r/ccnastudygroup

One challenge I've noticed while learning networking is getting enough hands-on practice.

Reading about routers and switches is one thing, but configuring something and troubleshooting when it doesn't work feels completely different.

For beginners, what resources or labs helped you practice networking effectively?

Did you use simulators, home labs, virtual machines, or something else?

Hey everyone!

First, a huge thank you to everyone who joined our first Route Zero Study Hall last Sunday. It was a great time getting to meet everyone, talk CCNA, study together, and hear your feedback!

Study Hall #2 is happening tonight at 6:00 PM ET!

This week we're focusing on Jeremy's IT Lab Days 1–6. We'll be discussing the material, answering questions, working through a community quiz, and doing a lab together.

Not following JITL or not on Days 1–6? Come anyway! The Study Hall is open to anyone studying for the CCNA, no matter where you are in your journey.

🌐 discord.gg/routezero

So basically I'm an IT Graduate with a Major in Database Programming but for some reasons life is just twisted that halfway in college I'm a working student as a graphics editor and then became a Graphics/Multimedia Editor and part time Frontend Dev after graduating ironically lmao

Since the AI is just thinning the market for Graphics/Multimedia and Frontend devs, I thought i might get into Networking if I don't want to have any employment problems as I'm going in my 30s. I still know some basic troubleshooting during my college years.

So I browsed onto Udemy and grabbed the highest ranked CISCO CCNA Course for a beginner which is Neil Anderson's 201-300 v1.1 and how shiny it was with the -30% discount.

Then I went here on Reddit to see some guides on learning and what I've seen are just Jeremy's has more depth and better labs (if you're comparing both just in Udemy not in their specific own sites). It was like a .45cal vs 9mm Reddit war post after post.

And also I've learned of Neil's Flaxbox CCNA which is a bit more expensive but a broader version compared to the Udemy one.

Now this got me worried. And I got way in too deep for a refund since I was determined to really learn. Since I can't refund, I don't want to drown myself in misery. Would pairing it with Jeremy's free YT CCNA playlist cover enough what I need to learn? I'm not necessarily looking to pass the exams, I'm more concerned about landing a job in the Network Field.

I could just ask the AI but still, human answers gives me more of a sounding thought.

[removed]

Hi, I am currently in 4 months studying for CCNA with 1-2 hours average per day since I have work. I currently have been doing practice tests and I'm here to ask your thoughts/opinions about my initial scores per exam.

1. Wendell Odom's V1 and V2 practice tests (2020):

- Volume 1 score: 813/1000

- Volume 2 score: 696/1000

2. JITL practice tests in Udemy

- Practice test 1: 57/100

- Practice test 2: 69/100

- Practice test 3: 75/100

I've also completed Mega Lab by JITL and still continuing labbing sometimes. I'm thinking scheduling an exam WITH SAFEGUARD by end of this month or first of September. Am I ready enough or should I try another practice tests exam from different source?

Any recommendations and suggestions are appreciated!

Good day everyone,

Here are this week’s four CCNA questions. Please try answering from memory before checking online, using notes, or reviewing other responses.

Getting an answer wrong is completely fine—the goal is to discuss the reasoning and learn from one another.

Question 1 – Route Selection

A router has the following routes in its routing table:

• 192.168.8.0/24 via static route, AD 1
• 192.168.8.0/25 via OSPF, AD 110
• 192.168.8.64/26 via EIGRP, AD 90
• 192.168.8.64/27 via RIP, AD 120

A packet is destined for 192.168.8.70.

Which route will the router use?

A. 192.168.8.0/24 via static route
B. 192.168.8.0/25 via OSPF
C. 192.168.8.64/26 via EIGRP
D. 192.168.8.64/27 via RIP

Question 2 – Spanning Tree Protocol

A switch receives two BPDUs advertising the same root bridge, same root path cost, and same sender bridge ID.

The BPDU details are:

• Gi0/1 receives a BPDU with sender port ID 128.1
• Gi0/2 receives a BPDU with sender port ID 128.2

Which port will be selected as the root port?

A. Gi0/1, because it received the lower sender port ID
B. Gi0/2, because it received the higher sender port ID
C. Both ports will become root ports
D. Neither port will be used because this creates a loop

Question 3 – EtherChannel

Two switches are connected with four links. The administrator wants to form an LACP EtherChannel.

SW1 is configured with:

channel-group 1 mode active

SW2 is configured with:

channel-group 1 mode on

What is the expected result?

