Best order of exams for CCNP after passing CCNA

[surfbum99]

Hi there,

Just like to thank everyone on here for responses to CCNA questions, passed yesterday with 900/1000.

Now I have another question!

I'm going straight on to the CCNP, my question is, out of the four more exams, is there a specific order or better or you should take them in?

regards,

Alistair.

 

[NettableWalker]

Hi Surfbum99,

Congrats on the pass. I've got my CCNA recertification next week, and to be honest I fear it more than the CCNP exams: (also got a BCRAN next week).

I reckon the consensus is to do the CCNP in this order:

BCMSN
BCRAN
CIT
BSCI

This puts them in increasing order of difficulty - and they are difficult. It is such a vast difference from a CCNA that it really opens your eyes to what these devices can do (and hence why cisco engineers get paid quite well).

Make sure you actually know the BSCI stuff before doing the CIT though as the CIT effectively rounds up the other 3 subject areas.

Good luck!

MCP,CCA, Net+, 1 quarter CCNP...

 

[surfbum99]

Excellent thanks, interesting you think the switching one should be first?

 

[NettableWalker]

I had no experience with switching whatsoever before the course: all my switches were 3com and no VLANs etc. But the BCMSN course shows a whole new world in layer 2 that i never knew was there.

It's all quite complex as you would expect but it is reckoned to be the easiest, it just goes to show how hard BSCI is, if this is the "easy" one.....

What's the CCNA exam like these days?

MCP,CCA, Net+, 1 quarter CCNP...

 

[CiscoGuy33]

NettableWalker,

You said - I've got my CCNA recertification next week, and to be honest I fear it more than the CCNP exams: (also got a BCRAN next week).

Sounds like you are taking another CCNP AND a CCNA recert exam - If you have passed a CCNP exam recently (which it sounds like you have) that extends your CCNA - you do not need to get the whole CCNP to extend your CCNA.

You might want to check your Cisco Certification website - they just sent out status a email last week with all the Cisco exams I have taken.

Just a thought!


E.A. Broda
CCNA, CCDA, CCAI, Network +

 

[NettableWalker]

Hi CiscoGuy33,

Good points, but my CCNA expired 2 years ago, now i have to take a CCNA exam as well as the CCNP exams before i will get given a CCNP, the order is not important apparently. I checked this with Cisco last year. Wish i'd started the CCNP a few years earlier...

MCP,CCA, Net+, 1 quarter CCNP...

 

[techkiwi]

Many people recommend tackling the exams in this order:

BSCI
BCMSN
BCRAN
CIT

Generally CIT is at the end because it's about troubleshooting the technologies you've learned about for the other three exams.

It depends on the individual. If you're really strong in Switching for example, you might want to tackle that exam first so that you get a confidence boost from passing your first CCNP level exam.

Read the description of the exams on Cisco's web-site and see which one sounds like you're going to ace it!

 

[surfbum99]

Interesting, thats the order of the exam numbers and the order listed on the cisco certification CCNP page.

 

[leedsit]

Hi,

I did..

CIT
BSCI
BCMSN
and taking the BCRAN next week....

What ever you do, take the CIT last... you need knowledge from the other 3 as the guys have mentioned.

I think the following order is the best

BSCI or BCMSN in either order
BCRAN
then CIT

Good luck.





LEEroy
MCNE6,CCNA2,3/4 CCNP,CWNA,CCSA,Project+

 

[surfbum99]

Many thanks for your suggestions

 

[Ten9t6]

Techkiwi....that is the order I took and I had no problems...

K

 

[techkiwi]

Cool, hope it works for me then! I've done the first three, now working on CIT.

I'm finding it hard to study for CIT, the objectives seem as though they're not as well defined as the other three subjects. With the other three I found that I could use the books as a good basis and use the Cisco website and labs to fill in the gaps. CIT is proving harder for me to work my way through.