Along with the retirement of the Cisco Certified Entry Networking Technician (CCENT) credential in February 2020, Cisco recently made an announcement that the redesigned Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) will, as of February 24, 2020, include knowledge from what were formerly distinct but related CCNA concentrations. This news was released in conjunction with the retirement of the CCENT credential. To be more specific, the following are the components of the concentrations that will be rendered obsolete by the CCNA 200-301 course:
- CCNA Collaboration
- CCNA Cloud Certification
- CCNA Data Center
- CCDA (Cisco Certified Design Associate)
- CCNA Routing and Switching
- CCNA Security
- CCNA Service Provider
- CCNA Wireless
For instance, if you are presently studying network design in order to get the CCDA certification, you should be aware that the CCDA credential will be replaced by the main 200-301 CCNA certificate as of February 24, 2020. This change will take effect immediately. As a result of this replacement, CCNA candidates, who in earlier iterations of the exam were tested primarily on routing and switching, will now also be quizzed on design principles, cloud technologies, collaboration technologies, security technologies, wireless technologies, and other related topics. The most recent comprehensive list of test subjects has primary divisions on security basics and automation and programmability, in addition to subdivisions on wireless and wireless architecture.
You may be wondering what will happen to that certification after February 24 if you are presently studying for any of the CCNA concentrations that are being replaced by 200-301. This is because 200-301 is the new standard for the CCNA. Have no dread. Cisco has a solution for this problem in mind. Unlike the CCENT credential, which is being phased out, CCNAs who pass any of the above concentration exams before the deadline of February 24 will automatically receive the new CCNA credential along with a training badge that represents the pre-Feb. 24 concentration the candidate completed. This is in contrast to the CCENT credential, which will no longer be available. For instance, if you pass the CCDA test before it is discontinued, you will be given both the new CCNA certification badge and a CCDA training badge. This is because the CCDA exam will no longer be offered after that point.
After the 24th of February, you will still be able to collect training badges; however, you will not be able to take the focus examinations that are being replaced by the 200-301 course. According to Cisco’s certification frequently asked questions (FAQs), applicants will be able to begin earning training badges for courses completed after February 24, 2020. This information can be found here.
Should you continue on this road now that you have invested time and money into preparing for a CCNA specialization certificate, such as CCDA, or should you wait till the new 200-301 test comes out? The recommendation from Cisco is to keep moving forward. As of the time that this article was written, you have more than six months left to finish the certification that you are now working on. After passing the concentration test, not only will you have received the new CCNA certificate, but you will also get the new training badge for the concentration that you have acquired. Therefore, all of your hard work will not have been in useless.
Keep going. Despite the fact that February 24, 2020 will be before you realize it, you still have more time now than you will in the future to finish your focus. If you don’t know how to prepare for your exam, please let SPOTO help you out!
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