Did your CCNA certification give you the platform you desired as a newbie? Are you ready to move to a more advanced level?Time to move to the next level of a higher level professional certification - “CCNP”! CCNP certification is a more in-depth study of basics covered in CNNA course. CCNP Routing and Switching are one of the 8 domains of expertise offered by CCNP. A Cisco certified professional ensures the recruiters that they are onboarding a competent resource to handle the tasks at hand.Passing a CCNP is not a one day’s work. It calls for actually burning the midnight oil. Follow top 5 tips to ensure you clear the CCNP certification without getting overstressed:
1. Revisit your CCNA Course:
Make sure to revisit your CCNA course basics while preparing for CCNP certification. CCNP routing and switching are built upon the CCNA concepts. Revolving around the same topics CCNP gives you an in-depth knowledge and logic of CCNA sub-topics. It may be quite some while since you cleared your CCNA certification, refresh some knowledge, skills, and logic to help you prepare for the CCNP certification.
2. Go topic wise:
The CCNP course is not one that you can cram. You must understand each subtopic in depth and end to end. Reading the entire book in one go without assessing how well you understood each topic does not work for CCNP. Practicing and evaluating your knowledge and skills of each topic on the practical level is very important. You will feel more confident while you move ahead and get the better understanding of next topics.
3. Go beyond to the course:
Although the CCNP course books are extensive, Cisco and its followers have forums and groups that can help you add more to your knowledge and skills. Follow the blogs to get the knowledge of latest updates of networking news. Check out YouTube videos and watch the course videos or CCIE expert videos and learn from them. The best part of being connected to the groups and forums is the help they provide you if you are stuck on a problem, or provide a few practical tips.
4. Practical knowledge:
CCNA certification must have set your standards clear. Cisco certification is never about just bookish knowledge. If you cleared your CCNA certification without any lab set up, CCNP is not going to be easy if you do not have hands-on knowledge. Practice a lot in your CCNP lab to get the hang of Cisco CCNP devices and score well on your CCNP certification.
5. Plan your exam series:
CCNP has 3 modules of exams:
a) 300-101-Route
b) 300-115 Switch
c) 300-135 TSHOOT
You have complete authority to choose the sequence in which you want to take up the exams. CCIE experts state you must take the first one of which you are most confident. When you clear the first exam your confidence for the next coming exams gets a boost. Make sure you plan this well in advance so that your preparation and sitting through the exams is in sync. Be confident about your preparation as nervousness leads to silly mistakes in the examination.Relax in between your preparation days and get a clear idea of how your preparation is going and steer it a little. Connect to CCIE experts and take guidance from them. As they are experienced, they may help you with planning your preparation and make you aware of all do’s and don’ts of the CCNP routing and switching certification. Getting help from experts keeps your knowledge bank updated, and you can get your queries resolved from a practical standpoint.
