Cisco Certifications - CCNA Voice certification

Cisco CCNA Voice Certification

What is this Cisco CCNA Voice Certification all about?

The Cisco CCNA Voice certification is Cisco’s certifications that tests for skills that are required by a networking professional who administers (maintains and troubleshoots) a Voice network.

Cisco has two different certifications under this Cisco CCNA Voice certification. These are:

1. The CCNA Voice Certification enterprise option which tests for skills relevant to the Cisco Unified Communications Manager 6.0 (CUCM) 6.0.
2. The CCNA Voice Certification commercial option which tests for skills relevant to Cisco CallManager Express (CME) and Cisco Unity Express (CUE) solutions.

Software that comes under the Cisco CCNA Voice Certification:

1. Cisco Unified Communications Manager 6.0 (CUCM) 6.0
2. Cisco CallManager Express (CME) and Cisco Unity Express (CUE)

The Cisco CCNA Voice Certification tests for skills required in the following job roles:

• Voice technologies administrator
• Voice engineer
• Voice manager

The Cisco CCNA Voice Curriculum covers the following skills in VoIP Telephony:

• IP PBX
• IP telephony, handset, call control
• Voicemail solutions

What are the Pre-requisites of Cisco CCNA Voice Certification?

According to Cisco, “Valid CCNA or any CCIE Certification can act as a pre-requisite”. Thus this Cisco CCNA Voice certification does have a pre-requisite as mentioned above.

However, we do also recommend that any person who sits for the exam in this certification come fully prepared for the exam. Allot yourself at the very least a few months to prepare for the exam.

Who is the Cisco CCNA Voice Certification for?

The Cisco CCNA Voice Certification is for those networking professionals who would like to add VoIP expertise to their career or to move towards a more VoIP/Voice oriented career within networking.

The Job roles that may require such certification, especially if Cisco VoIP frameworks are used are:

• Voice technologies administrator
• Voice engineer
• Voice manager

Why should I get certified? What benefits are there?

In case you are a basic Networking Professional who is responsible for maintenance and troubleshooting of Voice networks over a VoIP framework and managed through the aforementioned Cisco Software, then it is essential that you further your skills portfolio so that you can advance your career and increase your knowledge. Thus, the Cisco CCNA Voice certification is preferable if you are interested in a more VoIP/Voice oriented career.

The benefits will be that you will now have a broader selection of career paths that will be higher paying than your existing job. Additionally, you will have that edge that is required during job selections – since employers look for what makes you as a networking professional unique.

Cisco Certification Exams in General

What Are the Exams Like?

• The duration of most theoretical exams is one to two hours. Lab (practical) exams typically last eight hours.
• Questions include multiple-choice single answer, multiple-choice multiple answer questions, drag and drop, fill in the blank and simulations.
• Exams other than CCIE lab exams are delivered online

What Do They Cost?

• Computer-based certification exam prices range from $80 to $325 US dollars or equivalent worldwide. The ICND1 and ICND2 exams are $125 USD, the CCNA exam is $250 USD and the professional level CCNP and CCDP Composite exam is $300 USD, and CCIE written exams are $350 USD. Payment is made directly to the authorized test delivery partner Pearson Vue.
• CCIE lab exams are $1,400 USD. Payment is made online via credit card or wire transfer
  
  

How do I take the exams?

Exams are regularly administered worldwide by Pearson VUE http://www.vue.com/cisco which is Cisco’s examination delivery partner (just as Prometric is Microsoft’s partner). Pearson VUE routinely organizes exams on various dates

How do I prepare for the exams?

1. Training through Institutions – The authorized source for Cisco IT training delivered exclusively by Certified Cisco Instructors. For a list of Cisco Learning Partners, use the Learning Partner Locator.

2. Training through Books – A variety of Cisco Press titles may be available for this exam. These titles can be purchased through the Cisco Marketplace Bookstore, or directly from Cisco Press.

3. Resources, Assistance and guidance through the online Cisco Learning Network 

4. Exam Cram Books - Exam Cram has a wide array of preparation tools for the popular CCNA, CCNP, and CCSP certifications, including simulation-based practice questions along with other late-stage study vehicles to get you ready for test time.

5. Safari Bookshelf - The premier electronic reference library for programming and IT professionals with more than 1,200 titles.

6. Cisco Networking Academy - http://www.cisco.com/web/learning/netacad/index.html

7. Cisco Certification Study Groups – https://cisco.hosted.jivesoftware.com/groups

What certifications and exams come under Cisco CCNA Voice Certification?

There are two possible exam options. These are:

1. Option 1: 640-460 IIUC
2. Option 2: 642-436 CVOICE 6.0

Option 1

OR

Option 2

Validity of the Cisco CCNA Voice Certification

This Certification is valid for upto 3 years after the certification has been awarded. After 3 years any and every networks professional will have to re-sit this exam so as to be re-certified. Cisco has created this system to ensure that all network’s professionals stay up to date with latest trends and changes in networking technologies and standards.

Resources for the Exams

1. Several Resources are available at the Cisco Learning Network - https://learningnetwork.cisco.com/community/certifications/voice_ccna;jsessionid=3DBC1B94E5093DD5ACF2E1121EC447BB.node0
2. Cisco Certification Exams Tutorial -http://www.cisco.com/web/learning/le3/learning_certification_exam_tutorial.html

http://www.cisco.com/web/learning/le3/le2/le0/le3/learning_certification_type_home.html