How long will take you to aquire the CCNP certification?

After my MCSA i want to take Cisco, Im not sure if i should take CCNA and then CCNP, or i should go directly towards CCNP.

should you take the CCNP exams sequentialy? and how long it will take you to prepare for the 4 exams if you study in a lab for example 4 or 5 hours per day?

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Webmaster

You can't go directly for CCNP... CCNA is required to become CCNP.

It's very hard to tell how long you should prepare for all 4 exams, but a month per exam is reasonable if you have access to a good lab and the right study material (i.e. Cisco Press books).

Alienito

uhhhhh... Then I think I will take the CCNA exam only, because something that I learned about CCNP at school is that if you don't pass the recertification exam in 3 years you loose your certification and you need to take all 4 exams plus the CCNA exam.... And that my friends...that sucks!!

Well the cool thing about certifications on operating systems like Windows or Solaris, is that you just need to take an upgrade exam to update your certification.

Imagine... taking all the 7 exams again for MCSE!!

again!! ........IT SUCKS!!!!

Webmaster

I think it is an excellent recertification policy which ensures a low number of 'paper-CCNPs' and hence adds value to the certification.

Also, you make it sound worse than it is. You 'only' need to take the composite BSCI+BCMSN exam to recertify. This recertification exam is a combination of the first 2 CCNP exams (routing and switching), which form the foundation of CCNP. If one isn't able pass that exam he or she doesn't deserve to hold the title CCNP. And you won't have to recertify your CCNA, it will be automatically every time you pass a CCNP exam.

Imagine if you spend all those months and a lot of money on preparing for the CCNP exam, you finally pass them all and become CCNP. You and another guy both apply for the same job. The other guy passed his CCNP exams 7 years ago and hasn't actually worked with routers and switches much in all those years. He may get the job because he's a CCNP for 7 years, while he knows nothing about some new added technologies and forgot most of the details.

CCNP is not just another cert to show off on your resume / advance in payment / or something to do to 'get in IT'. It is a carreer. If you actually get a job as a CCNP you won't have any trouble paying for and passing the recertification exam. Most of the topics will be the same as when you took it 3 years ago and with most you'll have actual experience. Neither can be said from most of the topics in a MCSE upgrade exam.

Alienito

well, i still dont like the idea of a 3 year limit specially with the security certification in which you need to pass 5 exams!!

Im not talking about failing the exams, what if you are in school and you dont have enough time to prepare or take recertification exams?... you will lost everything...

I dont agree with you, i dont think is a good recertification policy, im cool with the idea of expired certifications that will become active again once you pass the exam, even though you have to take the axam every 2 years instead of 3...

kicker22

hmm..it is weird that you don agree with recert policy, but then after all its your opinion

now, a month to study for bsci 3? wow.. I wonder how many hours a day that I need to spend on it to make it in a month and pass the test...

how long did it take you J to pass bsci?

let me know...

thanks

Webmaster

I was partly prepared for the BSCM exam (routing exam before it was named bsci) almost 4 years ago. I already had a lot of real-world experience in a large EIGRP internetwork and with some other bits and pieces of the exam. I changed jobs (net admin -> trainer) so I never finished it. I started studying for the BSCI in May last year and took the exam about 4 months later. I wouldn't know exact how much hours I put into it. Sometimes I didn't read for weeks in a row. I think it's very doable in one or two months if you study 4 to 5 hours per day. It helps a lot if you have a couple of routers to make the commands stick more quickly.

It's always hard to answer how long it takes to prepare for a certain exam, it differs per person and depends a lot on how many hours you put in per day.

scottinnes26

I just took the BSCI, and I messed around for months with it. I reckon with dedication it is do'able in 2-3 months, but you would need to be very commited.

Make sure you book the exam straight away - say about 2 months after starting studying then it gives you a date to aim for. Can't speak for the others but a mate did the BCMSN in 2 months and said it was a lot easier then the BSCI.

2lazybutsmart

Alienito wrote:

well, i still dont like the idea of a 3 year limit specially with the security certification in which you need to pass 5 exams!!

Im not talking about failing the exams, what if you are in school and you dont have enough time to prepare or take recertification exams?... you will lost everything...

I dont agree with you, i dont think is a good recertification policy, im cool with the idea of expired certifications that will become active again once you pass the exam, even though you have to take the axam every 2 years instead of 3...

