A Complete Guide to Help You Pass Cisco CCDA Certification and 200-310 Exam
We live in a technological era when innovations rule the world. One of the most famous names in the IT industry is Cisco with its groundbreaking networking products.
But the company is known not only for that. Cisco company also offers technological certifications for interested candidates.
In this text, we’re going to talk about Cisco Certified Design Associate (CCDA) certification and 200-310 exam you must clear to obtain it.
If you decided to pass Cisco 200-310 exam, then this guide is for you. But first things first, what does Cisco 200-310 exam entail?
This exam is for design professionals seeking to validate their skills in designing routed as well as switched network architectures and services that involve LAN/WAN based technologies for branch networks, enterprise campus networks and SMB. 200-310 exam focuses on the designing of data center, basic campus, voice, security, as well as wireless networks.
Read on to learn more about Cisco 200-310 exam and get tips on how to prepare and ace it successfully.
Cisco 200-310 exam overview
This is a 75-minute long exam with 55-65 questions. You’ll come across question types that may include multiple-choice, drag-and-drop, fill-in-the-blank, simlet, testlet and simulation.
The exam cost is $300 and registration takes place at Pearson VUE. Cisco does not indicate the passing scores for their exams because they are bound to change anytime.
It is recommended that you have any CCIE, CCENT, or valid CCNA Routing & Switching credential before taking this exam. Once you pass your exam and attain your credential, you’ll have to renew it after 3 years.
Also, your CCDA certification can be a prerequisite for professional CCDP certification.
So how do you pass Cisco 200-310 certification exam?
This particular exam is not easy at all. You have to prepare well with the right resources if you’re serious about passing it. Here are tips and tricks that you can make use of to help you prepare as well as pass this popular exam:
1. Register for the exam soon enough
Do not wait for the last minute to register for your examsnap.com exam. Registering early would help you allocate enough time for your studies. Once you have taken care of this step, then you can now focus on the prep process.
2. Familiarize with exam topics
Before you begin your revision, ensure you download and study the exam objectives. Know the topics that the exam is likely to test you on. You can access these topics on the official Cisco website.
3. Plan your study time well
It’s important that you prepare a plan and a timetable that will guide you on what topics to cover and when. Remember to allocate time for each of your important and urgent commitments.
And of course, the most important bit here is to stick to your study plan as long as it is working well for you.
4. Register for an intensive course
Training courses are a good way to study for your exam. Courses are great when it comes to proper coverage of the exam topics. They can be instructor-led or self-paced. It’s you to choose the delivery method that you prefer. Some of the recommended courses for this exam include:
- Cisco’s Designing for Cisco Internetwork Solutions (DESIGN) self-paced training
- Cisco’s Designing for Cisco Internetwork Solutions (DESIGN) instructor-led course
5. Find study guides
These are books written by exam experts with many years of experience on the subject. The books give you a deeper insight into the exam topics. The CCDA 200-310 Official Cert Guide, 5th Edition by Cisco Press is a great study guide to use for your exam revision.
6. Set up a practice environment or lab
Practicing with labs will give you the necessary hands-on experience. Assemble the required and recommended equipment for this purpose.
This hands-on experience goes beyond passing your exam. It will also be useful in your day-to-day work responsibilities.
With the skills you gain from using labs, you can solve any challenge in a real-world scenario. Here are some of the labs that you can purchase and make use of:
- Cisco Virtual Internet Routing Labs
- Cisco Modelling Labs
7. Find practice exams
These are past exam questions popularly called dumps. They allow you to simulate the real exam environment. From this important exam prep resource, you will understand what to expect in the exam and even how to approach exam questions.
You can find them in ETE or VCE formats. For these files, you’ll have to download an exam testing software that makes it possible for you to practice with the tests. Some of the best practice tests for Prepaway Cisco 200-310 exam include:
- PrepAway Cisco 200-310 exam dumps
- Exam Collection Cisco 200-310 practice tests
8. Join a discussion group or study forum
Forums or discussion groups are also a wonderful way to prepare and pass your Cisco 200-310 exam. This is where other candidates and professionals meet. You can ask questions or read the exam experiences of the other members. One of these helpful groups is the CCDA Study Group.
9. Read through the exam regulations carefully
It’s always good to begin by looking at the exam rules first and make sure you understand what is expected of you. Don’t make assumptions.
10. It’s time to take your exam
Once you’ve read through the rules, the next thing would be to go through the exam questions. You can answer familiar questions first, then come back to the hard ones later.
Remember to answer all the questions!
Also, make sure that you don’t stay on one question for long because you might end up hurrying through other questions. If you meet a hard question, you can skip it for later.
Final thoughts
Preparing for your Cisco 200-310 exam can be a little overwhelming, but when you already understand what you must do to pass, then you’re in a good position to ace it successfully.
Make sure you have the recommended resources and apply the preparation method that works well for you. Make use of these tried and tested tips to help you triumph in your exam and qualify for your Cisco CCDA certification. Armed with this credential, you can get great job positions and even go higher in your career.
Some of the job positions for this credential include network engineer, IT support engineer, network technician and systems engineer. You can earn an average annual salary of $88,361 with any of these positions according to data from Indeed.com.
