I failed my first CCNA attempt with a score of 58%. But the exam itself was only part of the disaster. This is the story of my preparation, my mistakes, and what happened in that testing room that still frustrates me to this day.
The Third Time Starting
Summer 2025. I was staring at Jeremy's IT Lab CCNA course for the third time. The first two attempts? I stopped around video 15 or 20. Out of 125 videos. Something always got in the way - work, life, or just the overwhelming feeling that this mountain was too high to climb.
But this time I made a decision. I wasn't going to let myself quit. Without any real preparation, I purchased the CCNA exam with a Safeguard voucher (which gives you a free retake if you fail) and scheduled it for the beginning of September. Then I did something that felt brave at the time - I took two weeks of vacation right before the exam.
I had about 3-4 weeks total to prepare. Was that enough? I had no idea. But mentally, I was ready for any sacrifice.
The Reality of "Full-Time Study"
The reality of CCNA studying: exhaustion wins, no matter what time of day.
Week one: I sat in front of my computer, headphones on, watching Jeremy explain networking concepts. It went okay. I was focused. I was learning.
Week two: I moved the computer to the kitchen. Why? So I could smoke while studying. I noticed I was going from one pack a day to two. Eventually I bought a vape just to manage it.
Week three: The kitchen wasn't working anymore. I couldn't concentrate on the computer screen. So I moved to the living room and cast Jeremy's videos to the TV. That's when the real problem started - sleep was coming upon me no matter what time of day it was. Jeremy's calm, methodical voice became like natural sleeping pills. I'd wake up and have no idea what video I was on.
The Concept Chaos
Here's the thing about CCNA - there's a LOT of material. By the time you reach Day 50 of Jeremy's course, you've forgotten what Day 10 was about. I was watching videos, but the concepts were mixing together in my head like soup.
Spanning Tree was getting confused with OSPF. Designated Routers mixed up with Root Bridges. NAT blurring into DHCP. And the automation section? Every time I saw "REST API" my brain just screamed "I NEED SOME REST!"
I bought the ExamTopics question bank hoping it would help, but without clear concepts, the questions just made me more confused.
The Final Week of Desperation
With one week left before the exam, I finally finished watching all the videos. Now I had to actually learn this stuff. I started grinding through practice questions - 12 to 14 hours every single day. I swear I'm not exaggerating.
Three days before the exam, my vacation ended. I was back at work during the day and studying at night. Running on coffee and anxiety.
Exam Day
Sunny morning, beginning of September. I walked into the testing center trying to feel confident. An older woman was supervising - she checked my ID, did the security protocols, and sat me down at my station.
The exam started, and I quickly realized the simulation labs were going to destroy me. I got four of them. FOUR. Each one was like a mini-nightmare where I second-guessed every command I typed.
By the time I finished the labs, I looked at the clock: 71 minutes remaining. 68 questions still to answer. And I desperately needed to use the toilet.
The Incident
I raised my hand. The supervisor acknowledged me. I went to the bathroom - no more than 2 minutes, I swear.
When I came back, the old woman was at my computer. The screen was locked (standard security procedure when you leave your seat), and she was frantically typing, trying to unlock it.
She couldn't type the @ symbol.
The keyboard was set to a different language layout. She was pressing Shift+2 expecting @, but getting " instead. For 10-15 minutes, she struggled with this while my exam time ticked away.
Finally, I stepped in, figured out what she needed to do, and unlocked the station myself. My 71 minutes had become 56. I had 68 questions to answer in under an hour.
The Result
I failed. 58%.
My actual score breakdown. Security Fundamentals at 47% hurt, but losing 15 minutes to a keyboard issue hurt more.
That afternoon, as the initial shock wore off, I started thinking. Yes, my preparation wasn't perfect. Yes, I struggled with the labs. But those 15 minutes lost to a keyboard language issue? That wasn't my fault.
Fighting the System
For the next two and a half months, I tried to get answers. First from Pearson VUE, then from Cisco directly. I explained the security incident. I asked them to review the video and audio recordings from the testing room - recordings that should clearly show what happened.
The testing center's response? They claimed I was the one who changed the keyboard language.
But here's what they don't understand: the testing computers are locked down. You can't change system settings without administrator rights. It's literally impossible for a test-taker to do that.
Cisco didn't care to investigate. The case was closed.
The Hardest Part
You know what the worst part was? It wasn't the failed score. It wasn't even the unfair circumstances. It was the terrifying thought that I had to start ALL OVER AGAIN.
All those videos. All those concepts that had already started fading. All those hours of study. I had to do it again, knowing that the exam was even harder than I'd imagined.
But that's exactly what I did. And the second time, I did things differently...
To be continued in Part 2: How I Actually Passed the CCNA