The CCNA syllabus for the CCNA certification is set by Cisco. Cisco’s CCNA qualification is internationally recognized as an industry benchmark. In recent years the CCNA syllabus has become more demanding. This is considered a good thing as it increases the credibility and worth of the qualification.
Although it is almost always just referred to a CCNA, the CCNA qualification stands for Cisco Certified Network Associate. This is the second tier in Cisco’s five tier qualification system. To progress to any of the more advanced and specialized tiers you must show you have mastered the CCNA syllabus by passing the CCNA exam(s).
CCNA Syllabus Options
The are two options when it comes to sitting the examination. Both cover the same CCNA syllabus. One option is the choice to sit the entire CCNA syllabus in one exam of 90 minutes and the other is to split the CCNA syllabus into two and sit two exams of about 90 minutes each.
By taking the single exam option you need to feel entirely comfortable with the entire CCNA syllabus. By choosing to split the syllabus into two parts you can choose to concentrate and master less information from the CCNA syllabus in
one go.
CCNA Syllabus Topics – Exam One
Cisco provides training guidance as to what needs to be covered in the CCNA syllabus.
The first exam in the two exam route, -822 ICND1 Interconnecting Cisco Networking Devices Part 1, covers topics such as
Building a network
Ethernet LANs
Wireless LANs
Understanding routing
WANs
Network management
CCNA Syllabus Topics – Exam Two
The second exam in this two stage route is 640-816 ICND2 Interconnecting Cisco Networking Devices – Part 2 and it covers the areas of the CCNA syllabus that include
Implementing a small network
Medium switched networks
Medium routed networks
Single area OSPF internet protocol
EIGRP routing protocols
Access controls
Space Management issues
LAN to WAN integration
The combined exam, 640-802 CCNA, covers off all these components of the CCNA syllabus in a single examination of 90 minutes. To do this you will need to be completely familiar with the topics and the structure of the examination.
All the examinations are composite examinations, and as such, contain multi choice (single and multiple answers choices), fill in the gaps, drag and drop as well as interactive testlets, simlets and simulations. Cisco recommends that students become very familiar with the last three test tools. This is so that the candidate does not waste time working out how these work in the exam, and can instead focus on answering the questions based on the CCNA syllabus.
When sitting any of these exams the area of time management is key. While you may know the CCNA syllabus inside out, there are issues with completing the simulations. You do not want to spend too much time on these, to the detriment of the rest of the examination.
Sitting your CCNA exam is a necessary step if you want to be recognized as a Cisco specialist. Coming to grips with the CCNA syllabus is the key to achieving this.