CCNA Press or Sybex Todd Lamlle

I used the Lammle Sybex book when I was taking my CCNA and it worked for me....thought it explained concepts very well. However, there are two topics it misses completely NAT and OSPF DR/BDR elections which may come up on the exam...so if you do purchase this book, remember to visit the Sybex website to download the two additional chapters they've put up there regarding these topics.

Also, I noticed that the answers to a couple of end-of-chapter practise questions were wrong. Again, check the website for errata.

Good luck in your exam.

incase you couldn't tell, most people here prefer lammlle for ccna - including me. i used his ccna book twice (my first ccna expired). its much easier to understand (than ciscopress) esp if you are new to the technology, plus his explanations of subnetting/vlsm/cidr are second to none. when i first did my ccna in 2000, i did a lot of his subnetting practice questions and i've never had to relearn it since. for ccda/ccnp/ccsp/ccdp though you should stick with cisco press mostly.

good luck

Some years ago I attempted the CCNA exam and failed 604-607 then the 604-801 exam 6 months later. After a couple of consulting jobs in between I decided to go the separate INTRO/ICND exam route. The Cisco Press books by Wendell Odom are split into separate books specifically for the INTRO and ICND exams. It's just more difficult to focus (for me at least) on the INTRO exam topics when using a combined book.

On the CCNA, Lammle is like the high school teacher who takes the time to make you understand. Cisco Press is like being at the university. They tell you everything once, and it is like gospel.

I used both. Lammle was not as complete and not always accurate, but he explains thing well.

I followed the Odom manual, and when I got stuck understanding something, Lammle usually broke it down where I could grasp it.