New Cisco Certifications in 2020: What to Expect from Cisco 200-301 Exam?

Cisco has recently announced a significant change in its certification program. Hence, if you are planning to earn CCNA in 2020, you might want to take your time to ask questions and understand what the new credential is all about. If you are looking for answers, this guide has tried to provide answers. It is important to mention that Cisco CCNA is not the only certification pathway that will be affected by this new development. Other paths will also experience some variations.

For the purpose of this guide, the focus will be on the CCNA certification path, and this blog article will answer as many questions as possible to help you make informed decisions about your Cisco pathway. To keep abreast of constant changes in the world of IT and to prepare its professionals for the fast-paced industry, Cisco has planned structuring for all its credentials. If you are planning to pursue any certificate in 2020, it is important to know more about these changes so that you can prepare adequately for them.

Currently, those individuals who want to pursue the CCNA certification pathway are required to pass two exams. However, the pattern will be different in 2020. If you’re actively working on writing the CCNA test next year, you should understand what these changes mean for you. Before going into the new pattern and profile of a new certificate, let’s explore the current CCNA structure, which is still actual.

Overview of Current CCNA Certification Path

Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) is a certification pathway offered by Cisco. It is designed so that the candidates can demonstrate their knowledge of the fundamentals of Information Technology. The professionals with the credential are able to explore numerous potentials available in the competitive IT field. The individuals also have the opportunity to specialize in some areas by going through this path that fits their career goal. CCNA is offered in a couple of certification domains, which include CCNA Cloud; CCNA CyberOps; CCNA Data Center; CCNA Routing & Switching; CCNA Industrial; CCNA Collaboration; CCNA Service Provider; CCNA Security; and CCNA Wireless.

Overview of New Cisco 200-301 Certification Exam

By February 24, 2020, the Cisco CCNA certification program will be different. For instance, the paths highlighted above will be replaced. The new CCNA credential will offer the following certificates: CCNA Data Center; CCNA Cloud; CCNA Collaboration; CCNA Wireless; CCNA Industrial; CCNA Security; CCNA Routing & Switching; CCNA Service Provider.

Majority of the current CCNA credentials require that the candidates pass multiple exams. However, for new Cisco CCNA, the students have to complete only a single test, which will be launched by February 24^th. The new exam that will lead to the award of the CCNA certificate is Cisco 200-301. It will be focused on a wide range of topics, including programmability, networking, automation, and security. In addition to this, the almost retired CCNA certification has a particular path that the individuals have to know. For instance, if you pursue CCNA Security, the next logical step is CCNP Security. A good thing about the new certificate is its simplicity. Many exam candidates have complained about the current list of requirements and offerings of CCNA, which is sort of complex and intimidating. However, the new certification program offers an easier to follow the system. Therefore, Cisco tries to make the certificate process clear and more useful according to the individuals’ interests.

What Will Happen to Cisco CCENT Certification?

It is a known fact that CCENT is like a prerequisite for CCNA. This means when you earn the CCENT certificate, you have fulfilled part of the exam requirements for CCNA. Currently, when you pass the 100-105 ICND1 test, you will earn the Cisco Certified Entry Networking Technician certification and then you can proceed to the 200-105 ICND2 exam.

With the new CCNA certification, you have to pass only a single exam, which means CCENT will not be valid for the new CCNA credential. The implication of this is that if you wait till the release of the new test in February 2020, you will be required to pass the new single exam to earn your CCNA. If you are currently working on your CCENT certificate, you don’t have to worry because you can still write the first test along with the second one before February 23, 2020.

Prerequisites for Cisco CCNA Certification

Most current CCNA credentials do not require any formal prerequisites. For those with prerequisites, the candidates have met them by completing their CCENT. As for the new CCNA certification, you also don’t have to worry about it. Nevertheless, Cisco recommends that the test takers have one or more years of work experience in administering and implementing Cisco solutions, have a good understanding of network fundamentals as well as knowledge of fundamental IP addressing.

The New Cisco DevNet Certification

Cisco also announced the introduction of its new DevNet credentials. They will cover DevOps, development, and automation. One of the DevNet certificates, Cisco Certified DevNet Associate, is comparable to the new CCNA certification. The exam for this credential will be launched the same day as the new test for CCNA.

Conclusion

Cisco adds some new features to its certificates and tests. You should be up-to-date and follow these changes. For those individuals who are preparing for the current CCNA credential, it is important that you complete both exams by February 23, 2020. If you don’t, this means you will have to take the Cisco 200-301 test even if you have already earned the CCENT certification. This doesn’t mean you should put your certificate pursuit on hold. There are about four long months before the launch of the new exam, and a lot can happen in your career before that time. So go for your dream.