Networking Exam Academy

Originally the first Cisco Certification was the CCNA, and you would have to take one test in order to get it. A few years ago however they decided to break up the CCNA exam in to two different exams so that it would be easier for students just getting into the networking field to obtain their CCNA. The two exams are the ICND1 and INCD2 test. The cool thing is that when you pass the ICND1 exam you still get a certification. While it is not the CCNA it is a CCENT, which stands for Cisco Certified Entry Network Technician.

This web site focuses on the ICND1 exam because I am firm believe in taking both the ICND1 and the ICND2 exam before getting your CCNA even though Cisco still offers the larger Exam to get your CCNA by taking only one test.

The failure rate is much higher for the CCNA Exam. So if you were planning to take the CCNA just because you will only have to take one exam, that might not be entirely true, because you may end up failing it the first time and then have to take it a second time. So you might as well just take it one test at a time.

Here is a great example of what I mean. A year an a half ago I signed up for Math 147 (Pre-Calculus) because it combined two math courses Math 143 and Math 144 into one semester. I was thinking that there was no way that I was going to extend it to two semesters when I could just take both of them in one semester. Well a couple of things happened that kept me from passing the class. The first time I took Math 147 I was working over 40 hours a week because we were trying to buy a house and so I didn’t do my homework very much and ended up not passing. The second time I took Math 147 I did even worse than the first time I took it! By the time the third semester came around I realized I needed to change something and make sure that I pass. I had an awesome teacher that semester, I learned a lot, and I finally passed!

Will the same thing happen with your CCNA exam if you choose to take it? I hope not, but you never know. Honestly if I could go back and do it all over again I would take Math 143 one semester and Math 144 the next. Not only because I think that it could possibly save you time and money, but because by splitting up a course like that you will end up knowing more and have a much more solid foundation to build upon. So take the two test route, ICND1 first then take the ICND2. You wont regret it.

-Blake, CCNA

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ICND1 Study Guide – The Fastest Way To Get Cisco Certified Guaranteed!