After a year of dragging my feet and making excuses, I lit a new fire under my own ass and am starting to work on my CCNP again. Purchased the ENCOR and ENARSI OCG's, and have access to several other resources (CML subscription, GNS3, Udemy, Boson and Pearson Practice Tests).
There's no excuse, except the ones I keep making. I already perform CCNP-level tasks on a daily basis (I determined this based on skimming the ENARSI OCG and realizing how many tasks lined up with what I come across with at work) and really feel like I'm butting against the limit of my knowledge. I learn things long enough to resolve an incident at work, but forget soon after. That ends today.
My strategy:
- Slowly, methodically, reading each chapter of the OCG. Taking my time, not rushing it.
- Dedicating 1 hour a night on weekdays, and at least 2 hours per weekend for studying/reading.
- For each chapter, writing myself a test bank of multiple questions based on what I'm reading. I will then go through and quiz myself later, or have my gf quiz me.
- For each chapter, and where relevant, I'm coming up with ideas for how I can lab out each and every concept. My learning style is to not just see or read something, but do it and prove it. I want to prove that a TCN is sent out and watch STP perform a re-configuration of the topology. I want to make EIGRP break in multiple ways so I can gain more and more skills in my toolbox for troubleshooting at work. Read it. See it. Do it.
- Since I have both Boson and Pearson practice tests, I am going to test with Pearson after reading each chapter and reviewing/answering my own question bank. Then, once I've gone through the OCG fully, I will go back and do a full exam simulation with Boson. I will rinse and repeat this up to 3 times, only taking each Boson and Pearson test once.
The next 6 months at work will be telling, and I want to pack the proverbial parachute, so to speak, in case I end up switching teams. But unless or until that happens, I want to continue developing as many skills as possible to be the best member of my team as I can be, and to continue to grow as an engineer.
Here's to 2022 and the journey ahead!
Please post if you have used one.
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Hello all,
Im studying for the CCNP Enterprise certification and planning to take the ENCORE at the end of this month.
The resources I've used is mainly boson, but also read the OCG and also the 30 days before CCNP though I can admit I only read both only once..
Instead I've been relying on the Boson a lot. I go through it everyday. I just wonder, is boson enough? For you that took your CCNP Enterprise, was boson a good resource? If you compare the questions in Boson and questions on the exam, how similar was it?
Would appreciate your insight on this.
I took the CCNP ENARSI today and it was my first attempt. I have been studying off and on for about 3 months with maybe 2-3 weeks of serious 3-4 hours a day studying. I would also say that I am just now getting to a point where i feel confident in some of the material. Overall, I am not bummed out by my breakdown (apparently they don't give scores anymore). The reason I say that is because the material i used to study was definitely adequate in preparing me for the types of questions the exam had. I wanted to make a post about this because I spent probably 3-4 hours just browsing people's feedback on the exam to make sure i was headed in the right direction. Thus, I figured that I would share my own thoughts in an effort to help the next person and also revisit in the coming weeks/months when i take my next attempt.
==== Little bit of background so people know my past experiences and education ====
Graduated from Uni with a degree in network engineering. I got my CCNA coming out of college and was working on part of my CCNP. This has been about 5-6 years ago now. While in college i started as a Cisco intern working in the laboratory, referred to as CALO, which supported the TAC side of the house. I cut my teeth on physical labbing and L2/L3 configuration (CCNA level) here. About 1 year after my internship, i was hired on full time as a TAC engineer on the Core Architecture/Technology Solutions team (CATS). I spent most of my time here learning how to debug IOS/IOSXE C code while filing bugs and helping resolve L1/L2/L3 issues for customers such as packet loss, memory leaks, cpu over-utilization, stale pointer crashes, null pointer dereference crashes, etc. I worked in TAC for about 2 years and then moved over to the Sales side as a Systems Engineer working for local towns/municipalities and schools (very rewarding to help schools improve their infrastructure).
==== Current Certifications ====
CCNA
DevNet Associate
CCNP ENCOR
==== Length and Type of Studying ====
1-2 hours a day for maybe 2 months (reading and videos solely)
3-4 hours a day for 2-3 weeks. (reading/videos/practice exams)
I did no labs (huge mistake)
I read the OCG and watched INE/Pearson videos primarily for my study material
==== Week of Preparation ====
I used Boson practice test to try and gauge where my knowledge was. I was scoring around 600-650 on those test and I used the study mode to go into much greater detail. I did not take each test more than once for fear
... keep reading on reddit ➡So I just got my CCNA and have been working as a network admin for 8 months now on an enterprise level. I’ve done a lot with routers and switches but our security operations team has handled all the firewall and policy stuff. I work as a DOD contractor and in order to obtain my IAT3 level I need a baseline cert that CCNP Security would cover. My other options are CASP+ and CISSP as well.
