With the advancement of modern technology and all that it brings to various aspects of our lives, there are very few organisations, businesses and homes that have not yet joined the world of cyber-convenience. The influx of networked systems across the world requires a new generation of networking professionals to monitor and handle these systems in order to keep our businesses and homes fully functional.

The leading name in networking is Cisco and they firmly believe in ensuring that professionals trained in the Cisco way should be consistently up-to-date in their knowledge and skills. Cisco designs, manufactures and sells networking equipment and has been on the cutting edge of networking technology since their inception in San Francisco, California in 1984. The name is derived from its birthplace and Cisco has grown consistently over the years to become a powerhouse in the IT industry.

In an effort to ensure that appropriate training is available for those who are interested in a professional networking career, Cisco also has a range of IT Professional certifications. In this range there are nine different certification paths which can be followed:

• Cloud
• Collaboration
• Data Center
• Design
• Industrial
• Routing and Switching
• Security
• Service Provider
• Wireless

There are two Cisco certifications which truly stand out when looking to pursue a career in the networking field – the Cisco CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate) Routing and Switching qualification and the Cisco CCNP (Cisco Certified Network Professional) Routing and Switching certification. Below we will take a detailed look at the Cisco CCNP Routing and Switching exam description.

Cisco CCNP Exam Overview

The Cisco CCNP certification ensures that networking professionals have the ability to plan, implement, verify and troubleshoot both local and wide-area enterprise networks. Another aspect of the Cisco CCNP qualification is the ability to work with specialists on advanced security, voice, wireless and video solutions. It is recommended that those who choose to study towards this certification should have at least one year of networking experience and are now ready to advance and hone their skills in order to work effectively and efficiently on complex networking solutions. The knowledge relating to routing and switching protocol that can be gained from the Cisco CCNP qualification will provide a solid and lasting foundation that is relevant to both physical networks and virtualised networks.

The Cisco CCNP (Cisco Certified Network Professional) certification consists of three exams which each cover different areas of networking fundamentals:

1. Cisco CCNP 300-101 ROUTE: Implementing Cisco IP Routing

Focuses on advanced IP addressing and routing in implementing scalable and secure routers that are connected to WANs, LANs and IPv6

2. Cisco CCNP 300-115 SWITCH: Implementing Cisco IP Switched Networks

Addresses the areas of planning, configuring and verifying the implementation of complex switching solutions which use Cisco Enterprise Campus Architecture

3. Cisco CCNP 300-135 TSHOOT: Troubleshooting and Maintaining Cisco IP Networks

Provides the skills to plan and maintain complex enterprise routed and switched networks and use a systematic approach to performing network troubleshooting

Cisco CCNP Exam Description

In order to achieve your official Cisco CCNP certification you will be required to write and pass all three of the associated exams. In order to protect the integrity of their certifications, Cisco does not release full details of their certification exams. However, they do provide a range of question types that you can expect to come across during the exams. You may encounter all of these question formats or only a handful of them but it is recommended that you prepare yourself for any question format whilst studying Cisco CCNP to ensure that you can work your way through each exam with confidence.

The different exam question formats that you could find on each of the Cisco CCNP certification exams are:

• Multiple Choice – Single Answer
• Multiple Choice – Multiple Answers
• Drag and Drop
• Fill in the Blank
• Router Simulation
• Testlet
• Simlet

Although there is very little information published regarding the Cisco CCNP certification exam, or any other Cisco exams, a basic guideline of standard details is as follows:

Cisco CCNP 300-101 ROUTE: Implementing Cisco IP Routing

• The Cisco CCNP 300-101 ROUTE exam has a time limit of 120 minutes (2 hours)
• There are a total of 50-60 questions in various formats
• The pass mark is said to be a minimum of 790/1000

Cisco CCNP 300-115 SWITCH: Implementing Cisco IP Switched Networks

• The Cisco CCNP 300-115 SWITCH exam has a time limit of 120 minutes (2 hours)
• There are a total of 45-55 questions in multiple formats
• A minimum of 790/1000 is said to be the required pass mark

Cisco CCNP 300-135 TSHOOT: Troubleshooting and Maintaining Cisco IP Networks

• The Cisco CCNP 300-135 TSHOOT exam has a time limit of 120 minutes (2 hours)
• The exam paper consists of 15-25 questions in various formats
• 790/100 is said to be the required score to achieve a passing result

Cisco CCNP Exam Topics

As mentioned, Cisco keeps most of the exam information to themselves in order to ensure that those who pass the certification exams have done so through the knowledge that they have gained during their training and exam preparation. Although it can be overwhelming to not know what to expect from your Cisco CCNP exam, it is considered to be a professional advantage that the integrity of the qualification is not diminished by exam information being leaked.

The topics that are tested on during each exam can change at any time; however, they will always be relevant to what has been covered by that area of training. Although not guaranteed, the breakdown provided is a guideline for the content that is likely to appear during the three Cisco CCNP certification exams:

Cisco CCNP 300-101 ROUTE: Implementing Cisco IP Routing

• Network Principles – 10% of the exam
• Layer 2 Technologies – 10% of the exam
• Layer 3 Technologies – 40% of the exam
• VPN Technologies – 10% of the exam
• Infrastructure Security – 10% of the exam
• Infrastructure Services – 20% of the exam

Cisco CCNP 300-115 SWITCH: Implementing Cisco IP Switched Networks

• Layer 2 Technologies – 65% of the exam
• Infrastructure Security 20% of the exam
• Infrastructure Services – 15% of the exam

Cisco CCNP 300-135 TSHOOT: Troubleshooting and Maintaining Cisco IP Networks

• Network Principles – 5% of the exam
• Layer 2 Technologies – 40% of the exam
• Layer 3 Technologies – 40% of the exam
• VPN Technologies – 5% of the exam
• Infrastructure Security – 5% of the exam
• Infrastructure Services – 5% of the exam

To ensure that you are fully prepared for your Cisco CCNP exams, it is recommended that you seek high quality Cisco CCNP training.

Once you have passed all three of the associated Cisco CCNP exams you will have achieved your official Cisco CCNP certification which will significantly enhance your career as a networking professional.