How much time it will take to do CCNP

mirror51

I want to do CCNA and CCNP .

I just want to know if i am free 24hrs 7 days. How long it will take to pass those exams with understanding.

Also i have complete books and cbt video tutorials for each exam


Can i learn via simulators or i need to go some LAB centre.

Thanks

peanutnoggin

mirror51 wrote: »

I want to do CCNA and CCNP .

I just want to know if i am free 24hrs 7 days. How long it will take to pass those exams with understanding.

Also i have complete books and cbt video tutorials for each exam


Can i learn via simulators or i need to go some LAB centre.

Thanks

Welcome to TE!

That's a very tough question to answer for you. If you were able to study 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, you are better off patenting (and selling) your secret that allows you to study 24/7.

What's the rush? I think most folks will agree with me, the certs don't enter you into a "magic pool" of job opportunities... I'm not saying you, but a lot of people think that once they pass a cert, they automatically are qualified for particular jobs. That's usually not the case.

In all honesty, it depends on your experience. How much do you deal with networking (specifically Cisco equipment if you're looking to pass Cisco exams)? To know and understand the material is really going to vary. What you learn in books and from studying is going to be ideal for exam and typically practical, but networks that you work on will not always be setup perfect from the beginning with "Cisco's" ideas of a perfect network. Because of that, you'll have to have experience and know what works best for your situation.

Take your time to learn the material. Don't rush! When you take your time to learn the material, you'll appreciate what you learn more. If you're rushing to learn the material for the purpose of passing exams, you'll likely not retain the information.

I think it's typical that most people will take ~3 months per exam (depending on their experience) and the material in which they're covering... Some of the associate level exams could probably be learned and understood in shorter time, but the Pro level certs have typically been ~3 months per exam. I'm not trying to deter you in any way... in fact, I hope this helps... Good luck with your studies.

-Peanut

mikearama

peanutnoggin wrote: »

I think it's typical that most people will take ~3 months per exam (depending on their experience) and the material in which they're covering... Some of the associate level exams could probably be learned and understood in shorter time, but the Pro level certs have typically been ~3 months per exam.

I think you're pretty close to bang on... as an average. Sure, the odd person will do it in two weeks, and at the other end, some will take 6 months, but 3 months seems reasonable to learn and lab the required information to pass a pro-level exam.

thenjduke

It personally took me six months to a year to learn the CCNA. I figure going to take me at least 3 - 6 months on each exam for the CCNP. It covers more detail but also alot of review so far.

ColbyG

time per day / age + money invested x books read - exam cost + future salary = time in hours it will take to complete the CCNP

This is the proven formula.

chmorin

ColbyG wrote: »

time per day / age + money invested x books read - exam cost + future salary = time in hours it will take to complete the CCNP

This is the proven formula.

4.6 years for me but I guesstimated everything.

gorebrush

How long is a piece of string?

Took me 6 weeks to clear BSCI, but 3 months to do BCMSN

Took me 6 weeks to clear Exchange 2007 but 3 months to do a different MS exam.

Swings and roundabouts, the amount of time you can put in, your own natural ability, are all factors here.

mikej412

What's your background? What's your goal?

In general, someone who's motivated and dedicated -- and has the sufficient number of neurons to allocate to Cisco study -- and access to a good Cisco Lab and all the time in the world to study could probably knock out an exam in a month or less. The real question is whether you could sustain that pace over multiple exams and retain the material the the earlier exams if you're not using those knowledge and skills on a daily basis (i.e., job).

Allowing 3 months per exam lets you keep your day job and still spend some time with your family (dinner) and still have time for laundry & shopping for food & and a date night -- and could probably be sustained until you achieve your goals.

If you're unemployed and thinking you'll take advantage of all the study time to jump into a "higher job" later, that probably won't happen. If you don't already have Cisco Experience, adding a CCNA AND CCNP to your resume won't make you much more employable than you already are. Adding a CCNA should improve your marketability -- if you can demonstrate the knowledge and skills learned from studying for the exam(s).

I'd suggest your days are better spent trying to find a job now and racking up experience than studying 24x7.

Do you already have basic computer skills? Do you know your way around a computer like someone A+ certified does? Do you already have the networking knowledge that someone Network+ certified does? If so, then maybe you could use the CCNA as your "entry level" certification if you know for sure that Cisco Networking is in your blood and is your destiny.

Grab the Odom Cisco Press CCNA Certification Library. Page through the books -- anything look familiar from your experience? Check out the exam blueprints (CCNA or ICND1/ICND2 exams) -- do any of those topics make any sense to you right now?

Check out the Cisco Press web site and look at the Cisco Press CCNA Resources page. Check out the Sybex CCNA book (Todd's book and Wendell's books are mentioned -and linked- in the forum CCNA FAQ).

