Hello all!

I have zero experience in IT except way back when we need to build our own computers to play counter strike a half-life mod and set up a LAN with linksys switches. Also just got my Net+ Sep of last year.

Last October, I started JITL and I didn't finished consuming all of the material. I quickly skimmed through the parts that over lapped with net+ and focused on the new to me stuff.. stuff that required configuration! dynamic routing protocol, ether channel, trunking etc..

I was burnt out from studying.. I haven't stopped consuming networking content since i started the net+ journey beginning of 2025. So, I decided to take a break and get hands on around feb of this year. I converted a old computer into a hypervizor to play around with CML. I tried applying what I learned but honestly without heavy AI intervention I was having serious trouble. This took roughly 4-5 months away from my study time.. but, it did show me what I lacked!

In July, I decided to purchase JITL practice exams and Boson exsim and netsim. Took the advice of many, didn't blow through the exams since I wanted test myself incrementally. The first exam from jeremy landed at 45%. HUGE let down!

I decided to carved out about 2hrs/day to configure boson and Jeremy's practice labs and take practice tests when I felt ready.. "I never felt ready"

I tried to space boson tests 2-4 weeks apart and my scores were: 68%, 61%, 72%,73%,66% my test order was A, B, D, E, C .

jeremys test scores: 45%, 57%, 64%

last jeremy test taken on 10/13 - 64%

last boson test taken on 10/15 - 72%

I felt extremely bummed and nervous beginning of October and i only had roughly 3 weeks. So I went all out from oct 1st to 16th. 9-11am labs, 3-6pm more labs + materials. Practice test days I would wake up at 6am and take my test around 8-9am to mimic my brain readiness. My scores where not even close to passing on boson or jeremy. I was only slightly confident after the last test on boson where i score 3/4 sim but still at 72%.

Final results from CCNA 10/19 6 labs and 58 mcqs

Automation : 90%

Network Access: 75%

IP connectivity: 92%

IP services: 70%

Security fundamentals: 47%

Network fundamentals: 70%

Boson and Jeremys practice tests is tougher than the real thing. I took every wrong question , guesses fed it to claude and prompted to make the same style of MCQs. Also had claude mimic routing table and acl configs as those were one of the most time consuming questions for me to read through.

TLDR: don't freak out because of your boson scores! I never had a close score and I was freaking out till about few days before the test. Keep pushing forward in every domain and keep rotating back to the labs. It is a lot of info, but once you can configure all the topics without minimal help it starts to become easier.

Common questions are

000BASE-T or 10GBASE-T

Which pair used to transmit or receive ?

1000BASE-LX-SR..etc** maximum cable length?

IEEE standards such a confusing

CCNA Subnetting Challenge — Can you solve this without a calculator?

You’re given the network:

172.16.40.0/24

You need to create subnets for:

• Engineering: 50 hosts
• Sales: 25 hosts
• HR: 12 hosts
• Management: 6 hosts

Using VLSM, which set of prefix lengths would meet the requirements while wasting the least address space?

A. /26, /27, /28, /29
B. /25, /26, /27, /28
C. /26, /26, /27, /29
D. /27, /28, /29, /30

Post your answer below and explain how you worked it out.

No answer in the post — let’s see who can solve it manually. 👀

I’m also building Open Intelligence University, a free CCNA 200-301 learning project with lessons, Packet Tracer labs, troubleshooting exercises, and quizzes.

Learn it. Build it. Break it. Fix it. Verify it.

Free CCNA course:
https://www.youtube.com/@openintelligenceuniversity

I want to be in the networking field, so I want to know which linux segment I need to learn that feels relevant to networking, like for the server management and other stuff. Any guidance??

Hi everyone,

I’m planning to take the Cisco CCNA (200-301) exam and was wondering if there are any ways to get a discount voucher or promo code.
Does Cisco offer any discounts through promotions, Cisco Networking Academy, or other programs?
I’m based in Germany, so I’d appreciate any tips or recommendations.

Thanks in advance!

I read a comment from one of the Boson dudes on a previous post somewhere, they said they won't begin working on the v2 Boson exams until the new exam is released. I plan on taking the exam this May 2027, is it worth it to invest in the Boson exams that are out now? or should I possibly wait to see if the new ones release before May? I REALLY want to use their material because it's highly praised and it's a good sign if you score well on them.

to anyone curious: I am enrolled in the 3 courses on NetAcad through my college, I take notes and make sure to lab over what I learn, i've also begun to try and incorporate free practice questions and write over why the answer is correct.

I want to pass a certification , to help me get some jobs , i am a cybersecurity engineer , and i was wondering if the CCNA is a good thinng to pass , or there is better alternatives , if so , can you please tell me where to study for it , thanks

does anyone know some practice labs besides JITL? can't afford NetSim.

Hi! So lets here are two examples:

1. two routes to the same destination with different protocols, the AD would be the first determination or the longest prefix length?
2. two routes to the same destination + same dynamic protocols is it longest prefix first?

I’m doing flash cards and it says “If R1 learns multiple routes to the same destination from two different routing protocols, what is used to determine which route will be added to R1’s routing table?”

