Become a Certified Wire Shark Analyst (WCNA)

Become a Certified Wire Shark Analyst (WCNA)-Success Story

I had recently passed my WCNA exam and would like to share my experience with the preparation and how to crack it on the first attempt.

I think this is one of the most straightforward certification tests I have seen. Laura Chappell, Gerald Combs, and the team have done a great job with the books and preparation materials.

It was a great journey of preparation and in this article, I am going to share that with all of you, which might help you, if you are considering to appear for the exam.

If you feel that the exam is right for you, please continue.

How I got a sudden interest to pursue WCNA?

My core work is to break fixing the customer’s global network when there is an outage. Network issues have to be assessed and resolved as quickly as possible for better customer experience. Most of the time at work, we try to understand how packets are communicating, what they like, and don’t like on the network path. If we understand the language of packets, then the fix is almost done. Wireshark acts as a Language translator, which captures the encapsulated packets from the network and represents it on the OUI (Organic User Interface) with reference to the TCP/IP model.

A few weeks back, I got an opportunity to interact with engineering students on their networking subject through guest lecture sessions. My sincere thanks to the professors @KALAISELVI T PARAMASIVAM and @THANGAM MAHESH for those sessions. During those sessions, I interacted with the students about the basics of core networking and the latest trends in the networking world. Students were very attentive and interactive which encouraged me to provide a session with real-time examples and packet analysis. That was the time we went “BACK TO BASICS” on OSI and TCP/IP. There was a topic called, “TCP congestion control and Avoidance” which turned all our focus into packet communication on network.

Many students are doing projects on digitalization and automation which in turn rely on core networking. So, my idea was to ensure that all of them got a clear understanding of packet communication and about the best practices when designing or troubleshooting any networks.

Every Virtual meeting makes tons of packet flow across the world including our webinar sessions here! :)

Why WCNA?

The WCNA for Wireshark Certification (WCNA) tests our knowledge of network packet, protocol sniffing and analysis using Wireshark, as well as TCP/IP network communications, network troubleshooting, and network security.

The WCNA is valid for three years, but certification holders must obtain a total of 20 continuing professional education (CPE) credits each year to maintain their credentials in good standing.

https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/10704-networking-certifications.html

Who should take this Exam?

This is most suitable for those who want to have a strong foundation on networking. And working professions on roles such as Network Administrators, Security Analysts, Application, and Hardware engineers.

How to start the preparation?

The WCNA prerequisites and materials that can be used are listed below:

?           Basic knowledge of networking

?           Wireshark Certified Network Analyst Study guide

?           Wireshark Certified Network Analyst Exam prep guide

?           Online courses

?           Instructor-led courses

?           Self-paced courses

?           Preferably two monitor setups

Once all the above prerequisites are ready then, plan your strategy on preparation. Dedicate regular time on your schedule. I bet once you start your journey it is most likely playing with packets.

Preparation:

I highly recommend going through these 2 books before taking the exam.

“Wireshark Network Analysis” as an in-depth learning tool for Wireshark. Along with this book, you should have Wireshark sample library files with you.

All the theory part explained in this book, completely gives references to the sample captures on Wireshark library files. This gives you more hands-on to understand the normal and abnormal behavior of packets.

Here the two-monitor setup gives you a better understanding by having theory/explanation on one screen and the sample captures on the other.

Once you are done with the study guide, then it is time to move on to the next book, “Official Exam Prep Guide”, which will provide sample questions for the exam, that are remarkably accurate with the actual test.

1.        Wireshark Network Analysis (Second Edition): The Official Wireshark Certified Network Analyst Study Guide. link

2.        Wireshark Certified Network Analyst Exam Prep Guide (Second Edition).link

3.        All Wireshark Sample Library files

How these books are organized?

These two guides are very much essential, and every network engineer should go through them and keep it as a reference. The preparation took a few weeks for me but, it may vary from person to person.

To make the learning interesting, study less theory, and play more with packets!

The strategy which I followed:

I have divided the study guide content into 3 categories. Few of them were familiar to me, so I was able to cover it faster but some of them were totally new and I would say, those were the good learnings.

What is the level of difficulty in the exam ?

The exam was easy since it covered all the exam topics from the official book and prep guide. But preparation helps you to refresh your high-level basics and understand more about packet communication.

Scheduling the Exam:

Once you are ready with the preparation, online self-evaluation tests are available before taking the actual exam.

I practiced a few sample tests from Udemy and Chappel university which in turn boosted my confidence to clear the exam with more than 90% score! :)

Exams are available online as well as classroom-based ones. HAPPY LEARNING!

Related links

https://www.udemy.com/course/wireshark-certified-network-analyst-wcna-practice-exams/ (WCNA practice exams)

https://www.wcnacertification.com/ (WCNA Practice Exam & Actual Exam)

https://www.webassessor.com/pai (WCNA Actual Exam Scheduling)

https://www.youtube.com/user/thebitgirl/videos (Laura Chappell from WiresharkUniversity)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMcYwr-yJGA(Chris Greer from Packet Pioneer)