CCNP Certification

Network Professional’s Next Stop: CCNP

Cisco Certified Network Professional is for those who would like a professional certification in the networking field. CCNP test your skill in installation, configuration and maintaining larger networks. The protocols that you need to be proficient in are IP, IGRP, and

IPX. Route Redistribution, RIP, Route summarization, Async Routing, AppleTalk, Extended Access Lists, OSPF, VLSM, BGP, Serial, Frame Relay, ISDN, ISL, X.25, DDR, PSTN, PPP, VLANs, Ethernet, Access Lists, 802.10, FDDI, Transparent and Translational Bridging. It indicates advanced knowledge of networks. In order to appear for CCNP a pass in CCNA is a perquisite. It requires four exams which may be taken in any order.

Building Scalable Cisco Inter-networks (BSCI)
Building Cisco Multilayer Switched Networks (BCMSN)
Building Cisco Remote Access Networks (BCRAN)
Cisco Inter-network Troubleshooting (CIT)

Who Needs CCNP?

CCNP certification is aimed at full-time network or system administrators, or those who work with local and/or wide area network infrastructure. Cisco CCNP is for those who are proficient in installation, configuration and troubleshooting LAN/WANs for enterprise networks can opt for this exam. Those who want to go for CCIE exam can fare better at CCIE if they pass the CCNP. CCNP Cisco course lays emphasis is on topics of security, converged networks, virtual private networks broadband technologies and implementation Quality of Service.

Exam Description

CCNP certification exam is available in two options

Option 1: You need to clear the following 4 exams for CCNP.

642-801 BSCI: Building Scalable Cisco Internetworks
642-811 BCMSN: Building Cisco Multilayer Switched Networks
642-821 BCRAN: Building Cisco Remote Access Networks
642-831 CIT: Cisco Internetwork Troubleshooting Support

Option 2: You need to clear the following 3 exams. The first exam is actually a combination of the above-mentioned first two exams.

642-891 Composite: Building Scalable Cisco Internetworks and Building Cisco Multilayer Switched Networks
642-821 BCRAN: Building Cisco Remote Access Networks
642-831 CIT: Cisco Internet Troubleshooting Support

Cisco Career Certification exams for CCNP include the following test formats:

Multiple-choice single answer
Multiple-choice multiple answer
Drag-and-drop
Fill-in-the-blank
Testlet
Simlet
Simulations

The duration of the exams is 75 to 90 minutes during which 60 -70 questions need to be answered.

Recertification

CCNP certifications validity is three years. Recertification would require passing

642-891 Composite exams (or)
642-801 and 642-811 (or)
CCIE exam

CCNP Cisco Course

Many online ccnp course guides and practice exams are available for the CCNP Cisco course certification. The content below is just the outline of topics for the specific examination.