Sun of God - Discover the Self-Organizing Consciousness That Underlies Everything

Sun of gOd, which logically states that the Sun is a conscious living organism, should definitely be taught in schools and universities all over the globe. It is an educational tome, especially for blinkered people, who are indoctrinated to believe from an early age that organised religions is the be all and end all of the human race's very existence. Even people with a broad viewpoint on the puzzle of consciousness, the Big Bang and its eventual consequential explosion of humanity, which is now evolving into the futuristic state of Artificial intelligence, should study this philosophical and enjoyable, thought provoking book.

Gregory Sams, the author who brings 'our solar benefactor in from the cold in which it was forcibly cast out by today's dominant religions', writes in a humorous and accessible style. His prose coherently illustrates in my mind that our three main 'modern' religions, Judaism, Islam and Christianity have a tendency to act as a stranglehold on their fundamentalist followers. However, cynical secular scientists, especially those who believe in the multiple universes theory, which incidentally Sams articulately disputes in his book, are not the only people who will enjoy reading this fascinating book. Curious scientists would certainly benefit from reading Sun of gOd's religious theme which focuses on our universe as a consistently expanding 'whole'.

Sams' sensible rhetoric, backed by illustrations, comments and quotes from historical sages should sway even the most boxed in brain that one could benefit in part from a pagan viewpoint on life and our very existence. And yes, Sams' philosophical book has convinced me that the sun possesses intelligence and consciousness, which as the star at the center of the Solar System not only bestows life on our planet's inhabitants an nature, but also on all substances.

Sun of gOd is not only educational for people who have never stopped to deeply think that the universe is 'brimming with intelligence', but also for people who are already aware. As Gregory Sams puts it, 'the ancient Sumerians, Chaldeans and Assyrians, the Egyptians, Greeks and Romans, the Maya, Inca and Aztec, and the early Nordic, Celtic and Native Americans cultures may have known something that we do not.' Sun of gOd works on all levels, not only as an enjoyable and fascinating book about the mechanics and mysteries of our galaxy and beyond, but also as a reference book to be dipped into time and time again. Recommended!

Banfield Insurance Review

Banfield insurance, or Banfield International, has been in service to pets all around the states since 1955, and has international presences rooted in the UK and Mexico. Known for quality health maintenance and an incredible staff, there still seems to be some issues regarding their service. Their website cites nutrition, vaccination, and other pet care services, and they have plans that you can apply for. But let's see what actual people who've taken out plans with them have to say.

There are great sites on the internet that offers pet owners to share their experiences with their insurers-it's a fine place to scout for actual reviews from real people who care for their pets just as much as you care for yours. In one of the sites, Banfield insurance gets a stable 5.7 out of 10 score. Most positive comments were for their personable and amiable staff, and the quality of service rendered in their centres, like the overall process of vaccinations, spaying or neutering, and parasite control shots. Meanwhile, negative comments revolved around the company's inability to do anything when a serious incident happens, or if a chronic illness afflicts pets. Perhaps this arises from the confusion of what Banfield is and what their plans actually are.

To stop the confusion from spreading further: Banfield insurance is not an actual insurance company. It is generally a membership plan that provides wellness benefits for companion animals. For service, members should accordingly go to Banfield pet hospitals. This practically means that for the most part, Banfield insurance (we'll still call it 'insurance') is best for managed and preventive care, not for chronic conditions. It's a good plan for taking care of your pet's good health, but when a sudden and serious problem arises, you probably won't be able to depend on it as you can an actual insurance policy from an insurance company. If you pay close attention to their plans you'll find that they're mostly plans that help you budget for continued pet care for services they already offer-none of which are for chronic or serious problems.

Gift Ideas For Teenagers

If you've ever tried to buy gifts for teenagers, you've probably run into a common problem: Teenagers are hard to buy for!

Buying gifts for teenagers is difficult. Each one has their own tastes and style, and some are influenced by popular culture while others aren't. So the first step in figuring out what kind of gifts to buy for teenagers, is to find out a bit about the teenager. If that fails though, here are 5 gift ideas that tend to go over well with almost any of them.

