Craig Dennis | Eric Quinn
1 Good Book, Except for Errors
This book has a very good table of content and content arrangement. Except for some technical and typo blunders, the score is above average. The content covers the cisco outline.
2 Poor
I have used many Exam Cram books in the past. Overall, I have been successful using them as a supplement to my studies. In fact, I have been very pleased. This book, however, should be skipped. The technical information is off, the writing is poor, and the jokes, just plain stink. Jokes don't even belong. This material is not put together well at all and you should find other assistance.
3 Errors Galore
I wish I had read the reviews before I bought this book. This book has even more errors than the switching exam cram book that I read. From now on, I will only read the Cisco Press books.
4 Get the CISCO PRESS book!!!!
After using the exam cram for switching 2.0 (excellent book), I figured that exam cram would be a safe bet for bcran. I have never been so disappointed in study material as I am w/ this book. The errors in the book are so extensive that it's almost funny (except that I'm taking the exam this afternoon!). But that's not the worst part. The author claims to have written this for ccnp 2.0, but rest assured this book mainly covers topics in the 1.0 remote access exam. When the author talks about the other ccnp exams, he referrences ACRC and CLSC!! I would've been better off ripping out the index in the front of the book and burning the rest! I have found tons more useful info on the cisco CCO website that will help me on the test. I have 4 years experience in related subject matter, so I'm not a newbie goin for a "paper cert". I've already passed BSCN and MCMSN w/ scoring over 900 on each test. I used Cisco press and exam cram on BSCN, and exam cram on BCMSN. I am comfortable that I will pass BCRAN today, but if I had to do over again, I'd get the cisco press book. That's the only book w/ decent reviews for this test. This book isn't even useful for a quick cram! GARBAGE! The revised edition is LONG overdue. Hey EXAM CRAM, how bout instead of just publishing a revision, get someone who actually knows the material to write an ENTIRELY NEW book! ...
5 Waste of Money
Too many mistakes. As for the Cram Sheet not even worth looking at. Total waste of time & money. DO NOT USE FOR EXAM.
6 Very Good
The only real problem with this book is the typos - there is an errata sheet available from the Exam Cram website...but it doesn;t fix all the errors. As for the content? Well this book is very good - i couldn't fault it.
The people who are complaining about this book and giving it low scores are obviously just trying to read this book only and take the exam - paper certs. If they have had experience, read the courseware then they wouldn't haven't a problem with this book - the errors would be apparent.
Anyway, i'm not here to preach - i'm here to give this book the good score it deserves.
7 Great, if you have experience.
This book (like any cram book) should not be your ONLY means of studying for the exam. Hands-on practice and the official Cisco coursware or self-study book are also needed. This book explained several concepts (dialer interfaces for one) MUCH better than the more detailed Cisco self-study guide. The sample configuration commands and the end-of-chapter tests helped tremendously. Although there are a few errors, I passed the exam on my first try by 175 points.
8 Too many mistakes and fundamental flaws
As an owner of many cram books and others I am sorely disappointed at the lack of proof reading done for this book and worried about some of the mistakes I've seen. When the author doesn't even know the definition of a hertz (it's cycles/sec, a hertz is not a cycle!) should I trust the other info? On one page I counted 8 typos in seven lines. Test questions are filled with errors which could confuse someone who doesn't know better. Bad book...needs review by a qualified person, preferably someone with an engineering background who hasn't just memorized a bunch of IOS commands.
9 Passed first try
Great book with a couple of mistakes - normal for first edition.
10 Some Weaknesses, but usable
I have passed quite a few tests by using only the Exam Cram series of books, and I have no doubt that that I can pass the Remote Access exam if I carefully study this edition as well. Unfortunately, this is not my favorite Exam Cram book. In the first few chapters that I have read so far, the authors tend to use many feeble attempts at humor while clearly not understanding some of the material themselves.
Chapter three really butchers wide area network connectivity.. apparently because the authors do not have sufficient experience/education in either analog or digital telephony (my strongest area). I found numerous errors that were compounded by unbelievably poor examples and at least one diagram that made me bust out with laughter. (The illustration of amplitude modulation)
If you are good at passing exams, none of this book's failings should take away from your ability to pass the 640-505 exam, and the Exam Cram series are probably the most efficient way (in terms of cost and time) to prepare for any exam. Just watch out for the many errors and misconceptions in this particular one!
11 It's got just enough material to help you pass
Remember that this is an "Exam Cram", not a standard study tool. I just passed the 640-505 exam, and I only used this book and some lab practice as my only sources of instructional material. The book doesn't cover all of the test material (e.g., minimal discussion of h/w products), so you really need to rely on another textbook for the basic foundation.