Is the curve too steep to jump to the CCNP security side and should I pursue another one if the qualifying certs instead ?
Attempted an exam in the last week or so? Passed? Failed? Proctor messed it all up? Discuss here! Open to all CCNP exams, don't forget to include the exam name and/or number. We are now consolidating those pass-fail posts under here per prior poll of the community and your feedback.
Remember, don't post a score in the format of xxx/1,000. All Cisco exams have a maximum score of 1,000, so that's useless info. Instead, list the required score to pass, as this differs from exam to exam, and can change over the lifetime of the exam.
Payment of passes in PUPPY pictures is allowed.
I earned my CCNA back in May 2021 and since then I also obtained security+ and I'm interested in going for CCNP ENCOR or Security. Dilemma is I hear some people say it will give red flags to employers if someone has their CCNP and no practical OTJ. Is this accurate? I can't imagine acquiring more knowledge is a bad thing. I want to some day be a Network security engineer that sets up VPN or VAN'S. That's why I wanted to go for CCNP Security but I've heard you should get CCNP Encor before doing anything else. Anyone have advice on what is the way?
Just curious what IT certification\boot camp schools anyone has used to get their CCNP? I am looking for a reputable program so I can get my CCNP as I will be using benefits from veteran affairs.
Thanks,
I passed my SCOR exam so now need a concentration exam.
I don't have the relevant Cisco technologies available to me in a production environment so anything hands on will have to be VM/lab based.
The ones that look most interesting at the moment are:
- 300-715 SISE
- 300-725 SWSA
- 300-730 SVPN
There appear to be books (Official Cert Guides) available on Amazon for 300-715 and 300-730.
Cisco has their digital learning courses that are self-paced on all of the above for $500 ea.
SISE and SVPN give 40 CE's whereas SWSA only gives 16. Is this because SWSA is an easier path? On the other hand, the SISE course has no labs whereas SWSA and SVPN does. I'm leaning toward the SWSA because I have more knowledge in that area. Would the Cisco digital course be enough to get through that exam? Are there any other resources available? I see that I can get a demo license for a virtual WSA for 45 days which might help. I'm just not seeing a lot of other resources for this particular exam.
I’m taking a Cisco networking program using Netacad through my local junior college. The first year you take classes for the CCNA, then the second year you take CCNP classes. I just finished my first year, and next week I start taking CCNP classes. Only problem is I’m not ready to take the CCNA exam yet, close, but I need maybe 4-6 more weeks of study. Has anyone ever done Cisco classes though school and found that they were In this scenario? My main goal right now is to get my CCNA, I just hope taking CCNP classes won’t mess with my CCNA studies and confuse me.
Okay, I've got CCNA last year and I've got experience with real equipment doing all sort of things, to the point I'm feeling a bit short of knowledge with just CCNA. I'm going for CCNP and I've got the OCG book for core
I have a software developer degree and some experience in this field. So because of that, I'm looking forward for devnet concentration exam (300-435 ENAUTO).
Do any of you can recommend me any resource for studying it from scratch? Books, CBT Nuggets, or anything else
Thanks in advance!
Is eve-ng, pnetlab or gns3 enough to CCNP Certifications?
Guys, I'm working towards CCNP Service Provider 350-501, since there is no OFG, I'm studying on my own through books.
I got an information that I had to get physical hardware to do labs cause of mismatch of OS in virtual OS and physical updated OSs.
So, is it really necessary?
Ppl who did CCNP Service Provider, what do u think?
Thanks in advance
Hi all 👋🏻
I’ve currently been working for 5 years, 2 years as a network engineer and 3 years as a unified communications engineer. I’m thinking of going back to the networking field.
Do you suggest I go for the CCNA or go straight into CCNP since you no longer need the associate exam as a prerequisite.
I did briefly go over the CCNA material last night and felt overwhelmed over forgetting things here and there. I guess because I’ve not actively worked in the role for a while, that was bound to happen but didn’t feel the best about it.
It was always my dream to become a network engineer, however every day my job got more and more security heavy. To the point where I wasn’t doing anything except configuring GPO’s and doing scans with tenable (freakin log4j)
Today I took on a new role as a security analyst for a small org. Surprisingly I wasn’t thrilled about it because I kind of felt like I gave up on my dream.
