Overview

The CCNA Data Center is a unique certification from Cisco Systems in that there is not a prerequisite certification that you need. Sure enough, this means that you will study up on many topics that are straight out of the CCENT and CCNA R&S. This makes for one of the most interesting exam experiences you will ever have. If you are already a CCNA, get ready for some crazy simple questions involving that content. To contrast that, you will get some genuinely tough ones on the data center related content.

The 200-150 Exam

You can expect 57 questions on this exam with a passing score of about 825. You have 90 minutes for the exam. Time pressure is NOT an issue. With this said – you can expect at least one simulation – as always – be sure you do not make the classic mistake of spending too much time in that one question.

The exam breaks down accurately into the following sections. Notice the percentage breakdown of the number of questions you will face! This seemed very accurate per my experience with the actual exam.

• 1.0 Data Center Physical Infrastructure 15%
• 2.0 Basic Data Center Networking Concepts 23%
• 3.0 Advanced Data Center Networking Concepts 23%
• 4.0 Basic Data Center Storage 19%
• 5.0 Advanced Data Center Storage 20%

While some of the questions are tricky for sure – you will be just fine thanks to the very detailed study blueprint that Cisco makes available to you. It goes through bullet by bullet point exactly what you need to study. The questions on this exam follow from that document nicely. There were only two questions out of my 57 questions that I felt might stray a bit from the exam outline. Just so you know – these questions were involving the Cisco UCS. It might not be a bad idea for you to review the main parts of the Cisco UCS system.

Question Types

What types of questions can you expect? Here they are:

• Simple multiple choice – this is the most common question type you face
• Multiple correct – multiple choice – you will not face any “Choose all that apply”; you will always be told exactly how many are correct
• Drag and drop – I love these!
• Simulation – here you can expect to examine the configuration of devices and answer multiple choice questions about these configurations

Exam Mechanics

Here are some important things to know about how the exam functions:

• There is a countdown timer in the top right corner! Keep an eye on it! While I do not think time will be an issue, be aware of how many questions remain, and how much time you have left.
• There is no ability to go back. Once you click next to answering your question – THAT IS IT!
• There is no review of your answers possible at the end of the test.
• There is a comment button if you want to send Cisco a nasty note about the question. 🙂

Key Concepts to Know

• Fast Ethernet to 40 GB Ethernet standards
• Fiber Optic standards and transceivers
• FC port roles
• FCoE port roles
• STP
• DCB
• Sample protocols for each OSI model layer

I am sure you have questions for me if you are still reading at this point. Hit me with those in the comments area below! Thanks!