Given that Cisco’s is one of the three biggest IT certification programs, and that exam preparation material is readily available to candidates, an organized program of study is the best approach to tackling any Cisco certification exam. Given that Cisco exams are updated regularly, so that in some cases third-party materials may not be available, I also explain how to prepare for the exams before third parties deliver their exam goods.

Before I sketch out this approach and explain its various elements, I’d like to stress the value of waiting as long as possible or reasonable to take certification exams. That said, some people must take exams sooner rather than later to meet job requirements, to learn subject matter ASAP or to teach others or write about the subject matter. Even so, there are benefits to delaying your exam date:

• It takes time for a collective body of knowledge and experience to coalesce around an exam. Reputable, reliable exam reports usually take from two to four months after the exam’s release to appear. These reports are informative, helpful and valuable.
• Trade books on exams, be they full-length study guides to help you learn the material as well as prep for the exam, or shorter, more focused tools, are seldom available until at least two months after an exam goes public. Even Cisco Press titles don’t hit the shelves sooner than a month after an exam goes live, and they have an inside track!
• It’s rare to see practice tests for exams appear sooner than a month after an exam’s public release, and it’s not atypical for them to take as long as three months after an exam’s release date to arrive.