Realistic time frame for CCNP?

milliamp

I know this a very vague question, but how long did it take you to complete he CCNP?

keenon

it could be..

but for me however i set out a year to complete it as i take breaks during the study process.

mikej412

milliamp wrote:

Is 1 to 2 months per exam realistic?

Depends on your experience and knowledge -- but I always felt 2 months per exam is a good sustainable pace that lets you still have some sort of life.

One month is also "doable" but work, family, friends and pets must be supportive and give you the time and space to study. Depending on your focus and determination you might be able to make it through the 4 or 5 exams required for the CCNP/CCSP/CCIP/CCVP certifications at this pace -- but then you might need a few months (or years) off to recover before you can face another certification exam again. But this pace also could be a warmup and practice for the CCIE.

That said -- I tend to study first for several exams so I don't get bored... and then cluster my exams 1-3 weeks apart -- depending on work and available review time. And for final test prep time -- I try and take the day off before an exam to go over my notes, books, and the blueprint..... and then I take a month or more off between clusters, where, um, I rest and relax by starting to study for the next cluster of exams...

pizzafart

3 months per exam sounds reasonable to me. I wonder if I'm a bit slower than some.. though, I haven't failed one yet. Also, we don't know what sort of work commitments you have.

I'd say that I spend at least 1.5 hours each weekday and at minimum 2 hrs each weekend day.

So far I passed the BSCI exam and am well into studying for the BCMSN. Having passed the CCNA composite, it's my opinion that both the BSCI and the BCMSN are each as hard as the CCNA composite.


Something I like to do is have a cert book at all times. This way you can get some studying in at any time be it the pharmacy, the auto shop, lunch, etc... I even take it to bars (given - it's not very cool but I could care less).

Anyway, good luck!

pizzafart

Only now did I notice that you wrote "on the fast end".

Yeah you could probably do one in a month if you commited like 30hrs+ a week, you freak!

good luck and let us know how it goes

wildfire

It all depends on individual experience and your receptiveness to study. I didnt do much for BSCI as I was doing stuff like that most days. BCMSN I didnt study a lot for either.

BCRAN I was worried about so overtsudied for months and found it very easy so decided to do CIT 3 weeks later and passed that.

30hrs a week for a month I would say if overkill pizza! again it all depends

Scratchcat69

I guess it would all depend on your life; what you've got going on. For me, I took too long on the BCMSN exam (at least I felt like it) but came away with a pass.

The BSCI exam was different. I've heard this exam is the hardest of them to sit and I've taken about 4 months to study for this one. But then again I'm a single father of two, work full time, keep track of the house...you get the picture.

I've read the self-study book through nearly twice. Cisco's documentation online is a great source too. At $125.00 a pop, I'd rather take the extra time to know I was ready then to push it and pay for it twice or more.

.02 worth...

pizzafart

I might be slow.

Though, contrary to popular opinion, I'm finding the darn BCMSN test just as hard as the BSCI (which I passed in March).

Especially QoS and Multicast... dang!

darkuser

I did it in 4-6 months ....