1. MP3 Player - Music players are popular. And they're useful too. Now some teenagers might turn their nose up at any MP3 player that isn't an iPod, but many others would be thrilled to have one if they don't yet already.

Try finding one that gets radio broadcasts in addition to playing MP3s, that way they'll have some variety when they're tired of listening to the same songs over and over. Also try getting an MP3 player that doesn't require extra cords. Those could be lost in a teenager's room. Many MP3 players are made to simply plug into a USB port, and those seem to be the most convenient.

2. Sunglasses - While this might seem a bit cliche or obvious to some, sunglasses are always popular. They're still considered "cool" and with the wide variety of styles these days... one is sure to be a hit with either boys or girls.

3. Wallet/Purse - Another someone obvious gift idea that's often overlooked. Teenagers are starting to carry money, personal papers and misc other things. They may have wallets and/or purses already, but they may not have great quality or the style they want. So try a nice leather wallet gift for boy's, and maybe a designer purse for a girl.

4. Games - This is a very broad gift idea, and the type of game you get will depend quite a bit on the teenager you're buying for. Most teenagers love computer games. Some also adore strategic board games though, and many like card games too. The card games we're talking about for teenagers might not be the kind adults think of though. Many teenager like card games that involve collectible cards. Magic and Yu-Gi-Oh are two examples of popular strategic card games which involve collectible cards.

5. Cell Phone/Top Up Card - Some teenagers have cell phones already, but many still don't. Their parents either don't want, or can't afford to have a two year phone contract. And teenagers talk. A lot. Thus having regular cell phones can create outrageous bills due to time limit restrictions on regular cell phones.

An excellent alternative - and a gift any teenager will adore you for - is to buy them a pre-paid cell phone. And if they already have one of those, the gift idea becomes extremely easy: Just buy them a "top up" card! The top up cards allow them to add minutes to their pre-paid phone, and can be bought at most major stores for as little as $20.

Easy Ways to Improve Your Triathlon Transition Time

The transition time in your triathlon is often over looked by many triathletes, especially by beginning triathletes. A lot of people don't realize it but you can sometimes cut a few minutes off your overall triathlon time and, if not careful, you can add on several minutes. Being prepared and organized in the transition zone can be the leading factor to whether or not you win, beat your friend, or improve your time.

The transition from the swim to the bike is probably the trickiest. The first thing you want to do is mark where you station is on the rack. It happens more often than you would think; people forgetting where their station is and run through row after row looking for their bike and gear. You will notice that some people bring helium balloons to tie to the rack at their station so they can easily spot it as they come out of the water and into the transition zone.

But, that may be a little overkill, as long as you remember what row you're in you shouldn't have any problems. Another trick to remember is to already have your biking shoes attached to the pedals, if you have clipless pedals. This saves you time because you can start pedaling with your feet on top of your pedals. By doing this are already on the go and can slip your feet into your shoes as you ride instead of standing still in the transition zone.

When you return from the bike portion you should already have your running shoes out and opened for you to slip your foot in very easily. Just like the beginning of the bike stage, when you put your shoes on on the go, you need to take them out as you are riding in and pedal with your feet on top of your shoes. It saves time by taking your shoes off as you as moving rather than standing still. When you come in you just need to hope off your bike and slide into your running shoes and you're off!

If you're going for the win or to beat your friend the transitions can make or break that race for you. So be prepared and always be sure to practice before your race. You don't want to try everything for the first time the day of the triathlon.

Secrets of Skateboarding Review

You need to read this Secrets Of Skateboarding review if you are thinking of purchasing this e-book. This is without doubt the most talked about e-book in the skateboarding genre.

And you gotta ask yourself why this is? And this is because it can do what it says on the tin. It can help you to learn all the skateboarding tricks around, and then some, in 8 weeks or less.

So why can it do this? Well, the devil is in the detail, and Tony Waters is very, very good on the detail. He bangs on about the correct technique, and more importantly gives you detailed guides on how to go about getting the correct technique.

In the Secrets Of Skateboarding he writes in a concise and easy to follow manner, and all the e-book flows towards a natural conclusion. He tells you exactly what to do before you even attempt a trick, where your feet should be and the posture you should have, so that you have the correct balance and weight distribution on each foot.

