNA.
8 Loved it.. Got a 946 with this book and the Cisco Press Book
I read reviews and I never had made one.. but I had to because of the misinformation. There are 3 errors in the Exam Cram books 2 of whick are IP address mismatches from the diagram to the text. The other was a minor spelling error. This book WILL NOT make you pass the CCNA alone.. What I think this book and these series are for is after you have read the big text book or taken a calls you read this cover to cover take the test in the back and when you get all the answers right in the back you go take the test and you pass. For that purpose this book works exactly. I love the exam cram series....
9 Very weak book
I have taken the test as yet but I have read this book and from what I can tell It is very weak and don't think that I'm learning anything but when I read from Todd Lammle's books, everything seems to fall into place. I highly recommmend that you study from any of Todd Lammle's book, especially his "study guides or exam notes".
10 A piece of the puzzle...
I used this book in combination with an instructor-led course, Transcenders, the CCNA Study Guide by Odom, and hands-on experience with routers/switches. Did pass the CCNA, but was had some disappointments with all of the materials I had for review, including this book. There were plenty of grammatical and technical errors, requiring cross-referencing and real equipment experimentation. Additionally, many materials are still focused on 407 items, and not 507. And true to multiple statements, the Cisco tests are difficult... too bad this book was rather light on in-depth technical aspects applicable to the exam.
11 This book isn't enough alone, get Todd Lammle's CCNA 2.0
If you are new to networking, or aren't already pretty well network savvy, this book probably wont help you to pass the CCNA test. I recently took the CCNA 2.0 test and passed with a 935/1000 (first try). Please note, however, now you need a 849/1000 to pass, some study guides report 822, but Cisco has seemingly upped the standards. I recommend that if you want to gaurantee yourself a passing grade that you 1) buy Todd Lammle's CCNA 2.0 study guide published by Sybex and 2) take the Boson practice tests for CCNA (www.boson.com) -- some of the questions from the practice were actually on the test.
12 This book delivers what it promises
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.
13 Too many mistakes
Too many mistakes to be considered useful. Some people can forgive (and have in their reviews) the errors but I just can't. If you are planning on using this book to study for your CCNA test be sure to have another book to check the facts this book gives you.
I am now trying other sources of information, I knew the material pretty well thus was able to catch many mistakes. But am afraid of the areas of information I was not familiar with, how many mistakes did I learn for the test?
Please, do not take this lightly, mistakes in study guides is not acceptable!
14 Good, if you just want the brief facts
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.
15 Good book but not helpful on actual exam
This book is easy to understand. However, it didn't help me pass the actual exam.
16 Waste book
It is the waste book, I have seen written on CCNA exam
17 Basic
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.
18 Huge disappointment
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.
19 Average compared to other Exam Cram Books
Coriolis Exam Cram series helped me prepare for my MCSE+internet. Their MCSE series is a MUST!
However, I am a little disapointed with this book. It does contain some errors (which I could live with), and LACKS quite a bit of important information, specially in IOS Commands section (no mention of DNS resolutions, for example).
The BIGGEST problem, however, it the writing style. It is very cumbersome, not at all 'friendly' and it tends not to explain many concepts in understandible way.
Over-all, I am not too happy. I used this book in conjuntion with Sybex CCNA Study Guide (by Lammle), which by the way, is the best CCNA prep guide available and the ONLY one you need.
In my opinion, Exam Cram alone will be very confusing if not used together with Sybex Guide (which offers 'human-like' explanations).
Buy both and you're set.
20 Great study aid to the actual course
I purchased this book based on the need to complete the test in 6 days from the start of the course. This along with all the other Coriolis Exam Cram books is top notch. I would highly recommend it for anyone wanting to study for the exam. It does not replace actual hands on knowledge but it is a great study aid to get you through the test.
21 CCNA Routing and Switching Exam Cram
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.
22 Quick and easy - just the way I like it!
Cisco Certified Network Associates, CCNA, is not a subject or area to be taken lightly. Routers and switches are highly complex pieces of equipment and only the highly trained should be handling them. To qualify as a CCNA you must pass one of the toughest exam going, this book gives you a hand in doing just that.
As with every book I have ever read from Coriolis, this book is well worth the money. While the EXAM Prep books go further into every subject, the Exam Cram will give you the necessary information you require to pass the exam, your job is to study and pass the exam.
Breaking down the exam, each chapter simplifies the exam objectives. From the OSI model to router basics to TCP/IP, access list, wan protocols, wide area networking and switching, you'll find what you need. Each Chapter includes the review questions to help you study.
For those of you, like myself, that are planning to take the exam, you'll want to spend $29.99 on this book and give yourself every opportunity to pass. Coriolis is trusted name in computer books and this is certainly proof of that.
23 The BEST
This is the only book I read. No classes. No Other books. I Passed the CCNA on my first try.
24 Routing and switching
Great book....helped get me my CCNA!
25 Used book to pass test
I used this book and the Cisco book to pass the test. I found this book to help review and verify I knew all the information. I suggest this book.
26 Passed test with this book
I scored 82 using this book. I had some experience before reading the book but this was a great help. I recommend this book for everyone.
27 Good as a 2nd or 3rd source
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 :-)
28 I used this book to study for my CCNA
This book was great, with only a few minor errors. Anyone who knows what they're doing would have spotted the errors right away. The book says that the exam has 70 questions, the exam software states that it contains 80 questions; when in fact the test only contains 78 questions. So I don't think anyone should hold that against this book. I think anyone that wants a CCNA should have hands-on experience with routers before they attempt the test. The test was not as difficult as I thought. This book did help re-enforce subnetting which was also a plus. Keep studying and you'll make it. There really is light at the end of those late-night cramsessions.
