CCNA Certifications Exam Details

Vendor: Cisco

Certification overview

The CCNA certifications are important because they are described as the foundation certifications especially for those who have the intention of advancing to more advanced levels. The CCNA certifications are classed into nine domains and in order to attain any of them it is important to sit for the required CCNA exams. The CCNA certifications are also regarded as the platform of the Cisco career certifications and are therefore more beneficial in the IT industry. If one intends to do the CCNA Data Center certification, the skills and knowledge acquired with regards to the installation, configuration and maintenance of the data systems are used can be equally applied to other CCNP domains. The CCNA certifications are therefore related and share lots of common characteristics. With the CCNA certification, individuals also get the opportunity of working with the experts in the field quite efficiently. They also get the chance to practically apply the knowledge obtained during the training sessions. Moreover once certified, the holders are required to update the status of the CCNA certification after every three years. The options are available are proper since the candidates are required to sit for the latest CCNA exams which validates their expertise in the field. The other option is to pursue for an equivalent certification in the CCNA domain which is preferred by most of the candidates.

The CCNA exam covers several exam topics that validate the candidate's level of understanding. Some of the popular skills that are validated in the CCNA exams include:

1. The implementation of proper networking systems
2. Installation and configuration of the VLANs and the WANs
3. The basics required in the implementation of secured networks
4. The WAN technologies
5. Determination of the appropriate IP routes
6. Switching and routing techniques
7. Establishment of trusted connections
8. Managing of different traffics
9. Identification and the modification of IOS devices.

The advantage is that once the candidates complete the CCNA exams they get the opportunity of securing the following job positions

• Networking experts
• Data server administrators
• IT security managers
• Web administrators

It is evident that passing the CCNA certification exams is important because one gets to enjoy lots of privileges. The individuals get the opportunity of advancing to higher levels. In the job market most of the employees prefer these experts because of the in depth understanding that they have with regards to IT networking and other important protocols. Moreover, professionals with these certifications are swift when it comes to the implementation of the best IT networking systems. The IT professionals get open chances of job promotions since the required additional training towards perfecting their skills is usually short and more achievable.

There are no prior requirements for those interested to attain the CCNA certifications and this has promoted to the massive rise of candidates over the years. It is important to have basic understanding of the contents of the certification since candidates with prior knowledge of the certification get the upper hand when it comes to training.

Required exams

In order to receive the CCNA certification the candidates are required to pass one of the two CCNA exams

• The ICND1 that specializes in network types, the media that is required in the networking system, fundamentals of switching and the addressing and routing of the IP, the operation and the configuration of the IOS device. The ICND2 exam covers the following; the extension of switched networks using VLANs, determination of the IP Routes, Techniques used in the establishment of point connections and the procedures used in the management of the networking environments.
• The CCNA exam that is usually described as the combined exam that covers all the topics under ICND1 and the ICND2.

Required courses

Individuals have the option of obtaining the Interconnecting Networking Cisco Networking Devices that is categorized into part one and part two. The importance of these certifications is that the candidates get the opportunity of understanding the basics required in the operation of the CCNA networking systems. Moreover with these courses, individuals get the opportunity of advancing to the higher levels swiftly.

Study materials

There are a lot of study materials that the candidates can use in order to understand and pass the CCNA certification exams. There are resources that are available online like the online brain dumps that summarize all the topics that are fundamental. The resources are also available off the shelf where one is required to select the most appropriate reference material.