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| Sexy Lexy 2004-05-19, 1:40 pm |
| From the four CCNP exams:
642-801 BSCI
Building Scalable Cisco Internetworks (BSCI)
642-811 BCMSN
Building Cisco Multilayer Switched Networks BCMSN)
642-821 BCRAN
Building Cisco Remote Access Networks
(BCRAN)
642-831 CIT
Cisco Internetwork Troubleshooting
Is there a preferred selection of taking the exams or would you take them in any order?
Thanks.
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| marathi_mulgaa 2004-05-19, 2:13 pm |
| I'm following the traditional BSCI -> BCMSN -> BCRAN -> CIT route. It helps you get the two toughest papers (BSCI and BCMSN) out of the way first. But you'll find that people have used an assortment of routes based on how their time permitted them to go about things. | |
| Sexy Lexy 2004-05-19, 2:31 pm |
| Thank you for the reply.
Does the knowledge gained from the first two exams help with the latter or are the first two exams heavier in content and scope of knowledge?
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| marathi_mulgaa 2004-05-19, 2:59 pm |
| To be honest, I wouldn't know as I'm yet to give the last two. But I understand that remote access does depend to some extent on knowledge of routing principles, and CIT is a trouble-shooting round up of the other three. | |
| Townsend 2004-05-19, 3:01 pm |
| Lexy,
The support exam should, without question, be taken last. I found it required much of the information from the other areas. I took the exams in the order you mentioned them, and was very pleased with the progression. I found the BSCI and the CIT to be the most difficult while the other two seemed relatively easy.
By the way, you gave me some very valuable advice when you initially encouraged me to buy some routers and set up a home network.
Thanks! Best of luck to you with CCNP. | |
| Sexy Lexy 2004-05-19, 3:17 pm |
| Thank you for your kind words.
Two 2503 routers and a switch helped me no end with the CCNA. The hands on experience of TFTPing the IOS, upgrading memory and setting up a routed network gave me the edge when sitting the exam.
Certain things became second nature when configuring the simulations and having the freedom to explore the IOS commands was invaluable.
Glad I could help.
I am after a few more routers to complete my CCNP lab then it's down to business.
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| Routing comes up in every one of the other 3 exams in some form - if I had my chance again I'd do it first, not 2nd. It all depends on your experience, you may be strong in switching and want to get it out of the way first. CIT definitely last.
And now I have to wait 300 Seconds to post a reply which took 30 seconds to write!!! | |
| Sexy Lexy 2004-05-20, 2:46 pm |
| So the sequence in the original post would be the best order in which to take the exams?
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| necrophantasm 2004-05-20, 5:17 pm |
| Lexy,
I took them BCRAN, BCMSN, BCSI.. and definitely found BCSI to be the hardest of the bunch. I can't give you a good recommendation on what order to take the exams. However, I can tell you that BCRAN went into detail on NAT pools whereas the BCSI only goes into theory (no commands) yet makes you do a sim on setting one up on the exam. I found that kind of odd since CCNA does not go into the commands and neither does the BSCI book (at least the Claire Gough book) but you are expected to know it on that exam. Just a thought... I do agree with Matt that they all deal with routing in one respect or another (QOS is big in BCMSN and brushed upon again in BSCI for example). Its really on whether you want to hit the topics you are familiar with first, or save them for last. | |
| Sexy Lexy 2004-05-20, 8:07 pm |
| Thank you all for your advice.
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