Why you’re better off taking the CCENT exam rather than waiting and taking the CCNA composite exam

I'm going to take a little break away from the How to Use Your Instant Cheat-Sheet Series in order to take a look at the differences between the CCENT and CCNA exams, and why I beleive that you should almost always start by taking the CCENT exam.

For years now I’ve been advising my students to take the CCENT (ICND1) exam first, before taking the ICND2 on their way to getting CCNA certified. Meanwhile most of my colleagues would tell the students to just take the CCNA composite exam (CCNAX) and bypass the CCENT exam altogether. Their reasoning behind their theory is that you only will need to drive to the testing center twice, plus you will only need to study for the exam once. I totally disagree with that reasoning!

Here are several good reasons for starting out by taking the CCENT exam first:

1.       The CCENT exam is flat out easier than the composite exam. If you’re taking you’re first certification exam you will definitely appreciate this, since the entire exam experience is stressful enough, and you don’t need the added stress of more difficult content.  Follow my advice and you will feel a lot more comfortable with the testing experience thereafter. Plus you don’t have to study all of the content at once, you can cut it in half.

2.       If you pass the CCENT exam you’ve completed the pre-requisite for the CCNA specialization exams like CCNA Security, CCNA Voice, CCNA Wireless or CCNA Data Center. You’re no longer required to become CCNA certified first, before taking these exams.

3.       If you’re a Cisco Networking Academy student you can see the fruits of your labor after just two courses, and one semester, if you’re taking the classes at ECC.  You can become employable in as little as four short months!

Finally, remember that one reason for taking the composite exam is that you’ll only need to study once?  That may be true, but it will take you twice as long to learn everything that’s going to be on the exam.  If you’re a Cisco Networking Academy student you will need to take four courses, and add at least another four or five months on to your quest for employment. Also, wouldn't be great to have that (CCENT) certification in your hands after passing just one (easier) exam.

Your comments are welcome.

-Jim (revised 6/24/2014)