29 I used this book to study for my CCNA
This book was great, with only a few minor errors. Anyone who knows what they're doing would have spotted the errors right away. The book says that the exam has 70 questions, the exam software states that it contains 80 questions; when in fact the test only contains 78 questions. So I don't think anyone should hold that against this book. I think anyone that wants a CCNA should have hands-on experience with routers before they attempt the test. The test was not as difficult as I thought. This book did help re-enforce subnetting which was also a plus. Keep studying and you'll make it. There really is light at the end of those late-night cramsessions.
30 Helped me pass
This book was very helpful but I don't think you can pass the exam with this book alone. If you are looking to pass the exam, you need to use the Sybex book with this book.
31 Don't rely ONLY on this one
Book covers most of the material on the exam, but was chuck full of editing errors and wrong on the exam format - i.e. you cannot mark questions to be answered later. Combine this with the Sybex CCNA Exam Notes and you're sure to pass - I would emphasize the Sybex book myself...
32 Helped me pass
I had some experiance with cisco IOS but I wasn't really confident I could pass the ccna until I bought this book. After reviewing all the chapters and taking the test questions I knew I was ready for the exam. I passed with an score of 897.
33 This book gets the job done! ('nuff said)
I passed the new and improved CCNA test using this book and the Sybex CCNA book. I mainly used this book and read and re-read the book till the information finally sunk in. The book covered the test material well, and presented the information in a useful manner for a seasoned IT Professional. It was a refreshing change from the cheesy "... for dummies" approach which appears too often in wannbe prep books. The test has been changed to be more difficult (80 questions/90 minutes, no going back on questions), but this book was still very useful for me in passing the test. I also made sure to check the Coriolis website for errata. This book was the best investment yet for me in a prep book, and I have passed numerous certification exams. I have found all of the Exam Cram books to be sound investments.
Doug Gilbody, CCNA, MCSE, CNE-3, ICNE, MCP+Internet dgilbody@mindspring.com
34 Stick with Sybex.
This is a terrible book. Buy the Sybex Study Guide and Exam Notes book instead.
35 A Good Cram Book for the budding CCNA
I had bought Sybex's Tod Lammle book & Jumpstart CCNA coupled with this Exam Cram edition, and I must say, it covers almost everything that's required in the CCNA exam. But beefed it up with Sybex's book, passing CCNA would be a breeze !
36 EXCELLENT BOOK, WELL WORTH THE MONEY
For the life of me I can't understand the complaining about this book. I passed the CCNA Exam on the 18th of October after taking just one semester of CCNA at a local facility. During the last month I studied hard with various materials (ICRC and the CCNA exam guide from Cisco press) and quizzed myself the day of the test using the Exam Cram guide. There were a number of questions on the test I know I would have missed had I not used this book. Personally I think they did a very good job of covering what you need to know to pass the test. I have not seen the other guides to see how they compare, but I passed the first try and did pretty good to boot so I have no complaints at all.
I AM NOT AFFILIATED with the publisher in any way.
37 DON'T DEPEND ON THIS BOOK FOR THE REAL EXAM!!!!
The test have changed!! 78 Q's and you cannot mark the questions to go back on!! The test Q's in here are vey easy, but with enough studying and hands on you will be OK. This is a book just for the practice test for warm up, and that is all. It's not like the MCSE series.. Cisco stuff requires real world experience.
38 Sybex CCNA exam notes is better
Does not cover all of CCNA test objectives compare to Sybex's ccna exam notes. Exam Notes seems a lot better. Don't waste your money on this one.
39 The questions were far too simple.
This book gives only the barest overview of the test objectives. The questions at the end of each chapter and the 70-question exam at the end of the book were so simple a 12-year old could do it. Don't rely on this book, even as a supplement, to pass the CCNA. I passed my exam with Sybex CCNA Study Guide, ISBN 0782123813.
40 In need of editing!
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
41 Errors, errors, errors. You get what you pay for!
Not worth the money, too many errors and too many reviews from the authors on this page. What is wrong wtih you? To pass teh exam, you don't need this book. Take the Cisco course and practice on routers.
42 Good book
This book really helped me to pass the test from the first time..Some objectives are missing, so you have to start with other book first and leave this one till the end
43 The Book Won't help you pass the test.
The book does not cover a lot of things on the test. Although it's a good study guide, I would not use it alone to pass the test. In fact, I wouldn't advise taking the test unless you have a little hands on, then you might be able to use the Exam Cram.
44 Fantastic book. Bullseye!
This book covered the right material for the CCNA exam. Very focused. Great end of chapter tests.
45 Excellent
This book is the best for a complete understanding on all objectives for the CCNA exam. It covers the items left out from the CCNA Exam Notes book.
46 This book is excellent!
If you could only have one book to study for the CCNA exam, this should be it.
47 Great Book!!
This book is probably the best book available for an exceptional understanding and comprehension of the CCNA material for the exam. I am using the Sybex Exam Notes book as well to ensure that I understand all the material. I would have to say that this book appears to be the best. I didn't quite understand all of the details of the OSI model until I started reading the book.
48 The goto book for guaranteed certification!
Finally, a no bulls**t book for those who strive to begin studying for the coveted CISCO cert! This book is straight and to the point, with questions that are modeled from the real test. I have come across a few typo's and mistakes, but for what it's worth, this is the best of the bunch.
49 Excellent book
I just received my copy, and it is great. It gets to the point, without all the drivel of most study guides.
