The first step to achieve your CCNA certification and start a Networking Engineer career

IT certifications are one of the best ways to show your skills in the technology field, they can prove to the employees your high level of expertise and how prepared you are to take the role. In the networking industry, Cisco is one of the biggest worldwide recognised vendors. To hold a Cisco certification is a valuable asset and help you stand out from the crowd.

Personal Benefits

Certifications can play a significant role in your career as they are an important tool to show your skill level and open more job opportunities. Many companies in the market ask for a Cisco certification as a requirement for job opportunities. Cisco is a trusted name and is one of the leaders in the networking industry. So, if you are a Cisco certified professional, a company can assure that they have a candidate who is proficient and knowledgeable regarding the fundamentals and concepts of networking and able to work with other vendors, such as Juniper or Huaway, for example.

The first step to get in the Cisco world is to achieve the CCNA - Cisco Certified Network Associate. To receive the CCNA certificate the professional must have passed either the ICND1 (100-101) and ICND2 (200-101) exams. There is an option to do both exams in one CCNA exam (200-120), but we don’t recommend if you are starting your career. The exam requires more work experience and obviously has the double of the questions.  

In this blog post we will explore the relevant contents which are part of the ICND1 exam, ways to get ready and relevant information about it.

Interconnecting Cisco Networking Devices Part 1 (ICND1) exam (100-105)

It is a 90-minute exam, 45–55 question assessment that is associated with the Cisco Certified Entry Network Technician (CCENT) certification. This exam tests a candidate's knowledge and skills related to network fundamentals, LAN switching technologies, routing technologies, infrastructure services, and infrastructure maintenance.

Below you can check the list of contents released by Cisco and how representative they are in the exam context (%). According to Cisco this is a list which is likely to be included in the exam. However, other related topics may also appear on any specific delivery of the exam. Be aware that the guidelines below may change at any time without notice.

List of Contents

1 - Network Fundamentals - 20%

• Compare and contrast OSI and TCP/IP models
• Compare and contrast TCP and UDP protocols
• Describe the impact of infrastructure components in an enterprise network
• Compare and contrast collapsed core and three-tier architectures
• Compare and contrast network topologies
• Select the appropriate cabling type based on implementation requirements
• Apply troubleshooting methodologies to resolve problems
• Configure, verify, and troubleshoot IPv4 addressing and subnetting
• Compare and contrast IPv4 address types
• Describe the need for private IPv4 addressing
• Identify the appropriate IPv6 addressing scheme to satisfy addressing requirements in a LAN/WAN environment
• Configure, verify, and troubleshoot IPv6 addressing
• Configure and verify IPv6 Stateless Address Auto Configuration
• Compare and contrast IPv6 address types

2 - LAN Switching Fundamentals - 26%

• Describe and verify switching concepts
• Interpret Ethernet frame format
• Troubleshoot interface and cable issues (collisions, errors, duplex, speed)
• Configure, verify, and troubleshoot VLANs (normal range) spanning multiple switches
• Configure, verify, and troubleshoot interswitch connectivity
• Configure, verify, and troubleshoot port security

3 - Routing Fundamentals - 25%

• Describe the routing concepts
• Interpret the components of routing table
• Describe how a routing table is populated by different routing information sources
• Configure, verify, and troubleshoot inter-VLAN routing
• Compare and contrast static routing and dynamic routing
• Configure, verify, and troubleshoot IPv4 and IPv6 static routing
• Configure, verify, and troubleshoot RIPv2 for IPv4 (excluding authentication, filtering, manual summarization, redistribution)

4 - Infrastructure Services - 15%

• Describe DNS lookup operation
• Troubleshoot client connectivity issues involving DNS
• Configure and verify DHCP on a router (excluding static reservations)
• Troubleshoot client- and router-based DHCP connectivity issues
• Configure and verify NTP operating in client/server mode
• Configure, verify, and troubleshoot IPv4 standard numbered and named access list for routed interfaces
• Configure, verify, and troubleshoot inside source NAT

5 - Infrastructure Maintenance - 14%

• Configure and verify device-monitoring using syslog
• Configure and verify device management
• Configure and verify initial device configuration
• Configure, verify, and troubleshoot basic device hardening
• Perform device maintenance
• Use Cisco IOS tools to troubleshoot and resolve problems

On average you should get 80% to pass in a Cisco exam, but the percentage is a construction according to each topic of the exam, so it’s not straightforward. If you want to know in detail how Cisco build up the exam score and how you should read your final report, click here to access the information provided by them regarding to score. 

Cisco ICND1 Training

The best way to master your skills and get ready to the exam is to invest a high-quality training led by certified instructors with experience in their field. At New Horizons Ireland we provided both courses, which are part of the CCNA certification, in the Mentored Learning modality. You can pick up the best schedule for you and do the course at your own pace, having the tutor available all the time and ready to help you through the labs and content.

Cisco® Interconnecting Cisco® Networking Devices Part 1 v3.0 (ICND1) Course

You can check out here our Mentored Learning Cisco course options. 

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