A. The EtherChannel forms successfully using LACP
B. The EtherChannel forms successfully using PAgP
C. The EtherChannel may fail because one side is using LACP and the other is forced on
D. The links automatically become routed ports

Question 4 – ACL Processing

A router has the following ACL configured:

access-list 10 deny 192.168.10.0 0.0.0.255
access-list 10 permit 192.168.10.50 0.0.0.0
access-list 10 permit any

A packet arrives from source IP 192.168.10.50.

What happens to the packet?

A. It is permitted because there is a specific permit statement for 192.168.10.50
B. It is denied because the first matching ACL statement denies the entire 192.168.10.0/24 network
C. It is permitted because permit any overrides the deny statement
D. It is checked against all ACL entries before the router decides

Bonus Mini Lab – Inter-VLAN Routing Troubleshooting

A small office has two VLANs:

• VLAN 10: 192.168.10.0/24
• VLAN 20: 192.168.20.0/24

A Layer 3 switch is being used for inter-VLAN routing.

PC1 in VLAN 10 has:

• IP address: 192.168.10.50
• Default gateway: 192.168.10.1

PC2 in VLAN 20 has:

• IP address: 192.168.20.50
• Default gateway: 192.168.20.1

The switch has the following configuration:

interface vlan 10
ip address 192.168.10.1 255.255.255.0
no shutdown

interface vlan 20
ip address 192.168.20.1 255.255.255.0
no shutdown

Both PCs can ping their own default gateway, but PC1 cannot ping PC2.

Answer the following:

1. What command is likely missing on the Layer 3 switch?
2. Why can the PCs ping their gateways but not each other?
3. What command could you use to verify whether the switch is routing between VLANs?

Please share your answers and explain your reasoning where possible.

#CCNA #Cisco #Networking #Subnetting #QOTW

When a network stops working, I imagine everyone has their own troubleshooting process.

Some start with physical connectivity, others check IP configuration, ping, DNS, routing tables, logs, etc.

What’s your usual troubleshooting sequence?

I’m interested in learning how experienced network engineers approach problems instead of randomly checking things.

Hi, I'm currently studying a cybersecurity bachelor degree in Belgium and I've been preparing for the CCNA since May (including a vacation job and my school work).

I've been using JITL since then and reviewing concepts with my own notes (without forgetting doing the labs).

I purchased Boson ExSim 4 days ago and I tried passing the Exam A. I got a result of 865 points (so it was basically a PASS) but I found the labs were quite challenging and ive only managed to succeed 2 of the 4 i got on my exam.

So my question is do you think I'm ready altough I got wrong in the labs ?

PS : I know there isn't an absolute YES or NO but 400€ for passing is quite a lot for me so I want to maximise my chance to pass as much as I can

I'm on my way preparing for the CCNA exam, but i still don't understand much.

Do you have a specific article explaining those 3 materials?

[supprimé]

Background:
No applicable knowledge or experience going into this.

Resources I used:
• Neil Anderson’s Udemy course
• Boson practice exams

How long did it take?
In terms of actual studying, about a month.
From when I first started studying to actually taking the exam, about 3 months. That included procrastinating, having a girlfriend, working a full-time job, etc. But honestly, those are excuses. I genuinely think you can go from zero knowledge to CCNA certified in a month if you’re disciplined about it.

What did I do?
I woke up at 2 AM every day, worked out, then studied for 3 hours.
Most of that was watching Neil Anderson’s course and taking notes. If I didn’t understand something, I’d go back and rewatch it. OSPF was probably the biggest one for me.

Side note: I watched the spanning tree section multiple times and STILL don’t understand it.

After finishing the videos and reviewing the stuff I struggled with, I moved on to the labs included in Neil’s course and the Boson practice exams.
In my opinion, Boson isn’t required. It is quite difficult, though, so if you do buy it and you’re consistently getting around 50%, I’d say you’re probably ready for the real thing.

Most important advice: LAB EVERY DAY.

Seriously. It makes the actual exam so much easier.

The exam:
I was surprised by how easy it was. There were maybe 2–3 questions where I had absolutely no idea and just guessed, but other than that, I felt pretty confident throughout.

Happy to answer any questions or help in any way I can.

Does anyone know where to find a free CCNA mock exam that is close to the real exam?

I'm trying to practice for my CCNA exam.

