Cisco Simplifies, Streamlines CCNP

Cisco’s given its Cisco Certified Networking Professional, or CCNP, credential a substantial reworking, and as far as I can tell all the changes are very much for the better. Instead of four 90-minute exams, the format also switches to three 120-minute exams. Topics get a much-needed refresh, with old or little-used stuff out the window, and a more rational naming and coverage scheme now in place.

The old exams included:

• BSCI or Building Scalable Cisco Internetworks
• BCMSN or Building Cisco Multilayer Switched Networks
• Implementing Secure Converged Wide-Area Networks (ISCW)
• Optimizing Converged Cisco Networks (ONT)

The new exams are a whole bunch more straightforward:

• Implementing Cisco Routing: ROUTE 642-902
• Implementing Cisco IP Switched Networks: SWITCH 642-813
• Troubleshooting and Maintaining Cisco IP: TSHOOT 642-832

Certcities quotes some interesting commentary on the revised CCNP and exam changes from well-known Cisco cert author Wendell Odom in an article on this topic entitled “Cisco Announces Major Changes to CCNP.” Troubleshooting is back with a vengeance and topical coverage has been squared up with what plays on the job. Definitely worth a read!