CCNP exam order

geezer

Hi

Which path is generally regarded as the best way to tackle CCNP as I have just got my CCNA and an considering CCNP but it seems daunting.

Any idea how long it takes for updated material to appear given the change in exams. Lastly, if I passed 3 of the latest exams and the exams changed what options are open to get the final exam?

TIA

networker050184

The path most go is BSCI, BCMSN (these two in either order) followed by ISCW and finaly ONT. This is the "usual" path people follow, but I don't think it is a must.

The old exams are already expired. If you are just starting your only choice is the new exams.

Crunchyhippo

geezer wrote:

Hi

Which path is generally regarded as the best way to tackle CCNP as I have just got my CCNA and an considering CCNP but it seems daunting.

Any idea how long it takes for updated material to appear given the change in exams. Lastly, if I passed 3 of the latest exams and the exams changed what options are open to get the final exam?

TIA

My teacher at the Cisco Networking Academy here, who is a premier Cisco speaker worldwide and who teaches CCNP, said that it really doesn't matter the order, and one shouldn't be harder than the others as far as sequence goes.

geezer

Thanks for the tips but does one exam help the next exam?

Also, if you passed 3 of the 4 latest exams and the forth exam changed would you have to pass the latest 4th only to get CCNP status?

Next question will be what books to buy for self-study - any ideas??

TIA

networker050184

Next question will be what books to buy for self-study - any ideas??

Cisco press study guides and cert guides. Along with plenty supplemental information from the Cisco website.

NetworkGod

i go for the most difficult one so this time i went for BCMSN and then BSCI and then ONT or ISCW
i think of taking QOS with ONT since they are kind of alike

Brain-Drain

geezer wrote:

Thanks for the tips but does one exam help the next exam?

Also, if you passed 3 of the 4 latest exams and the forth exam changed would you have to pass the latest 4th only to get CCNP status?

Next question will be what books to buy for self-study - any ideas??

TIA

Cisco grandfathers in old tests vs new when they update the courses and tests. I took the older BCMSN and BSCI and have passed the new ISCW and will hopefully knock out the ONT this week. I believe a test is valid for 3 years. If the track gets updated in that time, your test is still valid until you renew it. You can renew by either taking the current version of the test, or passing a higher level test. Professional 642 tests renew the CCNA, CCDA, CCENT. CCIE Written renews the P level certs.

Hopefully it won't take you 3 years to get thru the NP. I have taken my time and been at it about 14 months.

Hope that helps.

Steve10393

I have just sat through BSCI, BCMSN, and ONT. Wireless bleeds over and even repeats some of the same topics on BCMSN and ONT but really the material is completely seperate. It doesn't matter at all what order you go in imo.

Maybe in your mind you can remember things better if you can associate it with higher or lower layer stuff from another topic but that's still a stretch and even if you did, it wouldn't matter the order in which you did it.

geezer

Big thanks for the help - it has been helpful.

Brain - yes hopefully it won't take 3 years but I ain't a fast reader

I would have thought the Routing exam would have been harder than the Switching exam from what I heard of the last CCNP exams?

What books then for the BCMSN or BSCI for self-study?

Steve10393

I haven't taken the BSCI exam yet, but BSCI does seem harder just because there's so much more ... idk, little tidbits of settings and commands, a lot more different topics, it just seems like more content. From sitting classes on both, I think bsci has a lot more to remember than BCMSN does. Especially since you kinda get like 1/4 of BCMSN going over STP modes which is pretty much review from ccna.

geezer

Thanks for the information.

I decided to go for BSCI self-study guide first - no point beating around the bush but instead, tackle head-on.