CCNA 200-301 Study Plan

How to use this plan

Plan on 12 to 16 weeks at ~6 hrs/week. The plan below is the 12-week ambitious track. If you have less time per week, scale up to 16. If you're starting with no networking background at all, add a 2-week "Week 0" to get through the Cisco NetAcad Networking Essentials course (free) before jumping in here.

Each week includes:

• What to study: library topics + chapter recommendations
• Hands-on lab: what to actually build that week
• Self-check: three questions you should be able to answer from memory before moving on

Week 0 (optional): Foundations

Skip if you have any IT background. Otherwise, work through:

• Cisco NetAcad Networking Essentials (free, ~30 hrs self-paced). See free certs to earn first
• A 4-hour Linux basics tutorial (freeCodeCamp or Codecademy)

Week 1: Network fundamentals + OSI/TCP-IP

• Study: OSI & TCP/IP · TCP vs UDP · IPv4 addressing
• Lab: Install Cisco Packet Tracer. Build a 2-router topology, configure interfaces with IP addresses, verify with show ip interface brief and ping.
• Self-check: What layer does each protocol live at (TCP, IP, Ethernet, HTTP)? What's the difference between TCP and UDP, and when do you pick each? Why is 0.0.0.0/0 special?

Week 2: Subnetting (the most important week)

• Study: Subnetting · the magic-number trick
• Lab: Take a /24 and subnet it into 4 equal /26s. Assign each to a separate router interface. Verify routing works between them.
• Self-check: Given 192.168.10.50/27, what's the network, broadcast, and usable host range? In your head, under 30 seconds.
• Drill: Do 20 subnetting problems on subnettingpractice.com. Repeat until you average under 45 seconds each.

Week 3: IPv6 + ARP + ICMP

• Study: IPv6 basics · IPv6 SLAAC · ARP · ICMP
• Lab: Enable IPv6 dual-stack on your week-1 topology. Verify with show ipv6 interface brief. Ping both v4 and v6.
• Self-check: Walk through what happens when host A pings host B on the same subnet, step by step (ARP, MAC table, ICMP echo, ICMP reply).

Week 4: VLANs + trunks + switching

• Study: VLANs · Trunks & 802.1Q · Switching operation · MAC address table
• Lab: Download LAB-4-VLAN.pkt. Build it yourself first, then compare to the solution.
• Self-check: What's the native VLAN, and why is it the #1 troubleshooting gotcha? Read the 6-step trunk debug workflow until it's reflex.

Week 5: Spanning Tree + EtherChannel

• Study: Spanning Tree · Rapid STP & MSTP · EtherChannel · BPDU Guard
• Lab: Three-switch triangle with redundant links. Watch STP block one link. Force a root bridge with priority. Add an EtherChannel between two of them.
• Self-check: Why does plain STP take 50 seconds and RSTP take 2? What's the difference between PortFast, BPDU Guard, and Root Guard?

Week 6: Static + default routing

• Study: Static routing · Default routing · Routing decision process
• Lab: 3-router topology. No dynamic routing. Configure static routes so every PC reaches every other PC. Then collapse to a default route to the internet edge.
• Self-check: When two routes match a packet, which wins? List the order of preference (longest-prefix → AD → metric).

Week 7: OSPF

• Study: OSPF Single-Area · OSPF in 12 minutes
• Lab: Download OSPF-EIGRP.pkt. Set up OSPF area 0 across 3 routers. Verify neighbor formation with show ip ospf neighbor.
• Self-check: What four parameters must match for two OSPF routers to become neighbors? Why does OSPF use a router ID, and how is it elected?

Week 8: Inter-VLAN routing + L3 switching + FHRP

• Study: Inter-VLAN routing · Layer-3 Switch & SVI · FHRP & HSRP · HSRP vs VRRP vs GLBP
• Lab: 2 L3 switches with 3 VLANs each, HSRP between them. Shut one switch, verify failover.
• Self-check: Difference between Router-on-a-Stick and L3-switch SVI? Why is preempt off by default in HSRP?

