Pass the DevNet Associate exam in 6 hours

I'm not a super-fan of vendor technical certifications, but on the other side, I like taking them from time to time, just to force myself out of my current skillset to discover some new tools or ideas that I have not been exposed to.

This was my main goal behind pursuing the Cisco DevNet Associate certification . After being working as Network Automation Engineer for +3 years, I asked myself the question:

could it be possible to pass the exam without any specific preparation?

And the my short answer is "Yes, you can".

But, because I guess you could be a bit reluctant to spend your money in the exam without some insights, I am sharing with you a 6 hours plan that would prepare you to pass this exam (or point you towards a longer term plan).

1 - Check the blueprint (30min)

Your first task must be to go to the certification exam overview and go over the 6 topics. If you have been working on DevOps and/or network automation for a while, you will notice that the only parts out of your knowledge are the Cisco custom platform ones (assuming you haven't been working with them before). Even this part accounts for approx a 15%, it's important to notice that the requested level is a high level understanding, so you can still get up to them.

2 - Test your skills (1 hour)

Now, it's time to actually understand how you would perform in front of the exam, with our current skills.

Pluralsight offers two free skills assessments:

* Mastering Cisco DevNet Application Design and Network Automation Techniques

* Understanding Cisco DevNet Software Development and Network Programmability Fundamentals

While doing the exams, in a side document, take notes about the questions/topics that you are failing.

Note: The mark is between 0 and 300, I would say that to continue with this plan, you should be above 200 in both tests, as it would indicate that your base level is ready.

3 - Review missing topics (1h 30min)

Using the notes from previous assessments, spend time researching the topics or technologies that you feel less comfortable with, just googling should be enough.

4 - Test your skills again (1 hour)

Second round of tests. The previous tests can be redone one more time, with new questions, so they will give you a new list of topics that you should take care.

5 - Review missing topics and map Cisco products (2h)

Time for an extra deep dive into topics that you feel that should be better understood.

As an extra point, I would recommend to create a simple table for Cisco products listed in the blueprint, where you should add a simple description and also good to understand which kind of API authentication is used for each product.

Extra resources

Obviously, this plan doesn't account for foundations and basic knowledge (as it assumes that you already have), but some good resources you can use if required are:

* Network Programmability with YANG book

* Network Programmability and Automation book

* DevNet Associated Study Plan, by Nicholas Russo (you will find a lot fo interesting links within)

Disclaimer

This plan worked for me, and I believe can also work for others, but don't take it as a proof-tested way of passing the DevNet Associate exam.

#devnet #devasc #ciscocertifications #cisco