He tells you where and how hard to pop, and how your feet should rotate and flip the board. Tony gives you brilliantly detailed guides on many, many tricks, among them the Ollie, Kickflip, Pop Shove It, Hard Flip, 360 Flip, Varial Flip, Frontside Heelflip, and Backside Heel Flip.

The Secrets Of Skateboarding could not make it more simpler for you, just follow the guide and do the exercises he shows you and learn the techniques exactly as he shows you, and you will learn these tricks 50 times faster than attempting them without this guide.

As I said it is his detailed analysis of how to go about learning tricks that wins me over. It gives you very specific instructions that make life a whole lot easier.

He even goes into the mental approach you need before attempting any tricks, and looks at visuallisation as a good technique to use.

So this Secrets Of Skateboarding review has to give the guide a big thumbs up. If you see a better guide, please give me a call!

The ABC's of Lower Back Pain

The lower part of the back holds the weight of much of the body. Small problems can cause immense pain when a person is standing or otherwise putting pressure on the lower back. These persons most at risk for lower back pain are those that have jobs that entail heavy physical labor and/or sitting for long periods of time. People whose jobs include long drives are at risk of experiencing back pain. People who experience heavy stress loads are also at risk of experiencing some degree of lower back pain.

The symptoms of lower back pain can include a throbbing ache, a stabbing feeling or a shooting pain as well as limited flexibility including the inability to straiten up or stand upright completely. Lower back pain is classified as chronic if it constantly persists for more than three months.

Lower back pain is generally easy to treat and can be eased with a variety of non surgical procedures. Many non prescription pain medicines are used to manage pain and several anti-inflammatory drugs are used to reduce the inflammation that occurs in the muscles of the lower back. MedGen's PAINenz is a roll-on, topical analgesic that uses the pain relief of capsaicin to effectively reduce the pain in the on lower back. Prescription medicines are not usually applied unless the condition has been termed acute or chronic.

There are a number of exercises that can be used to treat lower back pain. These include warm baths and soaks, hot and cold compresses, bed rest in moderation and physical activity. Only in the most severe instances is surgery suggested. Most sufferers of lower back pain recover without any lasting effects.

Most lower back pain can be prevented. Using caution and correct form when lifting heavy objects is a good way to prevent lower back pain. Making a conscious effort to maintain a good posture has a lasting effect on back mobility and the probability of lower back pain.

On rare occasions, lower back pain can be a symptom of larger problem. In some instances lower back pain is a symptom of kidney problems or other acute illnesses.

If symptoms persist for more than six months or grow increasingly more painful consult a heath care professional.

Alas, Poor Theia!

Earth's Moon is the brightest and largest object in the star-splattered night sky. It is an enchanting and lovely companion world, the fifth largest moon in our Solar System. Earth's Moon is mysterious and beckoning, an age-old symbol for love, fleeting beauty, and that which is feminine. But where did our Moon come from?

Earth's Moon is our nearest neighbor. More than 100 moons orbit the eight major planets in our Solar System. The majority of them are frigid worlds, made up primarily of ice and some rocky material, circling the giant planets inhabiting the outer limits of our Solar System--Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. The inner Solar System is almost devoid of moons. Our own Moon is the largest one in our region of the Sun's family. Of the four relatively small, rocky inner planets that circle nearest to the Sun--Mercury, Venus, our Earth, and Mars--Mercury and Venus are moonless, and Mars is circled by two misshapen, miserable excuses for moons, Phobos and Deimos. The two Martian moons are quite small and are likely kidnapped asteroids from the Main Asteroid Belt that whirls around our Sun between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.

A moon is usually defined as a natural object that is in orbit around a planet. The moon is kept in its orbit by the host planet's gravity, as well as the gravity of the moon itself. Some planets host moons; some do not.

At least five theories have been suggested explaining how our Moon was born. The first theory states that the Moon was once a part of our own planet, and then somehow budded off about 4.5 billion years ago, when our Solar System was first forming. The Pacific Ocean basin is the most frequently suggested site for where our Moon originated. A second theory suggests that the Earth and Moon formed together out of the original nebula that gave birth to our Solar System. The third theory states that the interaction of Earth-orbiting and Sun-orbiting planetesimals, early in the history of our Solar System, resulted in their disintegration. Earth's Moon then condensed from this debris. Planetesimals were the building blocks of the planets in the early Solar System, and they were rocky, icy, or both. They collided and then stuck together to form the planets. The fourth theory states that our Moon was actually born elsewhere in the Solar System, and was eventually kidnapped by our planet when it ventured too close to Earth's gravitational embrace.

