does not publish numbers on pass/fail rates for CCIE or the other certifications, but rumors have
it that the failure rate on all lab test-takers is more than 50 percent, with failure rate for first-
time lab-takers at more than 80 percent.
worked well originally, partly because Cisco had significantly fewer partners than today. Cisco
uses the number of CCIEs on staff as part of the criteria in determining the level of partner status
for the company, which in turn dictates the discount received by the reseller when buying from
Cisco. (If you want a little more insight into reseller certification, look at www.cisco.com/warp/
public/767/chan/ptnrcert-matrix.html.) This practice continues to be a good way for Cisco to
judge the commitment of resellers to hire people with proven Cisco skills, which in turn
improves customer satisfaction--and customer satisfaction is tied to every Cisco executive's
bonus plan.
number of partners increased. For instance, there are around 4500 CCIEs worldwide, and about
half that many resellers--and not all the CCIEs work for resellers, of course. More importantly,
many resellers that did not perform services did not need a CCIE on staff except to get a better
discount. Thus, Cisco needed certifications that were less rigorous than CCIE, which would
allow Cisco more granularity in judging the skills on staff at a partner company. So, Cisco
created several additional certifications, with CCNA included. Figure 1-1 shows the CCIE and
career certifications for routing and switching.
other to certify design skills. Resellers working in a presale environment need more design
skills, whereas services companies need more implementation skills. So, the CCNA and CCNP
provide implementation-oriented certifications, whereas the CCDA and CCDP certifications
provide design-oriented certifications.
levels: an Associate level and a Professional level. CCNA is the more basic, and CCNP is the
intermediate level between CCNA and CCIE. Likewise, CCDA is more basic than CCDP. You
can view these details at Cisco's Web site, www.cisco.com/warp/public/10/wwtraining/
certprog/lan/course.html.
certification requires CCNA first. Also, CCDP requires both CCDA and CCNA certification.
CCIE, however, does not require any other certification prior to the written and lab tests, mainly
for historical reasons.
standpoint, Cisco certification certainly can be used to help you get a new job. Or, you can add
certification to your performance evaluation plan and justify a raise based on passing an exam.
If you are looking for a new job, not only might certification help you land the job, but it actually
might help you make more money!