Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA)
Validates foundational knowledge and skills in network fundamentals, network access, IP connectivity, IP services, security fundamentals, and automation and programmability. The CCNA 200-301 is a 120-minute exam covering the full breadth of networking topics required for associate-level network engineers. It serves as the entry-level certification for Cisco's enterprise networking track and is a prerequisite foundation for CCNP-level certifications.
Exam domains
- IP Connectivity25%
Interpret routing table components (protocol code, prefix, mask, next hop, administrative distance, metric, gateway of last resort) and the router forwarding decision via longest prefix match, AD, and metric. Configure and verify IPv4/IPv6 static routing (default, network, host, floating static), single-area OSPFv2 (neighbor adjacencies, point-to-point, broadcast DR/BDR, router ID), and the purpose of first hop redundancy protocols.
- Network Access20%
Configure and verify VLANs (access ports, default VLAN, interVLAN), trunking with 802.1Q and native VLAN, Layer 2 discovery via CDP and LLDP, Layer 2/3 EtherChannel with LACP, and Rapid PVST+ Spanning Tree (root bridge, port states, PortFast, root/loop guard, BPDU guard/filter). Describe Cisco wireless architectures, AP modes, WLC physical connections (LAG), management access (SSH, Telnet, TACACS+/RADIUS), and WLC GUI WLAN setup.
- Network Fundamentals20%
Cover the role of routers, Layer 2/3 switches, next-generation firewalls, IPS, APs, controllers, endpoints, and PoE, plus two-tier, three-tier, spine-leaf, WAN, SOHO, and cloud topologies. Compare TCP vs UDP, configure IPv4 and IPv6 addressing/subnetting, describe wireless principles (SSID, RF, nonoverlapping channels), virtualization (VMs, containers, VRFs), and switching concepts (MAC learning, flooding, MAC address table).
- Security Fundamentals
Sources
Questions are grounded in 150 references from official and authoritative materials.