Part 1: The Exam
Intro
This is the first article in a three-part series about Microsoft exam AZ-103. In this post, we’ll briefly go over the history of this exam, take a quick look at its requirements, and then go over the exam’s structure.
Now that you know that Cisco has migration paths that will allow you to continue your existing Cisco certification track and transition to the new one when it drops on Feb. 24, 2020, your blood pressure’s probably back to normal. However, you might be concerned about that bucket of Boson study products you purchased to aid you in the pursuit of your credentials. Maybe you’ve already bought our ExSim-Max for Cisco 200-125 CCNA product to help you study for your Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) exam, but life has happened, and you’re no longer sure you’ll be able to take the exam before the transition on Feb. 24. Have you just wasted your money?
Following Cisco’s announcement that the exam tracks for its entire line of certifications will be changing in 2020, you might have heard talk of migrations and the bandying about of the term Cisco Certified Specialist. So, what is a Cisco Certified Specialist credential? How do you get one? Why do you need one? Simply, a Cisco Certified Specialist credential proves that you have passed what is known as a Cisco concentration exam. Concentration exams are Cisco exams that narrowly focus on a specific Cisco topic or technology that is related to but does not complete a core certification.
By now, you've heard that the Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) certification track in its current form of three exams and a Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) prerequisite is retiring. The last day to obtain a CCNP credential by using the current exam track is Feb. 23, 2020. On Feb. 24, 2020, the current track is being replaced with a track that requires passing two exams but has no prerequisite. This new credential is titled CCNP Enterprise.
Along with the retirement of the Cisco Certified Entry Networking Technician (CCENT) credential in February 2020, Cisco recently announced that the revamped Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) will, as of Feb. 24, 2020, include knowledge from what had previously been separate but related CCNA concentrations. Specifically, the concentrations that are being replaced by CCNA 200-301 include all of the following:
So, you finally decided to obtain your first Cisco certification. Like many candidates, you had your eye on getting a Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA). You explored your options and decided you wanted to test the waters by plunking down the money for the Cisco Networking Devices Part 1 (ICND1) exam and obtaining your Cisco Certified Entry Networking Technician (CCENT) credential. Then you can use that credential as a stepping stone to your CCNA by taking ICND2 later, presumably after you spent some time studying for it.
Have you made a personal lab that you're itching to share with others? Or are you looking for a new lab yourself? Well, NetSim 12 provides you with the ability to upload and view items to the NetSim Community, which is a database of customized labs, lab packs, and topolgies that anyone with a NetSim 12 license can access and contribute to. Check out how to download and upload to the NetSim Community below!
New to NetSim? Or are you a seasoned pro? Either way, check out these 5 Network Designer Tips and Tricks that you can do in NetSim 12, the industry's most powerful Network Simulator:
Test takers who sat the original proctored paper-and-pencil version of the ISC2 Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP®) exam might identify with the following nagging thoughts chewing at the minds of candidates as they attempted to center themselves for the long haul in what was most likely an unfamiliar environment: