CCNP BSCI Exam Certification Guide, Third Edition
Reviewer: Tanya Montoya, Security Systems Engineer
Reviewer Certification: CCNP
Rating: **** out of *****
The reason that I picked this book is because I am getting ready to re-certify as a CCNP and
CCDP. I have several Cisco Press books on the subject, but I felt that I needed the latest offered.
I was not disappointed in the subject matter. In fact, this reader commends the author on the
depth and breadth of the huge undertaking of teaching this information. It’s obvious that she has
the experience required to take on this task and the teaching skills and writing skills necessary to
impart this to her students. Though I don’t give the book the maximum possible rating, I do give it
a 4 out of a maximum of 5. Why not the maximum? Because this book is extremely difficult to
read and it took several re-reads of several sections in order to understand what the author was
trying to teach.
I found many of the subjects explained in an unnecessarily complex manner. The author often
doesn’t make smooth transitions from one subject to another as she switches paragraphs. This
leaves the reader sitting there wondering, “Did I miss something?” -- Thus, the re-reads. It also
appears that the author didn’t always write the post-chapter questions, as this reader found
questions at the end of chapters that weren’t even addressed till the next, or even 2 or 3 chapters
later. The author appears to assume too much of the reader’s background; she often uses
terminology or references concepts that aren’t explained or requires the reader to have other
resources available. Fortunately for this reader, I had the ACRC book, edited by Laura Chappell
(1999) and the Cisco website available for downloads of IS-IS. These other sources were used
often when I was trying to discern what the author was trying to impart. As I stated, I have
already passed the CCNP and am reading this book to re-certify. I can’t imagine trying to depend
on only reading this book (for routing) as a graduating CCNA on my way to CCNP.
At times, I found that the author did not use common terminology found in most books. If those
cases, she should have defined her terminology. For example, she uses the word “subnet” where
other books use the word “subnetwork”. Though this seems insignificant, this reader found the
inconsistent terminology often distracting. The author should refer to the terminology in use on
the Cisco exams and be consistent with that use. If one of the goals “for this book is not only to
help you pass the exam…”, then it would benefit the prospective exam candidate to be exposed
to the same terminology in the self-study books as that will appear on the exams.
Most of the figures and examples are accurate, but at times, the errors in them make it difficult to
follow the intended concepts – the correction of these errors is especially critical to new students
(CCNA graduates).
If I’ve been so critical in the above couple of paragraphs, then why do I still give the book a rating
of 4 and not a lower score? I give the book this rating due to the breadth and completeness of
the covered subject matter. Most every author out there that would undertake such an enormous
task would be bound to have the same number of difficult passages and inconsistencies. Those
errors that this reader found cannot necessarily be attributed to the author but that of the
editor(s). Perhaps each editor was too technical of an editor and in that case, each understood
immediately what the author was trying to impart to the reader. Or perhaps even the editors can’t
catch every inconsistency or difficult passage. But for the CCNP candidate that will buy the book
and is learning the content for the first time (and doesn’t have access to a previously-written book
on the subject matter), this book can be difficult to read. If this were a book of fiction, this reader
would have set it aside after the first chapter because it “doesn’t read well.”
Some of the things that I would especially like to commend the author on are her coverage of
VLSM, CIDR, and route summarization. Her coverage on these subjects is one of the best, if not,
the best explanation in all the books that I’ve read. Additionally, this reader appreciates the
author’s scenario questions at the end of the chapters. They are invaluable for really
understanding the material. This reader feels that for the CCNP candidate, the book is well worth
the struggle. A CD-ROM accompanies the book with sample exam questions and extra (and
worthwhile) material for reading.
Would I buy another book by this author? The answer is “yes” due to the fact that she knows her
material, has the experience in the subject matter, and goes to great lengths to teach it.