Have you read the news? No?

Cisco just updated their certification program. The CCNA, CCNP and CCIE certifications. All tracks!

This is the first in a series of posts where I will be doing a brief summary of these changes and try and guide everyone in the middle of their journey to become Cisco certified.

At the end of this post, there is an index linking to all the posts for the individual certification levels CCNA, CCNP and CCIE.

When?

The program is designed but you won’t be able to take any of the new exams now. The new exams and certifications will only be available from February 24, 2020.

What is changing?

1. There will be a single CCNA exam. Away with the 10 Associate level certifications.
2. All pre-requisites for certifications have been removed. If you think you are ready, just book and show up for an exam.
3. Certifications will be valid for 3 years, including the CCIE (which is currently valid for 2 years). Recertification will be possible not only by passing an exam but also through continuous education credits. This is the same method that was recently introduced for CCIE recertification.
4. There is a new certification “level” called the Cisco Certified Specialist. It is a certification achiever by passing any exam leading to a CCNP or CCIE.
5. Goodbye to the CCDP, CCNP Cloud, CCNP Wireless and the CCNP R&S!
6. Goodbye to the CCIE R&S.
7. Hello to the new DevNet (Developer Network) certifications.

New Cisco certifications (https://learningnetwork.cisco.com/community/certifications)

Why?

With the introduction of “Intent-Based Networking”, multi-domain solutions, programmability and APIs, the expectations for the role of a network engineer/admin have changed.

The traditional certification program was updated to meet those expectations. It was designed for more flexibility, agility and allows people to choose the habiilities that they want to develop and encourages lifelong learning.

To talk more about these changes, I will publish a series of posts focusing on the different levels instead of a single one.

CCNA (coming soon…)

CCNP (coming soon…)

CCIE (coming soon…)

Cisco Certification Program Updates

Training and Certification Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)