Week 9: DHCP + DNS + NAT + NTP

• Study: DHCP · DHCP Relay · DNS · NAT · NTP
• Lab: Configure DHCP pool on a router. Add ip helper-address on a remote interface. Verify a client across the router gets an IP. Add PAT to share one public IP across all internal hosts.
• Self-check: Walk through the DORA process step by step. Why does PAT solve IPv4 exhaustion?

Week 10: Security fundamentals + ACLs

• Study: ACLs · Port Security · DHCP Snooping · DAI · Cybersecurity threats overview
• Lab: Download STANDARD-ACL.pkt + EXTENDED-ACL.pkt + Lab-32-PortSec-DHCP-DAI.pkt. Run all three.
• Self-check: Read ACLs: implicit deny, wildcards, the 10-second ACL read until reflex.

Week 11: Wireless + QoS + management

• Study: Wireless LAN basics · WLAN architectures · Wi-Fi security · AP operating modes · QoS basics · SNMP · Syslog
• Lab: Configure SSH access on a switch. Set up SNMPv3 + syslog to a collector VM. Verify metrics flow.
• Self-check: Difference between Local mode and FlexConnect on a Cisco AP? When does each fit?

Week 12: Automation + final review

• Study: REST APIs · Python for Network Engineers · Ansible · SDN Controllers · Troubleshooting methodology
• Lab: Cisco DevNet Always-On Sandbox. Run a Python script that pulls inventory via REST.
• Final assessment: Take a full-length practice exam (timed, ~120 min). Score 85%+ = ready. Below 75% = add Week 13 to 14 for weak-domain review.

Free certs to stack alongside

While you're studying for CCNA, complete these in parallel for your resume. All free.

1. Week 1 to 2: Cisco NetAcad Networking Essentials (if you skipped Week 0)
2. Week 3 to 4: Cisco NetAcad Introduction to Cybersecurity
3. Week 5 to 8: Google IT Support Professional Certificate (free with Coursera financial aid)
4. Week 9 to 10: AWS Cloud Practitioner Essentials (free training, $100 optional exam after CCNA)
5. Week 11 to 12: Cisco DevNet Sandbox exploration (no exam needed for resume mention)

Read the full free-certs roadmap for details.

The 4 labs you must complete before the exam

If you do nothing else, do these four. They cover the core hands-on skills the CCNA tests.

1. LAB-4 VLAN + Trunk…download
2. OSPF Multi-Area…download
3. Standard + Extended ACL pair…standard · extended
4. Lab 32, Port Security + DHCP Snooping + DAI…download

Mock-exam strategy

Take two full-length timed mock exams in your final 2 weeks. Score 85%+ on each before sitting the real exam. Multiple practice-exam vendors exist; pick whichever your community recommends. The goal is exam-pace conditioning, not just topic review.

For specific weak domains after a mock: come back to the library and re-read those topic pages. Each has a "common mistakes" section that maps almost exactly to where exam questions trip people up.

When you're stuck

Three options, in order:

1. Library. Every topic has a summary, mental model, commands, and common mistakes. Search the site.
2. Free first session: bring your specific question, work through it together on the call. Book here.
3. Community: r/ccna, r/networking, CCNA Discord servers. Free, sometimes slow.

What this plan does not cover

• Personalization: your existing background, learning style, and weak areas. That's what the 1:1 program adds.
• Live feedback on your labs. This plan tells you what to build but not what you got wrong.
• US interview prep: resume, LinkedIn, behavioral interviews. The 1:1 program includes this; this plan does not.
• Mock-exam grading + readiness check. You have to self-score and self-judge readiness.

If you want any of those four, the 1:1 CCNA Career Track wraps this study plan with 24 live 1:1 classes, lab reviews, and interview prep. Start with a free 20-minute call, not a sales pitch.

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