Prerequisites
There are no formal prerequisites for CCIE certification. Other professional certifications or training courses are not required.
Recommended Training and Experience
Candidates must first pass a written qualification exam and then the corresponding hands-on lab exam. You are expected to have an in-depth understanding of the topics in the exam topics and strongly encouraged to have three to five years of job experience before attempting certification. You can review the exam preparation materials included on this page for more information.
Steps to Certification
Step One: CCIE Security Written Exam
You must pass the two-hour test with 90–110 questions that validate professionals who have the expertise to describe, design, implement, operate, and troubleshoot complex security technologies and solutions. Candidates must understand the requirements of network security, how different components interoperate, and translate it into the device configurations. The exam is closed book and no outside reference materials are allowed.
Step Two: CCIE Security Lab Exam
The eight-hour lab exam requires a candidate to plan, design, implement, operate and troubleshoot complex security scenarios for a given specification. Knowledge of troubleshooting is an important skill and candidates are expected to diagnose and solve issues as part of the CCIE lab exam.
You must pass the lab within three years of passing the written to achieve certification. Your first lab attempt must be made within 18 months.
Recertification
Expert-level certifications are valid for two years and must be recertified every two years thereafter.
- Earn the required credits through the Cisco Continuing Education Program, or
- Pass any current CCIE Written Exam OR CCIE practical exam, or
- Pass the current CCDE Written Exam OR current CCDE Practical Exam, or
- Pass the Cisco Certified Architect (CCAr) interview AND the CCAr board review to extend lower certifications
- CCIE certification automatically extends other Cisco Certifications, such as CCNP or CCNA
- Candidates can only apply one passed written exam or the earned required credits using Cisco Continuing Education Program towards recertification for every 24 month recertification period.
For more information, access the How to Recertify page.
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