background image
4
Chapter 1: All About the Cisco Certified Network Professional and Design Professional Certification
for each area of concentration. The focus of this book is the preparation for and passing of the
CCNP/CCDP Remote Access Exam.
Some of the information in this book overlaps with information in the routing field, and you
may have seen some of this book's information while studying switching. In addition, there are
other certification books that specifically focus on advanced routing and switching. You might
find some overlap in those manuals also. This is to be expected--all the information taken as a
whole is what produces a CCNP or CCDP.
The exam is a computer-based exam that has multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank, and list-in-order
style questions. The fill-in-the-blank questions are filled in using the complete
syntax for the
command, including dashes and the like. For the fill-in-the-blank questions, a tile button is
given to list commands in alphabetical order. This is a real life saver if you can't remember if
there is a dash or an "s" at the end of a command. Knowing the syntax is key, however, because
the list contains some bogus commands as well as the real ones.
The exam can be taken at any Sylvan Prometric testing center (1-800-829-NETS or
www.2test.com). The test has 62 randomly generated questions, and you have 90 minutes to
complete it. As with most Cisco exams, you cannot mark a question and return to it. In other
words, you must answer a question before moving on, even if this means guessing. Remember
that a blank answer is scored as incorrect.
Most of the exam is straightforward; however, the first answer that leaps off the page can be
incorrect. You must read each question and each answer completely before making a selection.
If you find yourself on a question that is incomprehensible, try restating the question a different
way to see if you can understand what is being asked. Very few candidates score 100 percent in
all catagories--the key is to pass. Giving up just one question because of lack of diligence can
mean the difference between passing and failing because there are so few questions. Four
questions one way or the other can mean a change of 10­20 percent!!
Many people do not pass on the first try, but success is attainable with study. This book includes
questions and scenarios that are designed to be more difficult and more in depth than most
questions on the test. This was not done to show how much smarter we are, but to allow you a
certain level of comfort when you have mastered the material in this book.
The CCNP and CCDP certifications are difficult to achieve, but the rewards are there, and will
continue to be there, if the bar is kept where it is.
How This Book Can Help You Pass the CCNP Remote
Access Exam
The primary focus of this book is not to teach material in the detail that is covered by an
instructor in a five-day class with hands-on labs. Instead, we tried to capture the essence of each
topic and to present questions and scenarios that push the envelope on each topic that is covered
for the Remote Access test.