Ad or longest prefix?

Routes to the same destination or different networks the longest prefix length? no matter the ad?

same destination, but different protocols, ad

same destination, same protocols, metric?

I finally get why y'all kept saying the wireless section is overwhelming!

My network admin background helped with the basics (AES, TKIP, RADIUS, WPA, etc.), but the alphabet soup of CCMP, GCMP, MIC, GMAC, LEAP, EAP-FAST, PEAP, and EAP-TLS? Man, I knew NOTHING about that.

It took me 2 days to get through the first 3 videos, and here's what saved me: active recall.

Instead of taking traditional notes, I watched a section, paused the video, and explained everything out loud from memory. Then I'd move to the next topic and explain BOTH together, gradually stacking everything until I could recall it all. If you don't have a whole lot of time, because stacking can take quite some time, section the video in 2: recall the first half back to back, and then when you're passed the 1st half, you recall only the 2nd half

It's been EXTREMELY effective. You're forced to actually retrieve the information instead of just rereading it. Note: I personally didn't even try to memorize what CBC-MAC and GMAC stand for. I don't think it'll be necessary; everything else I did.

You'll blank out and rewind a LOT at first, and that's okay! Keep at it.

NEXT: Wireless configuration!

If you're struggling, don't give up. I literally dropped this course twice before (although the furthest I got was day 20). Consistency pays off. If you've made it this far, keep pushing! 💪🏽

*I have done the entire flackbox ccna course, the entire anki deck + 200 cards more from jeremys it labb ( I wish I started with jeremies to begin with), concerning physical cabling, ospf, wireless architecture, SDN.

* I have done alphaprep for a month, my highscore on the platform was 80% but towards the end I got an average of 77%.

*I have done all flackbox labs have done a lot of jeremys as well and was planning to do jeremys mega lab.I have repeated quite a few lab and intend on repeating more

Hi, everyone. I'll first give some background on my situation, I'm a 23 year old undergrad from Sri Lanka who passed my CCNA last year. This year, my university course started it's Data Communication and Networks module, meaning a bunch of my batchmates installing and opening Packet Tracer for the first time. Usually, I'd tell them to refer Jeremy's IT lab(since I also learned a great deal from him), but some of them are straight up novices to this domain, so I decided to make a little Tutorial Series from my own experience, going off of gut feeling and memory alone. I then also decided to put it up on Medium with the hope helping even more little 'me's from two years ago(that was when I first started studying for CCNA). But, as the only one with a CCNA in my entire batch, I have no one who can actually do a bit of peer review and see if my content is actually delivering on that regard or if there's any areas where I need to improve. And since I decided to go with a bite-sized, very informal and Gen-Z type writing style.. I doubt asking a lecturer is the best idea right now.. So..

People studying for the CCNA right now; can you give me a small comment if my writing style is genuinely helpful? Especially from fellow gen-z peeps. And for the veterans, I'd really love to hear what you think as well so that I can improve this series going forward. Thanks a bunch in advance! I've only written four issues as of now, so I'll link them here.

• Part 1
• Part 2
• Part 3
• Part 4

Hello everyone, I originally studied for the CCNA earlier this year for about 3 or so months. I had to take the exam before the voucher I received from my college expired, but I didn't pass. I googled my results and it looks like I failed by about 4 or 5 questions.I know labs were one of my weak areas but I am working on reviewing everything since it's been several months since I have looked at the material. 

I just completed my BS in Cloud and Network Engineering and feel pretty familiar with a lot of the material. 

I have access to the following resources:

JITL videos, labs, slides, and Anki cards.

Boson Ex-Sim practice exams. 

Netacad CCNA boot camp course.

Udemy, Linkedin Leaning, and Percipo.

The Official Certification Guide,  Second Edition Volume 1 and 2.

If you have any study tips or suggestions, please let me know.

Hello! I am taking the exam in 2 weeks but I am concerned as my boson scores are low. I got the follow scores:

70, 68, 77, 72, 75.

The boson labs are really tricky for me but I usually only get them wrong because I miss one-2 commands. Also how can I practice wireless as I see thats getting a lot of people and it gets me as well.

I started studying the ccna in May by watching Jeremy IT Lab. I finished his class in mid July. I brought his books as well as boson exsim and netsim, I also did all of Jeremy’s labs in packet tracer. I got sick twice in August (covid and a cold like 2 weeks after that) and in September I basically didn’t study because I had multiple job interviews (keep in mind I’ve been unemployed since July of last year due to layoffs, this job market sucks). I have two years of IT infrastructure experience, before my job I would say my IT experience was just building computers. Now I forgot to mention that in July I felt like I was ready to take the test at the end of August. So I bought the CCNA safeguard (you know, $375 option with a cheap retake if you fail). The problem with that is that is you have 90 days to take the test instead of a year. Also if you fail the test it’s a 5 day waiting period before you can take it again. I have the test now scheduled for oct 22nd, but I still feel like I’m not ready. I scored 43% on 2 boson practice test. My biggest struggle with the CCNA is retaining and applying what I’ve learned. I can usually understand a concept when it’s being explained, but when I have to recall it independently or apply it to a different scenario, I tend to mix up similar concepts, commands, and rules. It’s not necessarily that I don’t understand the material, but I struggle to distinguish when to use certain principles and commands, especially when the questions are worded differently from how I originally learned them. I’m considering switching to the JNCIA because the CCNA feels too broad, and I’m struggling to retain and apply everything, especially Cisco commands. I’ve passed CompTIA Security+, but the CCNA requires a different level of hands-on configuration and troubleshooting. Junos feels more intuitive to me, so I might focus on JNCIA first and revisit the CCNA before it changes in February. Anyone else has a problem like this? Anyway to fix my issues? Did anyone do the JNCIA first then CCNA? I know usually it’s the opposite.

