Author Interview: Denise Donohue, CCIE No. 9566
Coauthor of Numerous CCNP and CCIE Certification Study Tools

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GoCertify Resources:
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GoCertify: How should Cisco's consolidation of the CCNP certification requirements from 4 required exams to 3 affect the way CCNP candidates prepare?

Denise Donohue: Well, I guess it frees up 1/4 of the study time.

Really, I think the most important change is in the emphasis of the exams and the associated courses. The course designer attempted to better reflect the job assignments an engineer at the CCNP level would typically be expected to perform. While candidates are still not expected to design a network change, they are expected to understand the design. Additionally, the exams now include planning, verifying, and troubleshooting a network change. Candidates will need to learn about some monitoring and troubleshooting tools, also. This will require a different level of studying than just learning how to implement the protocols and technologies.

GoCertify: Although it's not apparent from the cover title, it appears that your Quick Reference book is organized into ROUTE, SWITCH and TSHOOT sections, paralleling the new CCNP exam path. Does it stand as a study guide on its own, or is it really meant to be used in conjunction with more expansive study materials?

Denise Donohue: That's correct - the book is divided into three sections, corresponding to the three exams. Frequently readers tell me that they use this book to check their knowledge before beginning to study, thus helping them target their studying. Then they come back to it at the end to refresh their knowledge. It's also a good reference book to keep around once you've passed the exams. It would probably be enough for candidates who work with routers and switches, and many different technologies, on the job. But rarely does a single network engineer use every technology in the exam, so most people also take a class, read one of the longer books, and/or do some online research.

GoCertify: How long should someone expect to spend to completely work through your CCNP SWITCH Cert Kit and will they be exam ready at the end?

Denise Donohue: That's another tough question to answer, since it depends so much on the individual. I would allow a good 30 hours to work through all the components of the kit. This includes repeating many of the sections. Perhaps you might get a question wrong on the flash cards, then go back to read that section in the book and listen to the Video Mentor, for instance. If you are learning as you go through the kit, it would be great to have a couple of switches available so that you could practice things as you learn them. All the authors have done their best to make this a good preparation tool for the exam, and for life as a CCNP-certified engineer. We love to hear feedback from our readers - please let us know how it helped you, and any ways we can improve it!

GoCertify: In your experience, which topic(s) do CCNP students have the most difficulty with?

Denise Donohue: The routing exam has traditionally been considered the most difficult, specifically BGP, probably because candidates don't run into it in their daily lives. I think that IPv6 will be a tough subject, for the same reason. Troubleshooting methodology has caused difficulty in the past, also.

GoCertify: What other advice do you have for individuals in preparing for the CCNP exams?

Denise Donohue:

• Get some hands-on time. There is no substitute for it.
• Find someone to study with
• Use the Cisco Learning Network - it's a great place to get answers to your questions. You'll learn from the questions other people submit, also.
• In your lab work, don't be afraid to break things. That's how you learn.
• Remember that a certification carries with it an expectation about what you can do. We all know that there are "very detailed" exam preparation materials out there, but in the long run, certifications only help you if you actually learn the material they cover.

GoCertify: How great of a leap is it from CCNP to CCIE compared to going from CCNA to CCNP?

Denise Donohue: Pretty big, but not unattainable! The CCNA and CCNP involve a lot of theoretical knowledge with some hands-on skill. The CCIE requires high levels of both. It also covers subjects not included in the CCNP. The CCNP is a good jumping-off point for the CCIE, since it introduces most of the Layer 2 and Layer 3 subjects and lays a good foundation for troubleshooting.

Studying for the CCIE will be different than for the CCNP. At first, as you learn about the technologies, your studying is usually about half research and the other half lab work. You need to practice everything you learn until you thoroughly understand it and are skilled at configuring it. As you approach your lab date, that changes to almost all lab work. Your only research will be brushing up on things you missed before. The CCIE requires an in-depth understanding of the technologies and how they all work together, plus the ability to quickly and accurately configure them.

GoCertify: Do you have any future certification plans for yourself?

Denise Donohue: Probably the CCDE, once I work through my backlog of "honey-do's".

For more on Denise Donohue's latest activities and impressive list of publications, visit her publisher, Cisco Press.

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