Cisco officially declare the announcement of the CCIE certification changes, which has made a stir. So, what exactly has changed? CCIE Routing and Switching v5.0 and CCIE Wireless v3.1 certification will be officially canceled. They will be replaced by the new CCIE certification launched by Cisco: CCIE Enterprise Infrastructure Certification and CCIE Enterprise Wireless Certification.   

The following mainly answers the questions about CCIE EI Certification.    

1. When will the new version of CCIE EI exam go online? What is CCIE EI?

February 24, 2020

The full name of CCIE EI is CCIE Enterprise Infrastructure

2. What is the content of the new CCIE EI exam?

On the basis of the original RS, such new technical points as Software Design (SDN), SD-WAN, automated operation and maintenance, and python programming have been added.

3. Can I catch up with the registration now and get the CCIE certification before the new version is enabled?

It will take 8-9 months from today for the new version to go online. Usually speaking, it takes an average of 7 months for the network beginners to start from learning CCNA test to obtaining the CCIE certification (study 2-3 hours a day). If you register now, you still have enough time.

4. Will the questions of the current Cisco CCIE RS exam be changed?

So far there are LAB1, LAB1+, LAB2, LAB2+, and LAB3 these five versions as well as TS1, TS1+, TS2, TS2+, and TS2++. According to our internal messages from Cisco, TS3 will come out, though with only a 20% probability. And there will be new TS coming out one to two months before the new version is enabled. Basically, it won’t affect the passage. If you are ready to obtain the CCIE Certification, you don’t have to worry.

5. I am worried that the current Cisco examquestions will be changed, such as LAB3+ is added...

Based on Cisco’s former case, one to two months before the new version goes online, new questions are possible to appear. However, the version is basically stable.

6. I am worried about the change of exam questions and want to prepare for the exam after the new version comes out

Firstly, the new version has larger content. Cisco's past practice indicates that the exam will only become more difficult, so that the authority of the CCIE certification can be maintained. Second, the new version will be set off on February 24, 2020. Generally, it is difficult to pass the exam within six months to one year since its establishment. Candidates need to wait for the stability of question bank and passing rate before taking the exam.

7. What is the difference between the new CCNP exam and the current one?

You don’t need to take the CCNA exam before taking the CCNP exam. You can directly take the CCNP. However, CCNP exam only has a written exam. Therefore, its value is relatively low.

8. I have taken the CCIE written exam. Will it still be valid when the new version comes out next year?

If the written exam result is still valid within the certain period (18 months), you can take the CCIE EI (Enterprise Infrastructure) after the new version goes online, which is the current CCIE RS

9. What is the difference between the new exam process and the old one?

Apart from the major changes in the exam content, the exam process is also different. The new CCIE exam is divided into one compulsory exam and multiple optional exams. So long as you pass one compulsory exam and one optional exam (you can choose it based on your hobbies or advantages ), you will pass the CCIE.

10. What is the influence of these changes on preparing for CCIE LAB?

No impact at present while finishing the exam before December is recommended. In this case, you can avoid the one to two months filtering phase before the Cisco new version is initiated.

11. Does the CCIE number of the new version have anything to do with the current one?

The CCIE numbers of students who have passed the new exam will be extended according to the current CCIE numbers.

12. The content of the new exam is larger, so candidates must learn more. Does it mean that those who pass the new exam are better than those who pass the old one?

No. The older the CCIE certification is, the more valuable it is. The smaller CCIE number is better. If you have passed the CCIE exam earlier, it means that your working experience and qualifications are richer. This is also the reason for the people in the network industry get better paid when they work for a longer time.

13. After the new version of CCIE EI is released, if I have learned verywell, can I directly take the exam and solve the questions?

Impossible.

14. What is the general new CCIE EI LAB exam process ?

Two major parts:

Part 1: Design. 3 hours limit. It is similar to the current CCIE written exam or diagnosis in CCIE LAB, no configuration is required.

Part 2: Deploy, Operate, Optimiae. 5 hours limit. Similar to the current configuration in CCIE LAB.

15. What is the exam fee of the new CCIE EI exam?

At present, Cisco has not announced the exam fee of each subject. Based on previous experience, it is predicted that the fee is relatively stable and it will not be changed.

16. Will the training fee of CCIE and the training fee after the new version get started be changed a lot?

After the new version is initiated, the training fee will be increased for training content also increases, and all institutions will consider companies’ operating costs.

17. We can take the simulated CCIE examby using the simulator at present. Can the new exam be simulated by a simulator?

Cisco is currently vigorously promoting Software Defined Network SDN. It is predicted that there will be corresponding IOS and simulators for experimenting. It is impossible to only depend on hardware equipment for promotion, otherwise it will go against Cisco's intention to promote SDN.

18. What is the impact on those who have passed CCIE exam?

They will obtain the new CCIE EI v1.0 certification. But the new crystal cards will not be provided freely for there are more than 60,000 CCIE certification holders.

19. On CCIE re-certification

The current CCIE certification should be re-certified two years later. You are only required to pass any one written exam so that you can get the certification. After the new version is established, the re-certification time will be changed into three years.

20. Which is easier to pass, the new CCIE examor the current one? Which is more valuable?

CCIE is for sure getting more difficult since the content of knowledge is increasing. However, the older the CCIE certification is, the more valuable it is. The smaller CCIE number is better.