However, the theory that is currently considered to be the most credible is usually called the giant impact theory, or alternatively (and playfully), the Big Whack or Big Splash theory. The fundamental suggestion of this theory is that a hypothetical Mars-sized protoplanet, named Theia by astronomers, crashed into the primordial Earth billions of years ago. The catastrophe resulted in a portion of the ancient Earth's crust to be shot off into space, hoisting a myriad of moonlets into the sky. Some of this debris was eventually captured into orbit around the ancient Earth about 4.5 billion years ago, where it was eventually pulled together by the force of gravity to become our lovely Moon!

Most of the giant impact theory was first presented back in 1975 by Dr. William K. Hartmann and Dr. Donald R. Davis of the Planetary Science Institute in Tucson, Arizona. Their theory is based on geological samples gathered by Apollo astronauts when they made their historic voyage to the Moon in July 1969. The oxygen isotopes found within the gathered Moon rocks proved to be almost identical to those of our own planet! An isotope refers to each of two or more types of the same element containing equal numbers of protons but different numbers of neutrons in their atomic nuclei. In addition, other pieces of evidence suggested strongly that the Moon is composed primarily of the same material that is found in the Earth's mantle.

Evidence presented in the October 18, 2012 issue of the journal Nature adds still more credibility to the Big Whack scenario. Planetary scientists, examining Moon-rocks gathered during NASA's Apollo Moon-landing missions, as well as a meteorite that is known to be a chunk of the Moon, searched for traces of zinc in the lunar samples. The ratios of heavy to light isotopes were revealed to be greater than on our planet. This indicates that the Moon experienced a violent evaporation event when our Solar System was first forming. This catastrophic event may well have been the ancient, violent collision of a Mars-sized world--Theia--with the primordial Earth. The study clearly provides additional evidence that Earth's Moon was formed in the wake of a gigantic impact, the scientists explained.

When our Moon was still forming, it is thought to have sported a fiery, global magma ocean that was hot enough to vaporize zinc. A catastrophic impact is one of the few events that would be capable of generating that immense quantity of heat. A second prediction of the Big Whack is that heavier isotopes would exist in greater abundance. This is because they would condense at hotter temperatures.

Dr. Frederic Moynier, assistant professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, told the press on October 17, 2012 that "What we found is that the depletion [of lighter isotopes] of zinc is probably due to evaporation." Dr. Moynier is one of the study's co-authors.

Dr. Moynier, the paper's lead author Dr. Randal Paniello and Dr. James Day of the Scripps Institute of Oceanography in California, discovered that the ratio of zinc-66 to zinc-64 contained in the lunar rocks is approximately three to four times greater than that found on either Earth or the planet Mars. On Mars it is 0.27 parts per thousand, while on Earth it is 0.25 parts per thousand. In contrast, on the Moon, it was a difference of 1.3 to 1.4 parts per thousand--a very significant difference!

Almost all of the lunar samples gathered from the Moon showed similar ratios of heavier to light isotopes, even though they were collected from different regions scattered all over the Moon.

The extremely high temperatures suggest that water vaporized. This further indicates a depletion of other volatiles, which are elements such as sulfur, chlorine, and hydrogen, which all vaporize at much lower temperatures. However, it must be noted that there are several studies suggesting that water is still present in some Moon-rocks.

Exactly how much water and other volatiles Earth's Moon contains is still a key question. Planetary scientists who suggest that there is water in the lunar mantle say that the Moon may have large quantities of those chemicals. However, other planetary scientists argue that the volatiles are primarily located in the upper layers of the Moon's soil, carried in by meteorite impacts and mostly dating from the ancient era of lunar formation.

Water and volatiles most likely resulted from impacts and solar wind, Moynier told the press in October 2012. "[The results] show that all this water they found on the face of the Moon is secondary water," he added.

