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I just got back from my CWNA exam which I got a 95% on. I am shocked to say the least...and a little concerned actually. If possible can someone tell me who in the org I might speak to directly regarding the test. There is a concern I have about several of the questions which might cause an issue for people taking the 104 test, but studying with the 105 practice questions on this site. I don't want to violate any disclosure issues so it would be best if I had someone I could email or pm.

That being said, here is what I did to prepare.

Start with a good background in TCP/IP: as part of the process to get my ccna I pretty much had to have a complete understanding of the OSI model. Most of the study materials for CWNA pretty much assume you know the difference between layer 2 and layer 3, packets and frames, particularly as it relates to routing and addressing.

[list=1][*]Read the official study guide and the included whitepapers on the CD front to back and take ample notes. Take the practice tests on the CD at the end of each chapter, its much easier than doing in the book and they are the same questions[/*]
[*]Do the flash cards on the CD The flash cards will start to give you a clue of what you probably missed.[/*]
[*]Now do some practice tests on the CWNA site: these are great because not only do they give you a better explanation than the CD practice tests for the questions you missed, but they also categorize the questions to show you what areas are your weak spots.[/*]
[*]Now that you know your weakest areas, go back to your materials and refocus on them, if you can't find the answers in any of the include materials my80211.com and wifiplanet.com are great resources. Don't bother with Wikipedia for several obvious reasons.[/*]
[*]Do the sample tests in the Sybex CD, I reccommend doing this later for a couple reasons. First, unlike the online test, this does not tell you how many options to choose in a multple answer scenario, which for me at least, makes it harder, and second, since it does not categorize the answers, you will need to look at the individual areas (like for example the EAP process instead of the general heading "Security", use this to fine tune your gaps in knowledge. [/*]
[*] Go and review the test objectives line by line to see where your gaps are and fix them
[*] Now go back and retake the practice tests again. The second time through you will see some questions you recognized, don't just click and move on because you remembered it, understand why it is right and why the others were wrong. The second time through you need to really focus on learning the "style" of the exam. Lots of people have said that there will probably be a few answers that look right...Totally true. Its best to treat the test and a cunning adversary. Read EACH word of the question, and eliminate the blatantly wrong answers, then eliminate the answers which would be right except for in circumstance X, or they may indicate the correct technology, but for erroneous reasons. And don't forget to post questions to the forum if you don't understand the explanation the answer gives
...even if it you realize moments after posting that it was a failure to carefully read the question :)
[/list]

And when its all over, apologize to your spouse and kids because if you are like me, you were probably a strung out mess of a person in the lead up to the test.

Well done Kory, and thank you for sharing your prep in such detail.

Good job, Kory! With a solid study plan and strong score like that, are you going for CWSP?

Was that on your first try?

Are you going to try for the CCNA Wireless at some point since you alright have the CCNA?

Did you get the CWNA Self Study Kit they offer here?

Yes it was my first try, which I attribute to a single phrase that I wrote on the dry erase sheet they gave me. "Whats the catch?" It was my reminder that I need to reread each question WORD for WORD before clicking next. I think it saved me on several questions.

I was not originally planning on doing CCNA wireless but I looked at the material and I think CWNA covers more than half of the test objectives, it is enticing since we are a Cisco shop here (Aruba/Cisco wireless though).

I am seriously considering doing CWSP since I am going to be given oversight for the Schools our company runs and they all just completed big wireless projects.

So which one do you guys think I should take on next?

Congratulations !

I like your Dry Erase Board message. I think I'll follow your example next time around.

If they using more than Open authetication and are not seeing any provisioning problems (ha) then I would go for the CWSP. If on the otherhand you anticipate having to redo much of the work, I would go for the CWDP.

It's really a tough call because the CWAP could help you debug a lot of potential problems.

Be forewarned though, all of them are [u]significantly[/u] more difficult than the CWNA. The CWSP especially requires more than just studying one book. I think the best prep for that one is a CWAP and/or lots of experience.

In addition to Wlanman's advice, I would suggest that for your next cert you consider which CWNP exam that matches your experience. For me that was CWSP, but you might have more experience with design or troubleshooting than with security.

I decided that I would pursue the CWNP program as far as I could before changing tracks to another certification program, and that way I kept the momentum going in the same direction. There is some overlap in the objectives, so it helps to study for and take the next CWNP exam while the CWNA is still fresh in your mind.

I'm kind of torn right now because I know there will definitely be some security challenges (especially in the high schools where I have been called in on a favor to t-shoot issues, its amazing the kind of havoc a few kids with iphones can cause if they get in to a network that is in the middle of a transition.)

I know having security skills will be demanded in the future, but t-shoot is needed now, and if you say that cwap knowledge helps with the cwsp test, it might not be such a bad idea to spend the time with the cwap stuff first. They seem like they are each separate areas (design security analysis) and none have prerequisites for the other, but if I understand Wlanman correctly, the CWAP is sort of a de facto prerequisite for CWSP, or at least helpful?

@@ron, you make an excellent point, and I think that I can make a convincing argument to myself that ccna-w is the logical progression from cwna as well, since they overlap so much.

Decisions. Decisions. And to think, when I first started this I figured CWNA would be enough training to do the job right...I never knew how deep the field could get, or how interesting for that matter.

I more than wholeheartedly agree with @@ron when he says "...so it helps to study for and take the next CWNP exam while the CWNA is still fresh in your mind." I could not do that due to $ considerations. But if I were doing it over I would try to pass them all as fast as I could. Of course you may not have the experience to get a CWNE immediately afterward.