Look at the recertification policy not from that perspective but from the perspective that a recertification policy should be resilient enough to be a "policy" that makes sure people are really certified.The policy isn't there to give you a hard time but rather to ensure that a person with that certificate really really knows the stuff and knows it up to date.

The fact that you won't be able to study for recertification since you're in school and are low in cash really won't be there (in most cases) since you'll either have tons of cash to pay for the exam (and by that, I mean you'll be working for some serious money) or your company will pay it for you and most probably require that you continue to recertify so that you can be an asset the company invests in in order for it to acheive the best results. Remember, companies don't just fire and hire. It's better for them to give you the money for recertification and even for getting higher certifications than hiring a new person to do that job.

All in all, I think CISCO not only has the best recertification policy around, it also has the best certification policy

2lbs.

nigelcram

For me, Cisco certs are the best.
I have 3 Comptia certs to my name but it does not compete to Cisco.
Difficulty is a must for any certification.
With all these braindumps and practice exams out there.....alot of certs these days u don't need to have tuition for them.....
the exam comes word for word from those practice exams.
I'm doing CCNA now and i love it. Its hard but for the first time in my life i fully understand subnetting and the use of CIDR. Its good. I will be moving on to CCNP after and to me after 3 years the recertification policy is great news for me....cause i will be working in the field and will be able to pay for the exams and most importantly pass the exams and prove that i am truly a CCNP.
Everyone has their own views and i respect that.....this is just my view.
I'll give u this example.......
a partner and myself started A+ and Network+ at the same time......I was doing it online and working as tech support and he had started it at an institution for a week....yes a bootcamp of sorts....
anyway i took bout 3 months to study and passed and got a promotion of sorts....while he took the exams the second week and passed but when it came down to getting a job.....he was fired after one week......cause he was meant to build a computer for the company but he didn't know how to.....and lets just say that there were lots of sparks in the department.....
so a lesson here.......STOP THESE IMPOSTERS CAUSE THE NEXT TIME SOMEBODY MAY GET KILLED....

Drakonblayde

Boy, if the three year limit messes with you, you'd hate the recert policy on CCIE

Ten9t6

Drakonblayde wrote:

Boy, if the three year limit messes with you, you'd hate the recert policy on CCIE

Thats no joke....Now to recert your IE you have to retake the written exam.....It is a 300.00 exam that I have seen a lot of people fail...of course that was on the original take and not after they had earned their CCIE.

Try passing and keeping a CISSP...you have to earn so many points in your 3 years of holding the certification...You earn these by voluteering....teaching security courses...writing papers..and so on...If you don't get the required points you will retake the 500.00 / six hour exam....Good Times...

Long story short....you have chosen a career that you will stay in school and test the rest of your life......

Webmaster

Ten9t6 wrote:

Certifications: CISSP, SSCP, CEH, MCSE:Security, MCSE+I NT 4.0, MCDBA, A+, Network+, Security+, Linux+, MCIWD, CIWSA, CCNP, CCDP, CCIE R&S / Security Written

Do you still have time left to do something else then recertifying?

Seriously though, that is quite a respectable and diverse list of certs. Do you have a job where you can put the knowledge of these certs to work?

Ten9t6

Webmaster wrote:

Ten9t6 wrote:

Certifications: CISSP, SSCP, CEH, MCSE:Security, MCSE+I NT 4.0, MCDBA, A+, Network+, Security+, Linux+, MCIWD, CIWSA, CCNP, CCDP, CCIE R&S / Security Written

Do you still have time left to do something else then recertifying?

Seriously though, that is quite a respectable and diverse list of certs. Do you have a job where you can put the knowledge of these certs to work?

HAHA..it seems like thats all I do.....Over the past 6 years I done consulting that would use parts of all these certs.....Right now...I do some consulting but mostly mentoring IT students...This allows me to work on my CCIE Labs and finish my degree...I am kind of chilling out right now...My real focus in life is to get a sweet information security position after I finish my degree..

Webmaster

You shouldn't have much trouble finding such a position with that list of certs, experience, and a degree.

Thanks for contributing to the forums, I'm sure many members and lurkers appreciate it.

Ten9t6

Webmaster wrote:

You shouldn't have much trouble finding such a position with that list of certs, experience, and a degree.

Thanks for contributing to the forums, I'm sure many members and lurkers appreciate it.

No problem...I just found this forum the other day...I plan on sticking around for a while....to learn and help where its needed...

Have a great day...

Crisco

What's ya'lls idea of the ultimate CCIE Job ?