Still another model, devised by Dr. Matija Cuk and Dr. Sarah Stewart of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, explains the amazingly similar chemistry of our own planet with its lovely Moon. A giant impact onto a fast-spinning Earth shoots material from Earth into orbit, giving birth to a Moon that is just like our own--depleted in iron, with a composition similar to Earth's mantle. After the impact, the once-rapidly spinning Earth is slowed down by a gravitational dance between the Moon and the Sun, termed an orbital resonance.

Of late, the Big Whack theory has lost some credibility because the Earth and its Moon have been shown to be "isotopic twins". The original Big Whack theory predicted that most of Earth's Moon was composed of Theia-stuff rather than Earth-stuff, and therefore should have shown a different isotopic composition.

Therefore, the giant impact theory was in trouble because, even though it could match the mass of the Moon and the rotation rates of the Earth and its Moon, it could not correctly predict the lunar chemical composition. Currently, tides between the Earth and Moon have slowed down Earth's orbit, and have also pushed the Moon further and further away. In the early days of our Solar System, the Moon was much closer to our planet than it is today--a gigantic companion world taking up a large part of the sky. The ancient Earth possessed a mere five-hour day when the Moon was born. If the Earth had a spin of a mere five hours after the impact, the crash of Theia could not have shot enough Earth-stuff into orbit to create a Moon with a chemistry that matched that of Earth.

However, Cuk and Stewart were able to demonstrate that if Earth's initial angular momentum were higher, corresponding to an Earth day of between two and three hours, a catastrophic impact could indeed shoot enough Earth-stuff into orbit to create a Moon that has the same isotopic composition as Earth. With this extremely fast rotation rate, it is much easier to shoot Earth-stuff into orbit as the result of a giant impact.

Cuk and Stewart also calculated that the ancient Earth could well have possessed such a short rotation period after the crash and then later have attained its current much more sluggish spin-rate by transferring angular momentum to the Sun by way of evection resonance. Evection resonance refers to the gravitational dance between Earth's orbit circling the Sun and the lunar orbit around Earth. This paper has revealed for the first time that it is indeed possible for the ancient Earth to have possessed a spin rate of only two or three hours after the giant impact.

But where did Theia go after it had smashed into the ancient Earth, causing the formation of our enchanting large Moon? That is the question! No trace of this hypothetical ancient world has ever been observed--and it has not been for lack of trying. If Theia or its remnants and relics are ever observed by astronomers it will at long last explain the mysterious origin of Earth's luminous, captivating companion.

Property Conveyancing - Advice From Solicitors

Property conveyancing is one of those tricky legal subjects that you can do yourself, but it is better to have a solicitor sort it out for you. Solicitors Leicester offer professional conveyancing services, ensuring that your property transferring is made as simple as possible.

'Conveyancing' is a technical term for the mechanisms of transferring property. A conveyance is a deed that will legally transfer ownership of legal title of any property from one person to another.

Solicitors are recommended so that the transferring will go as smoothly as possible. It is also worth consulting a personally recommended solicitor.

Conveyancing solicitors normally perform any of the following services: obtaining the deed, completing the associated forms the lists of fixtures, fittings and contents, sending out a draft content package to the buyer's solicitor, agreeing a date when the purchase will be completed and exchanging contracts. Due to the complexity involved, this is why a solicitor is recommended.

Although the solicitor does not have to be local to the property, a local professional knows the area and is familiar with local planning restrictions, which can only help when it comes to drafting out an agreement.

Some large estate agents offer an in-house conveyancing service but are usually reluctant to give recommendations as it can lead to a conflict of interest.

When it comes to prices, some are fixed nation-wide prices- they should not vary from solicitor to solicitor. However, some fees will change depending on the solicitor, so it might be best to shop around. Solicitors Leicester offer helpful advice and very competitive fees.

CCNA 640-801 Certification Primer

The Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) Certification is meant for career enhancement as well as gaining knowledge of the LAN/WAN technologies currently available for implementation. Hence, CCNA Certification can be obtained by IT professionals who have been a part of the industry for a considerable time and are interested in furthering their career in terms of role enhancement and salary. Individuals who are beginning their career and want to move towards LAN/WAN management may also pursue the certification, as it is a basic level certification and there are no prerequisites.

