CCNA Exam Simulations - Tips from How2Pass.com

I found the following tips from www.how2pass.com very useful - not  in the main Router Simulation but in the Simlet I got in my exam that involved correcting the configuration of an EIGRP Network.

For a free example of this type of question see
http://www.9tut.com/64-ccna-eigrp-lab-question

• If you are asked to correct a configuration, follow the sequence below:
  1. Use the show running-config command, on the suspected router. Compare the output with the configuration shown in topology, specially look for:
     • IP address and subnet mask on all interfaces,
     • Clock rate command on all interfaces marked as DCE (normally it is Serial 0/0 and the value of clock rate is 64000).
     • Routing protocol and and all connected networks should be there.
     • No interface should show the keyword shutdown, except the interfaces which are not connected to any network, for example, Serial 0/0 interface of the right-most router and Serial0/1 interface on the left-most router are shutdown.
  2. Most probably you will catch the bug, using show running-config only. Correct wrong entries and ping all remote addresses to ensure connectivity.
  3. If the problem is still there, or you are unable to detect one, try these troubleshooting commands:
     • Use show ip protocol command to confirm if the routing protocol is enabled and advertising the connected networks.
     • Use show interface command to confirm if the interface(s) are active and not shutdown.
     • use show ip route command to see the IP Routing Table of a router.
  4. Correct configuration as required and test again with the ping command.
• Cisco cares only for the final result - typos and corrected mistakes will not hurt you.
• It is important to save config with copy running-config startup-config command ( or the short form copy run start). Please note that newer Cisco sims do not acceptcopy run start command - it is not required in this case.
• It is better to draw a rough sketch of the topology on a paper/pad. This saves time wasted in switching between network topology and CLI (Command Line Interface).
  
  
  My Own Exam Tips
  (1) You may  be asked to correct an EIGRP (or other) configuration that looks very complex e.g. the topology diagram may show a Central Router R1 AND 3 other routers R2, R3 and R4; you will be told that one router (say R3) was recently added to the network but is not functioning properly and you must correct the problems. The diagram may show details of networks connected to all 4 Routers and looks very complex. HOWEVER the only thing that concerns you is: 
  (A) the configuration of the new router - R3
  (B) the network that links R3 to R1 - the Central Router (you need to use the show running-config command on R1 AND R3 to check this).
  
  
  The details concerning R2 and R4 are basically irrelevant. However when you are finished you should be able to use a Show IP Route command on R3 and it should display the networks linked to all of the other routers.
  For a free example of this type of question see
  http://www.9tut.com/64-ccna-eigrp-lab-question
  
  (2) In the above example, the network that links R1 to R3 is 192.168.77.0
   
  When you use the Show IP Route command on R1, you may think that the link between R1 and R3 is OK because the network 192.168.77.0 will appear in the table of networks as a "C" (directly connected network).. HOWEVER the Show IP Route command will display directly connected networks even if there is no routing protocol at all! You need to use the Show Running-Config (Show Run) command to check if the network has been properly configured as an EIGRP network. 
  
  Note the following:
  
  R1# show running-config
  
  <output omitted >
  router EIGRP 212
  network 192.168.36.0
  network 192.168.60.0
  network 192.0.18.0
  no auto-summary
  
  <output omitted >
  
  Thus the link connecting R1 and R3 has NOT been configured as an EIGRP network - even though it appears in the Show IP Route routing table!
  
  (3) In the free example quoted at (1) above, you know that the correct AS number for the EIGRP network is EIGRP 212 - because this is included in the topology diagram that you are given. If you are NOT given this information, you can find it by using the Show-Running-Config command on R1 - as shown in (2) above.  You can confirm this by using the command on R2 or R4.
  
  However don't try to find the correct AS number by using Show-Running-Config on the new router R3, because the AS number on R3 is wrongly configured as EIGRP 22 - and this is something you must change!

