CCNA Books – 5 Things To Know Before You Buy
There are many ways to study for the CCNA (Cisco Certified Networks Associate) exam. I believe that the easiest way is to study using a CCNA Book. Because of the sheer amount of material that is available today, if you don’t want to make the mistake of buying the wrong CCNA book, you have to read these 5 tips:
1. Written for the latest CCNA test – Ensure that you are buying the book for the current version of the exam. You do not want to be studying material for an outdated version of the exam. Cisco reviews and revises the exam frequently. If you are unsure, check the Cisco website for the exam code before deciding on the book.
2. Are practice exams included in the CCNA book? If you want to have practice on CCNA questions before the actual exam, practice exams are a good way to do this. Once you have done the practice exams, you will know which topics you are already good at and which need further revision.
3. Are the practice exams computerized? – Some books include a computerized testing engine which simulates the actual exam and some simply provide a sample written quiz. I would recommend using a computer simulated test before attempting the real exam so that you can experience how it feels like to be in a real exam situation, before spending money to attempt the exam.
4. Technical skill of authors – Who is the author of the book? Check the certifications and qualifications of the author before deciding. Most CCNA book authors are CCIEs (the highest certification accorded for Cisco technical skill currently) and have many years of experience. Do check the technical qualifications of the reviewers as well.
5. Is a soft-copy available? – Sometimes you don’t really want to bring a thick book along to study on your long journey. What I will do is I will make sure the book I buy has a PDF soft-copy of the CCNA book so that I can simply print the relevant chapter I want to study on that day.
