
CCNA Certification Exam Content Updates – Version 3.0
On May 17, 2016, Cisco announced that they were transitioning ICND1 and ICND2 training classes from v2.0 to v3.0. This transition impacts the ICND1, ICND2 and CCNA certification exams as well.
See our guide on the new CNNA Certification Exam starting February 2020.
Version 2 exams will be retired on the following dates: ICND1 – August 20, 2016 & ICND2 – September 24, 2016
If you have taken ICND1v2.0 and/or ICND2v2.0 training but not the certification exam(s), you must do so by the dates above. If you wish to earn the CCNA Routing & Switching credential with v2 exams, you must pass both the ICND1v2.0 and ICND2v2.0 exams by August 20 (when the ICND1 exam retires as a retired exam cannot be used to earn a CCNA certification). Once these dates are past, the Version 2 certification exams will no longer be available. This will result in you needing to retake these training classes to pass the Version 3 exam.
The following diagram outlines how the existing exams align to the new exams.
Exam Content Changes
ICND1 Exam Description
The 100-105 Interconnecting Cisco Networking Devices Part 1 exam is a 90 minute, 45 – 55 question assessment that is associated with the Cisco Certified Entry Network Technician (CCENT) certification and is a tangible first step in achieving other Associate-level certifications. This exam tests a candidate’s knowledge and skills related to network fundamentals, LAN switching technologies, routing technologies, infrastructure services, and infrastructure maintenance.
Interconnecting Cisco Networking Devices Part 1 (ICND1) Summary
The 100-101 ICND1 exam will be replaced by 100-105 ICND1 exam. The overall number of domains has changed from seven to five. The updated exam domain categories align with CCNP Routing and Switching, CCIE Routing and Switching and other Cisco certifications.
Domain Comparison
100-101 ICND1 v2.0 | 100-105 ICND1 v3.0 |
1.0 Operation of IP Data Networks | 1.0 Network Fundamentals |
2.0 LAN Switching Technologies | 2.0 LAN Switching Technologies |
3.0 IP Addressing | 3.0 Routing Technologies |
4.0 IP Routing Technologies | 4.0 Infrastructure Services |
5.0 IP Services | 5.0 Infrastructure Management |
6.0 Network Device Security | |
7.0 Troubleshooting |
ICND1 Exam Comparison
The Troubleshooting topics have been distributed throughout the various domains where applicable. Refer to the ICND1 v3.0 Exam Topics for a complete list of topics. Outlined below are the key topics that have been moved and added to the exam and training curriculum.
Key Topics Removed or Moved to ICND2 Exam:
- OSPF (single area) and other OSPF topics were moved into ICND2 since RIP is used to introduce CCENT candidates to IP routing protocols.
- Dual Stack was removed since there are many different IPv4 to IPv6 transition technologies being used.
- Cisco Express Forwarding (CEF) has been removed.
Key Topics Added:
- High level knowledge of the impact and interactions of infrastructure components in an Enterprise network, specifically:
- Firewalls
- Access Points
- Wireless Controllers
- Awareness of the Collapsed Core architecture compared to traditional three-tier architectures. This option collapses the Distribution and Core into a single tier with the Access as the second tier.
- Configure and verify IPv6 Stateless Address Auto Configuration (SLAAC).
- Added Anycast to the list of IPv6 addressing types.
- Knowledge of Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP). An L2 discovery protocol used in addition to Cisco Discovery Protocol.
- RIPv2 for IPv4 as the primary focus for understanding of how routing protocols work.
- Added requirements to understand DNS and DHCP related connectivity issues.
- Understanding of Syslog message logging for device monitoring.
- Skills and knowledge of device management related to backup and restoring device configurations, IOS feature licensing, and configuring time zones.
ICND2 Exam Description
The 200-105 Interconnecting Cisco Networking Devices Part 2 exam is a 90 minute, 45 – 55 question assessment that is associated with the associated with the CCNA Routing and Switching certification.
This exam tests a candidate’s knowledge and skills related to LAN switching technologies, IPv4 and IPv6 routing technologies, WAN technologies, infrastructure services, and infrastructure maintenance.
Interconnecting Cisco Networking Devices Part 2 (ICND2) Summary
The 200-101 ICND2 exam will be replaced by 200-105 ICND2 exam. The overall number of domains continues to be five and align with CCNP Routing and Switching, CCIE Routing and Switching and other Cisco certifications.
Domain Comparison
200-101 ICND2 v2.0 | 200-105 ICND2 v3.0 |
1.0 LAN Switching Technologies | 1.0 LAN Switching Technologies |
2.0 IP Routing Technologies | 2.0 Routing Technologies |
3.0 IP Services | 3.0 WAN Technologies |
4.0 Troubleshooting | 4.0 Infrastructure Services |
5.0 WAN Technologies | 5.0 Infrastructure Maintenance |
ICND2 Exam Comparison
Outlined below are the key topics that have been removed and added to the exam and training curriculum.
Key Topics Removed:
- Frame-Relay and Serial WAN technologies are no longer covered.
- VRRP and GLBP have been removed from First Hop Redundancy Protocols. Only HSRP remains since it is most commonly deployed.
Key Topics Added:
- Knowledge of dual-homed vs single-homed Intelligent WAN topology options.
- Basic knowledge of external BGP (eBGP) used to connect Enterprise branches.
- Expanded VPN topics to include DMVPN, Site-to-Site VPN, and Client VPN technologies commonly used by Enterprises.
- Understanding of how Cloud resources are being used in Enterprise network architectures, including:
- How cloud services will affect traffic paths and flows
- Common virtualized services and how these coexist with a legacy infrastructure
- Basics of virtual network infrastructure (Network Function Virtualization)
- Awareness of Programmable Network (SDN) architectures including:
- Separation of the control plane and data plane
- How a controller functions and communicates northbound to network applications and southbound to the R&S infrastructure using APIs.
- How to use the Path Trace application for ACLs which is a key new network application enabled by the Application Policy Infrastructure Controller – Enterprise Module (APIC-EM). This tool automates the troubleshooting and resolution of complex ACL deployments.
- Understanding of QoS concepts related to marking, shaping, and policing mechanisms used to manage congestion of various types of traffic. The need for QoS and how it is used for prioritizing voice, video and data traffic. Plus an understanding of the automation
CCNA Exam Description??
The 200-125 CCNA Routing and Switching composite exam is a 90 minute, 50 – 60 question assessment that is associated with the CCNA Routing and Switching certification.
This exam tests a candidate’s knowledge and skills related to network fundamentals, LAN switching technologies, IPv4 and IPv6 routing technologies, WAN technologies, infrastructure services, infrastructure security, and infrastructure management.View upcoming ICND1v3.0 and ICND2v3.0 classes on our Schedule
To learn more about how this change will impact your training and/or certification plan, contact a Centriq Training Advisor at 913.322.7062. They can answer your specific questions to keep you on a path to achieve your goals.
View the official announcement from Cisco here.