New CCIE has been Announced from Feb 2020!

Cisco has announced new CCIE Certification & relevant Exams which will be effective from 24th February 2020. New rules will apply from Feb-2020 for CCIE. Below are the major changes with explanation.

What is the new CCIE Lab Exam Format?

The updated CCIE Lab Exam covers the whole Network lifecycle now. It starts from Planning, Design, Deployment, Operation & continuous Optimization. Previously, it used to be only Diagnosis, Configuration & Troubleshooting only. There was a separate Track for Design & Planning.
Below fig. shows the differences between old & new Lab exam format.

Module 1: Design
Format:  Scenario based

Backward Navigation: Disabled

Point Values: Not Shown

Duration: 3 hours
Type: Read the documentation/logs (email threads, design documents, customer requirements and restrictions, …) & answer the questions (no CLI/Console access)

Question Types: Drag & Drop, MCQ’s, Dropdowns, …

Module 2: Deploy, Operate and Optimize
Format: Hands-on OR Web-based

Backward Navigation: Enabled

Point Values: Shown

Duration: 5 hours
Type: Configure, Troubleshoot, Monitor, Reduce Costs as per scenario requirements

Question Types: CLI/GUI Configuration, Monitoring, …

What happens if I am already a CCIE certified?

You will automatically be converted to new Certifications. See below examples.

Example1: If you are already a CCIE R&S Certified, you will automatically become CCIE Enterprise Infrastructure Certified on 24 Feb 2020 with 2 certifications below:

1. CCIE Enterprise Infrastructure Certified
2. Cisco Certified Specialist (Enterprise Core Certified)

Example2: If you are already a CCIE Security Certified on v5.0, you will see two badges appearing on your profile after Feb2020:

1. CCIE Security Certified
2. Cisco Certified Specialist (Security Core Certified)

Is there a change in certifications validity now?

Yes, all certifications have equal validity of 3 years now (CCNA, CCNP, CCIE – All Level). Previously, it was 2 years for CCIE lab.

How many Tracks are there which I can take for my CCIE?

There are only 6 Tracks now for CCIE, instead of 11. Below is the detailed Cisco Certification Pathway including CCIE on the top:

Download PDF of new Cisco Certification Pathway & Scheme:  New Cisco Certifications Scheme.PDF

Below list shows all updated CCIE Written (Core) Exams & Lab Exams for each CCIE Track:

Have the exam topics changed as well for CCIE?

Yes, Exam Topics have been updated in new Blue Print of CCIE. There is new updated Syllabus for both Written (Core) & Lab Exams in Each of the 6 CCIE Tracks. There is a focus on Programmability & Automation.

You can download the new Syllabus & Exam Topics of CCIE Core Exam here:  CCIE-Core-v1.0-ENCOR-300-401.PDF

You can download the new Syllabus & Exam Topics of CCIE Lab Exam here:  CCIE Enterprise Infrastructure Lab Exam.PDF

Is the Core Exam of CCNP different than Core Exam for CCIE?

Core Exam for CCNP is same as CCIE. You do not need to pass the Core/Written Exam again for CCIE. Core Exam for CCNP also takes you near to your CCIE. The CCNP core exam is also the qualifying exam for CCIE certification.

Is there still a Written Exam of CCIE?

No, you only pass Core Exam to qualify for CCIE Lab now. There is no specific CCIE Written exam now.

This is the same Core Exam that you would have passed your CCNP Exam.

Do I become Specialist after I pass the Core Exam?

Yes, after you pass the Core Exam (CCIE Written), you become the Cisco Certified Specialist. This is part of the new reward scheme where you get a badge & recognition after each certification in you career path.

Previously, you were not awarded any badge after passing the CCIE Written. You had to pass the CCIE Lab exam as well to earn the full badge once.

For Example, if you pass ENCOR 300-401, you will earn the Cisco Certified Specialist badge (Enterprise Core certification).

What is the new scheme to renew the Cisco Certifications?

Now you can mix up the CE’s & Exams for your re-certification (previously, it was either CE or re-certification exam). You need 120 CE’s or a mixture of Core exam with 40 CE’s to keep your CCIE status active.

All certified individuals must still register for and pass the corresponding Cisco re-certification exam but individuals can now also re-certify by completing CE (continuing education) activities and earning points within those 3 years. The continuing education point cap has also been removed (e.g. for Cisco Live activities, content-authoring, writing exams etc). The CE policy has been updated as well. Now you need:

30 CE’s for CCNA re-certification

40 CE’s for Specialist re-certification

80 CE’s for Professionals re-certification (OR pass any one professional concentration exam + 40 CE credits)

120 CE’s for CCIE re-certification (OR pass one technology core exam + 40 CE credits)

120 CE’s for CCDE re-certification (OR pass one technology core exam + 40 CE credits)

As always, individuals can re-certify by advancing to the next level of certifications as well. Certification must be met prior to the certification expiration date. Candidates with expired certification must repeat the entire certification exam process in order to regain their certifications status (this is same as before & no changes have happened here).

Do you know? Cisco CCNA & CCNP has also changed. You must read the changes here in our articles below:

New CCNA 200-301

New Changes in Cisco CCNP!

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