IT Certification and Career Paths

The Cisco Certified Architect Board Exam requires qualified candidates to develop and defend a network architecture that can effectively support a given set of realistic business requirements. Candidates first submit an application summarizing their project experience and other qualifications and are interviewed by the Cisco-designated Architecture Board team members. Once approved, candidates will be given an architecture challenge and will meet live with Board members to answer questions and defend their design.

Exam Availablity

Board examinations are held one or two times a year, as demand requires. Due to the intensive evaluation process, only one or two candidates are accepted for each examination period. View the CCAr Certification Timeline for more information on exam availability.

Exam Topics

The following topics are general guidelines for the content likely to be included on the exam. However, other related topics may also appear on any specific delivery of the exam. In order to better reflect the contents of the exam and for clarity purposes, the guidelines below may change at any time without notice.

Gather, clarify, and analyze requirements

• Gather, clarify, and analyze business requirements
• Gather, clarify, and analyze technical requirements
• Align business and technical goals and direction
• Perform cursory rough estimations for new or changing requirements and/or informal what-ifs and requests

Develop a functional specification for the network

• Devise a solution
• Perform risk analysis

Create a road map (migration and transition strategy)

• Account for long-term requirements
• Perform and account for risk analysis
• Minimize the negative impact on existing services
• Identify parties responsible for design, implementation, and operation tasks
• Strive for ease of implementation

Communicate to a business/technical audience - Convey decisions and rationale (written and verbal)

• Articulate business problems, requirements, and constraints
• Articulate technical problems, requirements, interdependencies, and constraints
• Communicate the business strategy and direction
• Communicate the risks and benefits
• Communicate with specificity rather than generality (e.g., "does not scale because…" rather than simply "does not scale")
• Communicate the rationale for decisions clearly and confidently
• Accept, think about, and respond to changing requirements, criticisms, questions, and challenges in a timely and positive (not arrogant or defensive) manner
• Influence others

Demonstrate technical expertise

• Demonstrate conceptual knowledge of a wide array of network technologies (e.g., Layer 3 routing, tunneling, security, network management)
• Demonstrate conceptual knowledge of places in the network (e.g., data center, WAN, campus)
• Demonstrate conceptual knowledge of a wide array of applications on the network (e.g., voice, video)
• Demonstrate conceptual knowledge of interactions between components and technologies
• Demonstrate knowledge of current and future directions of technologies, places in the network, and applications
• Demonstrate detailed knowledge of a range of network technologies applicable toinfrastructure design (e.g., Layer 3 routing, tunneling, security, network management)

Courses listed are offered by Cisco Learning Partners-the only authorized source for Cisco IT training delivered exclusively by Certified Cisco Instructors. Check the List of Learning Partners for a Cisco Learning Partner nearest you

There are no formal training programs available for the Cisco Certified Architect certification. Candidates must hold a valid CCDE certification and submit an application with their qualifications, before attempting the board examination. Approval to take the board exam is based on depth and breadth of architecture experience. View the Cisco Certified Architect Exam Topics for more details.