My experience taking the CCNA Exam on my second attempt.

Im gonna be taking my ccna on 17 august... really scared

Yea that exam is tough. I won't be renewing..

I'm in a very similar boat man. I've read the OCG volume 1 and 2 cover to cover twice and I'm still not ready. Haven't labbed myself but I keep going through jeremy it labs videos and just doing practice Exams until I feel ready to take it. Don't want to fail it. Been at this for months.

It is may be a chance to add extra contents by Cisco before 20th august. After that, it will be tougher than before.

i used boson exsim to test my knowledge in ccna and i passed in my first try and i make sure i understand each topic i like to create my own lab and test my knowledge on the topic of what i learned.

You're comment on the IP header is so true. Yeah, I understand it's importance but I'm not going to remember that shit either. I will literally just google it if I ever need the info in the real world

Thank you for his video, I will take the CCNA exam in two months with the new IA topics.
Have a question, How about subnetting and subnetting questions?
Any simulators that you recommend for preparation?
Thank you again.

I feel like one can also take Net+ for certification and fill in the gaps with CCNA Bootcamps . I say that because most of that stuff will be brain dumped and the day to day knowledge is available in Net+. Automation and orchestration is changing everything as well, CCNA is losing its stronghold

How much time did you invest all together to prepare for the exam and how much did you learn on the weekly basis lets say?

congrats brad!!

Conrats man!

The exam is certainly no joke. Even if you labbed, you still could fail it as the passing score is essentially 85% or higher. You basically need to be an experienced engineer already to pass the exam, which is why people take the exam in the first place - to become a network engineer.

Advice for CCNA aspirants: Focus on understanding the "why" behind networking concepts, not just memorizing facts. This approach leads to deeper comprehension and better problem-solving skills.


For example, when learning about administrative distances:

Instead of just memorizing numbers, understand the reasoning behind them.
Realize that EIGRP has a low administrative distance because it's a Cisco proprietary protocol, designed for efficiency and trust within Cisco ecosystems.
Understand that static routes have the lowest distance because they're manually configured, reflecting direct administrator intent and trust.

Apply this "why" mindset to all aspects of your studies:

Command syntax: Understand why commands are structured in specific ways.
Network designs: Learn the rationale behind different topologies and protocols.
Troubleshooting: Focus on understanding why issues occur, not just how to fix them.

Hey thanks for sharing your story, I am in a similar boat as your first time around. I feel like a failure for not passing it the first time around. It was very discouraging to keep at it but I'll become a network engineer too.

Congratz. My test is coming up. I hope I pass as well. Peace.

Contgrats!! What's next? do you have anything lined up job wise?

Thanks for showing some honesty about this test. It takes true courage and grit to show the truth. Great job! Pass is a pass. I’ll be on the same path as well studying away till it’s my time to go at it ❤

REAL talk! Thanks for this man. My exam is set for end of October and I am feeling pretty lousy right now. Appreciate the feedback, helps to know I’m not alone in my “unsure” thoughts .

Really appreciate your honesty and transparency in this video.

CONGRATS DUDE! APPRECIATE YOUR REAL LIFE PERSPECTIVE.

The CCNA is a bitch of a test. You need you practice, practice and practice. I got a 975/1000.

Do not read the book from cover to cover.

Broo the safeguard main price is 375 and on top of that it has 69$ tax. So it goes 444

I also failed the first attempt i did very well in mcq until lab came after 40 question after first lab it was big it took lot of time of me and after that everything came crashing down in front of my eyes. Even if you complete all the labs and leave like lets give exam now its a huge mistake coz you have done everything in sequence and commands they ask come not so much sequentially.

