It doesn’t feel right calling a book that is over 1000 pages a study guide, but that is precisely what this is. It’s a best-selling Sybex study guide written by a leading authority on Citrix networking and the author of numerous Cisco books, Todd Lammle.

The writing in CCNA Certification Kit: Exam 640-802 may sometimes feel intimidating to some of the lesser-experience Cisco newbies out there, but it shows the reader the reason the networking theories work instead of just feeding the reader data and information to memorize, like most of the other books for the CCNA exam 640-802 do. With concentrated reading by the reader, the reward will be knowledge worthy of passing the exam and much real-world experience to boot.

One reader stated that he passed by reading the book only – didn’t even need to use the e-trainer virtual lab. Of course, he had years of experience with Cisco routers and networking and this wouldn’t be advisable for beginners and novices.

With this book, you’ll need not purchase any other book for the Cisco 640-802 exam. This one is hands on, guaranteed to pass and has expert training. The purchasers of this book don’t need to have access to a $2,500 router to practice the labs, as this book comes with the CCNA Virtual Lab eTrainer – a virtual router lab to experiment on with all of the exercises. The “lab” contains 3 Cisco routers, a Catalyst 1900 switch and two WAN links. It allows you to practice almost as though you were sitting in a real Cisco networking environment. This book + virtual lab gives the reader far better experience than any other book can give for real world router experience. This is a vital tool in the toolbox of any aspiring CCNA.

Just an FYI for anyone who purchases this book should know about the lab simulator – for ping to work, each router must have the clock rate and encapsulation set the same on the serial interface.

This is the “best of the best” of Todd Lammle books. One reader stated that it’s a “Great improvement over other Todd Lammle books” and that “It couldn’t have been written better”.

The extra features with this book really complete a great study and practice experience. The simulator is a must to help you know the CLI commands inside and out, which you’ll need for the exam. The CCNA FastPass review guide is a concise, high-level review of each of the chapters and is the icing on the cake. It should be the last phase before taking the exam.

All topics of the test are covered in this offering. And with all of the practice exercises after each chapter, practice tests and the four bonus exams, there’s no need to purchase any other 3rd party practice exams. The CCNA Certification Kit: Exam 640-802 is infinitely better at preparing someone for the Cisco 640-802 exam than any other offering. Other books just seem to present facts. This one actually teaches.

Are you one of the many exam candidates who dreads the subject of subnetting? One reader stated that to really understand subnetting (for someone who hasn’t been doing it for years) read the subnetting chapter twice. That is all it took for him and he was able to pass the exam, and felt he did great on the questions that involved subnetting. Another reader stated, “It saved me in subnetting. I cannot recommend it highly enough”. Another reader stated, “Passed in just one week of studying with this. Best section on subnetting I have ever seen.” With those kinds of recommendations, you can rest assured that you will understand subnetting (almost) like an experienced pro after using this preparation toolkit.

For those who are already Microsoft certified, this is a great addition to your certifications. One MCSE reader stated that now, thanks to this book, he is now MCP+I and CCNA certified. He said that this was by far the most thorough of the CCNA books that he had read and that it is an excellent way to learn about Cisco routers and switches.

For those with years of experience with Cisco routers and networking, you might not even need to use the lab simulator, so that will cut down on study time for you. One very experienced reader stated that he passed the exam without the use of the lab simulation.

Of course, there will be many lesser experienced readers too. To those of you, you can rest easy as many other readers passed the exam with little or no experience with Cisco products. One reader said that he was nervous about taking the exam and then a friend suggested using this preparation kit, and while reading it, his mind was put to work and it became crystal clear. He claimed that it was by far the best Cisco book he had ever read.

As for how high of a score can you get on the Cisco 640-802 using these prep materials? One purchaser of the CCNA Certification Kit: Exam 640-802 said that he received a 956 score (out of 1000) using just this kit. He said that others with not as much experience might want to purchase one or more 3rd party practice exams along with this kit because it’s too easy to get a skewed perception on what the real exam will be like when only using one product to prepare.

How does this compare to classroom training? Readers agree that compared with paying thousands for instructor-led training, this kit is an extraordinary purchase. Well worth the $150 investment. Purchasers said things like, “If you can’t get your hands on a router, this is the next best thing” and “This book offers the best value for the money” and “This is probably the least expensive way to prepare for the CCNA certification.” With quotes like those, it’s easy to see that there is no better and cost-saving way to pass the Cisco 640-802 than with the CCNA Certification Kit: Exam 640-802.

So with a combination of one of the best writers in the field, some of the best features and practice exams of a preparation study guide and the positive testimonials of dozens of other readers, this seems to be the best book that anyone can purchase, and possibly the only one you will need, to pass the Cisco 640-802 and receive a Cisco CCNA certification.

How often have you been able to say this about a Microsoft certification exam preparation book: “I was very impressed!”? I know from my experiences in using books to study for Microsoft exams, it doesn’t happen very often. And the fact that it’s a set of four books for four different exams makes that reader’s claim even more impressive.