What's going to be your "lab solution?" You can build a lab for about $300 if you shop (and are lucky) on eBay. Or you can try one of the simulators -- Boson has the Labs that are good enough to get you through the CCNA. Wendell's CCNA Simulator (on the Cisco Press site) is really more of an "exercise environment" -- gives you the hands on practice but not the real hardware experience that Boson at least fakes well enough.

While you might be able to crunch the CCNA and CCNP into 3-4 months, it makes more sense to spread the exams out over at least a year. Try to get a job while you work on your CCNA -- and definitely get a job after earning the CCNA so you can hopefully get some Cisco networking job experience so you'll be taken seriously once you earn that CCNP.

thenjduke

mikej412 wrote: »

What's your background? What's your goal?

In general, someone who's motivated and dedicated -- and has the sufficient number of neurons to allocate to Cisco study -- and access to a good Cisco Lab and all the time in the world to study could probably knock out an exam in a month or less. The real question is whether you could sustain that pace over multiple exams and retain the material the the earlier exams if you're not using those knowledge and skills on a daily basis (i.e., job).

Allowing 3 months per exam lets you keep your day job and still spend some time with your family (dinner) and still have time for laundry & shopping for food & and a date night -- and could probably be sustained until you achieve your goals.

If you're unemployed and thinking you'll take advantage of all the study time to jump into a "higher job" later, that probably won't happen. If you don't already have Cisco Experience, adding a CCNA AND CCNP to your resume won't make you much more employable than you already are. Adding a CCNA should improve your marketability -- if you can demonstrate the knowledge and skills learned from studying for the exam(s).

I'd suggest your days are better spent trying to find a job now and racking up experience than studying 24x7.

Do you already have basic computer skills? Do you know your way around a computer like someone A+ certified does? Do you already have the networking knowledge that someone Network+ certified does? If so, then maybe you could use the CCNA as your "entry level" certification if you know for sure that Cisco Networking is in your blood and is your destiny.

Grab the Odom Cisco Press CCNA Certification Library. Page through the books -- anything look familiar from your experience? Check out the exam blueprints (CCNA or ICND1/ICND2 exams) -- do any of those topics make any sense to you right now?

Check out the Cisco Press web site and look at the Cisco Press CCNA Resources page. Check out the Sybex CCNA book (Todd's book and Wendell's books are mentioned -and linked- in the forum CCNA FAQ).

What's going to be your "lab solution?" You can build a lab for about $300 if you shop (and are lucky) on eBay. Or you can try one of the simulators -- Boson has the Labs that are good enough to get you through the CCNA. Wendell's CCNA Simulator (on the Cisco Press site) is really more of an "exercise environment" -- gives you the hands on practice but not the real hardware experience that Boson at least fakes well enough.

While you might be able to crunch the CCNA and CCNP into 3-4 months, it makes more sense to spread the exams out over at least a year. Try to get a job while you work on your CCNA -- and definitely get a job after earning the CCNA so you can hopefully get some Cisco networking job experience so you'll be taken seriously once you earn that CCNP.

Excellent post. This is exactly what you have to do

mirror51

Guys thanks for your replies.

Actually i am a web developer and has 3years of of commercial experience.
But now along with web development i also main Linux web servers both locally and VPS server for hosting sites. I do all sys admin sort of things and have been doing that for about 1.5 years.

I am thinking of moving on networking side. Basically i want to go on netwrok security side of things and want to chnage my field. Due to some personal reason i have to leave the job for 1 year and go to my home country

So i was thinking of doing on CCNA , CCNP so that when i come back after 1 year and have certification then i can get those cisco jobs.

Can i do CCSP without doing CCNP

Basically i want to go on that field which has high pay packages in future.
i am more interested in security

Please guide me

mikej412

mirror51 wrote: »

i also main Linux web servers both locally and VPS server for hosting sites. I do all sys admin sort of things and have been doing that for about 1.5 years.

So you're not a noob

mirror51 wrote: »

So i was thinking of doing on CCNA , CCNP so that when i come back after 1 year and have certification then i can get those cisco jobs.

Have you had any Cisco experience at work? I've seen people spin their presence in the same building as a Cisco router to sound like Cisco was part of their job, but their interviews usually don't go well.

If you can get the interviews and use some of your current admin experience to drive the interview to technical topic, rather than your lack of hands on work experience with Cisco hardware, and dazzle them with Cisco technical brilliance, then you should have a chance. Otherwise you don't have to list the CCNP on your resume if you find that listing it without any Cisco job experience is costing you job interviews -- but then you should blast the CCNA level technical interview questions with your CCNP knowledge.

mirror51 wrote: »

Can i do CCSP without doing CCNP

Yes -- there's a whole section in the CCSP Forum FAQ about it.

It does make sense to get the solid foundation in Routing & Switching by doing the CCNP first -- but since Security is hard to get into without experience I usually tell people if they have an opportunity at work to manage the firewalls or fetch coffee for the Security Group that it's worth jumping at the opportunity and going for the CCSP after the CCNA (and CCNA:Security) and leave the CCNP for later.

