Juniper launches Design Certification Track

This tweet from @JuniperCertify has caught my attention:

Later that day, I got an e-mail from Juniper with the same announcement. Juniper has launched its Design Certification Track inside the Juniper Networks Certification Program (JNCP) and the Juniper Networks Certified Design Associate (JNCDA) is the first available certification.

The new Design Certification Track

A picture says more than a thousands words (… I found this in the blog post “Juniper Networks New Network Design Curriculum and Certifications” on the Juniper “My Certification Journey” blog):

Juniper/ juniper.net

Juniper/ juniper.net

Juniper addresses the “Plan” phase of the network life cycle and many of the talented folks from Juniper contributed to this new certification track. This certification is not addressed directly to network architects, pre-sales consulting and the other people who are involved in the planning. It’s aimed more at network professionals and designers with beginner knowledge.

Currently there is only an associate-level certification, but this will be the prerequisite certification for specialist-level certifications on the Design Track, that are currently in development.

First stop: Associate certification

The Juniper Networks Certified Design Associate (JNCDA) certification is the first available certification and Juniper starts, similar to the other certification tracks, with an associate-level certification. On a higher level, the written exam covers the following objectives:

  • Customer Design Requirements
  • Customer Organizational Structure
  • Physical Design Considerations
  • Logical Design Considerations
  • Industry Alternatives

A more detailed objective list can be found on the Training & Certification website. You can schedule the exam (JN0-1100) at any Pearson VUE test center. You have 90 minutes to answer 65 multiple-choice questions. Unfortunately, Juniper doesn’t release any information about the needed passing score. The exam fee is 100 US-$.

To prepare yourself for the exam, you can book a 3 day Juniper Networks Design Fundamentals (JNDF) course. This course covers all necessary topics. If you think you’re experienced enough, try the practice test. For the moment, there is no self-study material available.