Things to know about Cisco certification exams
The main requirements for Cisco certifications such as CCNA, CCNP, and CCIE are to take and pass one or more Cisco vocational training certification exams and to sign the “Cisco vocational training certification agreement”. Passing the exam gives web professionals the opportunity to demonstrate their web knowledge and expertise.
Prior to taking any Cisco certification exam, candidates must accept the Cisco Career Certification and NDA at the Test Center on the day of the exam. Otherwise, candidates will not be able to take the test and the registration fee will not be refunded. Signing this legal agreement is a prerequisite for formal certification.
Exam difficulty
The CCNP and CCIE exam is extremely challenging – not just memorizing, but solving problems that arise in real work. The questions include “multiple choice” questions, “drag and drop” questions, fill-in-the-blanks questions and simulation questions. With the exception of the lab exam, all tests are carried out online, with questions answered in order, and no candidates are allowed to “mark-up” a question and then go back to the question.
The CCNA new exam may contain ungraded questions designed to collect data on new questions. Ungraded questions will not be used to determine a passing score and will not be added to a sub-item of the transcript. All ungraded questions will be randomly inserted into the exam and enough time will be calculated and provided for the candidate to complete the entire exam.
At the end of the computer-based test, the candidate will receive a report card showing the benchmark scores provided by the testing authority and the passing scores for specific tests. The laboratory exam only differentiates pass/fail. Results will be posted online within 48 hours (need to login). Cisco may change the exam questions and pass scores without further notice.
Exam fee
The CCNP Comprehensive Test 642-892 costs USD 300 and the CCIE Written Test costs USD 350. The CCNA 640-802 test is priced at USD 250, and the CCNP 642-901, 642-812, 642-825, and 642-845 are priced at USD 150 each. The cost of the CCIE lab exam is USD 1,750. Payment can be made online by credit card or by wire transfer. Different exam agents have different refund policies.
How should I schedule my exams?
For information on how to schedule the CCIE lab exam, you can visit the Spoto website. For all other tests, please contact your authorized Cisco test agent in your area to register for the test. In the US and Canada, you can register as early as six weeks in advance, and the deadline is the day of the test. Different regions have different examination arrangement policies.
Candidates who do not pass the test must wait for five days after taking the test before they can retake the test. Once you pass the exam, you are not allowed to take the make-up exam.
What can I get after passing the exam?
After a candidate has passed all the exams required for certification and has signed the necessary agreements, Cisco will send the candidate the Cisco Career Training Certificate, which indicates the ID and validity of the candidate’s Cisco Career Training Certificate. The e-Cert will be delivered within 3-5 working days, while the written certificate will be delivered within 6-8 weeks.
Qualified candidates are entitled to use the corresponding Cisco Career Training certification mark which indicating the level of certification. Before using it, they must read and accept the Cisco Professional Certification Mark Agreement. The marks can be obtained through the Cisco Certification Tracking System.
Cisco Career Training Certification Tracking System provides a record of test and certificate status. Candidates and certificate holders are required to provide up-to-date contact information in order to receive notifications from Cisco.
