Certification information about CCNP® (Cisco Certified Network Professional)

CCNP® (Cisco Certified Network Professional) certification indicates advanced knowledge of networks. It is the second stage of the Network Installation and Support track, and it teaches the installation, configuration, and operation of LAN, WAN, and dial access services for medium-to-large networks with multiple protocols. The content emphasizes topics such as security, converged networks, quality of service (QoS), virtual private networks (VPN) and broadband technologies. Learn more about CCNP certification from Cisco Systems®.

Prerequisites

CCNA® certification is a prerequisite for CCNP certification.

Exams

The four required exams may be taken in any order.
642-901 BSCI, Building Scalable Cisco Internetworks
642-812 BCMSN, Building Cisco Multilayer Switched Networks
642-825 ISCW, Implementing Secure Converged WANs
642-845 ONT, Optimizing Converged Cisco Networks

Instant Answers on the Certifications Online Support tool

Reference the Certifications mix and match tables to determine how you can combine the retiring CCNP exams you may have already taken with the new exams to achieve your CCNP professional-level certification.

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CCNP Self-Study Resources from Cisco Press

Visit the catalog pages to read sample chapters from these titles.

CCNP 642-901 BSCI Exam
CCNP BSCI Portable Command Guide
Building Scalable Cisco Internetworks (BSCI) (Authorized Self-Study Guide), Third Ed.
CCNP BSCI Video Mentor, Streaming Video
CCNP BSCI Official Exam Certification Guide, Fourth Ed.
CCNP BSCI Quick Reference Sheets
CCNP Building Scalable Internetworks Lab Portfolio

CCNP 642-812 BCMSN Exam
CCNP BCMSN Portable Command Guide
Building Cisco Multilayer Switched Networks (BCMSN) (Authorized Self-Study Guide), Fourth Ed.
CCNP BCMSN Video Mentor, Streaming Video
CCNP BCMSN Official Exam Certification Guide, Fourth Ed.
CCNP BCMSN Quick Reference Sheets
CCNP Building Multilayer Switched Networks Lab Portfolio

CCNP 642-825 ISCW Exam
CCNP ISCW Portable Command Guide
CCNP ISCW Video Mentor, Streaming Video
CCNP ISCW Official Exam Certification Guide
CCNP ISCW Quick Reference Sheets
CCNP Implementing Secured Converged Wide-Area Networks Lab Portfolio

CCNP 642-845 ONT Exam
CCNP ONT Portable Command Guide
CCNP ONT Video Mentor, Streaming Video
CCNP ONT Official Exam Certification Guide
CCNP ONT Quick Reference Sheets
CCNP Optimizing Converged Networks Lab Portfolio

Materials Covering All CCNP Exams
CCNP Portable Command Guide Library
CCNP Video Mentor
CCNP Video Mentor, Streaming Video
CCNP Quick Reference
CCNP Official Exam Certification Library

View the complete CCNP catalog from Cisco Press

Electronic Products

As a final preparation tool providing a review of CCNP exam topics, the CCNP Quick Reference Sheets complement official Cisco curriculum, other books, or other exam preparatory material. These Short Cuts provide you with detailed, graphical-based information, highlighting only the key topics on the latest CCNP exams in cram-style format.

CCNP Video Mentor is a DVD-ROM software product. The DVD contains a series of succinct instructional videos that demonstrate how to accomplish various CCNP-level configuration tasks on Cisco routers and switches.

Books

Portable Command Guides contain all the CCNP-level commands for the certification exam in one condensed, portable resource. The books provide tips and examples of how to apply the commands to real-world scenarios.

Self-Study Guides, which are based on Cisco courses for the related exams, provide essential foundation learning and thoroughly cover topics addressed in those courses. These books assume no prior knowledge of the subject matter and take a detailed approach to tutorial-based learning. Book elements within the Self-Study Guide Series feature real-world case studies, configuration examples, and chapter-ending review questions, making them useful on the job, in addition to exam preparation.

Exam Certification Guides help prepare candidates for Cisco certification exams. These books assume readers have attained the necessary learning foundation and experience for a certification test and are reviewing material before exam time. They include summary information that details critical information on key exam topics and a companion CD-ROM, which contains a powerful testing engine that can be customized with practice exam questions and simulation-based questions, adaptable performance trackers, and the complete text in electronic format.

Which book is right for me?

Self-Study Guides and Exam Certification Guides are intended to complement one another. Though they will cover similar content, they do so in a very different manner. Choosing one book over another depends where you are in the study cycle. If you are familiar with the base concepts, but need to assess your knowledge and review/practice for the exam, we recommend the Exam Certification Guides. If you are new to a topic area and need more detailed discussions of the foundation concepts, we recommend you start with the Self-Study Guides.

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Training Courses

Four training courses are recommended for CCNP candidates: Building Scalable Cisco Internetworks (BSCI), Building Cisco Multilayer Switched Networks (BCMSN), Building Cisco Remote Access Networks (BCRAN), and Cisco Internetwork Troubleshooting (CIT).

Cisco Press Certification Self-Study books and software are part of a recommended learning path from Cisco Systems that can include simulation and hands-on training from authorized Cisco Learning Partners and self-study products from Cisco Press. To find out more about instructor-led training, e-learning, and hands-on instruction offered by authorized Cisco Learning Partners worldwide, please visit www.cisco.com/go/authorizedtraining