We have listed some of the common most questions we encounter on a day-to-day basis from students who are interested in our CCNA™ learning products. However, if your question is not addressed here, please contact us where one of our pre-sales consultants will be delighted to help.
Q. I'm really interested in the CCNA Low-Start option. What's included with the Low-Start CCNA™ online base option ?
A. The Low-Start CCNA™ base option includes full access to the online CCNA™ course plus complimentary access to our experts eForum. Also, you have access to the CCNA™ exam testing database and public eLibrary access. The eForum gives you the ability to post technical questions to our certified staff and other students alike. Like any forum, there's no guaranteed reply but in general it can be a very useful tool indeed.
Q. How is the Low-Cost CCNA™ course delivered ?
A. The Low Start CCNA™ is structured into a series of modules which you can work through at your own pace and is delivered online by our Course Delivery application. It's similar to a power point delivery but it has additional eLearning options to support each slide. There are in excess of 300 slides and for each side there's supporting insider instructor tips commenting on what you need to focus on, comments, references, diagrams, video (where applicable) and exam questions.
Q. Are your online CCNA™ courses 6 or 12 months ?
A. Both, it all depends on how much time you as an individual can commit to the study. Typically, if you have to manage a demanding career job, family life and study then this is best carried out over 12 months. However, with a little more dedication it can be completed up to 6 months.
Q. Can I buy 6 months then add another 6 months if I fall short ?
A. Yes, but please note that some of the premium options such as premium content access is only available for 12 months. Also, it can work out more expensive to buy in blocks of 6 months but it is possible yes.
Q. So is the Low-Cost option just a series of slides ?
A. No, not at all, it's a lot more and includes exam questions plus eForum access. The course itself is displayed in slide format but for each slide there's a lot of supporting information and insider tips for example. The course has been written by Cisco Academy Instructors and overseen by CCIE Certified engineers. The brief that was handed down was to create an online course for individuals working at home that took the guess work out of the study and to present you, the student with what you need to know and valuable instructor tips and references plus supporting diagrams and other resources such as premium eLibrary access, Live, hands-on Lab access and simulated exam testing. Please note that some of these features are not included as part of the base product.
Q. What's stopping me just rushing through the course and getting totally lost ?
A. The course is developed over a series of modules. Currently this is 8 but subject to change. When you reach the end of a module, to move on you'll have to take an online readiness exam. This will measure your progress for that module and will only let you move on when you've passed the test. If you fail you'll need to go back and go over the areas you've failed on.
Q. Why shouldn't I just purchase some learning CD's instead of your online product ?
A. Well, firstly the content on learning / training CD's tend to be static and don't cover any exam or blueprint changes. Plus they tend to be limited to one or two areas, for example course delivery and exam questions which you load onto your own computer. Our product differs totally giving you access to a dynamic course that's updated and kept in line with the CCNA blueprint, access to up to date exam questions, hands-on labs, core premium content and a way to submit your technical queries too. It's more of a total learning program than just a boxed course and has been specifically designed with this in mind. And, starting off as low as some recent promotions of £59.99 UK GBP for 6 months we really do believe this offers excellent value for money.
Q. Are the exams you mention like real exams ?.
A. The exams have all been written by professional Cisco CCNA™ academy and CCIE™ experts. The questions have been carefully chosen with the goal being to measure your knowledge for that respective section. They will be very similar to the format and what you can expect in a real exam with some exceptions. For example, our questions don't include simulations style questions but do include multiple choice and single select format plus exhibit style questions. They have been carefully written to cover the content handed down in the CCNA blueprint and to measure your progress as you go along.
Q. When I complete the course, can I take a mock CCNA™ exam on your site to see how close I am to taking the real CCNA™ single format exam ?
A. Yes, our exam engine will allow you to take a final simulated exam of 100 questions. This way you can measure how close you are to booking your exam. Please note, as mentioned, our testing engine does not support the simulation style questions or drag and drop.
Q. Is the CCNA exam fee included ?
A. No, unfortunately as our customer base is world-wide then this would be very difficult to manage. Plus, everyone has their own preference on testing centre locations too and may be in possession of their own exam vouchers.
Q. Are your students just in the UK ?
A. No, we have taught students from a wide geographical outlook. For example, South Africa, North America, Europe, the UK, Ireland to name a few.
Q. I notice you have other options that I could add to the CCNA Low-Start base product. How does that work ?.
A. Yes, there are two premium options you can add. The first is premium content access. In a nutshell we have partnered with Safari Books and this gives you access to a massive 17,000 top publications from Cisco Press, Microsoft Press, Addison Wesley and many more. These are the same books as you would buy in the shops but delivered in eFormat, online. You can also download portions of them too. It ensures you are working with the most up to date versions too. It's a great addition in fairness. There's also Video tutorials such as the Cisco Video mentor series available plus lots more.
The Lab option gives you scheduled access to a real Cisco lab pod. Also, you will have our CCNA lab workbook and solutions where you can complete the routing and switching hands-on element of your study plus security that can be carried out on routers and switches. It does not cover wireless though, PC work or dedicated firewall configurations.
Q. Do I get access to a person or teacher ?
A. Unfortunately no. The aim of the course was to design a low cost but great value for money online style course. This means the course is delivered online through our Course Delivery eLearning application and is further supported by a strong collection of eLearning tools plus our experts eForum access. The course was specifically developed with this in mind by Cisco experts who have years of teaching (CCNA™) experience. We can offer mentored learning options but this drives the cost up. Typically these options start at £1,500 UK GBP plus VAT for UK and EU countries. More details can be provided on request.
Q. Why did you develop an online CCNA™ course when there are so many instructor led courses around for CCNA™ certification ?
A. That's a popular question. We conducted a vast market research study from 2002 up to 2008. What we found so often was students who had a tight work schedule found it difficult to secure employer funding and time out from the workplace to attend a classroom-based course. Also, many students had to fund the training themselves. We were constantly asked for a lower cost option that was flexible and could be done at times to suit the student. For example, out of the workplace, from home, at weekends, in the evenings for an hour when time permitted and a product that gave them a real chance of gaining CCNA™ certification and at a price they could easily afford.
Q. Is there UK VAT included in your prices ?
A. No, We are obliged by UK law to add VAT at the current rate to all sales for UK and EU countries. All prices quoted exclude VAT. This is because some customers are outside the UK and EU, in America, Canada and further afield for example.