How to pass CCNA easily at minimum expenses

Cisco Certified Network professional, more commonly known as the CCNP exam is designed to test if the candidate is able to perform network installation, troubleshooting and configuration process. Individuals who pass this exam can seek a professional career in the local and wide area networking fields and are eligible as a Network professional.

The exam is divided into four parts. The first part is the multiple choice question with a single answer from different options. The second part is also multiple choice question but with multiple answers. The third section of the exam is filling in the blanks. The candidates are required to fill the missing area while the fourth part is practical with troubleshooting and simulation test.

CCNP is a fairly difficult exam to clear. You must be familiar with several topics that are a part of this exam syllabus. As critical as the exam is, it is equally important to prepare and practice under the light of some recognized authors and recommended training. As it might be difficult for some participants to afford the expensive lab tools and books offered by Cisco, there are several low cost and free options you can chose to prepare for CCNA.

Low cost study guides:

Reading through guides is the best way to build your basics with the list of topics set by the Cisco. Familiarizing yourself with the basic of the topics is the first and most important step. There are several online study guides both free and recognized.

There are lists of free E-books you can find online. These E-books cover all the core topics and are well recognized. You can also download some free PDF files covering various topics. Some of the free and recommended ones are provided by the Cisco CCNA free study centre.

Video Training:

Several video trainings are available on Youtube.com and other platforms. Techiwarehouse CCNA articles and tutorials is one good reference. “Self study tips and tricks” are some other good video series for CCNA preparation. Chris Bryant and Keith Barker are two famous authors with recognized video training series. These videos cover not just the theoretical topics but are also useful for lab training. There is information about routers, switches, simulation process etc which you can practice easily with the help of these videos.

Simulation software:

Simulation requires most of your practice. There are two reasons for this. First, simulation is a slow process and you must practice is as much as possible to have a fast but concentrated grip at it. Secondly, it covers a large section of the exam implying that it is one important part of the exam. For simulation there are two software’s free and perfect to prepare you for the exam. GNS3 and Packet tracer are so far the most recommended software’s for simulation preparation. Other than that there is Router simulator by CCNA

Lab:

This part of the practice may cost you a few dollars but as the rest can be managed for free, the money spent is worth it. Routers and switches being the core of CCNA requires practice preparation. You cannot possibly be a professional at it without actually practicing routers and switches in the lab. Buy some of the required tools, all the lab tools will cost you around $100-150 in total. Also purchase a lab workbook so that each step of yours is followed by some guidance. Lab work books are also useful to help you figure out what you are doing wrong.

Practice exam:

Download some of the practice exams for preparation. You can download the Cisco official CCNA practice exam. Some of the other cost effective vendors are CBTNuggets and INE. Usually the practice exam comes with 100+ questions. There are two to four practice exams available in single software. The better you practice the better your chances are to pass CCNA with ease and a good score.

Virtual Classroom:

Cisco has designed a Virtual classroom where you can interact with other students preparing for the exam as well as practice various topics. Although not all the virtual classrooms are free, the cost is usually affordable. These classrooms prepare you by giving several notes on the core topics of CCNA exam.

CCNA preparation is not quite expensive in general. However, you can always benefit from the free resources available in the online market. There are cracked software’s you can download through torrent without paying. The process requires a little research but you can manage to purchase most of the material free or at minimum cost.

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