The Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) certification is the challenging first step on the Cisco certification track. On March 12, 2002, Cisco released exam 640-607, a new exam that CCNA candidates must pass to earn their certification. In this article, we will provide an overview of this exam and take a closer look at the new simulation-based testing format. Breaking down exam 640-607
You will be given 75 minutes to answer the 45 to 55 questions that appear on exam 640-607. If you have been studying for the old exam, 640-507, you don't have to worry about studying new material for this exam. While the format of exam 640-607 has changed drastically, the content has stayed basically the same. Like other Cisco exams, both past and present, the new CCNA exam is quite challenging. Topics that you can expect to see on exam 640-607 include bridging and switching, the OSI and DOD reference models, LAN protocols such as TCP/IP, routing protocols such as RIP and IGRP, WAN technology such as Frame Relay and ISDN, network management, LAN design, and, of course, switch, router, and Cisco IOS basics. You should be well versed in all of these topics and make sure that you know the Cisco way of doing things. If you are familiar with this material, you can simply use a study guide to ensure that you know the Cisco recommendations for performing certain tasks. If you want to take a class to learn these topics, most training centers offer the Interconnecting Cisco Network Devices (ICND) class to provide the necessary preparation. Regardless of how you prepare for the exam, be sure that you understand the material thoroughly, because this exam will definitely test the depths of your knowledge. Simulation-based questions
If you're like most IT professionals, you'd much rather have certification exams test your real-world skills than require you to regurgitate obscure facts that don't have much bearing on your everyday work. The simulation-based component of the CCNA exam is designed with the former approach in mind. You will be asked to perform switch and router configuration by entering actual IOS commands. For example, you may be asked to show the configuration of a router. Acceptable responses could be show config, sho config, or sh conf. For professionals who use such commands on a daily basis, simulation-based exams should be a nice change. Instead of picking the correct answer in a multiple-choice question where you might accidentally select the wrong answer or be confused by visually similar answers, you are now able to let your knowledge and skills shine by performing the required tasks. Before you get too excited about the new exam format, however, you should know that you'll be facing fill-in-the-blank questions, multiple-choice single answer, multiple-choice multiple answer, and drag-and-drop questions, in addition to router simulations.