One of the most popular Cisco certifications (probably after CCNA) is the Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP). A CCNP is like the Master’s degree in the Cisco qualifications arena (CCNA can be considered the Bachelor’s degree and CCIE is the PhD degree!!). With a CCNP certification, a networking professional proves to be a highly qualified specialist for planning, building and maintaining medium to large IP networks.

On January 25, 2010 Cisco announced drastic changes to CCNP certification. The most important one is that instead of taking 4 exams you now need only 3 (ROUTE exam, SWITCH exam and TSHOOT exam). The old 4-exam certification path option will be available until July 31 2010. After that date, only the new 3-exam option will be available. However, from now until July 31 you can mix and match between the old and new exams accordingly.

More details about the new CCNP update below:

• BSCI, BCMSN, ISCW, ONT exams are available until July 31 2010.
• ROUTE exam (642-902) and SWITCH exam (642-813) will be available from March 10, 2010.
• TSHOOT exam (642-832) will be available from April 30, 2010.
• Exams are becoming even more hands-on (for example the TSHOOT troubleshooting exam is mostly hands-on practical concepts).
• Before July 31, 2010 BSCI exam can substitute for ROUTE exam or vice versa.
• Before July 31, 2010 BCMSN exam can substitute for SWITCH exam or vice versa.
• Exam price will be $200 per exam instead of $150.

Overall, the new CCNP update maps better to real-world network environments. Although the exams are less than before, I think it will be more difficult to pass without having actual practical experience with Cisco routers and switches (at least 2 years I would say).

For more details about the new CCNP certification, visit the Cisco link here.

So, I guess you have already passed your CCNA exam and you have started looking up higher on the “ladder” of Cisco Certifications. Congratulations. The next big step is to earn the Cisco CCNP certification, which will promote you into a prestigious group of professionals who have all the knowledge and competency to work on large scale and complex networking projects. Indeed this is how the official Cisco identifies CCNP professionals: “The CCNP validates knowledge and skills required to install, configure and troubleshoot converged local and wide area networks with 100 to 500 or more nodes“.

The CCNP curriculum contains a wide range of topics covering advanced and scalable routing, multilayer switching, network security, converged networks, WAN topics, optimization of networks with Quality of Service, Wireless LANs etc. I remember back in 2002 when I obtained my CCNP there was also a “Network Troubleshooting” exam which I remember it was the most difficult and most boring from all four exams. Fortunately now you have more interesting topics to learn!!

To get your CCNP Certification there are two exam paths: The first path requires candidates to pass four exams and the second path requires candidates to pass one composite exam plus two individual exams. You must also be CCNA certified already before taking any CCNP exams. The two certification exam paths are described below:

Option 1: Pass four Exams as shown below:

• Building Scalable Cisco Internetworks (BSCI 642-901)
• Building Cisco Multilayer Switched Networks (BCMSN 642-812)
• Implementing Secure Converged Wide Area Networks (ISCW 642-825)
• Optimizing Converged Cisco Networks (ONT 642-845)

Option 2: Pass one Composite Exam plus two individual exams:

• Composite Exam (642-892) which includes topics from both BSCI and BCMSN
• Implementing Secure Converged Wide Area Networks (ISCW 642-825)
• Optimizing Converged Cisco Networks (ONT 642-845)

Throughout the years I have taken numerous Cisco exams myself. I have been using only two study resources which proved to be successful for me. With these study resources, I have managed to pass all of my exams from the first try. The two study resources that I recommend for passing the CCNP exams are the following:

1.Official Cisco Press Books:

The official books from Cisco are the real deal!!! For preparing for each CCNP exam, I would always study the corresponding Cisco Press book as a starting point. I used to spend at least 2-3 weeks just for studying the book from start to finish, and carefully taking notes for the points that I considered important. There are usually two types of Cisco Press books. Exam Certification Guides and Self-Study Guides.

The first book type (Certification Guide) focuses strictly on covering the exam topics as outlined by Cisco. Sometimes people complain that the Cisco Certification Guides are not enough as a sole resource to pass your exam. However, if you already have some experience with Cisco networks then a Certification Guide is the best choice and is more streamlined compared to a self-study guide.

The second book type (Self-Study Guide) is not directly focused on the exam topics. It rather provides a wider knowledge and can serve as a good reference material even after passing the exam.

For each individual exam I would recommend the following CCNP books from Cisco Press:

• For the BSCI Exam: CCNP BSCI Official Exam Certification Guide (4th Edition). A second option would be the Building Scalable Cisco Internetworks (BSCI) (Authorized Self-Study Guide) (3rd Edition).
• For the BCMSN Exam: CCNP BCMSN Official Exam Certification Guide (4th Edition). A second option would be the Building Cisco Multilayer Switched Networks (BCMSN) (Authorized Self-Study Guide) (4th Edition)
• For the ISCW Exam: CCNP ISCW Official Exam Certification Guide
• For the ONT Exam: CCNP ONT Official Exam Certification Guide

2.CCNP Computer Based Video Training:

The second essential study and training resource that I highly recommend is Computer Based Training (CBT Video Training). Books are good to help you cover the theory. However, you also need to master several practical aspects of the exam that you will be tested on. Cisco CCNP tests your ability and skills on hands-on scenarios and challenges in addition to theory. Therefore a good CCNP Video Training package is an excellent resource, in addition to books, to help you acquire the complete knowledge you need to pass the exams. I have used Trainsignal Video Trainings for passing all of my CCNP exams easily from the first try. The Trainsignal Video Trainings will offer you the hands-on practical element that you will not find in any other study resource. For more information you can visit the official Trainsignal website for each CCNP exam below:

• BSCI 642-901 Video Training
• BCMSN 642-812 Video Training
• ISCW 642-825 Video Training
• ONT 642-845 Video Training
• Complete CCNP Video Training Package