Hello, sorry if this question has already been asked and answered. My question has to do with passing the CCENT and the new Cisco Exam. I believe that Cisco is doing away with the two exam approach and with this being said what happens if I pass the CCENT exam but run out of time for the second exam? Would I simply have one certification for CCENT and then another for the new exam when it comes out and of course I pass it?
Thank you in advance!
Hello David
It looks like Cisco is doing away with the CCENT certification. If you pass your ICND1 before February 2020, you will still obtain the certification, and it will be valid for 3 years, however, if you want to get your CCNA after that, there will not be any ICND2 exam after February to get your CCNA. You will have to take the full fledged CCNA 200-301 exam from scratch.
So if you pass ICND1 before the deadline and you run out of time for ICND2, then you will have to take the whole 200-301 exam to get your CCNA. In other words, ICND1 doesn’t offer you any benefit for getting your CCNA after Feburary 2020.
My suggestion would be to try to get your CCNA before February, either taking ICND1 and ICND2, or the CCNA composite exam. It’s worth it because of the fact that the study content (on this and other sites) has fully matured and perfectly covers the topics. The new exam is still new, and content is still being developed to be able to study for it and pass it. Not that it is impossible, but it will just be that much easier.
If not, not to worry! We’ll still be here to support you and help you reach your certification goals!!
I hope this has been helpful!
Laz
Thank you for your reply Lazaros,
Well the good news is I have six months and I currently work in the field mostly with Adtran router / switches. But our core network is made up of Cisco devices. For me, ICND1 should be mere review. I passed it about six years ago but never pursued ICND2, there was a lot going on at the time even in the job market. When i was hired by the company I work for today I simply allowed the certification to lapse. I should be able to knock out ICND1 in a couple of months if not sooner, the only issue I face is time constraints due to long days at work. But I do have Cisco equipment that I have had for around 10 years that is still functioning so I don’t think I need to worry about that too much for labs.
I do appreciate your feedback and I agree I should really try to get CCNA prior to February 2020.
Thanks again!
David
Hello David
Glad to be of help. The greatest challenge is usually finding the time to get some meaningful study into your routine. If you feel that ICND1 will be relatively easy, then consider doing the full CCNA exam in a single go, it will probably be less time consuming for you in the long run. Also, it’s great that you have equipment that you can use, and you should use it if you can. However, keep in mind that you should have all you need for CCNA with Cisco’s packet tracer. It’s always nice to get your hands on physical hardware whenever you can, but I’m saying this from a time-saving perspective. It’s probably faster to set up your labs in packet tracer rather than to interconnect real equipment.
I hope this has been helpful!
Laz
Thank you Lazaros,
You have a good point there about going for the full CCNA exam. I think I’ll be pretty confident if I get some good study time in for ICND1 so as you said I should really consider going all out and get it done in one shot. Many years ago I tried the full CCNA (prior to the two exam approach) and bombed out. I didn’t have real equipment and only used a simulator but I don’t think that was the only issues, I think not being fully engaged in networking as I am now in my role where I work had something to do with it. True Cisco looks for the correct answers but practical experience can also come into play. I think I’d have a better grip this time around going for the full CCNA. I’ll see how the first month of studying goes and then make my decision. Of course this means stepping up my study plan to meet the February deadline. Think is where I work everything is a rush so this shouldn’t be any different. LOL. I mean I think I’m used to having to get things done quickly.
Again thank you so much for your input and I’m glad I found this site!
David.