CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate) is an information technology (IT) certification from Cisco Systems. CCNA certification is an associate-level Cisco Career certification.^[1]

The Cisco exams have changed several times in response to the changing IT trends. In 2020, Cisco announced an update to its certification program that “Consolidated and updated associate level training and certification.”^[2] Cisco has consolidated the previous different types of Cisco-Certified Network Associate with a general CCNA certification.^[3]

The content of the exams is proprietary.^[4] Cisco and its learning partners offer a variety of different training methods,^[5] including books published by Cisco Press, and online and classroom courses available under the title “Interconnecting Cisco Network Devices”.

To achieve a CCNA certification, candidates must earn a passing score on Cisco exam #200-301.^[6] At the completion of the exam, candidates receive a score report along with a score breakdown by exam section and the passing score for the given exam.^[7]

The exam tests a candidates knowledge and skills required to install, operate, and troubleshoot a small to medium size enterprise branch network. This exam covers a broad range of fundamentals, including network fundamentals, network access, IP connectivity, IP services, security fundamentals, automation and programmability.^[8][9]