Cisco’s certifications are among the most popular credentials for IT professionals. The company is considered to be one of the IT leaders in networking and hence its credentials are held with high esteem. Happily, even with all this prestige, Cisco does not exempt inexperienced IT specialists from its certification program.
To help them grow, it has badges at various levels and technological paths.
Here in this article, we’ll explore the stages of the Cisco PrepAway – Website certification program and then review one of its most demanded credentials, the professional-level 300-320 Routing & Switching, and several helpful preparation options.
Cisco Certification Program
The following list will help you understand what is the path to being Cisco certified as an expert. Let’s see all the levels to know from what step you should start your educational journey.
- Entry level is the starting point for those who are interested in launching a career in the networking profession. The main certification in this category is the CCENT (Cisco Certified Entry Networking Technician).
- Associate level is a fairly advanced level for relatively experienced professionals with at least a year’s working background. Professionals earn the CCNA in Routing & Switching, Cyber Ops, and Cloud, Security, Collaboration and many others at this level.
- Professional level includes advanced credentials. Most professionals who seek certifications at this level usually have at least three years of working experience. The most popular badge on this stage is the 300-320 R&S which will be considered in detail below.
- Expert level is a high-end certification level. These CCIE credentials are designed for highly skilled professionals. Obtaining such a badge validates that you are a true expert in your sphere.
- Architect level is the topmost level in Cisco’s certification program. It targets well-established network designers who are highly experienced. Such professionals earn the CCar credential from this level.
An Overview of the 300-320 R&S Certification
The 300-320 R&S credential is designed for candidates that aim to apply for such positions as systems engineer, support engineer, network technician or engineer. It proves your skills in planning, implementing, verifying, and troubleshooting LAN and WAN enterprise networks.
To earn this badge, you have to pass three tests (300-101, 300-115 and 300-135). The mandatory pre-requisite to sit for the required exams is having the Cisco CCNA R&S certification or any Cisco CCIE one. The tests you need to sit for are the following:
- 300-101 exam (ROUTE)
Passing this exam is a mark of the candidate’s ability to implement secure Cisco routers and the knowledge of working with IPV6, LANs, and WANs. The test involves 45 to 65 questions to be done in 120 minutes.
- 300-115 exam (SWITCH)
As the test’s name suggests, 300-115 SWITCH exam validates the candidate’s proficiency in switching. It assesses the ability to plan, configure and verify the implementation of complex enterprise switching solutions that use the Cisco Enterprise Campus Architecture. The test also contains 45-55 questions to be done in 120 minutes.
- 300-135 exam (TSHOOT)
This test validates a candidate’s ability to plan and perform maintenance on routed and switched enterprise networks. Candidates are also expected to show proficiency in performing technology-based troubleshooting that complies with the ITIL approach. The test comprises of 15-25 questions that are to be done in 120 minutes.
Recertification — the Important Detail
The 300-320 R&S certification is valid for three years and then requires recertification. Candidates can renew their credentials by choosing the option among the following:
- Passing a recertification exam,
- Passing a written CCIE exam,
- Passing a CCDE written or practical exam,
- Attaining the CCAr certification which extends all lower credentials.
Notice the Certifications Updates
As to suit the changing technological trends in the IT market, Cisco presents some program upgrades. Thus, many certifications, as well as exams, will be retired, and replaced by new credentials, to equip candidates with the most updated skills to perform their daily tasks effectively. The 300-320 R&S certification will be replaced by the 300-320 Enterprise badge to gain which you’ll have to pass two tests 350-401 ENCOR and one from the pool of exams listed on the Cisco official website.
The first assessment focuses on the enterprise infrastructure and includes IPv4 and IPv6 architecture, network assurance, virtualization, security, automation, and infrastructure. The second one you’ll choose according to your specialization.
Exam preparation
As you still have time to pass these tests, we’d like to share with you some of the best ways to get ready for the 300-320 R&S exams:
- Cisco training
These trainings are available online or at various learning centers around the world. Offline courses are provided by Cisco’s learning partners. The trainings usually involve receiving guidance on an exam course from an IT expert. To check if such a training is available in your country, check the Cisco official website.
- Learning communities
On the Cisco website, you can find a number of community forums. Candidates seeking the 300-320 R&S credential can join the relevant groups and interact with other exam takers as well as exam experts. The discussions that take place in such community forums may be useful in understanding various concepts about the exam.
- Books
Cisco Press Store offers books for its certification exams. Such additional material can be found on Amazon website as well. The most common Official Guides for you to use are the following:
- “300-320 Routing and Switching Route 300-101” by Kevin Wallace.
- “300-320 Routing and Switching Switch 300-115” written by David Hucaby.
- “300-320 Routing and Switching TSHOOT 300-135” provided by Raymond Lacoste.
- Exam Dumps
Using exam dumps has proved to be among the best ways of preparing for certification tests. They are very effective while at the same time not demanding a lot of study time. Many candidates who had busy work schedules succeeded in their exams by using exam dumps. We caution candidates against using dumps from unknown sources since they may end up using outdated and low-quality dumps. What we recommend is to get exam dumps from a reliable provider; one of them is Prepaway.com.
At Prepaway.com, you can find both free and paid materials that include real questions and answers from past exams.
To use them, you should additionally download the VCE Player that helps to see the exam environment, its structure, and question types. Regarding the 300-320 R&S, you can also purchase a Premium bundle with vce files, training courses and study guides for all the three needed exams ($99,99) or for any of these tests separately ($39,97 each).
Conclusion
The 300-320 R&S certification is especially useful for candidates who are interested in being network engineers, support engineers or network technicians. It allows its holders to face the job market with confidence and exemplary skills. If you are going to get this badge by passing all three exams, use the prep material covered in this article and visit Prepaway to get the most valid and updated exam dumps. Good luck!
