A Cisco certification gives network professionals the opportunity to prove their knowledge and skills in networking. If you want to become a Cisco certified professional, here are some basic things that you need to know.

What the Cisco Certification is all about.
The Cisco career certifications involve a variety of tests such as the CCDP, CCENT, CCIE, and CCNA. The main requisite for obtaining a Cisco career certification is to pass one or more tests. You will also need to sign the Cisco career certifications and confidentiality agreement as well.

What the exams are like.
The Cisco career certification exams come in two types namely, the written and lab exams. The written exams usually last for about one to two hours while lab exams last for eight hours. Before taking any of the Cisco career certification tests, you should have signed the online Cisco career certifications and confidentiality agreement, which has to be certified officially.
The Cisco certification exams can be very tough and require candidates to go into different levels of problem solving and analysis. Questions can range from multiple and single answer multiple choice, fill in the blanks, drag and drop and simulations. Apart from the CCIE lab exams, other exams are done online. The questions are in sequence and examinees are not allowed to mark or go back to an exam question. To assist an examinee in answering the questions, they will be provided marker and erasable note board for jotting down notes and making calculations.
Upon finishing the computer-based tests, examinees will get a score report with a score breakdown by test section as well as the passing score for the given test. Results for the lab exams can be obtained online within two days. Passing scores cannot be published because the questions and scores can still be subject to change without prior notice.

How much the exams cost.
Testing fees can range from about $80 up to $325 dollars. The ICND1 and ICND2 tests are at $125, CCNA test at $150 while the professional level CCDP and CCNP composite test is at $225.00. On the other hand, the CCIE written and lab exams are pegged at $315 and $1,400, respectively.

Scheduling for the exams.
Scheduling for any of the Cisco career certification exams in the US and Canada can be done as early as six weeks in advance, although policies in scheduling may vary at different locations. Examinees who fail a test must wait for five days starting the day after receiving the notice, before the can take the test again for the same exam.
 
What happens when passing the exams.
Once an examinee passes all tests needed for a Cisco certification and have satisfied all other agreements, s/he will get a Cisco career certifications certificate which identifies his or her Cisco certification ID as well as the valid dates of certification. They may now be authorized to use the right Cisco certification logos that indicate their certification status. These logos are available through the Cisco career certifications tracking system, which records both the test and certification status. Cisco certifications examinees and holders should constantly be updated for getting notifications and other information from Cisco.

When certification tests expire.
Expiration dates on tests are placed to ensure that examinees taking a certification with multiple exams such as CCDP, CCENT, CCIP, CCSP and CCVP are finished within a given timeframe. Passing all these tests within a specific time period can also help to show that examinees are taking the exam on current ground. For instance, CCENT Professional and Associate level tests are good for a period of three years from the date of passing the exam. Specialist focused test certifications, on the other hand, are good for two years as well. In instances when the period has already exceeded three years, they will have to take the exams again.

A background of what a Cisco certification test is and how it is done can better prepare you into getting that Cisco career certification.