The Real Dirt on BrainDumps and the CCNA

By SemSim CCNA Learning Center

What are braindumps?

Braindumps are questions and answers taken from exams or other tests that have been copyrighted for purposes of protecting Confidential or Trade Secret Information and distributed for purposes of cheating or profit. [1] They are mostly illegal, widely available on the Internet, and accessed every day by candidates who are hoping to gain an edge and get a sneak preview at the questions they are going to see on the exam. Some of them are compiled by individual exam takers who may have remembered a question or two from the exam, but most of them are illegally acquired by corrupt individuals who work in, or own Test Centers.

Why are braindumps so bad?

If you’ve read this far, you’re probably starting to get interested in braindumps. And who wouldn’t be, right? Braindumps appear to provide you with inside info and some insight into the CCNA exams, especially the ever-popular 640-802. However, braindumps are hardly effective at all for the following reasons:

• Questions change: Do you really think Cisco is careless enough to include the same 50-60 test questions on every CCNA exam? Of course not, and you shouldn’t be careless enough to assume they will. Infact, every test is different and created on the fly from a large database.
• Secondhand information: Some braindumps are the result of user contributions. While some users may enter questions and answers correctly, many others choose to fudge the details, select the wrong correct answer choice, or fail to provide a correct choice at all! Even further, it’s not like a braindump is accountable for incorrect info, so errors are hard to catch and even harder to fix.
• They just don’t work: The Cisco CCNA 640-802 is a certification that designates you as a Cisco network associate, not just a professional memorizer. The concepts tested on the CCNA exams require critical evaluation and analysis, skills that are actually hindered by using braindumps. Cisco wants you to rely on your expertise and a clear thought process to reach the correct answers. We know from experience that this is the approach that will work best.
• Practice exams are better: You should be asking at this point: “Why take a practice exam when real, prior test questions are available online?” It’s a very valid question and one we would like to address. It’s true that sometimes Cisco will include a similar question here or there and maybe you’ll gain a slight edge in that way during the test. However, well written Practice Tests are designed to help you learn the concepts behind the technology so that you will be ready for a number of scenarios, not just the one that is on the real exam. Practice tests are designed to mimic a real test and, unlike braindumps, are not composed of 50 or so user-submitted, randomly assorted, poor-quality questions. Practice tests will give you a better gauge of your skills and performance and ultimately will help you more on the “real thing”
• It’s just not right: Braindumps are unethical and unlawful. There is no reason to taint your certification status knowing that you violated Cisco’s rules and cheated your way to passing, especially when braindumps put you at risk of doing exactly the opposite. Keep your conscience clear!
• Identity Theft: Identity Theft has been on the rise for a number of years now and sending your name and credit card information to a company that is dealing with illegal braindumps is an invitation for trouble. Braindump distribution websites are illegal and are stealing Intellectual Property from corporations that have the means of pursuing legal action against them, they’re not going to worry about a few individuals who don’t have the means to do so.
• Decertification: One of the biggest reasons to not cheat. There is a large misconception out there that the only way to be caught cheating is if you are “caught red-handed”. We can attest that that is 100% incorrect. Cisco, along with all the other Certification Vendors, is actively pursuing candidates who have used braindumps to cheat for their exam (whether the candidate had prior knowledge of the cheating or not). The candidate is not only risking the current certification they are working towards earning, they are also risking the certifications they have already earned and they can be banned from ever earning another certification from Cisco.

  To avoid any risk and to ensure that you are using legitimate resources to study with, always check the credentials of the website using the popular credential check tool at:

  http://www.certguard.com/search.asp

  CertGuard has done extensive research on hundreds of websites that are purporting to provide candidates with “legitimate” practice exams, and is leading the effort to uphold the value in certification by eliminating braindumps and helping to reduce the number of candidates who get duped into cheating.

Practice Exams

The best alternative to braindumps are practice tests and exams, which mimic the real thing without actually plagiarizing the materials or breaking any of Cisco’s rules. The basic difference between practice tests and dumps is that practice tests do not draw directly from previous test questions but can be reflective of the level of knowledge required to pass the exam. Why not take a look at SemSim's CCNA practice exams instead of braindumps and take them for a spin?

• brain dumps
• Braindumps
• CCNA
• CertGuard
• Cisco
• exams
• intellectual property
• Practice tests
• SemSim