The worst case is that you go all the way to the CCIE Security, gain most (if not all) of the CCNP skills, and don't actually have the CCNP to show for all that advanced Routing and Switching study.

But if you don't have a Security Job waiting for you, then the CCNP might make more sense since there's probably more jobs that would consider you with just your CCNP study knowledge and skills.

On the other hand, unless you luck into a job where you can slide into a Security position, you're going to eventually need those Security skills from studying for the CCSP exams.

You're going to have to make the call on the CCNP first or CCSP first issue.

The other reason to consider the CCNP before any other of the professional specializations is that the cost of the Voice, Security, and Wireless lab equipment can get expensive. There are some short cuts and virtualization solutions if you have access to the Cisco software -- but the time spent trying to get those to work is time spent not studying.

mirror51

Thanks for your good reply

My company is Advertising company with some servers. So i don't have any experience with cisco thing. Currently can say that i am working in securing my web server like Linux , Iptables , Intrusion Detction System (SNORT) , Monitoring Log files , Nagios server.

I don't know how much this Linux security has anything to do with cisco security.
I do have deep linux kernel knowledge with . I have also worked with sniffers , tcpdump.
Also my programming is very solid as well



Roughly i have one complete year free. So i am thinking of doing following

RHCE

---

CCNA

---

CCNP (3EXAMS) ---CCNA security.

Can i accomplish that within one year.

may be

Security +

I am happy even if i get entry level networking job so that i can get my foot in.

I am doing RHCE because if i don't get any cisco job at least i can go on system admin side.
I really don't want to be web developer any more



My main aim was going in security but i think no one will be security job without any cisco experience.

I thought if i get in cisco job , then after 1 year or so i can give CCSP

mikej412

mirror51 wrote: »

Can i accomplish that within one year.

I vote Yes

Time permitting the Security+ should fit in nicely with your CCNA:Security study.

And if you don't slack off and have some time left at the end of your year -- look at one of the Cisco Security Specialist Certifications. While those Cisco Specialist Certifications are only good for 2 years, the exams are still good for 3 years to apply towards a CCSP. It could open a few doors leading to a Cisco Network Security Job.

Cisco ASA Specialist
Cisco IPS Specialist
Cisco Network Admission Control Specialist

mikearama

ColbyG wrote: »

time per day / age + money invested x books read - exam cost + future salary = time in hours it will take to complete the CCNP

This is the proven formula.

OMG... love it. Great formula.

aalmanni

ColbyG wrote: »

time per day / age + money invested x books read - exam cost + future salary = time in hours it will take to complete the CCNP

This is the proven formula.

Hi, how to calculate the above formula for the following data

time per day = 3
age = 39
money invested = 0 (I got free books)
books read = 3
exam cost = 3 x 250
future salary = unknown

I put the above numbers for a salary of 3500 per month and I got: 2750 hours (i.e almost 2.5 years)

I thought it can be done in 2-3 months each exams, i.e a total of 6-9 months.. Am I doing it wrong?

Dieg0M

Depends on your work experience, but assuming 2-3 years experience and full time (8 hours a day) it will take you around 3-4 months. With less experience, probably 5-6 months, but I would focus on getting job experience before getting the NP.

late_collision

mirror51 wrote: »

Actually i am a web developer and has 3years of of commercial experience.
But now along with web development i also main Linux web servers both locally and VPS server for hosting sites. I do all sys admin sort of things and have been doing that for about 1.5 years.

I am thinking of moving on networking side. Basically i want to go on netwrok security side of things and want to chnage my field.

This was basically my exact situation. I was working in a non-IT related field for the daily grind. I was the most handy with a computer, so I was tasked with all the regular IT tasks, which consisted of barely more than a small home network environment. In my spare time, I built custom web-based software to track products and materials in the production line and built an interactive 3D product designer for that companies web site. I was also doing web development on nights and weekends to make sure the bills got paid. I finally had enough and knew I needed a career with room to grow.

I had taken CCNA courses at community college 10+ years prior, but never certified. I was about to find out that a lot had changed. Sept. 2013, I passed my Network+, shortly after CCENT, then CCNA. I was hired by a regional ISP that also managed a couple data centers. I cut my teeth on Email, DNS, RADIUS, and a bunch of other infrastructure services. I passed my CCNP, CCDA, and am currently working on CCDP.

So yeah, 2 years and I am close to my 2nd professional level exam. I took a solid 6 months off from certification between CCNA and CCNP, so I think you could condense the timeline, if you're focused. I was just distracted by all of the other technology I was expected to support at work.

theodoxa

I believe I spent roughly 3 months (full on studying) for all 3 exams. I spent maybe a couple/few weeks on TSHOOT and after taking the exam, I could say that was a couple/few weeks more than I needed. I could have taken TSHOOT the day I finished studying ROUTE and passed easily.

How long it will take you will depend on experience and how quickly you pick up the material.