The time I have wasted reading Exam Cram 3rd Ed (640-802) by Que Publishing has set me back months—both in time and frustration.
The cliche used to be that tech books were poorly written. Now, as with this book, they are usually well written but they have no editors. I can handle a few typos and grammatical errors, although they leave me wondering just HOW sloppy they are about the facts. But to get the facts wrong is unbelievable.
I could write pages and pages of errors, but what sticks out most is a series of end-of-chapter prep questions based on one diagram (chp. 12). The questions have to do with which switch is the root. The author’s answer explanation says that switch B is the root because it has the lowest priority number… but every switch in the diagram has priority number 32768.
For those of you outside the loop of publishing: don’t ever trust the blurbs on the book jackets. Publishing is full of incestuous relationships: every author can find another talentless author willing to trade reach-around praise, like Vincent Gov, whoever that is.
Score: 1 / 5
I have just renewed my CCNA Certification using this book!
I had my CISCO training Course Materials which where more than 4 years old and I was looking for a book than can cover the new items in the CCNA exam.
After reading this book, I regret the time I spent on my old course materials, this book alone would have been more than enough to pass the exam!
the book is not only good for passing the exam, but also for understanding the different topic for real working life.
Each chapter has its own exam questions, many of which I fond 1-1 in the CCNA exam.
Yes the book has some mistakes, I could notice 2, but that did not affect the fact the book is still excellent is explaining the required CCNA topics.
One final Note, as I mentioned, I spent (wasted) much time on the old course materials, leaving me with very little time to spend on the working exercises in this book, this was a big mistake! It would have saved me a lot of sweat if I had to time; therefore a free advice; spend the time on the working exercises and execute them command by command on a CISCO device or simulator.
I agree with reviewer Uncle Joe. There are simply too many errors in this book. The errors range from minor typographical errors to bungled command line examples to entire paragraphs which present topics in the most confusing manner possible. At $30 – $40, that’s inexcusable. I’ve noticed that my PMP book from Exam Cram is even more messed up, and thus I will probably be avoiding Exam Cram books in general going forward.
Score: 2 / 5
The 16 chapters are full of detailed specifics needed to pass the CCNA without being too wordy. The authors discussed most topics with detail that gave command line and topology examples. However there were also a few topics that weren’t given as much attention. For example the RSTP enhancements, port security, and route summarization. The first half of chapter 15 repeats the first half of chapter 7 (the Frame Relay section) and even uses the same end of chapter questions. Chapter 17 provides an example network that needs to be configured. Most of the end of the chapter review questions were useful. A few chapters had wrong answers to questions or were completely missing diagrams. The book includes two practice exams.
The measure up CD had the same questions as the practice exams in the book. There are also router simulations that were similar to the scenarios in Chapter 17. I did find the measure up CD useful. The router simulations were decent because they asked to have more than just a serial interface configured with an IP address.
Score: 2 / 5
I last got my CCNA in 2003, and was looking to recertify. Since the test has changed a fair bit over the years, I simply got an exam cram book. I suppose the glaring errors, mistaken diagrams that don’t agree with the expected quiz answers, and other mistakes are a test in and of themselves: spot the sloppy mistakes that made it past editing, and that will prove to yourself how well you understand the material. The glaring mistakes on the quiz in Chapter 12 alone made me put down the book, and seriously think about getting another one. Especially sad, given that this is the third edition.
A shame, because I’ve been a big, enthusiastic fan of Exam Cram in the past.
Score: 1 / 5
nichevonsic
March 21, 2010 at 2:43 am
The time I have wasted reading Exam Cram 3rd Ed (640-802) by Que Publishing has set me back months—both in time and frustration.
The cliche used to be that tech books were poorly written. Now, as with this book, they are usually well written but they have no editors. I can handle a few typos and grammatical errors, although they leave me wondering just HOW sloppy they are about the facts. But to get the facts wrong is unbelievable.
I could write pages and pages of errors, but what sticks out most is a series of end-of-chapter prep questions based on one diagram (chp. 12). The questions have to do with which switch is the root. The author’s answer explanation says that switch B is the root because it has the lowest priority number… but every switch in the diagram has priority number 32768.
For those of you outside the loop of publishing: don’t ever trust the blurbs on the book jackets. Publishing is full of incestuous relationships: every author can find another talentless author willing to trade reach-around praise, like Vincent Gov, whoever that is.
Score: 1 / 5
Anonymous
March 21, 2010 at 4:55 am
I have just renewed my CCNA Certification using this book!
I had my CISCO training Course Materials which where more than 4 years old and I was looking for a book than can cover the new items in the CCNA exam.
After reading this book, I regret the time I spent on my old course materials, this book alone would have been more than enough to pass the exam!
the book is not only good for passing the exam, but also for understanding the different topic for real working life.
Each chapter has its own exam questions, many of which I fond 1-1 in the CCNA exam.
Yes the book has some mistakes, I could notice 2, but that did not affect the fact the book is still excellent is explaining the required CCNA topics.
One final Note, as I mentioned, I spent (wasted) much time on the old course materials, leaving me with very little time to spend on the working exercises in this book, this was a big mistake! It would have saved me a lot of sweat if I had to time; therefore a free advice; spend the time on the working exercises and execute them command by command on a CISCO device or simulator.
Score: 5 / 5
Lionel Cassin
March 21, 2010 at 7:36 am
I agree with reviewer Uncle Joe. There are simply too many errors in this book. The errors range from minor typographical errors to bungled command line examples to entire paragraphs which present topics in the most confusing manner possible. At $30 – $40, that’s inexcusable. I’ve noticed that my PMP book from Exam Cram is even more messed up, and thus I will probably be avoiding Exam Cram books in general going forward.
Score: 2 / 5
Doug
March 21, 2010 at 9:48 am
The 16 chapters are full of detailed specifics needed to pass the CCNA without being too wordy. The authors discussed most topics with detail that gave command line and topology examples. However there were also a few topics that weren’t given as much attention. For example the RSTP enhancements, port security, and route summarization. The first half of chapter 15 repeats the first half of chapter 7 (the Frame Relay section) and even uses the same end of chapter questions. Chapter 17 provides an example network that needs to be configured. Most of the end of the chapter review questions were useful. A few chapters had wrong answers to questions or were completely missing diagrams. The book includes two practice exams.
The measure up CD had the same questions as the practice exams in the book. There are also router simulations that were similar to the scenarios in Chapter 17. I did find the measure up CD useful. The router simulations were decent because they asked to have more than just a serial interface configured with an IP address.
Score: 2 / 5
J. Mintzer
March 21, 2010 at 12:06 pm
I last got my CCNA in 2003, and was looking to recertify. Since the test has changed a fair bit over the years, I simply got an exam cram book. I suppose the glaring errors, mistaken diagrams that don’t agree with the expected quiz answers, and other mistakes are a test in and of themselves: spot the sloppy mistakes that made it past editing, and that will prove to yourself how well you understand the material. The glaring mistakes on the quiz in Chapter 12 alone made me put down the book, and seriously think about getting another one. Especially sad, given that this is the third edition.
A shame, because I’ve been a big, enthusiastic fan of Exam Cram in the past.
Score: 1 / 5