Details About CCNA Certification

The CCNA Certification is an ideal foundation in the field of networking. CCNA Certification equips professionals with skills to select, install, configure, troubleshoot, and operate LAN/WAN, and dial access services for small networks. CCNA Certification also equips professionals with the knowledge to employ access lists and use of protocols such as IP, IGRP, Serial, Frame Relay, IP RIP, VLANs, RIP, and basics of the Ethernet Technology, purpose and use of Access Lists.

Pre Requisites: Nil

The CCNA exam has no pre requisites. The aspirant should be comfortable with basic concepts of LAN for his/her own convenient approach to the exam.

CCNA Exams

CCNA Exam Options

Single Exam Option

640-801 CCNA: Introduction to Cisco Networking Technologies and Interconnecting Cisco Networking Devices

OR

Multiple Exams option

641-821 INTRO Beta: Introduction to Cisco Networking Technologies (INTRO) 640-811 ICND: Interconnecting Cisco Networking Devices

The recommended course(s)/training From Cisco are:

Interconnecting Cisco Networking Devices (ICND 2.0 or ICND 2.1 )

Introduction to Cisco Networking Technologies ( INTRO )

CCNA Recertification

With the retirement of 640-607 in September 2003, the available options to recertify are 640-801 or any other Professional or Cisco qualified specialist track.

Validity

CCNA certifications are valid for three years.

Cisco Agreement

Accepting the terms of Cisco Career Certification and Confidentiality Agreement is a very important part of obtaining Cisco Certification, failing which the application processing of certification may be halted.

Exam Description

The 640-801 is the exam available for aspirants pursuing Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) Certification. Since 640-607 has retired, the article solely concentrates on the 640-801. The CCNA (640-801) exam focuses on the Interconnecting Cisco Network Devices (ICND) course as well as the new Introduction to Cisco Networking Technologies (INTRO) course. The courses and the exam ensure that the successful candidate has the important knowledge and skills necessary to select, connect, configure, and troubleshoot the various Cisco networking devices. The exam also includes topics on Extending Switched Networks with VLANS, Determining IP Routes, Managing IP traffic with Access Lists, Establishing Point-to-Point connections, and Establishing Frame Relay Connections.

Objectives

The following topics listed are the most likely ones on which the testing will focus during the exam. Topics related to this may probably be tested further in detail too.

Planning & Designing

Design a simple LAN using Cisco Technology Design an IP addressing scheme to meet design requirements Select an appropriate routing protocol based on user requirements Design a simple internetwork using Cisco technology Develop an access list to meet user specifications Choose WAN services to meet customer requirements Implementation & Operation Configure routing protocols, given user requirements Configure IP addresses, subnet masks, and gateway addresses on routers and hosts Configure a router for additional administrative functionality Configure a switch with VLANS and inter-switch communication Implement a LAN Customize a switch configuration to meet specified network requirements Manage system image and device configuration files Perform an initial configuration on a router Perform an initial configuration on a switch Implement access lists Implement simple WAN protocols

Troubleshooting

Utilize the OSI model as a guide for systematic network troubleshooting Perform LAN and VLAN troubleshooting Troubleshoot routing protocols Troubleshoot IP addressing and host configuration Troubleshoot a device as part of a working network Troubleshoot an access list Perform simple WAN troubleshooting

Technology

Describe network communications using layered models Describe the Spanning Tree process Compare and contrast key characteristics of LAN environments Evaluate the characteristics of routing protocols Evaluate TCP/IP communication process and its associated protocols Describe the components of network devices Evaluate rules for packet control Evaluate key characteristics of WANs

Since troubleshooting is very simplified and methodic when the OSI layered model concepts are clear, the extensive focus on the OSI model still remains in 640-801 exam along with the rest of the basic content. The enhancement is in the Dial on Demand Routing (DDR) and the Config-register and some switching concepts.

Exam specifics

The CCNA exam I took had 58 questions to be answered in 90 minutes with a passing score of 849. The exam may have question numbers ranging from 55 to 65. The time allotted will be 90 minutes and the pattern of questions may vary from exam to exam, i.e., depending on the number of questions against the time given, the number of multiple-choice response, drag-and-drop and simulators may vary.