You should understand what's ipheader you will easily remember. Encapsulation and frame forwarding. If you don't understand this you are not remotely ready for the exam. The key is take simulation exams "Daily" review on yout tube questions you missed . That will get you in the mindset. Know your ports those are easily points maybe you will get 1 or 2 questions. You need to review each section all objectives. It's that simple. Not an easy exam

Its not easy, but there are certain things the exam wants you to know. And you dont know exactly what the exam wants you to know .....
I have 1 advice go buy a very nice dump, go over the questions and answers and figure out what exactly the exam wants you to know and learn that really well. Good Luck

It's strange to hear your story about failing and passing because you didn't feel confident into the 2 tests and you said you were scoring about 60 percent on the Boson exams. I have been doing Boson ExSim and NetSim for labs and practice exams. I was scoring 80%-92% on the Boson exam the day before my CCNA. This was my 2nd CCNA which I scored about 60% across most categories compared to 40% on the 1st attempt. I think my major lacking this time was understanding OSPF (not the configuration, but how it works and selects the route). Also just routing in general was a downfall for me this time. Thanks for sharing your experience. Congrats on passing!

I had 2300++ CCNA flashcards. Lab is the most important. It took me nearly 12 months to prepare before taking the exam. Plus English is not my native language. During the exam I had difficulties understanding the questions because English was tricky. Thank God, I passed on my 1st attempt.

p/s: I wrote this comment using Google translator. 😅

Very informative video. I'm thinking of scheduling mine later this week. I'm not great at studying but I've been trying my best for the last few months and I'm doing pretty well on the Boson, How2Pass, and Cisco practice exams. I will update this comment after I take the test. Wish me luck

I passed on my first attempt. Lab, lab, LAB!!!!!!!!!!!!! Keep labbing until you can't lab no more and when you are finished, LAB AGAIN!! I really cannot stress this enough. It will help you with learning the commands and why you use these commands. Not to mention, it's very satisfying and fun. Next, understand the theory, not just memorize it. It's important to understand what you're studying.

I used Boson as well. I failed all of the pretests. I went to go ahead and take the CCNA and passed. Boson just gets you ready. Plenty of people have failed it and passed the real test.

CCNA has become ridiculous. They're going to shoot themselves in the foot making that test so complicated. I'm not throwing away money on that.

Thank you for this video! It was comforting and reassuring to hear your experience

"There's not a ton of labbing..."

Yes there is. It's wild that you thought you could pass the CCNA without a) labbing a shit ton and b) doing practice exams until you're reliably scoring 90%+

Congrats and Bravo Brother....Inspiring...💯

Congrats on passing your CCNA.
You never get better at anything by not doing it. LAB EVERYTHING!
Passing any certification exam specially Cisco ones, must be a byproduct of your knowledge of the technology thoroughly for that level. Reading books and preparing for exam by doing practice tests, memorizing stuff etc will not help you on the job…

Free Palestine 🇵🇸

Am I the only one who actually liked to study the IP header?
I am still studying for the test though.

On the ccna exam you cant even review the questions, its more dificould

I'm not sure what to do. I think I am in similar situation?
I'm only getting 60% on the Bosons, and 75% on the OCG (book) exams.

It's not like I can find my weakness and focus on that, because the practice test results show a pretty even spread.
And much like you, not like I'm going to remember the parts of an ethernet header or the name of IEEE standards.

I also read the book from start to finish and took notes.

Thanks for the input and Congratulations!

This was very refreshing. Thank you for your honest and personable perspective.

I hope all is well in your career! I know how hard things can be when trying to find time. Congrats on seeing it through to completion!

Yeah. You have to have hands on experience for the Cisco exams.

YOU'RE THE BEST

Listening to you is so depressing. You can’t be bothered to learn the material and cry about it smh

I appreciate this video, just finished my second year of college for computer networking. I have a full time internship this summer as an assistant network tech but i also want to write my ccna this summer if i can fit it in... just bought boson as well. Appreciate the insight.

Labbing will get you PASS 100%%. Jeremy Mcdowells Packet Tracer labs are free!

I feel I have to point this out if it wasn't clear enough in the video. Especially for those who might be planning to take the CCNA exam for the first time.

You CAN NOT go back to REVIEW any question you might have skipped on the CCNA exam. Once you click on next, it is assumed you have responded to the question. There is no going back.