A CCNA candidate must prove familiarity & expertise with Cisco's IOS, TCP/IP, LAN and WAN management, routing and routing protocols, the OSI model, LAN troubleshooting, and be familiar with a variety of network protocols, some Cisco-specific and some not.

The test (Cisco code 640-801) is computer-administered and is 60 questions over 90 minutes and is adaptive; the test will quickly ascertain which areas an examinee is weak on and focus on those. The test includes multiple choice questions (including many multiple-answer questions, i.e. 'which three of these five options'), matching questions, and simulated 'lab' questions that provide a virtual network consisting of several routers and switches to test troubleshooting skills.

The certification is good for three years; at that time a CCNA holder must either re-take the certification exam or take an exam for one of the Professional or Specialist level certifications, such as CCNP. At one point, the CCNA re-certification exam was different than the CCNA exam, but this seems to be no longer the case.

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