| The following reflective questions help you ponder what amount of work you should invest before taking the plunge. It is important to be honest with the questions and take their advice into consideration to avoid losing money and confidence by retaking the test. Have you ever taken any computer-related courses? If yes, proceed to question 2; if no, proceed to question 3. Have you ever taken a Cisco-related course before? If yes, you have a substantial foundation for several topics discussed in this book. However, additional knowledge of VPN and security technologies is a must. Additional training or reading may be required depending on the Cisco course that was taken. Be sure to review ACLs, TCP/IP protocols and addressing, and routing protocols. If no, I highly recommend you enroll in a Cisco course. Specifically, I recommend seeking Cisco training on the Managing Cisco Network Security (MCNS) to form a solid starting point in Cisco security technologies and implementations. If you cannot attend this course, it may be suitable to read the Exam Cram 2 MCNS (Que Publishing, 1st edition, ISBN 0789730251) or, if time allows, Managing Cisco Network Security (Cisco Press; 1st edition, ISBN 1578701031) on the subject. Have you done any reading on general security concepts or information security? If yes, review the requirements stated in the first paragraph after question number 2. If you meet those requirements, move on to the next section. If no, review the requirements stated in the second paragraph in question 2 before you move forward to the next section.
Hands-On Experience The most important key to success on the Cisco VPN test is hands-on experience. If I leave you with only one realization after taking this Self-Assessment, it should be that you can't find any substitute for time spent installing, configuring, and using repeatedly and in depth the various Cisco equipment on which you'll be tested. Have you installed, configured, operated, and supported a Cisco VPN 3000 Concentrator, VPN 3002 Hardware client, or Cisco Unity Software client? If yes, make sure you understand VPN technologies, NAT/PAT, LAN-to-LAN tunnels, AAA, and ACLs. If your experience is limited to only one or two of the above Cisco security products, I highly recommend you rent or purchase the other items because you will be tested on all dimensions. If no, I recommend you obtain access to at least one if not all Cisco VPN devices and software so that you can explore the concepts that you will be learning. These items can be rented for several days or purchased used online.
Before you even think about taking any Cisco exam, make sure that you've spent enough time with the related equipment and software to understand how to install, configure, monitor, and troubleshoot it. This will help you during the exam and in real life! If you cannot afford to purchase or utilize your company's Cisco security appliances, there are certain distributors such as www.digitalwarehouse.com that rent the equipment. Testing Your Exam Readiness Whether you attend a formal class on a specific topic to get ready for an exam or use written materials to study on your own, some preparation for the Cisco VPN exam is essential. At $125 a try, pass or fail, you want to do everything you can to pass on your first try. That is where studying comes in. This book includes two practice exams, so if you don't score that well on the first test, you can study more and then tackle the second test. If you still don't hit a score of at least 90% after these tests, you should investigate the practice test resources mentioned here (feel free to use your favorite search engine to look for more; this list is by no means exhaustive): PrepLogic www.preplogic.com MeasureUp www.measureup.com Trancender www.transcender.com
For any given subject, consider taking a class if you have tackled self-study materials, taken the test, and failed anyway. The opportunity to interact with an instructor and fellow students can make all the difference in the world, if you can afford that privilege. For information about Cisco VPN classes, use your favorite search engine with a string such as "Cisco VPN class" or "Cisco VPN training." Even if you can't afford to spend much at all, you can still invest in some low-cost practice exams from commercial vendors. Have you taken a Cisco VPN 642-511 practice exam? If yes, and you scored 90% or better, you are probably ready to tackle the real thing. If your score isn't above that threshold, keep at it until you break that barrier. If no, obtain all the free and low-budget practice tests you can find (check pointers at www.examcram.com and www.cramsession.com, or scope out offerings from the for-a-fee practice test vendors listed earlier in this chapter) and get to work. Keep at it until you can break the passing threshold comfortably.
 | When it comes to assessing your test readiness, no better way exists than to take a good-quality practice exam and pass with a score of 90% or better. When I'm preparing, I shoot for 95%-plus, just to leave room for the "weirdness factor" questions that sometimes show up on Cisco exams. |
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