The Complete Cisco CCNA Certification Guide

The Cisco Certified Network Associate is widely known and accepted as the entry level certification for professionals wanting to take up a career in networking.

It provides professionals with the skills needed to manage small to medium size companies and branch offices, including being able to configure, troubleshoot and maintain Cisco routers and switches.

Getting your CCNA can be quite a challenge, but with a set goal, determination and a good study strategy, you too can quickly become a CCNA.

Today, I’ll be giving you an overview of the CCNA exams, the different paths available to get your CCNA and some preparation techniques — techniques I found useful when I was preparing for my CCNA.

 

How to Choose the Right CCNA Path

There are two paths you can take to get your CCNA:

1. The first path consists of taking two exams: the 640-822 ICND1 and the 640-816 ICND2
2. The second path consists of taking just one exam: the 640-802 CCNA

Your choice will depend heavily on your current knowledge and experience.

If, let’s say, you’re someone that already has some networking experience and you’ve administered small networks before, then you might find the single exam a better option.

On the other hand, if you’re practically new to networking and have no experience at all within this field, then you’ll definitely want to take the first path, which breaks the materials down into two exams, thereby teaching you the very basics of networking before heading into Cisco technology.

 

Interconnecting Cisco Networking Devices Part 1: CCENT Exam 640-822

Interconnecting Cisco Networking Devices Part 1 (aka ICND1) exam provides candidates with a basic foundation in networking technologies and troubleshooting.

These range from the OSI Model, routing and switching, TCP/IP, configuring RIP/RIPv2, NAT, DHCP, and, of course, learning the basics of how to use Cisco’s IOS operating system.

The ICND1 exam number is 640-822 and consists of approximately 40 to 50 questions which must be completed within 90 minutes. And the exam is currently available in 8 different languages.

Passing the 640-822 exam earns you your Cisco Certified Entry Network Technician (CCENT) certificate.

ICND2 Exam Objectives

 
Here are just some of the objectives as listed on Cisco’s Learning Network for the ICND1 exam:

Describe the operation of data networks

• Describe the purpose and functions of various network devices
• Select the components required to meet a given network specification
• Use the OSI and TCP/IP models and their associated protocols to explain how data flows in a network
• Describe common networking applications including web applications
• Describe the purpose and basic operation of the protocols in the OSI and TCP models

Implement a small switched network

• Select the appropriate media, cables, ports, and connectors to connect switches to other network devices and hosts
• Explain the technology and media access control method for Ethernet technologies
• Explain network segmentation and basic traffic management concepts

Implement an IP addressing scheme and IP services to meet network requirements for a small branch office

• Describe the need and role of addressing in a network. Create and apply an addressing scheme to a network
• Assign and verify valid IP addresses to hosts, servers, and networking devices in a LAN environment
• Explain the basic uses and operation of NAT in a small network connecting to one ISP
• Describe and verify DNS operation

Implement a small routed network

• Describe basic routing concepts (including: packet forwarding, router lookup process)
• Describe the operation of Cisco routers (including: router bootup process, POST, router components)
• Select the appropriate media, cables, ports, and connectors to connect routers to other network devices and hosts
• Configure, verify, and troubleshoot RIPv2

For the complete list of objectives for the ICND1 exam see this link on Cisco’s Learning Network — note that you will need to create a user account to view this information.

 

Interconnecting Cisco Networking Devices Part 2: CCNA Exam 640-816

ICND2 picks up where ICND1 left off, by going into further details on those networking technologies you learned about, while introducing you to more advanced topics.

Some of the topics include configuring and troubleshooting VLANs, RSTP, STP, EIGRP, OSPF, Frame Relay connection and point-to-point connections and ACLs.

The ICND2 exam number is 640-816 and consists of approximately 40 to 50 questions which must be completed in 75 minutes. The time difference for this exam alone says it all. ICND2 is definitely more difficult than ICND1.

By passing the ICND2 exam you will earn the CCNA certification.

