Cisco CCNA certification is often touted as the best display of one’s abilities as a network expert. Everyone from the employers to the experts themselves relies on these certifications to get a quantifiable measure of skill in this industry. It was, by no means, perfect. But it was good enough to become the global standard of testing in the network industry.

Changes to the certification:

In February of 2020, Cisco changed the certification system completely. Before this date, the certification was divided into a bunch of specialized sectors within the network management industry. There were also separate exams for a lot of the different certifications, and people had to pass them one at a time. Visit Spoto to learn more about how to prepare for the exam.

Now the entire system is completely renovated. The multiple exams for multiple specializations model are thrown out the window in favor of a single all-encompassing exam. This new exam is named the Cisco CCNA 200-301. This is now the only exam that you have to pass in order to get the CCNA certification.

CCNA 200-301 properties:

This new exam is more about the general knowledge and understanding of the entire field rather than a focused look at one specific aspect of that industry. The duration of this new exam is two hours and is available in two languages, English and Japanese.

Currently, the exact contents of this exam are unknown. The only thing shared by Cisco is that it will include broad topics like IP services and the basics of security while also including some specialized questions. Additionally, there is no set number of questions provided by Cisco, but you can expect a number closer to a hundred.

Is it worth taking?

Of course, it is. This exam is now the only thing that stands between you and a CCNA certification. Of course, employers might prefer someone with a specialized certificate so they can quickly narrow down the potential candidates. But this new exam is considerably more manageable than the previous ones, both in terms of difficulty and convenience.

You might get a job without CCNA certification. The chances of that happening, however, are minuscule. So, you should prepare for and take this exam instead of spending time finding a job that doesn’t require the CCNA certification. Now that there is only one universal CCNA exam, you can give it your all and pass by a comfortable margin.

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