A lot of people ask me how much does it cost to get a CCIE. The short answer to that is a lot of money. The average cost is between £10000-£15000. The CCIE lab exam cost alone is $1936 if you sit in Brussels. Before that you need to pass the ccie written exam which costs $400
The reason for the high cost has previously been access to live equipment. To purchase and setup a home lab used to cost 1000’s of pounds. Add into that training materials, time and it all adds up.
Access to lab equipment is a lot cheaper now with many students virtualizing their router environment with Dynamips/GNS3 and having only physical switches.
Also ccie rack rental is a lot cheaper than it used to be.
However far outweighing any monetary cost, the real cost of achieving your CCIE Certification is the investment of time. Wether you pass the lab exam on your first attempt or your fourth attempt, along the way you will have invested the time on the CLI, reading books, practicing scenarios and taking practice labs.
The true cost of the CCIE Lab Exam is the cost of time which you cannot put a price on.
Expect to put at least 1000 hours study time in and then add some more on top.
So is the ccie exam price worth paying? For many it is not about passing the exam itself, it is the journey and the knowledge gained along the way. You will learn technologies that you will never use again in your working life, and you will also gain a much deeper understanding of technologies that you will use every day of your working life.
For most the ccie exam price is worth every penny as becoming a CCIE is seen as the pinnacle of the networking certification ladder and you will gain respect from your peers. Everyone who understands the dedication required to become a CCIE will know what you have been through. For others it is just 4 letters, it is also sought after by cisco partners who requires ccie’s on their books for partner status.
The CCIE will cost you time and money but it is a price worth paying and the achievement will stay with you for the rest of your life.
CCNA Exam cost UK 2019
One of the more popular Cisco certifications is the Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) to become a CCNA you either need to pass one bigger exam or two smaller ones
If you just want to sit one exam then you take the:
If you want to sit two smaller exams then you need to take the:
- 100-105 ICND1 – Interconnecting Cisco Networking Devices Part 1 (ICND1)
- 200-105 ICND2 – Interconnecting Cisco Networking Devices Part 2 (ICND2)
The cost to take each exam is £124 or £244 for the single exam
If you are not ready to take the CCNA exam then there is also a preparation exam called the Cisco Certified Entry Networking Technician (CCENT)
The CCENT certification is an interim step to Associate level or directly with CCNA and CCDA certifications.
CCENT Exam Cost UK
The cost to sit the CCENT exam in the UK with Pearsonvue is £124
You have to pass the 100-105 ICND1 exam to become a CCENT
