Passing Cisco CCNA: Cisco carries a lot of weight in the IT-Networking field simply because it is that essential. It has become a dominant figure in the networking world (thanks to its early pioneering efforts in networking), and learning and being certified in it can be equated to setting your future networking career up for success.
Considering the competent salaries, you can earn with the right certifications (and not to mention the prestige), that could very well prove to be an understatement.
Indeed, a testament to the comprehensive platform Cisco has turned into is the sheer number of certifications that you can earn in it alone. The most in-demand at present include:
- CCNA and CCIE Routing and Switching (with average salaries of $120k and $140k for Senior Network Engineers and Network Architects)
- CCDA (Certified Design Associate) (average salary of $110k for Senior Systems Engineer)
As is evident from the certification abbreviations, each comes with varying levels that range from entry and associate to professional and expert; and that is just the tip of the iceberg, so to speak. What is certain is that passing your certification exam is nothing short of a vital first step to helping you achieve your professional goals.
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Overview of the 200-125 CCIE Routing & Switching Exam
If you are aiming for the Prepaway CCIE Routing & Switching (CCIE R&S) certification, then this is the best place to learn more about it. We have also taken the liberty to provide you with helpful tips and recommendations to help improve, if not ensure, your chances of passing the exam. Here are some essential details you need to know beforehand about this credential.
While the exam has no prerequisite, it does assert that you need to have at least three years of experience before you attempt to take it. After all, it verifies the skills and knowledge you have acquired in enterprise network infrastructure. Will you be able to easily troubleshoot issues that arise in it? How good are you in configuring it and how solid is your grasp of its individual components? It tests, in short, your expertise in managing such comprehensive infrastructures.
The CCIE R&S certification is the top you can earn on the track after you’ve gained CCNA and CCNP R&S.
How 200-125 Exam and Certification is Conducted and Acquired?
The certification requires you to pass two exams. The first is a written exam where you have 90-110 questions that you need to finish within 2 hours. Since it is a primary certification, expect to be tested on a wide variety of topics that range from basic network principles to VPN technologies and more specific Layer 2 (LAN, Layer 2 multicast, Layer 2 WAN) and 3 technologies, as well as infrastructure security and services. Questions on Layer 3 Technologies will form the bulk of the questions, which mainly revolve around topics in addressing various technologies (troubleshooting IPv4, IPv6), Layer 3 multicast, BGP, and ISIS.
The exam also has a section dedicated to Evolving Technologies that aims to connect your current expertise in enterprise network infrastructure with other quickly growing technologies being incorporated like the Internet of Things and cloud technology.
These are but some of the questions you are expected to answer correctly:
- What feature is “rtfilter” commonly used for?
- Why is it better to opt for the Cisco GET VPN instead of DMVPN?
- In 6to4 tunnel addresses, which IPv6 should be used?
The second exam is a longer lab exam that lasts up to 8 hours. It will place you in an actual network setting where you will have to do troubleshooting and configuring. There are three main modules in this regard: Diagnostic, Configuration and Troubleshooting. It will involve testing your knowledge of issues in the network and how you will decide to address them. You will be provided official Cisco documentation to help as references while you are taking the exam.
The certification requires you to attempt the lab exam within 18 months after passing the written one. This second exam also determines the validity of your passing the written exam, as failure to attempt or reattempt it within 12 months will result in the invalidation of the latter. Failure to pass the lab exam within 3 years will require you to retake the written exam.
Some Tips on How to Prepare for and Pass the Exam
- Be sure to give equal focus on all the topics involved in the written exam
- Stay calm and do not be overwhelmed by the sudden influx of information, especially when taking the lab exam.
- Address areas you know you are weak at and use all the helpful materials that are available to you to the fullest. Diligence is the key, and the more topics and sample tasks you cover and do, the more ground you will be able to cover.
- Practice, practice, and practice! This is especially true for the lab exam. If there are mock lab exams you have access to, do not hesitate to dive into them!
- Some passers suggest not to linger too long on questions you cannot answer outright and answer the ones you are confident in first.
- Think beyond the exam and envision yourself as the competent professional you are bound to become.
Why PrepAway is Your Key to Acing 200-125 Exam?
These kinds of helpful study platforms specialize in assisting professionals in passing these complex tests. PrepAway knows how the whole ins and outs of 200-125 Exam. As said above, the key to passing is to master all the topics included in the test and to immerse yourself in the actual test setting, written and lab alike. The platform does this by offering you a plethora of up-to-date resources and references that does just that through:
1. Questions and Answers
It compiles 500 actual practice questions and their corresponding correct answers. With this kind of direct access, you would virtually just have to memorize majority of them to breeze the exam.
2. Training Course with Video Lectures
Videos serve as more engaging media, and PrepAway capitalizes on this by providing you with video lectures that depict how you can address the issues in an actual lab setting. You will be able to get a direct view of how 200-125 exam is usually conducted this way.
3. Study Guide (with audio)
This will give you access to tips from routing & switching experts who have passed the exams in the past. These are individuals with extensive hands-on experience that will also pass on to you the invaluable knowledge they have gained.
Conclusion
As you can see, just like any exam, the key to passing 200-125 test is to simply come prepared. That said, this certainly takes dedication on your part. But ultimately, considering the number of resources that are now available to you, it is safe to say that getting that coveted CCIE R&S certification is no longer as Herculean as it was. All it takes is knowing your opportunities and seizing them.