CCIE - Cisco Certified Internetworking Expert Routing and Switching

Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE®) is the highest level of technical networking certification offered by Cisco. CCIE Routing and Switching certification designates expert-level knowledge of networking across various LAN and WAN interfaces and a variety of routers and switches.

Cisco Revising CCIE R&S Certification Standards

Cisco has revised the certification requirements for CCIE R&S and published the new v4.0 standards on the Cisco Learning Network. Exams based on the new requirements are scheduled for release on October 18, 2009 and will immediately replace the current exams.

There are no formal prerequisites for CCIE certification. Other professional certifications or training courses are not required. Instead, candidates must first pass a written qualification exam and then the corresponding hands-on lab exam. You are expected to have an in-depth understanding of the topics in the exam blueprints and strongly encouraged to have three to five years of job experience before attempting certification.

Step One: CCIE Routing and Switching Written Exam

You must pass the two-hour, written qualification exam which covers networking concepts and some equipment commands before you are eligible to schedule the lab exam.

Step Two: CCIE Routing and Switching Lab Exam

The eight-hour lab exam tests your ability to configure actual equipment and troubleshoot the network in a timed test situation. You must pass the lab within three years of passing the written to achieve certification. Your first lab attempt must be made within 18 months.