Recommended Books

Books are an essential component of your CCNA exam preparation, however it can take a substantial amount of time to fully cover the material and fully understand the concepts. For this reason it is important to limit the number of books used for CCNA exam preparation to those that focus specifically on the CCNA learning objectives and present the information in a way that ensures that you, the reader, will fully master the concepts.

There are many great authors of CCNA books, however the two that I trust the most and that provide the best exam coverage in every book they produce are Wendell Odom and Todd Lammle. Books written by Wendell Odom are very detailed and include diagrams and tables that enhance learning while also being focused and on topic, presenting the broad base of knowledge needed to pass the exam. Todd Lammle’s books are the perfect complement to Wendell Odom’s writings because Todd Lammle simplifies the topics that are difficult for most (such as subnetting), and Lammle’s approach is very easy to read and comprehend.

Together, the books featured below by Wendell Odom and Todd Lammle are strongly recommended and all that is needed (along with CLI and subnetting practice) to pass the CCNA exams the first time. These books cost much less than CCNA classes and online courses (which can cost hundreds of dollars at a minimum) and were the only books I purchased to pass the CCNA.

CCNA Routing and Switching Study Guide: Exams 100-101, 200-101, and 200-120 1st Edition by Todd Lammle

CCNA Routing and Switching 200-120 Official Cert Guide Library 1st Edition by Wendell Odom

Other Resources

Cisco Press Meet the Authors – Excellent short instructional videos presented by the Cisco Press authors. Great tool to quickly become familiar with areas where your knowledge is limited.

Exam Day Preparation – Quick presentation PDF that provides exam screenshots, exam navigation direction, question formats that will be presented along with examples, and excellent advice on how to schedule time during the exam.