7 Tips to Help You Prepare for the CCNA Certification Exam

The CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate) certification is one of the most valued and recognized certifications in the area of communications networks and IT security. This certification validates professionals' skills in configuring, managing, and troubleshooting network switches and routers, helping them land better jobs and higher wages. CCNA certification exam covers a wide range of concepts, from network security to device management and configuration of routing and switching protocols.

You must understand the benefits of obtaining the CCNA certification, and be clear about the study objectives to plan your exam properly. You should set yourself a goal to take the exam 6 months after you start studying and plan your study time well.

I. Understand the Exam Format and Content

There is no single form of the CCNA exam. It varies and includes several formats such as fill-in-the-blank, drag-and-drop, simulation, simlet, and testlet. You need to go to Cisco.com and explore the interactive Cisco Certification Exam Tutorials to try to get used to them.

Not all topics are tested on the CCNA exam and to be honest, only a few key topics are tested on the CCNA exam year after year. You need to know them and then focus on studying them without completely forgetting about other topics.

II. Develop a Study Plan

Plan your practice tests in advance before the exam date. Setting intermediate evaluation dates will allow you to check what you have learned during that time and what areas you have weakest. That will be where you will have to make an effort to review all those aspects.

To prepare for the CCNA certification exam, it is essential to get the right study materials.

The best resources for studying for the CCNA exam are the official Cisco books: CCNA 200-301 Official Cert Guide Volume 1 and CCNA 200-301 Official Cert Guide, Volume 2. These books cover all the content of the certification exam, they will not you will leave you unlearned. In addition, we recommend the book 31 Days Before your CCNA Exam, which will help you understand and complete your practical knowledge, with quizzes and laboratory exercises. With all this knowledge, you will be able to pass the CCNA exam without any problem. But the most important thing is to create a study plan and schedule that fits your learning style as much as possible.

III. Practice with Hands-on Labs

To pass the CCNA exam, you will need to have both theoretical knowledge and practical experience. As you prepare for the exam, you should be able to apply theoretical knowledge in real situations to diagnose and resolve network problems. For example, it is easy to know that you do not have connectivity with a certain IP, but the important thing is to diagnose why there is no communication between two nodes and know how to solve it. Hands-on labs practice with real Cisco equipment is very important in this case.

It is essential that you master the Cisco IOS command line, and for this, the easiest option is through the use of simulators. Download Cisco Packet Tracer or GSN3 and repeat all the labs to master the practical part of the exam.

IV. Join a Study Group or Community

By joining study groups and CCNA communities you will become familiar with the problems and how to solve them. There are lots of new topics that will be popping up and the more familiar you will be with them, the better prepared you will be to go to your CCNA exam. Remember that skills can be learned and one of the fun of learning is learning together.

There are many CCNA study groups. You can type in some simple keywords and they will appear on your screen. There's no doubt about it. Some study groups apply up to 6 months of study before exams and others may take less time. Choose a CCNA study group or community that fits your rhythm and learning style so you can participate actively.

V. Take Practice Tests and Assess Your Progress

The more often you take practice exams and know the extent of your real ability, the better able you will be to meet your CCNA exam. Practice has a positive correlation with success, in other words, the more you practice and simulate yourself in a real CCNA exam, the better prepared you will be in taking the real exam.

You need to identify areas where you are weak. For example, if you are not good at certain topics, you need to focus on them (again without forgetting about other topics). By focusing on the areas where you are weak, you will see how far you have progressed in your CCNA studies. The last two weeks before the exam, you should spend solving exam questions. There are many online platforms with mock exams that simulate exam questions (like this one or this other one) and will allow you to consolidate everything you have learned and help you be agile when understanding and answering these types of questions. This way you can realize reliable self-progress assesment.

VI. Remain Confident and Stay Motivated 

Confidence is one of the main pillars of success in facing exams, whatever exams they are. Likewise, with the CCNA exam, you must be confident otherwise whatever you have learned will "disappear" when you have to apply it. Try to find out how to stay motivated and ask yourself why you need to pass the CCNA exam successfully. Once you know the strong reasons for doing it then you can be self-motivated. Motivation is always supported by strong reasons.

Before the exam, you must begin a review phase of everything you have learned by rereading the books, or the notes you have been taking. This will help refresh your memory, and spot content you may have skipped or didn't fully understand the first time. Adequate rest will keep your body fresh and in excellent physical condition correlates with self-confidence.

VII. Conclusion

The above tips basically boil down to understanding the CCNA exam formats, planning how you will study the exam materials, focusing on key topics and areas where you are weak, joining CCNA student communities to share how to solve CCNA problems, and finally building confidence before moving on to the exam.