Syngress Media Inc | Syngress
1 Not Bad, But OK
Although the book seemed pretty complete when I purchased it, it was almost too complete. There were many areas of the book that focused on topics you will never see on the exam. The positive side of the book was that it gives the opportunity for others to quiz you with actual questions, even though many of them were innacurate and in some cases wrong. I would think the editors of this book could have been a bit more technical. Overall, the book is not bad, in fact finding the mistakes in the book and recognizing that they are wrong may be your key to successfully passing the 640-507 exam. My advice: don't make this your only study guide...
2 too much bad info
I've found too many completely wrong answers in this book to ever recommend it. Also, as another reviewer pointed out, too much extraneous material that does not apply to the CCNA test. Not completely worthless, but a waste of time overall when better, more focused, and error-checked books are available (e.g. Lammle)
3 Test yourself by finding the authors' errors!
While this book does seem to cover the range of topics necessary for the CCNA exam, it contains a large number of errors, and questions and explanations that are incomplete or badly worded.
Just reading the first two chapters was enough to make me put down the book and run back to my Todd Lammle books for a while, just to make sure it wasn't ME that was off-base (thankfully, it wasn't). Lammle is concise, explains well, and is, most importantly, consistent.
Also, as others have mentioned, the book tends to be a bit "out of bounds" in a number of areas.
Finally, why aren't the tests included in electronic format? For $40, I expect a CD. It's a shame when supposed purveyors of new technology training still produce only in a dark-ages format.
My advice? Save your $, buy Lammle's books, and use online study resources. While this book isn't a waste, I simply didn't feel that I got my money's worth.
4 More practice and that's just what I needed!
Practice make perfect, you've heard this a thousand times before. You've read several books on the CCNA exam and you need more, well here's the answer and now you've run out of excuses. This book covers every exam objective and covers them well.
Filled with over 500 test questions to study from, the book covers areas like RIP, OSPF, static and dynamic routing, ip routing, TCP/IP protocols, access list and so much more. Each chapter has practice questions and there are 3-practice test at the end of the book.
CCNA is the first step in Cisco certification process; this book gets you on you way. Each practice test also has detailed explanations of every answer; this is a major help in the learning process and will make a big difference in passing or failing.
Knowing that you will need more resources to study from McGraw-Hill publishing also has several other CCNA titles to choose from and you can visit their website and check them out. Stop putting off your future, CCNA has a new friend and you have a great place to begin.
5 Good Resource - Occasionally "out of bounds"
I found this was a good resource for the CCNA Exam, in that it represented all the CCNA exam objectives and "more". This might be viewed as a plus if your objective is to move on beyond the CCNA to CCNP or CCND but for anyone focused on the upcoming CCNA exam it may shake your confidences as it is beyond the CCNA objectives and it is laced with inaccuracies. The fact that I could find these errors helped me to know I was ready for the exam. This book takes an unwelcomed detour from its own title. I recommend it only as a supplement to other good resources such as those by Todd Lammle
6 Good book for Cisco's finest.
If you're an MCSE who wants a pay raise, read another book. This contains real world necessities, and may make you cry. This is not a guide to another "paper certification" like the placemats Microsoft has been handing out.
If you intend to be one of Cisco's (indeed networking's) finest, and you admit that your CCNA is merely one step on a long path, buy this book. This will test your knowledge of everything Cisco expects a CCNA to know, and then begin priming you for your Foundation exam.
I'll be the first to admit that this is a tough book (I was getting about 80% on this books tests 2 hours before I got a 950+ on my CCNA), but it's a tough world. If you want to be dog #1 in the phrase "dog eat dog", this is your book. If you're willing to settle for dog #2, this is not your style.
7 Advanced level
After studying the study guide by Todd Lammle, I use this book for my practice. Wow, it is advanced level, it seems to be out of the scope of the basice level of CCNA.
I would appreciate that this book contains these advanced questions. It really gives me challenge. But I just want to buy an exam-oriented practice book, I would like to get a book with many questions within the scope rather than many advanced questions out of the scope.
8 Priceless
This book is priceless. Especially given the fact that there are not many practise CCNA exams available. Read Lamle's book "CCNA: Cisco Certified Network Associate Study Guide" cover to cover. I chose Lamle's book based on reviews at Amazon but was in for a shock when I opened the "Cisco Ccna Test Yourself Practice Exams". Gave me a lot of areas to get more info about ... areas left out of Lamle's book (such as ATM and router screen shots for frame-relay & ISDN configs). The questions on subnetting are the best I've seen anywhere.
Final words ... get hands-on, GET THIS BOOK & comb through it at least 2-3 weeks before the exam. I could not have passed without it. Kudos to the authors.
9 Way above and beyond what you need to know!
Sorry I bought the book. I could not even use this book. After reading the Todd Lammle books from Sybex and the CCNA Exam Cert Guide from Cisco Press, I started looking at these questions... Wow! where did they get this stuff... It was scary! CCNA is suppost to be a basic certification. These questions were written for gurus (and some of them may have trouble). If you like shock therapy, then this book is for you.
10 Great book, truely above and beyond what you need to know.
This book will help you identify topics you need to improve on. It would be a good idea to have a copy of the CCNA objectives when you go through the book, since some of it is beyond the CCNA scope. Some of the questions are designed to test your knowledge and understanding not just to simulate the exam.
11 A good exam resource, if you have the time.
This book has most of the qestions you need to pass the CCNA exam. This is for those who want to explore all the basic knowledge of Cisco, not necessarily those who want to pass the exam. The explanations of the questions is written in detail, but often times not to the point. The format of the questions are somewhat similar to the real exam. A good suppliment but too much unecessary information.
12 Way too many questions not CCNA related
I bought this book along with the Cisco Press CCNA book and expected to get some questions that would prepare me for the exam. It does that job *ok*, but there are *so* many questions that don't even come close to CCNA objectives. I mean that they were more advanced, several questions about ATM, X.25, Frame-Relay and even a few routing protocols that the CCNA doesn't even touch. If I was beginner who had little Cisco experience before, I would freak at some of those questions. The extra questions I think is just to perhaps add some filler space I guess. It seems most books from this publisher do not have as much quality as the Sybex, or even (shrug) Cisco Press. The CCNA is a lot easier than how this book may present it to be.
13 A good suppliment.
The 500 questions in this book do a good job of capturing the examiners' murky, semi-literate style. They hit topics not covered elsewhere, but which appeared on my exam. The format could be improved by repeating the questions in the answer/explanation sections. There are errors, but they tend to be blatant. All of these Cisco test prep books seemed to have been rushed to press.
14 Good Review of Skills and a Great Value
If your going for your CCNA, this is a good alternative to the expensive computer based tests that are available on the web for $100+. This book has over 500 questions... more than any computer based tests out there.
A great value to test your CCNA skills.
4 stars because there are a few typos in the book. Other than that, I would consider this a must for anyone in the CCNA program.
15 Excellent practice guide
I bought this to use in conjunction with the Syngress CCNA Study Guide. I was pleased with that book, and found this one that uses all new questions, so I went for it. What a great book. After absorbing so much info. from the study guiude, this book allows me to put it to use, and see if I really know what I'm talking about. Tons of questions with detailed answers really helps me locate my strengths and weaknesses. I feel so much more prepared going into the exam because I've used this book. Highly Recommended!!!
