I am getting ready for my recent with this exam and I wanted to start a post updating the free materials we can use to prepare for this exam. Since I have a Safari Books Online subscription, I will also list the books available there. I will keep updating with posts as I complete the search for these free materials. Most of them were referenced in the focal prep matrix from Cisco, but they had let many of the links go stale. Please note any broken links for me in the comments to this post and I will fix. Also, if you have great links to add – let me know! Thanks!

1.1 Network Theory

• 1.1.a Describe basic software architecture differences between IOS and IOS XE
• 1.1.a.i Control Plane and Forwarding Plane
• 1.1.a.ii Impact to troubleshooting and performance
• 1.1.a.iii Excluding specific platform’s architecture
• Cisco IOS XE and Cisco IOS Software Release 15
• Advanced troubleshooting of IOS-XE key features – BRKARC-2021
• Cisco IOS XE
• Introduction to Cisco IOS XE
• IOS XE for the CCIE R&S v5 Written
• IOS XE Processes
• Books: IP Routing on Cisco IOS, IOS XE, and IOS XR: An Essential Guide to Understanding and Implementing IP Routing Protocols