CCDA exam v CCDP exam

hellingerga

I have held a CCNP since 2001. Recently I recertified my CCNP/CCNA by taking the CCDP 642-871 exam. I now need to take the CCDA 640-863 exam to activate my CCDP.

How difficult is the CCDA exam relative to the CCDP? What should I be looking out for? Although I have been designing networks for years, I found the CCDP exam to be the most difficult of all the Cisco exams I have taken.

Thanks.

George

CCIE_2011

Your Question is really strange ?
CCDA teach you the foundation, CCDP teach you advanced staff.
You can't know or learn advance topic without a good foundation!! Correct ?

You Question is somehow like "if I have CCNP, can i pass CCNA ?"

Anyhow Check from cisco website the topics from both levels. Compare what you need to study. Also since you have passed ARCH recently, then all the things are still active in your brian. Correct

Good luck in your CCDA, And wish me luck in my BSMCN

GT-Rob

Yes it is odd, but so is the design track :P


You probably will still need to go over at least the exam cert guide, as there may be a few things not covered on ARCH that are on this test. Overall you should do well I would think in your case.

mgeorge

Yes you are correct, you need your CCDA first, it is a pre-requisit.

Even if you pass your ARCH exam and have all the valid credentials for CCDP, it will not activate untill you get your CCDA.

Same goes for CCNP, CCSP, CCIP, etc... they require CCNA.

CCIE does not require any pre-requisit.

Keep in mind that the CCDA exam is based off the book, not real world experince.
If you go into that exam with real world experince and expect to pass, you will no doubt fail.

When i took the exam, I had to memorize the book pretty much and at least 75% of the book
is nice to know info, but 95% of the networks you see in reality are not based on the book

hope this helps

mikej412

I thought the old ARCH exam was easier than the old DESGN exam.

The DESGN exam had the "fluffy business crap" on the exam, while the ARCH seemed "more techie." While the ARCH still wasn't a major hands-on exam, you could lab up the technology in ARCH while studying to help learn it. There wasn't as much of an opportunity to do hands-on practice for the DESGN exam.

Looking back, some of the things that helped with my CCIE R&S written exam that I thought I had learned while studying for the CCNP actually came from studying for the ARCH exam.

But don't get me wrong -- DESGN is worth studying for and doing, I was just annoyed by which fluffy business things they decided to test on. I probably let my experience affect my determination of the important things to learn and study, rather than strictly adhering to the exam blueprint topics.

Good Luck!

malcybood

The 640-863 is definitely more focussed towards the techie than the business side of things, you can tell this by comparing the study material in the Teare book between the 861 and the 863.

From other forums I've read and various reviews, I believe the 863 is very focussed on VOIP/IPT, Security and routing protocols as opposed to PPDIOO and the like.......the only way to find out though I guess is to study and take the exam!

The CCDA teaches basic design rules which are apparent to the networking industry wether the kit has a Cisco, Nortel or Juniper badge on the front of it.