Cisco 200-301 Bundle

Those IT professionals who have the skills needed for the management and optimization of today’s most advanced networks or want to gain some and validate them can go for the Cisco CCNA certification. It shows that you know how to navigate the ever-changing landscape of the IT field. The certificate demonstrates your familiarity with the networking and security fundamentals as well as your knowledge of programmability, IP services, and automation. With the level of expertise that you attain, you can take your career in any direction as well as meet the market demands and exceed them.

This associate-level certification is available to any interested individuals and has no formal requirements that they have to fulfill. However, you need to understand that having some experience in the field will help you with understanding the concepts covered in the qualification exam. Therefore, it is recommended that you possess at least 1-2 years of practical experience. This means that the potential candidates should know how to implement and administer Cisco solutions.

Exam Overview

There is only one exam that you need to deal with, which is known as Cisco 200-301. The qualification test is 120 minutes long and contains about 100 questions of various types. It is available in Japanese and English and will cost you $300. To be sure that you won’t need to spend your money one more time to retake the exam, you need to have a good understanding of its topics. All in all, they include the following:

• Network Fundamentals – To deal with the questions from this section, you have to know about the switching concepts, virtualization fundamentals, and wireless principles. Besides that, it is important to have knowledge of IPv6 address types, IPv4 and IPv6 addressing, interface and cable issues, and IP parameters for Client OS. Possessing the skills in comparing cabling types and physical interface as well as explaining the role and function of network components is vital as well;
• Network Access – The next topic is all about the components of a wireless LAN access for client connectivity, physical infrastructure connections of WLAN components, as well as interswitch connectivity. An individual needs to be able to configure VLANs spanning switches and know how to verify them, compare Cisco Wireless Architectures & AP modes, and configure Layer 2 discovery protocols;
• IP Connectivity – This area evaluates your skills in configuring IPv4 and IPv6 static routing as well as single area OSPFv2 and verifying them. You should also know about the components of routing table;
• IP Services – As for this domain, it covers the details of TFTP/FTP and its capabilities in the network, role of DHCP and DNS, as well as the function of SNMP in network operations. Having the skills in configuring network devices for remote access with the use of SSH and explaining the per-hop behavior for QoS is also important;
• Security Fundamentals – This exam part is all about the key security concepts, wireless security protocols, and access control lists. Moreover, the potential candidates have to learn about the elements of the security program and security password policies as well as GUI, WPA2 PSK, Layer 2 security features, and WPA3;
• Automation and Programmability – The last objective evaluates the skills in comparing campus device management with DNA Center enabled device management. Also, you need to know how automation impacts network management and be familiar with the characteristics of REST-based APIs, JSON encoded data, and controller-based/software-defined architectures.

Career Options

With the Cisco CCNA certification, you can move your career further and take it to the next level. Usually, the IT professionals with this associate-level certificate become Help Desk Technicians, Entry-Level Network Engineers, Network Support Technicians, and Network Administrators with an average annual salary of $84,000. This is a good option to improve the skills you already have and gain more to be ready for advanced tasks.