Hi Guys,

I have been studying since begining of february, and i have only made it half way! i know most people here claim they have done it in 2 months!! watch is crazy if the claim is true! cause in my experieince maybe do able in 2 months but you must be doing it full time 10hr a day 7 days a week.

or have huge amount of experieince or prior exposure to networking!

i have been studying about 25hr per week! which i think in like 6/7/8 months should still be doable! but i am only half way through!

one thing i have noticed is that i read the material and i understand it at the moment but if you ask me to explain it back to you i would not be able to do it! the CLI part i can figure out! no issue there! but when it comes to explain theory back i am not able to!

What does your study skills look like and how are you measuring your understanding before moving on? to next chapter.

I prefer to read than to watch video! i got JITL vol one and two.

any advice?

Good day everyone,

Here are this week’s four CCNA questions. Please try answering from memory before checking online, using notes, or reviewing other responses.

Getting an answer wrong is completely fine—the goal is to discuss the reasoning and learn from one another.

Question 1 – Route Selection / Equal-Cost Paths

A router learns the route 192.168.50.0/24 from the following sources:

• OSPF via Router A, AD 110, cost 20
• OSPF via Router B, AD 110, cost 20
• RIP, AD 120, metric 2
• Floating static route, AD 200

Which route or routes will be installed in the routing table?

A. The floating static route, because static routes are always preferred
B. The RIP route, because its metric value is lower
C. Both OSPF routes, because they have the lowest administrative distance and equal cost
D. Only one OSPF route, because routers cannot install multiple routes to the same prefix

Question 2 – HSRP

Two routers are configured with HSRP to provide default gateway redundancy for a VLAN.

Which IP address should the end-user PCs use as their default gateway?

A. The physical IP address of the active router
B. The physical IP address of the standby router
C. The HSRP virtual IP address
D. The broadcast address of the subnet

Question 3 – Switching

A switch receives an Ethernet frame. The source MAC address is learned, but the destination MAC address is not found in the MAC address table.

What will the switch do?

A. Drop the frame
B. Flood the frame out all ports in the same VLAN except the port it came in on
C. Send the frame only to the default gateway
D. Broadcast the frame to every VLAN on the switch

Question 4 – VLAN Trunking

Switch 1 has a trunk port configured with native VLAN 99. Switch 2 has the connected trunk port configured with native VLAN 1.

What is the issue?

A. The trunk will automatically become an access port
B. A native VLAN mismatch can occur, causing untagged traffic to be placed into different VLANs
C. All VLANs will be removed from the trunk
D. Only routed ports are affected by native VLAN settings

Bonus Mini Lab – VLAN Troubleshooting

Two switches are connected together using interface Gi0/1.

PC1 is connected to SW1 in VLAN 10.
PC2 is connected to SW2 in VLAN 10.

Both PCs are in the same IP subnet, but they cannot ping each other.

You check the trunk links and see the following:

SW1

Gi0/1 is trunking
Allowed VLANs: 10,20

SW2

Gi0/1 is trunking
Allowed VLANs: 20

Answer the following:

1. What is the most likely issue?
2. Which VLAN is missing from the trunk on SW2?
3. What command could be used to allow VLAN 10 on the trunk?
4. What command could you use to verify the trunk VLANs afterward?

Please share your answers and explain your reasoning where possible.

#CCNA #Cisco #Networking #Subnetting #QOTW

This week's discussion topic is 3.0 IP Connectivity.
If you have any any issues or points of confusion on this topic, this is your thread.

To kickstart the discussion, here's a question from 3.1 Interpret the components of routing table:

>Looking at this routing table entry:

>S 10.0.0.0/8 [1/0] via 192.168.1.1, GigabitEthernet0/0

>Which of the following are true? (Choose two)

>A. The route was learned via a dynamic routing protocol

>B. The route was manually configured by an administrator

>C. 192.168.1.1 is the next-hop IP address

>D. GigabitEthernet0/0 is the destination network

>E. The administrative distance is 0

You're invited to share and compare answers in the comments.
I'll post the >!concealed!< solution below, but please try to answer by yourself first!

I'm currently using anki flashcards but would also like something similar to boson which explains why a choice is wrong or correct. I know its different from actual configuration which is also a scope of the exam but for the general knowledege on CCNA, I would also like to know why a choice is wrong or why another choice is better. Ideally something I can use on mobile since most of the time, I use my phone more than my computer.

https://preview.redd.it/w8x2ek73jxhh1.png?width=1415&format=png&auto=webp&s=4279495c5cece2867ff7cf3730d2356e1ece1f19