Brief Introduction of Cisco Certifications and Exams

 The main requirement for obtaining Cisco Career Certifications such as CCENT, CCNA Routing and Switching, CCDP and CCIE and Cisco Specialist Certifications such as Cisco Firewall Security Specialist is to take and pass one or more certification exams and sign the Cisco Certifications and Confidentiality Agreement.

But for the new exam taker, to know what the exams are, how to take the exam and which certifications is the most suitable is very important. This article will show you a detailed discerption of Cisco certifications and exams.

Exams are proctored, timed, and delivered in a secure environment. Most exams last approximately one to two hours. Lab exams typically last eight hours.

Candidates must acknowledge the Cisco Certifications and Confidentiality Agreement online at the authorized testing center prior to taking any Cisco Certification exam. Candidates will not be able to proceed with the exam and a refund will not be provided. Signing this legal agreement is required to be officially certified.

Exams can be very challenging, going beyond simple recall and requiring candidates to engage in on the job types of problem solving. Questions include multiple-choice single answer, multiple-choice multiple answers, drag and drop, fill in the blank and simulations. An Exam Tutorial is available to demonstrate the various question formats.

Exams other than CCIE lab exams are delivered online, with questions in a specific sequence. Exam takers cannot "mark" an exam question and return to it later. Cisco offers an certification exam tutorial that demonstrates the type of questions in the exams.

Candidates will be provided with an erasable note board and marker for notes and calculations to assist them as they answer the questions.

Exams may contain non-scored items to collect performance data on new items. Non-scored items are not used in determining the passing score nor are reported in a subsection of the score report. All non-scored items are randomly placed in the exam with sufficient time calculated and given to complete the entire exam.

At the completion of computer-based exams, candidates receive a score report along with a score breakout by exam section and the passing score for the given exam. Lab exams are Pass/Fail and results are available online (using login) within 48 hours.

Cisco does not publish exam passing scores because exam questions and passing scores are subject to change without notice.