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Home > Archive > CCDA/CCDP > January 2001 > Concerned about Case Studies..
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Concerned about Case Studies..
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Hello! I am currently preparing for the CCDA, which I plan to take mid-January. I have read through the last few months of this forum and have found a reoccurring theme regarding the Case Studies.
It seems that most people who have taken the test say that 50-60% of the questions are from Case Studies. This concerns me, since it seems that the study guides I am using (CCDA from Certification Press, Todd Lammle's book from Sybex, and Anthony Bruno's book from Cisco Press) do not really cover case studies in depth. Most of the questions regarding case studies from the books are free answer, which doesn't really do me much good.
I understand the concept of case studies and have read the advice on how to tackle them; I was just wondering if anyone had found any good resources dealing specifically with the case studies.
I have taken 9 Microsoft tests (MCSE+I) and the CCNA 2.0 exam. I was wondering if the CCDA was similar to the CCNA 2.0 exam in that you cannot scroll through (or mark) questions and return to them later?
Any comments or suggestions are appreciated. I wish the concept of the case studies didn't feel so vague to me. =) Thanks!
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| the ccda has some ccna type questions that are very straight forward and pretty easy if you know your stuff. the case studies are unlike anything I have found on the net...there were 3 distinct case studies, with TONS of technical info and some worthless stuff to pump em up too...the questions, some of them, were kinda vague and left me wasting a lot of time reading, re-reading and re-re-reading...im a pretty good reader with good comprehension too! notes would have helped on some of it, but I just had a hard time figuring out what they wanted sometimes...you just have to do it to see it...if I can do it, anyone can so go for it! | |
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| I had four case studies on my CCDA exam. Of those, two were used in depth.
These things are really very much like the DCN or Exam Cert. Guide case studies. The details are totally different though.
One specific point. I would recommend having a general appreciation of how the following older technologies operate:
-IBM mainframe/terminal architecture
-Token Ring (while you're at it)
-X.25
If you have done the problems of the DCN (or of the CCDA Exam Cert. Guide) then you should be okay. Don't worry about it.
Lawrence
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| Lawrence & Flint,
I know you guys were responding to Kvalhion but your replies are really making me feel good. I finished my first pass on the DCN book the other night and am over 1/2 done with my first pass of the Cisco Exam guide. Once I finish it, I'm going to go back, work the problems and case studies and then hit the Boson Exam. Brush up on weak points and then take them exam when I feel comfortable. From what I've read in the texts, I don't see anything that looks killer, and this technique worked for me on the CCNA exam, and in grad school, so why change habits.
Anyway, thanks guys.
Tom
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I am nearing the end of studying and I am gearing in for the home stretch. I scheduled the exam for Monday, January 22nd.
Actually, like Tom I am feeling pretty good about the test. The last book that I am just finishing up, Syngress CCDA Study Guide, has a lot of depth and some good case study examples.
The plan is to take 2 or 4 sheets of paper that they give you at the test center in with me and write up an outline that I can use on the case study before I start the actual exam. There is a post further on down that lists 12 catagories to outline in a case study that I have found really helpful. I wont document EVERYTHING on each case study as people have said there is a lot of unnecessary information in the case studies, but at least I have some idea on how to tackle them.
Thanks for the suggestions as well. I will keep up on the older technologies. I am going to skim through one of my CCNA books to refresh myself on that since it has been a few months since I took the exam. If you have any other suggestions, post em here! Thanks =) | |
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| Kvalhion and Tom:
You both seem like you are well prepared. (More so than I was when I took my exam.) I think that you will do well. Actually, I took the test twice because I made some mistakes that it would seem that you two avoided. If you read previous posts you will see that I missed passsing by one question the first time. The second time I absolutely aced it. I was more relaxed, composed and generally feeling good about the possibilities. As well, the case studies were the same! Even though I took the exam a while back, I actually remember quite a bit about the studies and some of the questions asked.
Lawrence
[This message has been edited by Lawrence (edited 01-12-2001).] | |
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| Lawrence,
Without violating the NDA, can you offer any suggestions? The topics on Cisco's web site seem very broad, so narrowing it down a little would really help.
Right now ATM, Token Ring and SNA are my weak areas (don't use them much) but I'd expect a general question or two on each. Does this sound resonable or do they throw in a trick one in a little depth to "keep you honest" I'm guessing that the list of items to know would include design considerations and questions to ask, plus basics on common technologies.
Any area that you didn't study in depth that you wish you had that would have helped?
Thanks in advance
Tom
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| Tom:
If you would like to email me, I would be glad to help where I can.
LHR@home.com
Lawrence
[This message has been edited by Lawrence (edited 01-12-2001).] | |
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| yea, you guys sound like you take your studies seriously, as i do, and i think you will do well. i can even remember, truthfully, what stuff was on the test, there was so much! there were a good amount of short and sweet questions, like the ccna test had, where the answeres were pretty cut and dried. i think the first question was like that, then the second question...BAM! right into a case study! then a couple questions on that study, maybe another short and sweet question, then BAM! another case study! then a couple questions on that and then a few more questions from the FIRST case study again...then a few questions from the second case study, and maybe a few short and sweet ones, then another case study. there were 3 case studies total, with about 8-10 questions per study. i remember no sna questions, maybe 1 x.25, some token ring, about 3 or so, a few frame relay and atm questions. a few on "what type of protocol is this" ie: routed or routing, etc. the test presumes you did not take the ccna, so that will help. I have a lot of folks at school askin me about the test, askin where to get practice questions and dumps and stuff...my opinion is: if you study your *** off and KNOW the material, then NO question can stump you...you may miss a few here or there, but if you learn it, no problem. Im takin the mcse 210 test wednsday, i do a few practice tests now and then, but im studyin 10-12 hours a day...not takin any chances...lol...i heard the micro$oft tests got pretty hard since the nt 4.0 tests...so i take it pretty serious...good luck to you all, again im sure you will do fine! believe me...if i can do it...so can u! im an intellectual rock! |
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