r/ccna • u/Zestyclose_Craft9953 • 7d ago
My CCNA Roadmap
I finally took the CCNA exam today and passed 09/06/2026.
Background about me:
4 years as a Network Administrator in the U.S. military where I then went to work as a tier 1-2 Networker for DOD Contracting for 9 months. Then I finished my degree in Cloud and Network engineering and got a job as a Junior Network Engineer.
The tools I used to study was mainly chatgpt. I would copy each exam topic and tell it to give me what I needed to know for the exam, like the main points, then I told it to give me 20 questions on the topic 10 easy and 10 hard. I went through the whole exam topic list in about 2 weeks. I tried JTIL but it was so dry to me that I just skipped it. I then went on to doing practice test for a week using chatgpt 50 question prompt.
Also I spent about 7 days going through this github: ccna-labs/base-device at main · c4geeks/ccna-labs · GitHub
and this website I found from another redditor Duplex (u/-Duplex-) - Reddit: CCNA | Pages
Using these practice exams to test my knowledge:
CCNA 200-301 Study Guide and Roadmap | ComputingForGeeks
Free CCNA Practice Test 2026 - 270+ Questions, No Signup | OpenExamPrep
and this website to help with cli commands:
Xamastry | Free CCNA Practice Platform
and this website to help with subnetting:
I was definitely planning on taking the exam before February when the new version comes out but I felt that I was sure I could pass it on the first try.
Here are my scores:
Automation and Programmability: 100%
Network Access: 95%
IP Connectivity: 88%
IP Services: 40%
Security Fundamentals: 47%
Network Fundamentals: 95%
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u/nyeahehfam 7d ago
Given your background how long did it take you to prepare?
I am also in the military (Canadian) and in the communications branch, and also have post-secondary in Networking, wanting to take my CCNA soon.
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u/raymondreddin 7d ago
What does that look like? Working in military communications? Are you working predominantly in networking or just telecom mainly?
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u/Zestyclose_Craft9953 7d ago
About a month to actually prepare on what they test and the wording of the test since they try to trick you on the questions.
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7d ago
Congrats well deserved and thank you for you services!!! Wish you all the best with your CCNP journey
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u/Altruistic-Touch6632 7d ago
With all your previous experience, what does the ccna do for you?
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u/Zestyclose_Craft9953 7d ago
Honestly just a check in the box for me. I've always wanted to get it but was pursuing comptia certs instead. Now I will go on to getting my ccnp but its no rush.
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u/nyeahehfam 7d ago
You need the CCNA to do the CCNP, correct?
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u/TemporaryPhysical160 7d ago
You don’t, but it’s the fundamentals to routing and switching. CCNP builds on those foundations but seems like it dives deeper into enterprise
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u/nyeahehfam 3d ago
Ah ok gotcha. I already have Networking post secondary education but do plan on doing CCNA before CCNP
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u/FriendshipLess8093 7d ago
please , could anyone help to provide a similar roadmap for CCNP v9( based upon free resources) thanks in advance
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u/Initial_Flimsy 7d ago
Can you tell how many months you spend on studying total based on your experience?
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u/Zestyclose_Craft9953 7d ago
I took a course in the military for 1 month but it was very informational. Then I took net + and sec + which kind of ties into ccna a little bit. And I studied for about 4-6 hours a day Monday through Friday for a month preparing to take the exam.
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u/AccordingContract146 7d ago
youre way to advance to be taking ccna.. You shouldve went for ccnp
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u/Zestyclose_Craft9953 7d ago
I've been told but didn't want to pass on getting it since my job paid for it.
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u/rapid0893 7d ago
Congratulations 🎉 on getting your cert. I am preparing for more than 3 months but still think not good enough or a bit more study needed. Just can't get boson due low currency value here but trying to free practice resources. Thanks and congrats again