I was wondering if there was a path for someone to get to network engineering, but on a security path? If you know what I mean? Like what could I do? Are there jobs that combine the 2? Is that a very niche career path? Is there money in it? Or should I just accept my fate as a security analyst? Or should I just suck up the pay cut and go start at the bottom as an entry level Network Engineer?
There are many resources out there for CCNA preparation but I haven’t come across any CCNP course that is also really well delivered. Does anyone here know of a really good resource or course for CCNP preparation ?
My CCNP R&S (now enterprise) will expire later this year, so I need to make sure I get 80 CE points to renew my certification.
Fortunately, by employer has allowed me to enroll in an instructor-led ENCOR training, which will provide me with 64 CE point. This leaves me with 16 points to go.
To be honest, I really don’t want to go take the exam, so I’m looking for other ways to obtain the last 16 points.
I’ve stumbled upon the basic SD-WAN training: https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/training-events/training-certifications/training/training-services/courses/sd-wan-operation-and-deployment-sdwfnd.html Watching a couple of hours of video and doing a few labs sounds easy enough right? Downside is that it costs 500 dollars…
What do you recommend for obtaining 16 CE credits?
What the title says
Context: I've recently passed CCNA and got a job as a network consultant. Naturally, I'm going for CCNP Enterprise soon, and CCIE in the future.
My question is purely about ROI, is it possible to jump from ENCOR straight to the CCIE lab? And if so, would that yield a higher return in time/effort invested ? (Higher salary, time saved, knowledge learned)
What am I missing here ? Thanks a lot !
I work in the ISP space and CCNP SP seems to make the most sense for my next certification, but the most affordable class is 1000 USD through Cisco Learning and there don't seem to be any better alternatives from a price perspective.
I payed maybe 150 USD total for all my CCNA resources, is 10x that really where it goes from here?
Heck, there isn't even a OCG from Cisco Press, I can get a dozen or so books based on the exam topics, but really hoping for something more consolidated.
Anyone else in this same boat or found a better way?
Hello,
I am currently CCNP Ent. And I would like to know if there is a really huge knowledge gap between a CCNP Ent. And a CCIE Ent. Certified.
What’s your opinion?
If I want to buy a firewall to study for the CCNP Security, which device options I have. I know there's a lot of different device with different price range. I saw a post of CBT nugget were they recommend ASA 5506-X, just wanted to see if any one with more experience can guide me. thanks.
For example I was able to get a bit of a discount buying vouchers through Jason Dions website when studying for the Security+ exam, just curious if there is anything similar for CCNP
I have the OSG book and have 5 years basic network experience. Im solid on security with CISSP and CCSP certs. Is there a good guide/website out there that has given you value in your studies? Also, I see people spinning up VMs of firepower, ISE, stealthwatch etc. are these free or have a temp license?
recently i started studying for my CCNP and i need to simulate the labs using real IOS's but i don't know how much ram i need in my PC.
So I certified CCNP R&S in January 2020, right before the certification changes. I’ve only been working for 2 years but I feel like nowadays just knowledge of routing and switching will not be enough and I will be left behind if I don’t study more things, but I’m not really sure what should I study/focus on. What should my next step be? Any help would be really appreciated.
I am planning on getting CCNP 350-501 and 300-515 SPVI
I got CCNA long time ago and since that time I worked about 7years in service provider and data center space with little bit of optical experience.
I am struggling to find a guide to help with what books to get, what kind of sim/virtualization to use for labs, how to get hold of labs without paying 1000euros for Cisco course? When I did CCNA I did labs as part of uni curriculum and had access via uni to lab material, this time I am not having this access anymore and I am trying to avoid paying Cisco for anything than a book and exam. Is there way to pass this exam without spending money on Cisco study material (other than book?)
Are the labs covered in the official cert guide book?
I am targeting this certification for 2022 Q3 and I am scoping budget approach to passing and covering all the topics properly in the lab.
I was wondering if anyone might have had experience using Cisco modeling studio to run the network backbone for labbing. I have access to endless 7821s an 8811s. But I really don't want to drag out my physical routers at the moment, though some do have appropriate voice cards. I was thinking running CUCM in a vm on esxi, then having that connect in to the modeling lab and use that for the gateways and simulated sip provider.
I have other ways to practice analog phones to, mainly using a grandstream, but I have access to vg204xms for mgcp if needed.
Also does anyone have an good resources for this test, I have read the ocg, and I am watching the ine and cbt videos. I'm also working daily with the system and learning new things daily. But I want to renew my ccnp enterprise infrastructure, by doing the collab as voip is very interesting and seems like a natural extension of networking.
