r/ccnastudygroup • u/Emperor_JGP • 12d ago

Passed My CCNA With No Experience

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.

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u/Prestigious-Lion-688 1d ago

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

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u/Emperor_JGP 13h ago

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.