How to use this plan

Most learners finish CCNA in 12–16 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 13–14 for weak-domain review.

Free certs to stack alongside

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

Week 1–2: Cisco NetAcad Networking Essentials (if you skipped Week 0)
Week 3–4: Cisco NetAcad Introduction to Cybersecurity
Week 5–8: Google IT Support Professional Certificate (free with Coursera financial aid)
Week 9–10: AWS Cloud Practitioner Essentials (free training, $100 optional exam after CCNA)
Week 11–12: 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 ~80% of what the CCNA tests in hands-on form.

LAB-4 VLAN + Trunk — download
OSPF Multi-Area — download
Standard + Extended ACL pair — standard · extended
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:

Library — every topic has a TL;DR, mental model, commands, and common mistakes. Search the site.
Free first session — bring your specific question to a real mentor, work through it together. Book here.
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 weekly mentor sessions, lab reviews, and interview prep. Free first session is the actual first lesson, not a sales call.

© PacketMentor. This plan is free to share — please attribute when you republish. Cisco®, CCNA®, and 200-301 are trademarks of Cisco Systems, Inc. PacketMentor is independent and not affiliated with Cisco.

CCNA 200-301 Study Plan