CCNA Interview Questions

Top 30 CCNA Interview Questions and Answers

Are you going to appear in an interview for the job of CCNA expert? Are you looking for latest CCNA interview questions? If yes, you’re in the right place!

Cisco Certified Network Associate is the certificate from Cisco and it is an associate level certification that will be very useful while you are looking to find job opportunities in the IT sector as a networking professional. As a certified networking expert, you may find the opportunities for the vacancies of network support engineer, technical support engineer, network and system administrator, desktop support engineer, system engineer, hardware and networking engineer etc.

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Latest CCNA Interview Questions with Answers

Today, the competition level is very high in the private sector and you will need to validate your skills with CCNA certification to find more job opportunities as a networking and IT expert. After that, you can appear in the interview process for the required job in the leading IT companies. During your preparation, you can go through the top CCNA Interview Questions given below that will be very beneficial to crack the interview for CCNA job:

1. What is routing?

Answer: Routing is the process to find the right path to transfer the data from source to the destination. The devices named routers are used for routing process and these devices are network layered to complete the process.

2. What is the network address? 

Answer: The network addresses are used in packets. Each of the network address will have the network path to identify the particular data link. It will also have a node and host path to identify the specific device.

3. Tell about the types of IP addresses used at the present time.

Answer: Two types of IP address is used including IPv4 and IPv6. IPv4 is 32-bit address and IPv6 is 128-bit address.

4. What is the purpose of data link layer?

Answer: The data link layer is used to check the messages that are needed to be sent to the right device. Framing is another function of the data link layer.

5. What is a Node?

Answer: It is the connection point on the networks that are used for data transmission. It may be a computer, printer or any other device that can send and receive the data over any network.

6. What will be the function of the application layer in the networking?

Answer: The application layer is used to support the communication components of application and it will provide the network services to the application process that will span beyond the specifications of the OSI reference model.

7. Tell about 100basefx.

Answer: It is one of the best CCNA interview questions that you shouldn’t miss during the interview preparation. 100BASE-FX is a version of faster Ethernet over the optical fiber.

8. State the advantages of using switches.

Answer: When the switch will receive a signal, it will create a frame out of bits received from that signal. In this process, it will access and read the destination address and after that, it will forward the frame to the right port. It is considered as the perfect way for data transmission instead of the distribution of the data on all the ports.

9. What do you mean by a window in terms of networking?

Answer: In networking, a window is used for the number of segments that will be sent from the source to destination before sending back an acknowledgment.

10. Is a bridge used to divide the network into the smaller sections?

Answer: No, a bridge actually works to take the large network and filter it. It will not change the size of the network.

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11. Which LAN switching method is used in Cisco catalyst 5000?

Answer: In Cisco catalyst 5000, store and forward switching method is used. It stores the entire frame to buffers and performs CRC check before deciding on the forwarding or not of the data frame.

12. What is BootP?

Answer: BootP is a protocol that is used for the booting of diskless workstations connected to the network. It is also known as a boot program. It is also used by diskless workstations to determine its own IP address as well as IP address of server system.

13. What will be the advantages of LAN switching?

Answer: The main advantages of LAN switching are given below:

  • Very efficient and easy migration
  • Media rate adaption
  • Full duplex data transmission as well as reception

14. Can you explain the terms multicast, unicast, and broadcast?

Answer: It may be one of the important CCNA interview questions that you will face in the interview. The explanations of these terms are given below:

  • Unicast: It is used to specify one to one communication.
  • Multicast: It is used to specify one to group/many communication.
  • Broadcast: It is used to specify one to all communication.

15. Can you differentiate static IP address and dynamic IP address?

Answer: A static IP address is reserved and it will not change over time. On the other hand, a dynamic IP address will be changed every time when you will connect to the internet. A static IP address is provided manually while the dynamic IP address will be provided by the DHCP server.

16. What is VLAN?

Answer: When you are looking for some of the important CCNA routing and switching interview questions and answers, you must know about the term VLAN. VLAN stands for Virtual Local Area Network, it abstracts the idea of LAN by providing data link connectivity for a subnet.

17. What is the difference between transmission and communication?

Answer: Transmission is the process to send data from source to destination and communication is the process to send and receive data by using the externally connected data cable.

18. Which one is the second layer of the OSI layer model?

Answer: In some of the important CCNA interview questions and answers 2018, you should know about the different layers of the OSI model. The second layer of the OSI model is the data link layer.

