Top Five resources to help you with your CCNA studies

By Sarah Morgan

The Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) certification is one of the most popular networking credentials. The certification demonstrates your abilities to install, configure, operate and troubleshoot small- and medium-sized routed and switched networks.

As the prerequisite for most of the more advanced Cisco certs, such as CCNA Security, CCVP or CCNP, the CCNA is a must-have for every networking professional.

So to help you get CCNA certified, we've put together the top five resources that will boost your studies and preparation.

#5 CCNA Blog

Blogs always come in handy when you want to read something less formal and difficult to digest, but still informative and useful. The CCNA Blog offers 40 CCENT & CCNA lessons, as well as a set of blog entries focusing on exam questions and the benefits of certifications.

Start reading through the lessons now and learn everything from “The world of networks” all the way to “IPv6 (Internet Protocol Version 6)”.

#4 GoCertify.com

GoCertify.com is a popular source of certification news, press releases, reading materials and of course exam and revision tips. Whether you are preparing for your CCENT, CCNA or a concentration, such as the CCNA Security, you’ll find a useful set of quizzes and flashcards, that’ll help with your learning.

Sample question for CCNA Security: What protocol is responsible to synchronize clocks in a network using syslog?

Answer: NTP

Explanation: The Network Time Protocol (NTP) uses TCP port 123. Its purpose is to synchronize clocks of network devices. NTP is important because if attacked, an administrator will use syslog as a tool to identify when a device was compromised. It is also important when implementing NTP that version 3 or better is used, because of the additional security provider.

Find more questions and answers at: http://www.gocertify.com/quizzes/cisco/

#3 Firebrand Learn

Firebrand Learn is a free platform for self-study, designed to help you to acquire knowledge and prepare for world renowned certifications in the fields of IT, Security and Project Management.

Are you interested in the lab exercises for ICND1 and ICND2? Head over to Learn, where you can start right away. The two comprehensive lab guides will give you a good starting push to prepare for your CCNA certification: http://www.firebrandtraining.co.uk/learn/cisco/ccna

#2 Certskills.com

Certskills.comis the website of Wendell Odom, the best-selling author of Cisco certification books. As you can expect the world’s most respected Cisco expert offers a great amount of information on every Cisco certification out there.

However, exam guides and labs are not the only resources you’ll get. Certskills.com also dedicates a section to Cisco Lab Gear, describing the features of various switches, routers and topologies.

Image courtesy of Wendell Odom/Certskills.com

#1 The Cisco Learning Network

You can never go wrong with the official resources, so our #1 recommendation is The Cisco Learning Network, which is a fountain of useful information. The site features forum discussions, videos, games, study groups, FAQs, data sheets and other self-study resources, most of which are free, but there's some premium content too. 

In addition to the material, you can also view and participate in live technical webinars. If you miss them, you can always watch the recording.

Get started with your CCNA preparation here: https://learningnetwork.cisco.com

There you have it, the top five resources to help you with your CCNA studies. Discover them thoroughly to make sure that your efforts are rewarded with a certification. 

About the Author:       
Sarah writes for Firebrand Training on a number of IT related topics. This includes exams, training, certification trends, project management, certification, careers advice and the industry itself. Sarah has 11 years of experience in the IT industry.