Cisco Certification Exam Prep

Cisco certifies at five levels. Entry (CCST) covers the basics of networking, cybersecurity and IT support. Associate is CCNA, plus CCNA Automation and CCNA Cybersecurity. Professional (CCNP) and Expert (CCIE) run in technology tracks: Enterprise, Security, Cybersecurity, Automation, Data Center, Collaboration, Service Provider and Wireless, with CCDE as the expert-level design credential. In February 2026 Cisco renamed the DevNet certifications to Automation and the CyberOps certifications to Cybersecurity, and it now offers AI practitioner certifications alongside them.

CCNA is where most network careers start. It has no prerequisites, and its one exam covers the networking every later track builds on. CCNP needs two exams, a core exam for the track plus a concentration exam you choose. The same core exam qualifies you for the CCIE lab, an eight-hour hands-on exam taken in person.

Cisco certifications are valid for three years. You recertify either by passing exams or by earning continuing-education credits (30 for an associate certification, 80 for CCNP, 120 for CCIE). Written exams are delivered by Pearson VUE at a test centre or online; the CCIE lab is in person only.

MindMesh Academy currently prepares you for CCNA: a study guide written from first principles, a practice-exam bank with performance-based questions, and spaced-repetition flashcards, with a free sample to start. Hands-on time with a simulator or real equipment matters as much as reading, because many questions describe what a device shows and ask what you would do next.