Monday, February 22, 2010

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

Please feel free to add or let us know what you think that is wrong to this list by posting your comment below.

Q. How much are the Cisco exams?


CCNA
640-822 costs $125 each attempt.
640-816 costs $125 each attempt.
640-802 (combination for ICND1 and ICND2) costs $250 each attempt.

CCDA/CCNP/CCNP Wireless/CCVP/CCSP/CCDP
64x-??? costs $150 each attempt.

Some people are saying that the new exams for CCNP will be $200 each attempt.

CCNA concentrations (Voice/Security/Wireless)
Exams costs $250 each attempt.

CCDE/CCIE exams

CCIE written exam costs $350 each attempt.
CCIE lab exam costs $1,400 each attempt.

CCA (Cisco Certified Architect) exam costs $15K each attempt.

Now, there are some countries that charge tax on top of exam prices.

Q. Do you know where to get cheaper voucher for the Cisco exams?

Yes, just go here between 25th - 31st of the month and you will see discounted vouchers. Though, they usually sell the 640-822/816 every single day for $120 but they do sell it cheaper than that during those days that I have mentioned above. There was a time where they were selling the voucher for $75, that's 40% off the original price! Just make sure you're buying the International voucher if you're outside USA/Canada.

Q. Do I need credit card to purchase the voucher?

If you buy it from Vue directly then yes. If you buy it from the site mentioned above then you have the option to pay credit card or PayPal.

In the Philippines, you can call the testing center and ask them to register for you. Once you arrived at the testing center, you can pay the exam fee by cash. Choosing this option will probably cost more than using your credit card.

Q. Is the site above legit?

Of course it is! I won't put it here if it wasn't legit. I have bought three vouchers from them and will continually do so for the next exams that I will be taking.

Q. Are you getting paid to advertise them?

We are not getting paid for this. We are just trying to help you save money!

Q. Where can I take CCNA exam?

Click here and it will tell you the answer. Now, if you're from the Philippines then there are some suggestions that I've read from the thread. MISnet (Makati City) and Database Wizard Inc. (Makati City) are the recommended testing centers.

Q. Can I reschedule my exam?

Yes, you can. If you register the exam from Vue's site then you can do it online. If not, then call the testing center at least 24 hours before your exam date and time or more just to be in the safe side.

Q. What do you recommend self study, CNAP (Cisco Network Academy Program), or bootcamp?

Team members of Bandwidth Bandits will have different opinion about this.

CNAP has its benefits. One of the benefits is access to real equipment and it is an instructor-led training. The materials that are posted from their website are laid out very well. Some, if not all, instructors have been teaching the material for so long so they know the material well enough. Another benefit is access to a special link to avail discounted Cisco Press books up to 45% off. Well, some people do not buy hardcopies anymore because of piracy so that is not a benefit for people that supports piracy. Another benefit is access to Packet Tracer application provided to students and alumni. Again, this may not be viewed as advantage because of piracy. Another benefit I can think of is the discounted voucher if you pass the lab exam. They will give you more than 50% off the exam price if you pass the lab exams. When I was enrolled in CNAP for CCNA, there were only two lab exams. These were easy exams if you've been doing your labs. These vouchers are only for CCNA by the way. Disadvantage of CNAP, it takes three to four semester to finish the CCNA curriculum.

Bootcamp is an instructor-led 5-day or 7-day training. They teach you the materials for short amount of time. You will also have access to real equipment to play with. Some companies will pay for this type of training because they are really expensive. Here in the USA, bootcamps price are ranging from $2K - $5K, depending on which subject. From what I have heard, bootcamps in the Philippines are cheaper than CNAP. Here in the USA, it is the other way around. Community colleges and even high schools are offering CNAP classes and range from $60 - $1K. Normally though, it is less than $300 for one class. When I took my CCNA 1 - 4 from CNAP, I paid about $200 for three semesters in California. When I took my BCMSN class last year here in Illinois, I paid almost $400 for the class. I would've paid almost $1K if I didn't know how to get the discounted rate. Disadvantage of bootcamp is the fast-paced training. Normally, you can't retain all that information crammed to your brain in such a short week.

Self study is the cheapest option out of the three. With what is happening to our world (recession) it is what most, if not all, people are doing. If you take this path, make sure to buy CBT Nuggets or Train Signal materials to help on some of the topics you may have a hard time with.

Q. Which school should I enroll to?

My friend went to Meralco Foundation and he seems to know his stuff. Some suggest University of the Philippines, Mapua, and DLSU. One of the team members of Bandwidth Bandits (Prime) suggests CNCTC.

Q. Which book should I get?

Any Cisco Press books is fine. However, I've been reading comments of other people that Todd Lammle's CCNA book is really good.

Q. What is the passing score in Cisco exams?

Well, you'll see it when you take the exam. It'll let you know how much points you need to accumulate to pass the exam. The maximum points that you can get is 1000. For CCNA, unless they change the passing score, it is 849 out of 1000.

Q. I want to build a home lab, what routers and switches do I need to buy?

Click here.

Q. I do not have money to spend for a home lab, what should I do?

You can use simulator. Boson is selling simulator. Some books come with simulator for free. You can use Packet Tracer. You can use GNS3 or Dynagen/Dynamips. These two require you to use Cisco IOS. To legally use an IOS, you need to buy the license. However, the EULA may state that you are only supposed to run it on Cisco hardware so it may be a violation.

Q. Who can teach me about subnetting?

Click here.

Q. How to check my subnetting answers?

Click here.

Q. I heard about CCNP changes, should I take the old curriculum or the new one?

If you can pass the exam(s) by July 31st then by all means take the old curriculum. However, make sure you pass the most important ones first, BSCI and BCMSN. These two exams will be counted towards the new CCNP curriculum. ONT and ISCW won't be counted at all. The new exams consists of ROUTE, SWITCH, and TSHOOT. More info here.

Q. How do I renew my Cisco certification(s)?

It really depends on which certification you're trying to renew. Please click here for more details.

Q. Do Cisco certifications expire?

Yes, every three years.

Q. I let my Cisco certification expired, how can I renew it?

Well, once it is expired then you won't be able to renew it, per se. You need to pass all the exams again starting from CCNA.

Q. I noticed that CCNA Voice is $250 and CVOICE is only $150, should I take CCNA Voice or straight to CVOICE?

I honestly think you should just skip CCNA Voice because of the price. Though, I suggest you to read the book because there are some information there that are important as a VoIP Engineer. Pass the CVOICE and you'll be CCNA Voice.

Q. What are the right combination for the CCNP exam?

BSCI + BCMSN + ONT + ISCW = CCNP <-- All exams should be passed by July 31st BSCI + BCMSN + TSHOOT = CCNP ROUTE + BCMSN + TSHOOT = CCNP BSCI + SWITCH + TSHOOT = CCNP ROUTE + SWITCH + TSHOOT = CCNP

Q. Where can I buy Cisco books?


You can buy them from Powerbooks, National Bookstore, or DataBlitz. You can also try ordering from Cisco Press or Amazon.

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