Choosing
the order of your CCNP exams is an important decision. Chris Bryant,
CCIE #12933, offers advice based on his experience and the experience
of CCNPs worldwide.
When you choose to pursue your Cisco Certified Network Professional
certification, you've got some decisions to make right at the
beginning. Cisco offers a three-exam path and a four-exam path, and you
select the order in which you'll take and pass the exams.
While every CCNP candidate has to make their own decision, I'd like to
share some thoughts based on my personal experience and the experiences
of CCNPs worldwide.
The solid foundation of networking knowledge you built as a CCNA will
help you a great deal on your BSCI (Building Scalable Cisco
Internetworks, 642-801) exam. This is the most common exam to take
first, and I'd recommend you do so as well. While there are some topics
that will be new to you, such as BGP, many of the BSCI topics will be
familiar to you from your CCNA studies.
The "middle" exams are the BCMSN (Building Cisco Multilayer Switched
Networks, 642-811) and BCRAN (Building Cisco Remote Access Networks,
642-821). There is no real advantage in taking one of these before the
other, although most candidates take the switching exam, then the
remote access exam.
I do recommend you take the CIT (Cisco Internetwork Troubleshooting)
exam last. This exam will demand you put into action the skills you
have learned while earning your CCNA and passing the first three exams.
Again, it's not written in stone and there are always exceptions, but
CCNP candidates do seem to have more success on this exam when they
take it last.
Should you choose the three-exam path, you'll be taking a Composite
exam (642-891). This exam combines the BSCI and BCMSN exams, and it's
best to take this one first. It builds nicely with your CCNA skills.
Again, I would take the BCRAN exam after the Composite, and t
he Troubleshooting exam last.
Whichever path you choose, you've chosen wisely in which certification
to pursue. The CCNP is a true test of your networking skills, and when
you make the decision to go after the CCIE, you'll be glad to have the
solid foundation of networking skills your CCNA and CCNP studies gave
you.
Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933, is the owner of The Bryant Advantage (www.thebryantadvantage.com), home of free CCNA and CCNP tutorials, The Ultimate CCNA Study Package, and Ultimate CCNP Study
Packages. Video courses and training, binary and subnetting help, and
corporate training are also available.
For a FREE copy of his latest e-books, "How To Pass The CCNA" or "How To Pass The CCNP", send a request to chris@thebryantadvantage.com today !
