CCNA, CCNP and CCIE are the three levels of Cisco network engineer certification, and the biggest difference among them is the gold content of different levels.
Firstly, for CCNA, or Cisco Certified Network Assistant Engineer, it can prove that the holder has mastered the basic knowledge of network, can use the interface of LAN and WAN to install and configure Cisco router, switch and simple LAN and WAN, provide primary troubleshooting service, and improve the performance and security of network.
The employment of engineers with CCNA certificate can cover several major directions, such as network infrastructure management, network operating system management, network application system management and network computer room management.
CCNP, or Cisco Certified Network Engineer, can prove that the holder has the ability to install, configure and troubleshoot converged LANs and WANs from 100 nodes to more than 500 nodes. The senior network engineer with CCNP certification has rich knowledge and skills, and can manage the routers and switches that constitute the core of the network, as well as the edge applications that integrate voice, wireless and security into the network.
With CCNP certification, you will be able to manage today’s complex networks. Whether or not the network uses core technology and optimized infrastructure, it can ensure the safe or efficient operation of key applications.
CCIE is an expert certification, which is recognized as the most authoritative certification in IT industry and the top certification in the field of internetworking. After passing the CCIE certification examination, you will be able to obtain the unique CCIE number in the world and keep it forever. Strict certification rules make CCIE one of the most valuable certificates in IT industry. Obtaining CCIE certification not only proves that your technology has reached the expert level, but also has been recognized and affirmed by the industry. For more information about CCIE gold content, please refer to the article: “How about the Gold Content of CCIE Certificate?”
In addition to the difference of gold content, the difference between CCNA, CCNP and CCIE also includes the difference of examination subjects, examination price, certificate validity, certificate re-certification rules and so on.
For the examination subjects, CCNA has only one examination subject, and the registration fee is about USD 195. The certificate is valid for three years according to Spoto.
CCNP requires two subjects, and the registration fee for each subject is USD 700 (core written test USD 400 + optional written test USD 300). CCNP is valid for 3 years for each examination.
Different from the former two, CCIE is divided into written test and experimental test. The written test is one subject, which costs about USD 400. The validity period of CCIE written test is 18 months, and that of experimental test is two years.
For re-certification, CCNA only needs to re-test once; The re-certification of CCNP exam only needs to pass any one CCNP core examination or any two CCNP optional examinations or one CCIE laboratory examination within the validity period; The re-certification of CCIE needs to pass any CCIE certification examination or any CCIE laboratory examination, or any three CCNP optional examinations, or pass any core examination and pass any optional examination within 3 years. If it exceeds 3 years, the written examination and experimental examination need to be tested again.