  
  

FREE CCNA Simulation Questions (basic)

The website "CCNA Simulation Questions" has six basic simulation exercises that are relevant to the CCNA exam.
http://www.simulationexams.com/simulation-questions/cisco-ccna.htm


1. Hostname motd banner exercise
2. Interface configuration exercise
3. IGRP routing configuration exercise
4. Frame Relay configuration on an interface
5. RIP Routing configuration exercise
6. Console and vty configuration exercise

They are useful and you don't need Cisco Packet Tracer or any other simulator to operate them. However they ARE basic - and note that no 3 refers to IGRP rather than its modern-day successor EIGRP so they are a little out of date! However the router and switch commands they deal with will certainly come up in the exam - either as part of a major Simulation question or as ordinary questions e.g.

Why can't the administrator Telnet to  RouterA?
Because he didn't configure a vty Password on the Router (or he forget to include the Login command when he was doing it).

It is worthwhile reviewing the basic commands even if you think you know them by heart. (You might not be so sure in the middle of an exam with time ticking away!). For example

• The Login command is used for Console and Telnet (vty) Passwords only - not for Enable or Enable Secret.
• The formula for the Enable password (where the actual password is Cisco) is "Enable Password Cisco"
• The formula for the Enable Secret password  is "Enable Secret Cisco" (NOT "Enable Secret Password Cisco")

CCNA Exam Pay Site Test-Inside.com

Another CCNA exam site that was recommended to us is http://www.test-inside.com/640-802.htm
The version that I saw is out of date now but should still give a fair insight into what is on offer. There were about 400 questions divided into 14 chapters PLUS a section on Drag and Drop questions (27 of them) and  a section on Simulations (3).

The Simulations were
VTP
Access Control List
EIGRP
The Simulations were in text format only.

The chapters included questions on IPv6 (12),  Wireless (13) and Security (7). These are not the most important sections of the CCNA exam. I mention them because you are sure of a couple of questions on each AND the database of possible questions seems to be quite small. Thus there should be some easy points to be picked up in these areas.These are also sure to be a couple of Drag and Drop questions and again the number of possible variations is limited (besides which a study of these questions provides a useful insight into various parts of the CCNA course).

The current test-inside website offers the latest July 2012 edition of its questions and answers for $79.99. There are 633 questions and answers and free updates are offered for 90 days. It is stated that you can install on multiple computers for self-paced at-your-convenience training! There is a free Demo for this and it looks like the demo EIGRP simulation has more to it than text. There is also an Exam Study Guide - 105 PDF pages - on offer for $19.99 and an Exam Audio Guide - 127 minutes - for $24.99. (I never heard of this kind of CCNA exam aid before).

This doesn't seem to be as good value as the www.how2pass.com price of $49.99 for 920 questions including inter-active Router Simulations. OTOH the Test-Inside gives you 90 days - as opposed to 60 for How2Pass - installation on multiple computers AND a money-back offer if you fail.

FREE CCNA Simulations - www.9tut.com

The website www.9tut.com was recommended to us in College - especially for its treatment of  the Router Simulations, Simlets and Testlets that are likely to come up in the CCNA exam. It has a few other very useful features as well. However what it calls the CCNA Lab Sim section is what is likely to interest most students
http://www.9tut.com/category/ccna-lab-sim

This section comprises
CCNA VTP SIM Question
CCNA Access List SIM
CCNA Access List SIM 2
CCNA NAT SIM Question 1
CCNA NAT SIM Question 2
CCNA EIGRP Lab Question
CCNA Configuration Question
 (including interface addressing, passwords and routing protocol)
CCNA Implimentation SIM
(dragging device icons - Switch or Router-, cables and IP addresses  to the appropriate position on the given graphic)
CCNA Drag and Drop SIM
(Complete the network topology shown in the graphic by dragging the labels with the appropriate router types, interface types, and IP addresses to the graphic)

Note that the simulations are not live - you can only read them - but they are still very useful. Of course you can practise them on CISCO Packet Tracer if you have it - or do the Packet Tracer exercises by Dr Jalal Raissi that I mentioned in my previous post:http://www.itucator.com/ttt/PTSimlets.htm

Apart from the Simulations, 9tut.com has hundreds of questions divided up into dozens of categories.
EXAM TIP (1)
This comes from my use of the how2pass.com exam preparation package (which has "live" simulations similar to those in the CCNA exam) but it should also apply to 9tut.com. I noticed that how2passs.com had a limited number of exam questions under the categories "WLAN - Wireless" and "Security" - a total of about 20 each so I reviewed these shortly before taking the CCNA. About 4 came up so it was a productive last minute review session! 

