Can you guess – approximately – how many more unique practice questions you’ll see in the CCNA OCG Library, Second Edition, vs. the First edition? Or how many more timed CCNA practice exam banks come with the new Library? Our author team did significant work to update and improve the question set that ships with the CCNA books for the new editions that will be released in mid-2024. Read this post to learn more about the changes and what that means for you. Check out my new YouTube Channel: Network Upskill. All CCNA! Read this Post, or Watch this Video I launched the YouTube channel ..read more

Drumroll, please… yes, the CCNA Official Cert Guides have practice exams! Most of you are not surprised. What surprises me is that our surveys show that some people who buy the books do not even realize the exams are there; others know about them but do not use them. And they’re one of the best features of the books! In this post, I’ll help you understand the fundamentals: The products, the exams, and when to use each. The next few posts go further, focusing on changes for the new book editions for 2024. Read this Post, or Watch this Video I launched the YouTube channel Network Upskill in ..read more

This post is short, sweet, and straightforward. It answers the most common questions about the CCNA Official Cert Guide products. It details the new 2nd Edition books, out in calendar year 2024. It also mentions the discounts available from the publisher! Read this Post, or Watch this Video I launched the YouTube channel Network Upskill in April 2024. You can watch a video about the same topics in this blog post or keep reading – your choice! Introducing the New CCNA Books, and Great Deals! Other Posts/Videos in the 2024 Announcement Series My current plan has about 10 posts and match ..read more

Most Config Lab posts here at my blog follow a consistent formula: A problem statement (requirements, figures, and inital configuration), followed by you creating the configuration, and closing with a review of my suggested solution. This lab deviates. Why? I need a scripted lab with specific steps to help you learn the basics of the CLI. For this lab, I’ll have you open a .pkt file and do the scripted tasks detailed in the lab. Simple enough. Check out my new YouTube Channel: Network Upskill. All CCNA! More about Config Labs All about Config Labs The blog has a series of lab exercises ..read more

Cisco announced Version 1.1 of the CCNA 200-301 blueprint on April 22, 2024. They also announced an exam cutover date of August 20, 2024. If you happen to be studying for CCNA in those months, you need a plan! This post (and the embedded video that discusses the same topic) will hopefully help calm your fears, help you choose, and get you focused again on your studies. Learn about the details below! Read this Post, or Watch this Video I launched the YouTube channel Network Upskill in April 2024. You can watch a video about the same topics in this blog post or keep reading – your choice! C ..read more

Cisco just announced (April 2024) a new version of the CCNA 200-301 blueprint. It’s a minor change. But with almost five years of time since the last blueprint announcement, there’s much more to do in the books. We’ll have new editions out in the June-to-August timeframe, with much more than blueprint updates. Learn about the details below! Read this Post, or Watch this Video I launched the YouTube channel Network Upskill in April 2024. You can watch a video about the same topics in this blog post or keep reading – your choice! Cisco Reveals CCNA 200-301 Version 1.1 (April 2024) New CC ..read more

For the first time in almost five years, Cisco today announced a new CCNA exam blueprint: The CCNA 200-301 Version 1.1 blueprint. Dramatic, right? Let’s look at the changes together in this post – or watch the video linked inside for the scoop. Read this Post, or Watch this Video I launched the YouTube channel Network Upskill in April 2024. You can watch a video about the same topics in this blog post or keep reading – your choice! Cisco Reveals CCNA 200-301 Version 1.1 (April 2024) The CCNA 200-301 Version 1.1 Blueprint Update! Big Picture: CCNA 200-301 Version 1.0 to Version 1.1 Firs ..read more

I’ve written and taught a lot during my career, but I’ve never made a concerted effort to use YouTube. Well, it’s time. The channel name is Network Upskill, and the URL is www.youtube.com/@networkupskill. You can go straight to the channel and watch the channel intro video—or read this short post for a few words about the channel! Just Watch! Channel Intro You could just go to the channel and watch the channel intro video – it’s embedded here. But I wrote a few words as well for easy reference. Your choice!     Three Guiding Principles – so Far! I’ve invested a fair bit of time lear ..read more

We’ve updated the blog site! Driven by a need to change to a new WordPress theme, I invested more time updating some of the styling, content, and features to make the site more usable for anyone studying for CCNA. I hope you like the changes! The rest of this post describes what changed here in late 2023. Note: If you see any issues on a post, use the comment feature at the bottom of the page to let me know! Improved Experience for New Users This blog has a wide variety and large volume of CCNA study content. However, the old site made new users work to find the purpose and content of the site ..read more

The last several editions of the CCNA Official Cert Guides include an appendix titled “Exam Updates.” It exists as a simple way to deliver small amounts of new content to you, the people who own the book. Books are great, and most people still prefer a paper book – but that does not allow for easy distribution of updates. The Exam Updates appendix in each book serves that role. In June 2023, we released a new version of the Exam Updates appendices for the current CCNA Official Cert Guides. You can download both using the instructions in the Exam Updates appendix (Appendix B) at the back of the ..read more