I got my CCNA a month ago and decided that I keep up the momentum, so I am now going for my CCNP. I caught an AMAZING deal on ciscopress and got the CCNP ENCOR/ENARSI OCG and "31 days before your CCNP ENCOR" booklet for a combined $66.
I will dedicate at least 2 hours a day to this, and hopefully I can obtain the CCNP within 6 months.
I couldn’t find any specific answer to this online. As it just says the CCNP is valid for 3 years.
If I were to take and pass the ENCOR exam in say Mid 2022. And then pass the ENARSI exam at the end of 2022. Is the CCNP certification expiration 3 years from the date I got ENCOR or the date I got ENARSI?
Hope that makes sense.
Hi guys, I am thinking of starting studying for CCNP Encore, I have the CCNA almost 2 years now, for some reason couldn't get a job. So I decided to go for the ccnp. Do you is it worth it? Will I be able to gain a job in the field? Also please what are the best resources and materials that I can use to study and prepare me for ccnp exam. Thanks
Hello guys,
selling here my Cisco lab equipment because company I work for offered me my own test environment in their DC, so I no longer need to have house full of those :)
I would prefer to sell them all together
1x Cisco c1760 + WIC Module and serial cable - 20 Euro
3x Router CISCO1921/K9 1Gig license ipbasek9 permanent - 200 Euro
2x Switch WS-C2950G-24-EI- 60 Euro
1x Switch WS-C3550-48 - 40 Euro
2x Raspberry Pi Model B New! (4x 16GB SD Card, Quad-core, 2GB RAM, WLAN, power cable) - 200 Euro
1x Cisco Router 881G-W (3G Capable with Antennas!) - 40e
1x Cisco ASA 5505 - 70e
1x Vodafone EasyBox-711664 1Gig LAN router - GRATIS
1x Server 1RU with i3, HDD, 8GB RAM and 4x Gig Ethernet Adapters - GRATIS
1x Cisco c4300 series with CLOCKBUG! - GRATIS (Please read comment below)
(Clockbug = sometime in the future after the device is shut, it won't boot again. It can take one month or 5 years until this happen. Great for lab environment, because it has all functions of modern Cisco IOS)
Price if you take everything: 600 Euro + I pay for the shipping anywhere in Europe
P.S. anything could be arranged if you really need the equipment, I will wait for money or you could pay me in several months
My CCNA expires in about a year and I’m thinking of going for the SP CCNP. Was looking into study material for it and it doesn’t seem like Cisco press has specific publications for the exams. Several have suggested Cisco IOS XR Fundamentals and MPLS Fundamentals but both were published over 10 years ago. Are these books still relevant to the exam today?
I'm currently studying for my CCNA. I know almost everything that I need to know for the exam, and I will probably do the exam at the end of January. My plans after doing the CCNA is studying for the CCNP Enterprise. How long will it take to achieve CCNP knowledge from a fresh CCNA? And is the gap between the CCNP and CCIE huge? I also know some CCNP level topics, like redistribution. So...
How long will it take to achieve CCNP level knowledge from a fresh CCNA?
How long will it take to get the CCIE from CCNP?
Attempted an exam in the last week or so? Passed? Failed? Proctor messed it all up? Discuss here! Open to all CCNP exams, don't forget to include the exam name and/or number. We are now consolidating those pass-fail posts under here per prior poll of the community and your feedback.
Remember, don't post a score in the format of xxx/1,000. All Cisco exams have a maximum score of 1,000, so that's useless info. Instead, list the required score to pass, as this differs from exam to exam, and can change over the lifetime of the exam.
Payment of passes in PUPPY pictures is allowed.
Attempted an exam in the last week or so? Passed? Failed? Proctor messed it all up? Discuss here! Open to all CCNP exams, don't forget to include the exam name and/or number. We are now consolidating those pass-fail posts under here per prior poll of the community and your feedback.
Remember, don't post a score in the format of xxx/1,000. All Cisco exams have a maximum score of 1,000, so that's useless info. Instead, list the required score to pass, as this differs from exam to exam, and can change over the lifetime of the exam.
Payment of passes in PUPPY pictures is allowed.
So I certified CCNP R&S in January 2020, right before the certification changes. I’ve only been working for 2 years but I feel like nowadays just knowledge of routing and switching will not be enough and I will be left behind if I don’t study more things, but I’m not really sure what should I study/focus on. What should my next step be? Any help would be really appreciated.
