Cisco offers one of the most well-known certification programs in the industry, and if you’re trying to start or further your career, include Cisco search on your resume will be really beneficial. And in this article, I’ll go through the Cisco certification program, the different levels within it, and how to acquire different Sisco certificates. I’ll also show you a specific sweet spot inside the certification program that will truly help you stand out when it comes to presenting your resume to hiring managers.
So, Cisco fully changed their certification program last year, and now let’s take a look at what it takes to get Cisco certified, starting with the CCNA. But first, if you appreciate this content, press the like button. Please click the subscribe button. So, the CCNA is Cisco’s entry-level networking certification, and it covers the fundamentals including the OSI model, basic routing, and switching protocols. And if you’re brand new to networking, I strongly advise you to start with this certification, as it will help you create the foundational knowledge you’ll need to move on to higher-level certifications. In the past, the CCNA was a requirement for higher-level certificates. That is no longer the case since the revision in 2020.
You can now proceed if you already have that knowledge via, instance, on-the-job education or training. Nonetheless, I strongly suggest it. As I previously stated, if you are absolutely new to this. You might also learn about certain CCNA passes now. That’s outdated information from before the upgrade last year. There were previously several CCNA certificates, but there is now only one Cisco CCNA, Cisco Certified Network Associate test and certification. So, let’s move on to CCNP. This was where you could truly set yourself apart by utilizing the various technology pads that the CCNP offers. For the ccm MP program, there are five different technology pads to choose from. Enterprise, service provider, data center, security, and cooperation are all things that exist.
You must must pass a minimum of two exam to gain admission to CCNP. You must pass the core exam for the technology on which you are concentrating. And I’m going to make a list of the many core tests at the CCNP level right here. Another requirement is that you pass a concentrate concentration exam, often known as a specialist exam, which must be timed to correspond with the technological route of your core exam. As a result, passing both the concentration and core exams will get you a CCNP certification. The other benefit of those CCNP concentration exams is that you will get a Cisco certified specialist certification every time you take and pass a Cisco concentration exam.
And what this effectively means is that when you achieve a CCNP, you will also receive at least one Cisco certified specialist certification. Now, the way this works is that I’m going to make a list. This test is only available in the enterprise track of the CCNP enterprise concentration exams. And, of course, if you pass each of these, you’ll be awarded the title of CISCO certified specialist. The way this works is that it produces the “sweet spot" in certification programs, as I like to call it. And this is what hiring managers will be looking for as they go over any Cisco certifications you have, because it demonstrates your ability to demonstrate your strengths inside that technology path. If you’ve completed the Cisco Certified Specialist for Design and another exam, such as wireless Design, it means you know how to design both a physical cable network and a wireless network. And, as I previously stated, this demonstrates where your concentration, focus, and strengths are inside the technological pad.
As a result, you will be able to set yourself apart from the other contenders. And I’m speaking from the standpoint of a hiring manager, which is to say, I truly want to hire people. Because my day work entails hiring for my team, combining the specialist test with the core exam results in the CCNP. Now, on to the other side of the CCNP program, you have the core exam, which if you pass, will put you in phase one of the next Cisco level of certification, the Cisco CCNA, or Cisco Certified Inter Networking Expert, which is the highest level of the CISCO certification program. It’s essentially a two-phased strategy. You must first pass the CCNA written exam, which is the first stage in the process. That used to be its own test, but since the 2020 redesign, the core exam for the Cisco Certified Networking Professional to CCNP now doubles as the written exams for the Now, passing the an exam basically enables you to do phase two of the Cisco Certified Internet Working Expert.
The lab exam is the second portion of phase two. Now, the lab exam is an eight-hour hands-on lab that is conducted at various Cisco locations around the world, for example, I’m in the United States, and the lab exam is presently being conducted in the Cisco location in Dallas, Texas, where I’m writing this article. As a result, you must physically travel to the lab to take the exam. In Europe, I believe it is in Belgium where you must take the lab exam. So what makes the CCNA Lab exam so difficult is that you must pass two distinct exam modules in order to pass it. You have the design module and the deploy Operate module, which is an optimized version of the design module.
The design section takes 3 H and the deploy section takes 5 H, and to pass the exam, you must score higher than the minimum passing score on both sections, as well as the test’s overall passing score. So, if you earn a score, it means you did really, really well on the deploy phase, and your overall passing score is higher than the exam’s overall passing score. However, you did not perform well in the design phase, and your score was below the cutoff. The CCNA lab exam was not passed by you. As a result, the CCNA is regarded as a highly regarded credential. It puts you to the test by requiring you to apply the abilities you’ve learned while working in the technology you’re interested in. Also, I’d just encourage, and I have an article recommendation for how I went through the CCNP process right here.
Now, because I did it before the overhaul phase, my story will be a little different than someone going through the process today, but it will still provide you some fantastic insights into what you need to accomplish and the mindset you need to have while going through the CCI program. So there are a couple of other Sisco certifications I didn’t mention in this article: the dead Net certification program and the cyber op certification program. I’m going to write separate articles about each of them because they truly do need their own. Also, why would you want to go back and earn those certifications?
"