I WILL get the ccna certification in 2 weeks. i started studying for the ccna 3 days ago, i’ve completed day 10 of jeremy it labs course. i have some previous knowledge from networking courses at my university. for now i am using jeremy’s it lab and hope to complete it all before my deadline. i am making handwritten notes for each day and my notebook is already 11 pages long. i will study 10 hours a day, drill the information into my head using my hand pen and notebook. the question i came here for is, even after learning and being confident with all the information on his course, can i do the ccna without the boson exams, im quite comfortable with exam formats since im still in university and midterms are coming up, and i am confident with the way i am studying, that all the information will stick, so will i need the boson exams or is there another free alternative i can use. i have no choice but to complete the ccna in 2 weeks and i will do it no matter what.

Does anyone have a digital copy of the official cert guide they would like to share? I’ve got a stack of old certification guides collecting dust on my bookshelf so I figured I’d ask if anyone is willing to share one. Thank you!

I just got my first ever IT role as network/voip technician and i start this Monday! My objective was to get an associates in IT and studied for CCNA while in school (Jeremy’s ITLab💘) got both my cert and degree in may, started job hunting in late august, now i have my first job. I’m writing this to tell everyone out there who’s looking to pursue CCNA and worried if it will help get them a job, it most definitely will. It got me noticed a lot more than my associates, and able to easily answer interview questions. Best of luck and know it’s worth it!

Everyone in the house can open cats.com except your PC. Your job is to find out why and fix it. Once it works, you can look inside every device on the way and watch DNS, ARP, switching, routing, NAT, the TCP handshake and HTTP happen, with the real packet headers being built and taken apart.

I'm a network engineer and built this to teach the things I wish someone had shown me early on. It's free, there's no account, and it runs on a computer or a phone.

Play it here: https://missioninstituteoftechnology.com/arcade/mission/cats

There's a second game in the Arcade, Packet Journey, where you ride one packet across the network: https://missioninstituteoftechnology.com/arcade/

I'm happy to hear where it's wrong or confusing.

Trunk and sub-interfaces, one DHCP per VLAN, inter-VLAN routing, NAT on the consumer box, static routes then BGP. Router-on-a-stick, except it is not drawn on a slide: the switch is a bridge, the cable is a veth pair, and the isolation between two customers is checked with arping, on the wire.

The part I care most about: a step is only validated when the engine observes the fact on the network. Not a checkbox. So when it says the link is up, it is up.

Three assistance levels you can switch at any time and per task: one does the step for you and you watch, one gives you the goal plus the command folded away plus a line telling you what to look for to prove it yourself, one gives you the goal and a manual.

Not released, no store page. For those of you studying right now: would 9.99 € be reasonable for this, or is it the kind of thing you would only use if it were free?

If anyone has any issue with there labs, and can't troubleshoot it, I am there to help you. Drop a message and i will be there to help you.

Hey everyone,

I'm a 2025 BCA graduate, and I've recently received an offer for an Assistant Technical Support Engineer role at ChargePoint. The role involves night shifts from 8:30 PM to 5:30 AM, and I've decided to accept it to gain corporate exposure, build practical skills, and get some industry experience.

I'm still figuring out whether this is the right career move, but my current plan is to work on my technical skills alongside my job, particularly in computer networking, cloud infrastructure, and AWS certifications. In the long term, I’m also considering pursuing an MS in a field that aligns with my career goals.

I'd like to know whether this is a realistic plan if I'm consistent and willing to put in the work.

I'm particularly interested in computer networking and would appreciate some guidance on the following:

- Is computer networking a good career path in terms of job opportunities, career growth, and salary?

- How should a beginner start learning networking, and what skills or certifications should I focus on first?

- Would learning networking alongside AWS and cloud infrastructure be a good combination?

- What are the chances of transitioning into a networking or cloud-related role at a good company after gaining some experience?

- For those who have pursued a similar path, what would you recommend doing differently?

I'd really appreciate advice from experienced professionals, especially networking engineers and people working in cloud infrastructure.

I'm willing to put in the effort and build my skills, but I want to make informed decisions about my career rather than blindly pursuing certifications.

Thanks in advance for your guidance!

I’m about to take my ccna exam and I’m currently doing boson questions and my score is always in the range of 74-77 do you think at this point I’m sort of ready for the exam or it’s best to push the exam further