Exam Pattern

There will be router/switch simulator questions, many multiple choice questions and a few drag-and-drop questions along with a few multiple choice single response and fill in the blank type of questions.

When switching between the simulator-based questions and the rest of the exam, the simulator engine may seem a little slow. For some simulator-based questions, you will be presented with scenarios. You need to remember configuration commands and listing commands to grasp the scenarios and troubleshoot them. Remember to have a blank sheet on which you can mark important points and remember to save any changes you make on the simulator relating to the configuration. The simulator is very much like the real one on the routers and switches except that abbreviated editing and help commands may not be available. Ensure that you do not try these abbreviated commands and waste time, it is always better to use the entire syntax of any command you may be required to use.

Some concepts like the OSI model, the Access lists, the Subnetting etc, are the type of questions that may be time consuming, as they require single-minded concentration, very clear basics and some amount of calculation. The scenario type of questions needs an eye for detailed and clear analytical abilities. Be clear with the command line configuration commands and their switches and have an insight to the kind of testing the vendor may employ. That should help you have a CCNA certificate under your belt.

The various testing methods a vendor (Prometric in this case) may employ are as follows (pertaining to the CCNA exam):

Single-Response Multiple Choices

The simplest one of the lot, usually comes in between many complicated questions to relax your brains and prepare you for the worst to come, sometimes may not fetch much score. If you are not aware of the answer, do not waste time guessing it. Skip the question and move to the next. It is the most common question type used in most exams, the response choices will be adjacent to radio buttons, this indicates there can be only one correct answer to the question.

Multiple-Response Multiple Choice

Checkboxes will replace radio buttons to indicate that there can be more than one choice to the correct answer, and it may range from two up to four at times. The questions may at times, state the number of correct choices. But the tricky part is when the question states, choose all that apply. Here, even if one choice is skipped the answer may not be complete and may not fetch the desired score.

Another hint here is, more number of choices presented to the candidate to choose from, more may be the choices, when compared with usual. If there are 5 or 6 choices presented, it means there will be at least 3 correct choices out of the available choices.

Fill in the Blank

The standard fill in the blank may have a single choice answer. It may also have 3 blanks to be filled and all three in a single choice, making it a single response or may have the three blanks mentioned as three individual choices too, making it a multiple response type of a question. In other words the fill in the blanks question may be a single response or a multiple response with definitely multiple choice to choose from.

Drag-and-Drop Questions

With this type, a number of elements may be presented and you may be required to drag the element from its current placeholder to the appropriate location on the screen to arrive at the correct choice of answer. You will usually be presented with more items than required to complete the picture, to confuse the correct choice. This type of a question may appear as a graphical match the following or a logical diagram of a particular process or theory slightly out of place, which you may have to re arrange.

Simulator Questions

These types of questions simulate the administrative environment and are very similar to the real one and expect you to carry out an administrative task to complete the question task. For example, you may be presented with a hyper terminal screen and asked to remotely configure a switch or a router as you would in real environment using the relevant commands. The final result will be graded, versus the path or the process you took to arrive at the result; therefore if the question says use the easiest method to achieve the task when there is more than one way of doing it and you choose the less easier one you will not receive the expected scoring at all.

You've learned the details about the Exam, its pattern, objectives, etc. Now it's time to learn how to master the course and prepare scientifically. You can do that with the help of CCNA Exam Preparation Guide.

Well, with all this information you are well armed to take up the CCNA 640-801 exam and score well too!!! Best of Luck!!!

Useful Reference Resources

Books CCNA Official Cisco Course Ware Cisco Press books Sybex Series

Discussion Forums and Groups

Even though you have access to all the resources listed above, you may want to hear about the experiences of other people. There are places for these too:

Exam notes Whizlabs CCNA Certification Forum

Exam Simulators

There are many ways to prepare for certification exams, one of them being through the use of exam simulators.

Check out Whizlabs CCNA 640-801 Exam Simulator

Besides identifying your weak areas, and giving you a feel of the exam environment, Whizlabs Exam Simulator nurtures your potential to acquire domain expertise so that you not only succeed in your certification exam but succeed in your career too.