Congrats on passing! Can you describe your lab? What kind of setup do you have that would be sufficient for CCNA?

Congrats!

I opted to go the two test approach as well (recommended by my boss) but did not pass the ICND2 exam, not by much but a fail is a fail. Thinking about just taking the composite CCNA exam instead of the ICND2 again. For now I am dragging feet though!....

Keep up the great work.

If you take the composite CCNA exam wouldn't that cost $295 instead of $150 for the ICND2? Why would you do that anyway? Is the composite CCNA exam easier than the two test approach?

Thanks...

The composite will cost $250 and ICND1 and 2 cost $125 each.

From my understanding you get about 50 questions for the CCNA which is the about the same amount of questions for the ICND1 and I had about 42 (maybe it was 47?) questions for ICND2. That tells me the questions get more in debt for the two test approach...I might be wussing out by doing the composite but a CCNA is a CCNA

The cost of the exams went up in January from:

ICND1 or ICND2 --- $125 to $150
CCNA Composite --- $250 to $295

Anyway, since you already passed the ICND1 you don't need to take that one again. You only need to pass the ICND2 exam and that will cost you $150.

So you think the questions for the two test approach are more in depth? You think they can go into more detail compared to the questions on the CCNA Composite? I ask because I was wondering that too.

Thanks....

Oh that makes me sad, yeah I took the 2 tests a time ago.

I think they do go into more detail, if you think about it, about 50 questions for CCNA and about 100 questions for ICND1&ICND2...

I'm not going to take the ICND1 again, it will either be the ICND2 again or the CCNA 640-802 exam (if thats still the number for it). The more subnetting questions I get the better chance I will have to pass but with ICND2 I didn't see much of the easy stuff.

Good luck on your journey!

Good luck to you too.....

If you decide to take the CCNA Composite, could you please post a message in this forum stating whether you thought the questions on the CCNA Composite were easier or not compared to the ICND1/ICND2 route? I've been trying to get the opinion from someone who's tried both routes but it's like no one has tried both.

In my opinion, based on the content of my ICND1 and ICND2 Official Certification Guides (textbooks from Cisco Press by Wendell Odom), I think the ICND1 exam should be really easy and the ICND2 exam is like the CCNA Composite. There is a lot more material in the ICND2 book and it's the harder stuff. ICND2 has STP, Vlans, VTP, VPN's, EIGRP, OSPF, Frame Relay, IPv6, ACL's, NAT, DHCP, and so on... This material doesn't scare me. I think I know it pretty well. It's the time factor that concerns me. It seems like the material in ICND2 takes me more time to figure out.

Anyway,....it would really help me with my decision on which route to take.

Thanks....

I would like to know this as well since Im just starting out.

Congrats to the OP on the first pass of many.
When it comes to the exams, I'd go with the 2 exam route if you're starting out if for no other reason than the cost of failure is less. If you're recertifying or experienced it makes more sense to take the composite.