CCDE ( Cisco Certified Design Expert )

Cisco Certified Design Expert
Expert Level Network Design and Architecture Experience

Cisco Certified Design Expert (CCDE™) validates advanced network infrastructure design principles and fundamentals for large networks. With a CCDE certification, a network professional demonstrate an ability to develop solutions which address planning, design, integration, optimization, operations, security and ongoing support focused at the infrastructure level for customer networks.
Prerequisites for CCDE

There are no formal prerequisites for CCDE certification. Other professional certifications or training courses are not required.
Recommended Training and Experience

It is expected that the candidate will have an in-depth understanding of the topics in the exam blueprints, a minimum of seven years job experience, and a thorough understanding of networking infrastructure principles. Please view the written exam information page for more details.
Step One: CCDE Written Exam

You must pass the two-hour, written qualification exam which covers advanced networking infrastructure design principles and concepts. Once you pass the qualification exam, you are then eligible to schedule the practical exam.

Written Exam Information

Written exams are scheduled and taken at Pearson Vue, Cisco's authorized testing vendor. Please visit the link below for more details and to schedule exams. Be sure to use the same candidate ID number for every exam that you take. If you use a different ID number, you will create a different record in the CCIE database and you will need to contact CCIE support for help in merging the records.

Schedule and Pay for Written Exam
Step Two: CCDE Practical Exam

The CCDE Practical exam is a design-scenario exam that tests your ability to perform design analysis, justify design requirements, and develop a design implementation based on best practices. The exam will assess your ability to apply your specific body of knowledge into current business problems of technical network design.

The topics covered in the Practical exam are located within the exam blueprint. The exam scenarios will change each instance the exam is delivered, however, the topics will remain the same.

Practical Exam Release for CCDE Certification

Cisco is now formally announcing the availability of the CCDE practical exam. The exam is currently scheduled on July 19, 2010 in Chicago, London and Hong Kong.

Learn More

Additional Resources

CCDE Information Sheet

Test Preparation Tools

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