| Each topical Exam Cram 2 chapter follows a regular structure, along with graphical cues about important or useful information. Here's the structure of a typical chapter: -
Opening Hotlists ” Each chapter begins with a list of the terms, tools, and techniques you must learn and understand before you can be fully conversant with that chapter's subject matter. Following the hotlists are one or two introductory paragraphs to set the stage for the rest of the chapter. -
Topical coverage ” After the opening hotlists, each chapter covers a series of at least four topics related to the chapter's subject title. Throughout this section, topics or concepts likely to appear on a test are highlighted in a special Exam Alert layout, like this:  | This is what an Exam Alert looks like. Normally, an Exam Alert stresses concepts, terms, software, or activities that are likely to relate to one or more certification test questions. For that reason, any information found offset in an Exam Alert format is worthy of unusual attentiveness on your part. |
Pay close attention to material flagged as an Exam Alert; although all the information in this book pertains to what you need to know to pass the exam, we flag certain items that are really important. You'll find what appears in the meat of each chapter to be worth knowing, too, when preparing for the test. Because this book's material is very condensed, we recommend that you use this book along with other resources to achieve the maximum benefit. -
Practice questions ” Although test questions and topics are discussed throughout each chapter, the "Exam Prep Questions" section at the end of each chapter presents a series of mock test questions and explanations of both correct and incorrect answers. We also try to point out especially tricky questions by using a special icon, like this:  Ordinarily, this icon flags the presence of a particularly devious inquiry, if not an outright trick question. Trick questions are calculated to be answered incorrectly if not read more than once ”and carefully at that. Although they are not ubiquitous, such questions make occasional appearances on Cisco exams. That is why we say exam questions are as much about reading comprehension as they are about knowing your material inside-out and backwards . -
Details and resources ” Every chapter ends with a section titled "Need to Know More?" that provides direct pointers to Cisco routing resources that offer more details on the chapter's subject. If you find a resource you like in this collection, use it, but don't feel compelled to use all the resources. On the other hand, we recommend only those resources we ourselves use regularly, so none of our recommendations will waste your time or money. The bulk of the book follows this chapter structure slavishly, but there are a few other elements we'd like to point out. Chapters 11 and 13 each contain an entire sample test that provides a good review of the material presented throughout the book to ensure you're ready for the exam. Chapters 12 and 14 contain the corresponding answer keys to the sample test chapters that precede them. Additionally, you'll find appendixes at the back of the book that include the following information: -
A list of Cisco commands (Appendix A) -
A list of routing-related products, vendors , and technologies mentioned throughout the book (Appendix B) -
An explanation of what's on the CD (Appendix C) -
An explanation of how to use the software on the CD (Appendix D) -
A glossary that explains terms -
An index you can use to track down terms as they appear in the text Finally, the tear-out Cram Sheet attached next to the inside front cover of this Exam Cram 2 book represents a condensed and compiled collection of facts, tricks, and tips we think you should memorize before taking the test. You might even want to look at it in the car or in the lobby of the testing center just before you walk in to take the test. Typographic Conventions In this book, configuration settings and script fragments are typeset in a monospaced font, as in the following example: RouterA(config)# router ospf 50 RouterA(config-network)# 172.16.4.0 0.0.0.255 area 0 RouterA(config-network)# 172.16.5.0 0.0.0.255 area 2 RouterA(config-network)# area 2 stub This notation will be consistent with the exact syntax and structure of the Cisco IOS on Cisco routers. Some script fragments include boldface, which indicates commands that should be typed literally. Italic indicates variables , as in the following example: RouterA(config-router)# network address wildcard-mask area area-id |