19. What can be the possible ways for data transmission in CCNA?

Answer: In CCNA, there may be three possible ways for data transmission as given below:

  • Simplex
  • Half duplex
  • Full duplex

20. Can you tell about the difference between IGRP and RIP?

Answer: RIP will depend on the number of hops for determination of the best route to the network. In IGRP, several factors are considered to decide the best route to the network. In all these factors, there will be reliability, bandwidth, hops count, and MTU.

Also Read: Preparation Guide for CCNA Certification Exam

21. What do you mean by PoE?

Answer: If you want to search for the most important scenario based interview questions CCNA, you should know about this term. PoE stands for Power over Ethernet. it will be used to pass the electric signal with the data at a time.

22. What is a MAC address?

Answer: MAC address is used for Media Access Control address. This address of the device is used as identification of media access control layer in the architecture of the network. It is usually stored in ROM and it is unique for every device.

23. Can you differentiate the terms ARP and RARP?

Answer: ARP is used for Address Resolution Protocol that is used for the mapping of IP address to the physical machine address. RARP means Reverse Address Resolution Protocol that is used for the mapping of MAC address to the IP address. It is also one of the important CCNA interview questions that you may need to face during the interview.

24. What are the different kinds of passwords that are used to secure the Cisco router?

Answer: Mainly, 5 types of passwords are used to secure the Cisco router. These passwords are given below:

  • Consol
  • Aux
  • VTY
  • Enable Password
  • Enable Secret

25. Tell about the main functions of routers.

Answer: In one of the common CCNA interview questions and answers 2018, you may find it an important question. The major functions of routers are given below:

  • Packet Switching: all kind of incoming data will be switched to packets
  • Packet Filtering: the routers also work to send and receive packets and all incoming packets will be filtered for security
  • Internetwork Communication: it is used to join two or more networks
  • Path Selection: it is also used for the selection of shortest and the best path from source to destination
  • Quality of Service: QoS will be the ability of the network to provide special and battery service to the applications or set of users.

Preparing for the CCNA certification exam? Check your current level of preparation with CCNA Exam Practice Questions.

26. Which are the two types of available cables?

Answer: At the present time, the following types of cables are available to use in networking:

  • Crossover cable
  • Straight through cable

27. What are the functions of CDP?

Answer: CDP is used for Cisco Discovery protocol that is a layer 2 protocols and works on the basis of MAC address. It is also used to find the adjacent Cisco devices. It can be used to find out port numbers, iOS details, IP addresses, switch models, router models, interface details and device ID.

28. Can you differentiate half duplex and full duplex?

Answer: In half-duplex, the communication will occur only in one direction while the communication will occur in both the directions in full duplex. It is one of the important CCNA interview questions that you should know during the preparation for the interview.

29. What do you mean by latency?

Answer: Latency is considered the amount of time delay. It can be measured as the time difference between the time when the network will receive data and when it will be sent by another network.

30. What is MTU?

Answer: MTU is used for maximum transmission unit. This term is used for the maximum packet size that will be sent on the data line without the requirement of fragmentation. It may be one of the important CCNA routing and switching interview questions and answers that you should know.

31. What is the purpose of a subnet mask in networking?

Answer: A subnet mask refers to a 32-bit address and it is  used to divide an IP network into sub-networks for better IP address management. It helps to determine the network portion of an IP address and the host portion to achieve efficient routing within complex networks.

Routing devices or switches uses the subnet masks to transfer the data packets to right destinations. Data packets sent over the internet or any network does not show the subnet mask but only reveal the destination IP address. 

However, the routers match this destination IP address to the subnet mask of data packets to deliver the data packet into the right place.

32. Explain the role of a firewall in network security.

Answer: A firewall acts as a barrier between a trusted internal network and untrusted external networks. A firewall can be available as physical hardware, software, software as a service (SaaS) network or a virtual private cloud.

 It monitors and controls incoming and outgoing network traffic based on predetermined security rules. Firewalls are crucial for preventing unauthorized access and ensuring network security.

33. What is the difference between TCP and UDP?

Answer: TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) and UDP (User Datagram Protocol) are both transport layer protocols. TCP provides reliable, connection-oriented communication with error checking and data retransmission if packets are lost.

 UDP, on the other hand, is connectionless, faster, and does not guarantee delivery, making it suitable for real-time applications where speed is essential.