But the above seems to be the general feeling for MCITP Self-Paced Training Kit (Exams 70-640, 70-642, 70-643, 70-647): Windows Server 2008 Enterprise Administrator Core Requirements set of books, along with agreeing that this set has a great price – New for around $150.00 last I checked. And I agree, that is a great price – especially considering the book lists at $229.99, which would have been a decent price considering the amount of in-depth material that these products hold for four separate Microsoft certification exams.

The object of this exam preparation set is to prepare the reader for the Windows Server 2008 Enterprise Administration MCITP (Microsoft Certified Information Technology Professional) certification using study-at-your-own-pace reading material, pre-assessment and post-assessment customizable practice tests and hands-on lab work using the evaluation version of Windows Server 2008 Enterprise Edition.

If you’re wondering where to start, this is a great product to get you started on Windows Server 2008. A reader of the books said that the information is detailed and to the point. You’ll learn what you need to pass the exams without all of the filler and fluff. Another one said that before taking the exams she didn’t have much experience on Windows Server 2008, but that this MCITP training kit made her confident on the OS and well prepared for the actual exams.

As mentioned before, the price on Amazon couldn’t be better. Purchasers of the training kit mentioned that the Amazon price is a price not found anywhere else on the web or in any store. One pointed out that with the Microsoft test voucher that comes with the training kit, you save an additional $75 using the voucher for all four exams. That virtually brings the price down to around a net of $75 when looked at in that light.

The CDs and software that are included in the kit make your MCITP training as straightforward as possible. The over 1200 practice and review questions and answers give the testing candidate even more confidence that he or she can pass the real exam. The testing software includes awesome features such as timed testing, focus on discrete objectives and chapters, detailed explanations for not only right answers, but also wrong answers, object by object review, pointing back to the book for for more study and automated scoring and feedback.

It is advisable to when using the practice exams to not only focus on the right answer, and the explanation to the right answer, but also read the explanations to the wrong answers, and get an understanding as to why those answers are wrong. Do that in practice mode. Next, when you feel like you’re ready for the challenge, set the practice exams for real-world mode and get a very true sense of how you will do on the real exam. If you can score over 80% consistently, you are probably ready to take and pass the real test.

Another great feature? Case studies and troubleshooting scenarios. With these extras, the reader will not only learn how to pass the MCITP exams, he or she will also gain some real-world knowledge that will carry on past the testing process into real-world job situations. One reader stated that the books provide nice real-world advice on how to design complex Microsoft based networks. Not only that, but he pointed out that there is some managerial advice. These things are not just filler, they are also needed to pass the real exams. The reviewer ended by saying that he feels a good sense of pride knowing how great the certification is that he is about to earn.

The addition of the eBook also comes in handy. It’s nice to have when carrying around the book isn’t possible. The eBook is also searchable, so if you have a question about a general topic or specific objective you can type it in and in seconds have the answer to your question. One reader stated that anytime he had a question, this feature came to the rescue and it definitely helped in the certification process.

This book is really designed for Microsoft Systems Administrators, Network Administrators and Engineers, Network Architects and Designers and IT Managers. And, as pointed out earlier, even if you don’t have much knowledge about or experience with Windows Server 2008, you will have after using this training kit. One review said that it is a fantastic product to study and refine your knowledge of Windows Server 2008. It’s of the highest quality and it’s just what one needs to pass the exams and learn the nuances of Windows Server 2008.

Another 5 star reviewer said that MCITP Self-Paced Training Kit (Exams 70-640, 70-642, 70-643, 70-647): Windows Server 2008 Enterprise Administrator Core Requirements is not just a dust-collector after passing the exams. That it does a fantastic job of covering the exam objectives and very useful as a reference source for providing real-world guidance.

The authors of this training kit have a plethora of experience in real-world situations and in writing great certification preparation material. Tony Northrup and Dan Holme are well-known for writing MS certification preparation books. All the authors hold Microsoft certifications and are real-world professionals. All authors experience combined include “The Self-Paced Training Kit for Exam 70-290 (Windows Server 2003)”, “Windows Vista Resource Kit”, “Self-Paced Training Kits for Exams 70- 622, 70-270, 70-271, and 70-272″, “Self-Paced Training Kit for Exam 70-622 (Windows Vista)”, “Self-Paced Training Kit for Exam 70-623″. About the authors, one reader stated “The authors wrote in an easy to read and follow way. They have done a superlative job of presenting complex subjects in an easy to read manner. Logically broken down to cover all of the exam objectives. Reference chart breaks down each lesson and chapter relevant to the exam objective. Numerous real-world examples in each chapter to emphasize points covered. Detailed exercises to reinforce the concepts. Numerous references to Microsoft Best Practices – Nice touch that will prove beneficial to many. Highly recommend.”

I’m sure after reading this review you can recognize that “MCITP Self-Paced Training Kit (Exams 70-640, 70-642, 70-643, 70-647): Windows Server 2008 Enterprise Administrator Core Requirements” is the training product to purchase if you are pursuing a path in Windows Server 2008 Enterprise Administration.