Post-Exam Information

The accomplishment of signing up for and actually taking the CCNA exam is no small feat. Many network engineers have avoided certification exams for years. The following sections discuss your options after exam day.

You need your examination score report to access the certification tracking system and set up a login to check your certification status. If you do not receive your certificate, you open a case in the certificate online support located at the following web address:

https://ciscocert.secure.force.com/english/MainPage

When you receive your certificate, you may want to frame it and put it on a wall. A certificate hanging on a wall is much harder to lose than a certificate in a filing cabinet or random folder. You never know when an employer or academic institution could request a copy.

Your CCNA is valid for 3 years. To keep your certificate valid, you must either pass the CCNA exam again or a more advanced certification before the end of the 3-year period.

I don’t believe you should place your certifications after your name. It is presumptuous to pretend that your latest certification is the equivalent to someone who has spent 4–7 years pursuing a Ph.D. or some other advanced degree. Instead, place your certifications or degrees in a section titled Education and Certifications. A master’s degree might be the exception to this rule.

Moran also discusses good strategies to break into the IT industry once you have earned your CCNA:

The most important factor is that you are moving toward a career goal. You might not get the title or job you want right out of school. If you can master those skills at your current position, while simultaneously building your network of contacts that lead to your dream position, you should be satisfied. You must build your career piece by piece. It won’t happen all at once.

Moran also outlines in his book that certifications such as the CCNA are part of an overall professional skill set that you must continually enhance to further your IT career.

Your CCNA certificate proves that you are disciplined enough to commit to a rigorous course of study and follow through with your professional goals. It is unlikely that you will be hired simply because you have a CCNA, but it will place you ahead of other candidates. Even though you have listed the CCNA on your resumé, it is important to highlight your networking skills that pertain to the CCNA in your job and skills descriptions on your resumé.

If you are familiar with the general concepts, focus on taking practice exams and memorizing the small details that make the exam so difficult. If you are a Cisco Networking Academy alumnus, you have access to the curriculum, and Packet Tracer provides an excellent network simulator. Consider your first attempt as a formal practice exam and excellent preparation to pass the second attempt.