I've used some of the other "Exam Cram" series (Routing, Switching) as test preparation tools, and this one is about the same quality (...although the author throws in some humorous remarks that help to keep you awake!) It touches all of the test topics, but doesn't provide in-depth discussion (as intended). However, it was sufficient to help me pass my exam !!
12 Helpful, but not enough
Although I passed the test, the book really didn't have enough info to pass the test without a little experience or the help of another book. I do recomend purchasing the book though because the quizes and practice test do have quite a few questions that appear on the exam.
13 Great study aid
This book was written very well and is exactly what you need to pass the BCRAN certification exam. I used it to help with my studies and passed the test the day after the cisco course ended. I read it from cover to cover 2x and went back through it after the exam and found about 80% of the stuff from the test in this book. Highly recommended.
14 Accurate, concise, and clear!
As a Certified Cisco Systems Instructor (#96106) authorized to teach the BCRAN course, I find this book to exactly what one needs to pass the required CCNP test for Remote Access. Craig's prose is gentle enough with inexperienced BCRAN folks, yet concise and technical enough for those who will use the book for study after taking the BCRAN course. Also, it's answered some of my more challenging Remote Access questions to better prepare me to teach my classes. Terrific job!
15 Very badly done.
I found this book to be NOTHING like the BCRAN exam.
I can only suspect that the others who reviewed this book perhaps did the CMTD exam.
The things I didn't like about this book are:
1. Syntactical and Grammatical errors. For exmaple, it will talk about dialer in-band in the text and then dialer inband in the test questions. Also typos are RIFE!
2. Theoretical errors. It clearly states in the text that with bitstuffing you get 56kbps bandwidth, yet the "test" states that 64kbps is the correct answer? Who proofed this??
3. The questions in the BCRAN are markedly different than in this book. I don't expect or want a book that has all the q & a's from the test but I expect a reasonable representation. eg. then test might ask "What cable do you need to use frame on your PRI interface on a xxxx router" Where is this information in the book? It's not there.
4. The book is stated as being for the 640-505 exam yet the actually wrote it for the BCRAN and CMTD exams. So during the book there are veiled references like "You don't need to know this for BCRAN" but how can you believe them??
I thought the book was the WORST exam cram I've seen, and will probably be the last one I've used.
If you insist on using this book to study for the exam make sure you review all the ACRC dialup and queuing information and brush up on your X25 too. Then with the two books, luck and common sense you'll have few problems. This book by istelf however falls many yards short of the mark.
16 Great for initial & final exam preparation!
I read this "exam cram" the weekend before passing the Cisco Remote Access exam (#640-505). In the hour prior to the exam, I also reviewed the "Cram Sheet" and the sample test in this book which settled the butterflies in my stomach. The book has two things going for it: 1) It covers exactly the topics in the test. Its table of contents is a far better exam outline than the outline on the Cisco website. Had I purchased this book earlier, I could have more accurately scoped out the actual exam and prepared more efficiently. 2) The questions at the end of each chapter and in the sample test accurately match the type of questions one faces in the actual exam. If it were not for a few editing errors, this book would merit 5 stars! If you had time to study only 1 supplementary book, this is it!
17 Great for initial & final exam preparation!
I read this "exam cram" the weekend before passing the Cisco Remote Access exam (#640-505). In the hour prior to the exam, I also reviewed the "Cram Sheet" and the sample test in this book which settled the butterflies in my stomach. The book has two things going for it: 1) It covers exactly the topics in the test. Its table of contents is a far better exam outline than the outline on the Cisco website. Had I purchased this book earlier, I could have more accurately scoped out the actual exam and prepared more efficiently. 2) The questions at the end of each chapter and in the sample test accurately match the type of questions one faces in the actual exam. If it were not for a few editing errors, this book would merit 5 stars! If you had time to study only 1 supplementary book, this is it!
18 good review
I used this book as my sole study guide for remote access. The authors cover all necessary topics needed to pass the exam. Also, the use of humorous anecdotes help lighten the reading.
19 Great Cram!
This book is exactly what I expected, a light, concise, easy-to-read, short exam CRAM. it doesn't cover everything you need to know, but it refreshes the things you already know (which is what my idea of an Exam Cram is supposed to be). To this extent, don't use it as your only means to study, but use it as your LAST means of study. It can be easily read in a couple days. Great practice questions. I would give it five stars but there are some mistakes through the book which are minor for a first edition.
20 use as a supplement
This book is reasonable helpful just so long as you have prepared yourself with the cisco press book.It clarifies the information that you will need ,but if you are looking for a true working knowledge of remote access networks you really ought to be reading Catherine Pacquet's Building Cisco Remote Access Networks.