Here’s some major differences between the two:

Feature TCP UDP
Connection Connection-oriented Connectionless
Reliability Reliable data transfer Unreliable data transfer
Order In-order delivery No guaranteed order
Acknowledgments Yes (ACKs) No acknowledgments
Flow Control Yes No flow control
Error Handling Error detection and correction  Minimal error handling
Overhead Higher Lower
Applications Web browsing, email, file transfer Real-time video streaming, gaming

34. What is a MAC address, and how is it different from an IP address?

Answer: A MAC (Media Access Control) address is a unique identifier assigned to network interfaces for communication on a physical network. It operates at the data link layer of the OSI model. 

An IP (Internet Protocol) address refers to a numerical label assigned to each device on a network that uses the Internet Protocol for communication. IP addresses operate at the network layer.

There is a major difference between MAC Address and IP Address such that the IP address of a device mainly helps in identifying the network connection. The MAC Address, on the other hand, helps to find the physical location of the computer.

35. What is DHCP, and how does it simplify network management?

Answer: DHCP acronym stands for Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol refers to client/server protocol and it helps to automatically assign IP addresses and network configuration information to devices on a network. It simplifies network management by eliminating the need for manual IP address configuration. 

It simplifies the network management by dynamically allocating IP addresses to achieve  efficient use of available IP addresses and reduce administrative overhead with the help of  DHCP servers.

36. What is VLAN tagging, and why is it important in network configuration?

Answer: VLAN tagging also known as Virtual Local Area Network tagging helps to identify VLAN membership of frames as they traverse a network. It allows multiple VLANs to exist on a single physical switch to enable logical segmentation of networks. VLAN tagging is essential for efficient use of network resources, enhanced security, and simplified network management.

37. Explain the concept of subnetting and its importance in IP addressing.

Answer: Subnetting involves dividing a large IP network into smaller and manageable sub-networks. It partitions IP address into two parts such as network address and host address. It is essential for optimizing IP address allocation, improving network performance, and enhancing security. 

Subnetting enables efficient utilization of IP addresses, reduces broadcast traffic, and allows for better organization of devices within a network.

38. What is the role of STP (Spanning Tree Protocol) in Ethernet networks?

Answer:  Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) refers to Layer 2 network protocol and it helps to prevent looping within a network topology.It can be used to avoid the problems that arise when data exchange occurs on a local area network (LAN)  of a computer which contains redundant paths.

STP prevents loops in Ethernet networks by blocking redundant paths, ensuring a loop-free logical topology. It dynamically calculates the shortest path to the root bridge and places redundant links into a blocking state. STP is vital for network reliability and it helps to prevent the broadcast storms and network failures caused by loops in the network topology.

39. How does Quality of Service (QoS) affect network performance, and why is it essential in modern networks?

Answer: Quality of service (QoS) refers to set of technologies which helps to guarantee its ability to run high-priority applications and traffic within limited network capacity.

QoS prioritizes network traffic to ensure that critical data, such as voice and video, receive higher priority and guaranteed bandwidth. It enhances network performance by minimizing latency and packet loss for specific applications. In modern networks, where various applications demand different levels of service, QoS is essential to maintain optimal performance and user satisfaction.

40. What is BGP (Border Gateway Protocol), and why is it crucial for internet routing?

Answer: BGP is an exterior gateway protocol used to exchange routing information between different autonomous systems (ASes) on the internet. It plays a critical role in internet routing by enabling routers in different ASes to share information and make intelligent routing decisions. BGP ensures reliable, scalable, and efficient routing across the complex structure of the internet.

Final Words

To start your career as a professional CCNA expert in the IT sector, you will definitely get help with these top CCNA interview questions and answers  2018. It covers most of the important topics that you may need to ace the interview process. For every fresher as well as experienced CCNA expert, it is very important to prepare with the best CCNA interview questions while going for an interview. This list of best CCNA interview questions will not only help you to increase the job opportunity in the IT sector but also to make a good impression in the interview. 

No doubt, certification has its own importance in one’s career. With the aim of helping you in your career, Whizlabs offers CCNA Practice Tests so you could prepare well and pass the certification exam in the first go. So, get certified in CCNA and ace the interview with these top CCNA interview questions to have a bright networking career.

Wish you luck for your CCNA interview!

About Pavan Gumaste

Pavan Rao is a programmer / Developer by Profession and Cloud Computing Professional by choice with in-depth knowledge in AWS, Azure, Google Cloud Platform. He helps the organisation figure out what to build, ensure successful delivery, and incorporate user learning to improve the strategy and product further.

3 thoughts on “Top 30 CCNA Interview Questions and Answers”

  1. Hi,
    Thank you for this wonderful blog on CCNA Inrweview question. Its really an amazing blog to read. It has lots of information regarding CCNA . Students & working professionals can go through this blog as it would really help them.

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