Sami
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·2 min read

CCNA certification

CiscoCCNACertification

The preparation for this exam was quite intense, but I did have a bit of a head start. I had already completed two CCNA courses through Cisco NetAcad:

  • Switching, Routing, and Wireless Essentials
  • Enterprise Networking, Security, and Automation

Those definitely helped. I didn't have to learn absolutely everything from scratch, though there was still a massive amount of new material to cover.

Materials used to study

  • Jeremy's IT Lab free CCNA youtube course
    This was a full complete course on the CCNA blueprint. Amazing videos and a good teacher. The course came bundled with Anki flashcards and labs for every topic too. Although most of the videos are a bit old, he has uploaded new videos in recent years to reflect the changes in the blueprint. We can expect the same once the CCNA changes again in 2027.
  • 31 Days Before your CCNA Exam: A Day-By-Day Review Guide for the CCNA 200-301 Certification Exam Cisco Cover

This book was honestly very good and I can recommend it to everyone studying for the exam. Even if you are not going to take the exam but are interested in the topic, it's not meant to be a study material but more like a refresher of all the topics. I have never been into reading that much, but this got me hooked and I read it in about a week.

  • Boson ExSim-Max Practice Exams Boson Softwares

A life changer! While it costs $100 to purchase them, it was worth every penny. It came with five very well-crafted practice exams and they definitely gave me confidence for the real exam. It was almost like the real exam, but harder. I scored around 78–81% on all five exams. I didn't pass any of them, as the passing score was 82.5% or 825/1000 points.

Final thoughts

I thought I would have been more nervous on exam day, but everything went well. I sat down at the computer and started the test. Normally you get 2 hours, but since non-native English speakers in non-English speaking countries get an extra 30 minutes, I had 2.5 hours in total. I managed to finish the exam in 1.5 hours.

At the very end, when I had to click to save the result and view the initial score, my heart rate definitely went up a bit. The relief kicked in when the screen showed that I passed. And with great points, too — 964/1000, if I remember correctly.

Even if the certification doesn't help me land a job or if I decide to take a different path, the experience was great and I got to learn about things I truly enjoy.

It's not the destination, it's the journey