Cisco’s certifications are very renowned across the world. The people that want to build a career in networking or those that want to become a Cisco certified network associate will have to get this kind of certificate. However, obtaining one is not easy at all. It requires a lot of preparation, knowledge, and studying. To obtain that kind of certification, you will need to pass the CCNA 200 301 exam. Passing it is a very difficult and confusing process.
However, worrying yourself too much is never a good idea. That is only going to make things harder for you. Instead, it is time to start focusing on the things that you need to know about the CCNA 200 301 exam. Learn exactly what you should be studying, and what kind of tasks you should be preparing for.
To help you with that, we decided to write this article and focus on every single detail related to this certification. Once you read through this article, we believe that you will have everything you need to start preparing and passing the exam.
Main topics
One of the first things you have to learn about this exam is which topics and objectives it will be focusing on.
Naturally, obtaining exact information on what you are going to get on your exam is impossible. That is “classified information”, but with all of the information available online, the data on all of the previous exams, and the official CCNA exam blueprint, we can make a few assumptions.
Also, there are already that have already made some predictions and usually, they are accurate.
So, from what we have seen, we suppose that about 40% of the exam will be focused on network fundamentals and network access. These two topics including IP connectivity will be the main focus of this exam. Expect about 60 to 65 questions all related to these topics.
However, focusing on just these three topics is not a good idea. Ideally, you should be prepared for all of the questions. The remaining questions should be related to IP services, automation and programmability, and security fundamentals.
For security fundamentals, you will probably get around 15 questions and about 10 questions each regarding IP services and automation, and programmability.
Covering network fundamentals
Since network fundamentals are going to be around 20% of the test, here are some of the things you have to focus on.
You will need to explain the functions and the roles of devices such as routers, access points, servers, controllers, endpoints, firewalls and IDS, L2 and L3 switches, and many other devices.
However, that is not all. This also going to be a comparison between different physical interfaces and cabling types. Copper, multimode fiber, single-mode fiber, and concepts of PoE.
You may also have to explain the characteristics of different network architectures such as SOHO, WAN, cloud, 2-tier, 3-tier, and cloud.
Expect questions regarding interface or cable issues, comparison between TCP and UDP, custom configuration of IPV4 addresses, configuring IPv6 addresses, explaining virtualization or virtual machines, switching concepts, etc.
In other words, there are going to be a lot of questions regarding this topic. If you want to make sure that you are going to cover every single bit of information on network fundamentals, you should probably start searching for 200-301 dumps as suggested on https://cciedump.spoto.net/200-301-certificates.php.
In these dumps, you will be able to find a collection of all the questions related to network fundamentals.
Network access subtopics
As mentioned previously, the 200 301 exam will consist of 20% of network access-related questions.
In this segment, you will need to focus on configuring and verifying VLAN access ports, default VLAN, and take care of general connectivity.
Configuration and verification of interest which connectivity will also be required.
Explanation on the basics of Rapid PVST+ Spanning Tree Protocol will also be covered under this topic.
A comparison of different Cisco wireless architectures will also be needed.
And, there will be a need to describe the physical infrastructure connections of different WLAN components such as WLC, LAG, AP, etc.
Remember, there may be a lot more questions regarding this topic. They might be a lot different than what is specified in this article. Make sure to invest enough time studying and preparing for this exam to deal with any kind of questions.
IP connectivity
The majority of the 200 301 exam will be focusing on IP connectivity. The official Cisco blueprint claim that 25% of the questions will be related to IP connectivity. In other words, you will need to become an expert on this topic if you want to succeed in this exam.
One of the first things that you will have to tackle is interpreting different components of the routing table. Of course, and talking about network masks, metrics, protocol codes for routing, prefixes, etc.
How does a router make a forwarding decision? To accurately answer this question, you will need to explain administrative distance and the longest match of a router.
Expect the need for configuration and verification of IPv6, IPv4, and OSPFv2.
IP services, security fundamentals, and automation and programmability
By now, we have covered about 65% of the 200 301 test. All that you are left with is automation and programmability, security fundamentals, and IP services. Security fundamentals being the one with the most weight of the test, about 15%.
In this part of the test, expect anything from configuring and verifying source NAT using static and pools, defining some of the main security issues and concepts such as vulnerabilities, exploits, etc.
And, finally, you will have to expand on automation and how that can impact the world of networking technology.
We have covered the main topics in the fundamentals of the 200 301 exam from Cisco. If you manage to invest at least 100 hours in learning these fundamentals, we hope that you will be able to finally become a Cisco certified network associate. With this kind of certification, you will easily continue progressing your career.