ICND2 Exam Objectives

 
Some of the objectives for ICND2 are as follows:

Configure, verify and troubleshoot a switch with VLANs and interswitch communications

• Describe enhanced switching technologies (including: VTP, RSTP, VLAN, PVSTP, 802.1q)
• Describe how VLANs create logically separate networks and the need for routing between them
• Configure, verify, and troubleshoot VLANs
• Configure, verify, and troubleshoot trunking on Cisco switches
• Configure, verify, and troubleshoot interVLAN routing

Implement an IP addressing scheme and IP Services to meet network requirements in a medium-size Enterprise branch office network

• Calculate and apply a VLSM IP addressing design to a network
• Determine the appropriate classless addressing scheme using VLSM and summarization to satisfy addressing requirements in a LAN/WAN environment
• Describe the technological requirements for running IPv6 (including: protocols, dual stack, tunneling, etc)

Configure and troubleshoot basic operation and routing on Cisco devices

• Compare and contrast methods of routing and routing protocols
• Configure, verify and troubleshoot OSPF
• Configure, verify and troubleshoot EIGRP
• Verify configuration and connectivity using ping, traceroute, and telnet or SSH

Implement, verify, and troubleshoot NAT and ACLs in a medium-size Enterprise branch office network

• Describe the purpose and types of access control lists
• Configure and apply access control lists based on network filtering requirements
• Configure and apply an access control list to limit telnet and SSH access to the router
• Verify and monitor ACL’s in a network environment

Implement and verify WAN links

• Configure and verify Frame Relay on Cisco routers
• Troubleshoot WAN implementation issues
• Describe VPN technology (including: importance, benefits, role, impact, components)
• Configure and verify PPP connection between Cisco routers

For the complete list of objectives for the ICND2 exam see this link on Cisco’s Learning Network –note that you will need to create a user account to view this information.

 

Cisco Certified Networking Associate: CCNA Exam 640-802

The CCNA 640-802 exam is what is known as the composite exam for the CCNA. As the name suggest, the exam consists of objectives from both the ICND1 and ICND2.

It’s basically a one shot one kill exam — pass the 640-802 exam and you’re automatically CCNA certified.

Now I know a lot of you might be tempted to go straight for this option — but be warned! The 640-802 exam is very difficult to pass.

It requires a lot of dedication and studying mainly because you need to know everything from both of the ICND exams and be able to answer the questions in less time. It requires a lot of speed, especially when working on subnetting problems.

Approximately 45 to 50 questions must be answered within the allotted time of 90 minutes.

Like all Cisco Certifications, the CCNA is only valid for 3 years, and must be renewed before expiration.

There are a number of options available when it comes to recertification. For a list of these have a look at Cisco’s Website.

 

How to Prepare for Your CCNA Exam

Deciding which method of learning suits you best should be your first plan of action before starting to study.

If you’re working and don’t have the time to dedicate to in-class boot camps, I would suggest self study programs. With this approach, you’re able to study on your terms, which means whenever you’re comfortable and have time to fully focus.

This was personally the case with me while I was preparing for my CCNA exams. I found self study to be the right fit, mainly because I could study anytime, anywhere, anyhow. Whenever I had a break at work, I would usually pull up the materials and begin studying.

Another reason why I would definitely recommend self study as opposed to an in-class training session is mainly because it’s a cost effective solution that just makes sense. The average cost for a CCNA boot camp ranges from $2,500 to as high as $3,500 from some research I did at the time of this writing.

Now I don’t know about you, but to me, that’s just insane. Why pay all that money for a course that tries to pack everything into 5 to 10 days of class? When you’ve finished with the boot camp, you still have to do self study before you take the exams, that is, if you really want to get a good understanding of the materials.

Contrast that to just buying one or two books and CCNA video training, and the savings are unbelievable.

 

Recommended CCNA Training Materials

Now that you’ve decided which method of learning suits you, your next step is to actually acquire the training materials. This is another area that can cause some confusion given the plethora of resources available out there.

Below are just some of the materials I would definitely recommend; these are what I used when I was preparing for my exam.

• CCNA video training

 
Personally, I found Train Signal’s CCNA video training to be really useful. Chris Bryant is the instructor for this series and I found his teachings very helpful. He’s good at breaking down the complex subject areas and making them simple to understand.

Train Signal offers CCNA as well as CCENT training, so whether you choose to go the CCENT route, or take the single exam — you’re covered. Here are the links to their CCNA training:

• Cisco INCD1 640-822 Exam training
• Cisco ICND2 640-816 Exam training
• Cisco CCNA 640-802 Exam training

You can check out a few of the CCNA training videos for free here to see if you like them.

If you don’t want to go with Train Signal, check out some of the other video training options — having someone show you how to do things and then explain everything is really nice.

• CCNA books

 
For books, I used Cisco’s Official CCNA Study Guide along with Sybex CCNA Study Guide by Todd Lammle.

However, there are many other CCNA books out there for you to choose from, just make sure that the book you get is current and that it covers all of the objectives you need to know for the exam.

• Cisco Learning Network

 
Join Cisco’s Learning Network — it’s a really good community to be a part of. You get monthly updates on study topics via email and have a chance to meet peers that are also pursuing their CCNA so you can interact, share ideas and also get help while you prepare.

I was truly excited about the level of interaction I experienced after I joined. You get access to games that help develop your skills in various objectives like subnetting and a whole lot more. Trust me, you will not regret joining.

• Router & Switch Simulators

 
If you can’t get hold of actual routers or switches, then simulators are your next best bet. I found Cisco’s Packet Tracer to be really cool. It allows you to setup up your own virtual labs, using as many routers and switches provided by the software to test your knowledge. Packet tracer really helped me with mastering topics like STP, VLANs, RIPv2, EIGRP, OSPF and Frame Relay.

Another great simulator is Boson’s CCNA Network Simulator. To me, the advantage of using the Boson Simulator is the way in which the labs are designed. They provide a step by step approach, starting from very simple stuff like configuring interfaces and Static Routes, to moving onwards to configuring routing protocols such as RIPv2 and OSPF.

• CCNA Practice Exams

 
Finally, before taking the actual exam, it’s a good idea to do a lot of practice exams. By doing this, you are able to highlight your weak areas and dedicate more time to focus on those areas.

Over the years I have written quite a few certification exams, and have never sat one without first doing some practice on Transcender Test Engine. I would definitely rate Transcender as one of the best practice exam engines to use before taking the actual exam. The questions are tough, but they prepare you for what the real thing is like.

And just so you know, Train Signal’s CCNA training (including CCENT and ICND2 training) includes a full version of Transcender’s practice exam.

 

Don’t Forget Your Passion for Networking!

Getting your CCNA is a huge step towards truly building a solid career in networking; that’s certainly the case for me. My knowledge base has grown so much more and continues to everyday.

I’m more motivated and excited about advancing my career in networking. Not to mention the opportunities that will open up, like scoring a salary raise, or finding a better job, one that allows you to put your new found knowledge to use.

I truly believe that you must be passionate about what you want in life, and your approach towards getting your CCNA is no different. It has to be something you really want, something you desire.

Once you have that passion for it, then you’ll see just how easy the journey can be and pretty soon you’ll be past your Associates level, heading for the Professional and Expert levels.

Good luck with your CCNA and let me know if you find any great learning resources you’d like to share.

 

Related Posts:

• The Complete CCNA Security Certification Guide
• CCNA 101: What You Need to Know About the New Exam
• Cisco CCNP ONT (642-845) Exam Guide
• Cisco CCENT: Your Start To A Successful Networking Career!
• Passing My Cisco CCNP ISCW Certification Exam
• Cisco CCENT: How to Configure RIP Part 2
• New Free Cisco CCNA Videos — Now Available!

 

13 Responses to “The Complete Cisco CCNA Certification Guide”

• Kunal D Mehta Says:

  October 29th, 2009 at 9:54 pm

  Hey.. thnx a lot Jason!

