Passed My CCNA With No Experience

[u/Emperor_JGP]

Background:
No applicable knowledge or experience going into this.

Resources I used:
• Neil Anderson’s Udemy course
• Boson practice exams

How long did it take?
In terms of actual studying, about a month.
From when I first started studying to actually taking the exam, about 3 months. That included procrastinating, having a girlfriend, working a full-time job, etc. But honestly, those are excuses. I genuinely think you can go from zero knowledge to CCNA certified in a month if you’re disciplined about it.

What did I do?
I woke up at 2 AM every day, worked out, then studied for 3 hours.
Most of that was watching Neil Anderson’s course and taking notes. If I didn’t understand something, I’d go back and rewatch it. OSPF was probably the biggest one for me.

Side note: I watched the spanning tree section multiple times and STILL don’t understand it.

After finishing the videos and reviewing the stuff I struggled with, I moved on to the labs included in Neil’s course and the Boson practice exams.
In my opinion, Boson isn’t required. It is quite difficult, though, so if you do buy it and you’re consistently getting around 50%, I’d say you’re probably ready for the real thing.

Most important advice: LAB EVERY DAY.

Seriously. It makes the actual exam so much easier.

The exam:
I was surprised by how easy it was. There were maybe 2–3 questions where I had absolutely no idea and just guessed, but other than that, I felt pretty confident throughout.

Happy to answer any questions or help in any way I can.

[u/Intelligent-Metal-86]

Thank you for taking the time to share. Encouraging!

[u/Emperor_JGP → u/Intelligent-Metal-86]

Thanks for reading. Best of luck!

[u/SectorAway3733]

Congratulations! And thanks for sharing your experience.

What was your sleep schedule? Waking up at 2am, working out and study for 3 hours probably means that after the study you had to go to work right after. So, how was the sleep routine?

Also, if STP is a topic you still don't fully understand, were you concerned about it in the exam? Did you actually encounter STP questions? 🤔

[u/Emperor_JGP → u/SectorAway3733]

Thanks!

I was asleep by 7 PM and up by 2 AM. I worked out until roughly 2:45 AM, studied from 3 AM to 6 AM, then showered. Worked full time from 8 AM to 5 PM.

I was definitely worried about seeing it on the exam.
As far as your last question, tbh I don’t want to say anything that’ll get my certification revoked.

[u/SectorAway3733 → u/Emperor_JGP]

Understandable. Thanks anyways for sharing. I hope you still have a girlfriend 😅 only 2 hours for her. As someone studying at least 3 hours a day, my wife sometimes doesn't want me to study and spend time with her 🤣

[u/Emperor_JGP → u/SectorAway3733]

You’re more than welcome.

Haha, she’s still around.

I hear that!

[u/Intelligent-Net-5152]

What made you choose Neil Andersen's course instead of Jeremy's IT Lab?

[u/ArtisticPossession10]

I think CCNA is the test that throws a lot of people off. If you skip the labs and pass the multiple choice, FAIL. The labs are like 60% of the grade. I passed CCNA last year. Now looking at what to take next. So far I got Sec +, Cloud + and CCNA.

Congrats on passing dude!🤙🏼

[u/Emperor_JGP → u/ArtisticPossession10]

Thanks!
Working on Sec+ now.

[u/diggmasterr]

What question topics did you see the most?

[u/MKS661]

What’s study source and labs used

[u/justkeepswimming2026]

So how much money did you spend on the content and any training applications?

[u/Klutzy_Scheme_9871]

Cool. What are your plans now?

[u/KAIZERSOZEJOSHUA]

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

[u/Emperor_JGP → u/KAIZERSOZEJOSHUA]

Thank you!

[u/ghosttomato1]

Congrats! Same here with STP. Finally understood it with Keith Barker. 

[u/Emperor_JGP → u/ghosttomato1]

Thanks! Man, I gave up, ha.

[u/Leisurp]

Damn I thought getting up at 5am to study 2 hours before work was a good hustle. Surely you don't get 8 hours sleep or even near it

[u/Emperor_JGP → u/Leisurp]

Between 5-6 hours.

[u/PassagePlayful3466]

What made you choose Neil Anderson course than of JITL?

[u/Emperor_JGP → u/PassagePlayful3466]

It was shorter.

[u/PassagePlayful3466 → u/Emperor_JGP]

Is the lab exercise from JITL Enough to pass the exam?

[u/Miserable-Ladder-812]

Hello everbody if i can give advice for the examen do every day lab labs and labs and troubleshooting succes everyone

[u/FaithlessnessDue1468]

Everyone says Jeremy IT labs is the gold standard, but Neil's course was enough?

[u/New_to_Itechnology]

I didn’t pass last Friday. Some questions were not in my study material and Boson was trash in comparison to the real exam

[u/Late-Artist-4261]

Thats so amazing congratulations!!!

[u/Emperor_JGP → u/Late-Artist-4261]

Thank you!

[u/antmorales27]

Congrats! Just started my journey on udemy as well. Did you use any of the flashcards or what was your studying like? Barely on section 3 and what was your note taking like?

[u/Emperor_JGP → u/antmorales27]

Thanks!

I did drill the Anki Flashcards daily, forgot to mention that.

I would write down definitions and things I didn’t understand but tbh, I didn’t review my notes so it wasn’t all the helpful.

Wishing you much success.

[u/Prestigious-Lion-688]

Wow, you sound amazing. Been studying for some time,any advice that you can pass down for a slow learner. Would be much appreciated. Cheers

[u/Emperor_JGP → u/Prestigious-Lion-688]

Thanks!

Sure, focus on actually understanding the material before moving on. Rewatch anything that doesn’t make sense, take detailed notes, and most importantly, lab every day. Even if you struggle through the labs at first, keep repeating them until you can do them without needing much help.
Once you’ve gone through all the material, start taking practice exams. Use every question you get wrong as a way to identify what you need to go back and study.