Apparently, this news is pretty old since it was announced back in June 2012. However, not a whole lot of people are aware of this upcoming changes to the CCNA curriculum. The new CCNA 5.0 curriculum will still continue to focus on routing and switching technologies which aligns with the CCENT and CCNA certifications. The expected phase release of the new curriculum will start in June 2013 and is expected to be available to all academy by the end of 2013.
What are the changes?
- Integration of IPv6 and IPv4 in the design, configuration, and management of routed and switched networks
- Utilization of Cisco IOS 15.X commands to configure and manage network devices
- Advanced technology topic updates including voice, wireless, security, and data center
- Improved psychometric analysis of final exam items
- Enhanced rich assessment feedback earlier in the learning process
- Mobility support enabling access to course text and graphics on mobile platforms, including Apple iOS, Google Android, and Windows 8 devices
- Cisco NetSpace capabilities fully leveraged to improve communications, collaboration, and user experience for students and instructors
Thoughts
With this update to the curriculum, I believe it is safe to assume to that Cisco will also announce the retirement of the current CCENT and CCNA exams. That said, if you have been putting off taking the exam then you better start ramping up or else you’ll be studying for the new curriculum if you don’t make the deadline. Usually, Cisco is pretty good of giving you three to six months before retiring the current exam(s) so you should still have some time.
If Cisco decide to announce the changes to the CCENT and CCNA exams by the end of 2013, then that would mean that CCNP and CCIE will also change after a year or two. I did a quick search of certification release dates and it looks like when Cisco changed the CCNA it was the latter part of 2007. Then, Cisco announced the release of CCIE v4.0 in the second quarter of 2009. The following year, they announced the CCNP v6.0 changes. That said, if Cisco follows the same schedule then CCIE v5.0 will be probably announced by first or second quarter of 2014 and one of the changes for sure is the IOS 15.X. With that said, my lab will need to be refreshed or need to be sold. Any takers?
Update:
Exam has been announced! Study now using CCNA Routing and Switching 200-120 Official Cert Guide Library!
Reference
New CCNA Curriculum Coming Soon
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