  That was a very useful piece of information.. specially for me,
  who is considering to start off with CCNA.. :)

• Jason Harry Says:

  October 30th, 2009 at 8:37 am

  No Problem Kunal, let us know if you need any assistance while studying.

  Good Luck!!!

• Antoine Curtis Says:

  November 1st, 2009 at 1:17 am

  Thanks so much for your information.I’m actuallly preparing for my ccna.I a beginners in networking i can tell frankly its really tuff.With your help and my perseverence surely i will do it.

  Thks a lot

  Curtis

• Jason Harry Says:

  November 2nd, 2009 at 5:58 pm

  Antoine I totally understand how you may be feeling at this point in your journey, just remember to never give up and keep pushing your self, you’ll make it.

  Also! Make sure you do alot of practice labs. Packet tracer really helped me while learning to configure the different routing protocols and I’m sure it will help you as well.

  Good Luck!!!

• Segun Akintujoye Says:

  November 4th, 2009 at 2:24 am

  Thanks sooo much jason, you have actually encourage me the more to forge ahead.i’m a beginner and have been dragging for too long on the exam, hope to see more word of encouragement.

• Jason Harry Says:

  November 15th, 2009 at 6:09 pm

  Your welcome Segun. Good luck with your journey and be sure to let us know how you’re progressing and if you need futher help.

• shankar satpathy Says:

  December 31st, 2009 at 10:23 am

  hello jason as i have ask u earlier plz answer is dr any practical exams are there
  if yes then how can i prepare it in my home.i mean self study…plz help

  thanku

• Jason Harry Says:

  January 12th, 2010 at 10:01 pm

  Sorry I took so long to respond to your question Shankar, well for a home lab you can use either Packet Tracer of GNS3 (software simulation that is, not actual hardware). These are network simulating software, that provide you with a lot of functionality to practice the commands that a part of the CCNA course. For further information on these simulators you can check my post on Packet Tracer, and I will be posting one on GNS3 shortly.

  Good Luck!!!

• shankar satpathy Says:

  January 24th, 2010 at 4:46 am

  Thanku Jason,
  for replying me actually i have gone through your articles that u have posted.theoretical part can be cover by books,materials & others things i can cover the part basically the theory part that is needed for ccna from ur article references.
  but how do i start from initial about practical knowledge.is it possible by self study if yes then what are other things needed that can help me to complete the overall practical session by self study in home(withou going any institution)?
  plz refer everything that can help me to completely the practical knldg.

  & ya i have gone through some other articles in other site it was written that its good if u have knldg of a+ & n+ before ccna.is it true plz help me?what should i do?

  thanku jason

• Jason Harry Says:

  January 25th, 2010 at 2:08 pm

  Hi Shankar. Question? Do you have any networking experience at all? If not, you might want to look into beginning with a certification like Comptia Network+. Doing this will give you a solid foundation in overall networking, so that you have an idea how basics work. From there you can move onto your CCNA. However, if you already have some knowledge about networking (TCP/IP,OSI, etc), but you’re still not as solid as you would like to be, then I’d suggest going the 2 exam path for your CCNA. This will allow you to build on your foundation in networking by taking the CCENT exam. After this you will do the ICND2 which goes deeper into the Cisco technologies.

  Let us know how we can assist you further.

• shankar satpathy Says:

  January 26th, 2010 at 3:57 pm

  thanks
  Jason i have little bit knowledge abt networking but ill go for a+ then n+ by self study by dwnlding the latest videos.& when ill have that overall knldg then ill go for ccna.i think its d best way.plz suggest me what im thinking is rite or wrong?

  thanku again Jason

• Jason Harry Says:

  January 26th, 2010 at 4:45 pm

  Shankar,

  That would definitely be the best thing to do. This was also how I started in the IT field. So get your A+ and Network+ then from there you can move onto your CCNA. :)

  Best of Luck to you!

• shankar satpathy Says:

  January 27th, 2010 at 12:16 pm

  thanku Jason,

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