9tut.com has a category for "Wireless" questions - only 12 of themhttp://www.9tut.com/ccna-wireless
AND a category for "Security Questions" - only 11
http://www.9tut.com/ccna-security-questions

Unlike how2pass.com 9tut.com has a separate category for "IPv6 Questions" - only 8 of them
http://www.9tut.com/ccna-ipv6
You are bound to get a few IPv6 questions in the exam and there seems to be a limited database of possible questions at present, although it is bound to get larger as IPv6 addressing becomes more prominent in the real world.

Questions in these 3 categories - Wireless, Security and IPv6 addressing - can earn you valuable marks and also can be completed at great speed - IF you are familiar with a few basic terms and concepts. If you aren't, it's very difficult to bluff!

Exam Tip (2)
Also pay attention to the Drag and Drop questions. There are five sections on the 9tut.com website that deal with such questions - about 27 questions and answers in all. You are sure to get a couple of these in the exam. Just as important, by studying the answers you will be reviewing important parts of the course and doing it from a different angle to studying texts or even doing Packet Tracer simulations. FOR EXAMPLE I thought I knew the basic configuration commands for Switch and Router off by heart. However when I first came across question 2 in the CCNA-Drag and Drop 1 section
http://www.9tut.com/ccna-drag-and-drop-questions
i was a little put out by the wording.

FREE CCNA Simulations - "CCNA Exam Questions Explained"

There is a very useful Blog called "CCNA Exam Questions Explained" that contains several Router Simulations, Simlets and Testlets in text format i.e. you can see a screenshot of the exam scenario and read the steps you need to take to solve the problem but you can't actually do it live.
http://testinside.blogspot.ie/

HOWEVER they seem to be have a connection with the CISCO Packet Tracer Simulations developed by Dr. Jalal Raissi at www.itucator.com/ttt/PTSimlets.htm
(see my previous post). Thus if you haven't the time or patience to work through Dr Raissa's Simlets (or don't have Packet Tracer), you can find a quick cheat sheet and answer at the Testinside Blog. The following Testinside answers correspond to Dr Raissa's work

EIGRP - SIM (New)
http://testinside.blogspot.ie/2008/10/eigrp-sim-new.html

Router Simulation - ACL SIM
http://testinside.blogspot.ie/2007/04/ccna-acl-sim.html

CCNA 640-802 NAT SIM
http://testinside.blogspot.ie/2007/11/ccna-640-802-nat-sim.html

RIP v2 SIM (New)
http://testinside.blogspot.ie/2008/08/rip-v2-sim-new.html

Topology Based Lab
 http://testinside.blogspot.ie/2007/11/topology-based-lab.html

Topology Question 2
 http://testinside.blogspot.ie/2007/12/hotspot-2-topology-question.html
(This a Frame Relay question - useful for reviewing that topic)

VTP SIM
 http://testinside.blogspot.ie/2007/04/vtp-sim.html
(I think this counts as a "Testlet" rather than a Simlet. There are answers to 9 possible questions; you  are likely to get 5 in the CCNA exam.)

There does not seem to be a  Testinside "cheat sheet" corresponding to Dr Raissa's "Basic Security Simlet" re the setting of passwords on Routers and Switches i.e. Enable passwords, Console and Telnet passwords and the Switchport-port-security commands. However the instructions given with this particular Packet Tracer activity are largely self-explanatory. See the first Packet Tracer in
www.itucator.com/ttt/PTSimlets.htm