January 31, 2020 update: No, you're not crazy. Cisco changed the exam number from 300-401 to 350-401. The blueprint for the ENCOR exam is mostly the same as the CCNP Routing & Switching track. In fact, the fundamentals are almost 100% identical. That means that you can prepare for the CCNP ENCOR exam by using existing R&S training materials. For your convenience, I’ve put together the following list of my Pluralsight courses that cover both the new CCNP ENCOR exam and the retired CCNP ROUTE, SWITCH, and TSHOOT exams.
Certifications are often lambasted as “worthless pieces of paper” and “experience is more important.” But for some people, certifications are more important than experience.
A substitute for experience Newcomers to the IT world face the classic problem: how do you get experience without a job? Sure, you can tinker around on your own time, but how do you prove that experience? That’s where certifications come in.
Certifications show a prospective employer that you care enough and have the initiative to spend your own time and money to become a better IT professional.
You took one of the Cisco CCNP Routing and Switching certification exams. You went to the exam center, sat down, and started the exam. About 2 hours later, you saw the dreaded news appear on the screen:
You didn’t pass.
I’ve failed certification exams in the past, so I can relate to the facepalm-worthy feeling you get when you realize you dropped a couple of Benjamins on an exam that you just failed.
You can pass the CCNP R&S exams the first time, but it’s not as simple as just studying everything. Here are a few things to keep in mind when preparing…
The CCNP exams test CCNA-level skills and knowledge, too That’s a good thing, because it helps weed out those who “brain dump” the exams. If you got lucky with OSPF on your CCNA exam, you’re not going to get lucky on the CCNP ROUTE exam.