Best CCNA course and practice exams: Jeremy's IT Lab, Boson ExSim, CBT Nuggets and Cisco NetAcad

Which CCNA version to study for

Cisco's CCNA exam topics page states that the last date to test for v1.1 is 2 February 2027 and the first date to test for v2.0 is 3 February 2027. The exam code stays 200-301. From today that leaves 92 days on v1.1.

Pick by your realistic exam date:

• You can sit before 2 February 2027. Study v1.1. Every course and practice bank on this page was built for it, and Cisco's v1.1 exam topics weight the six domains as network fundamentals 20%, network access 20%, IP connectivity 25%, IP services 10%, security fundamentals 15%, and automation and programmability 10%.
• You will sit on or after 3 February 2027. Study from the v2.0 exam topics on Cisco's Learning Network, and check that any course or bank you buy names v2.0 before paying.
• You are not sure. Book a date before 2 February and work towards it. A booked date does more for most people's study than any course.

The credential is the same CCNA either way, valid for three years. Cisco's exam page lists English and Japanese.

If you fail close to the switch, Cisco requires a five calendar day wait before a retake, so a first attempt in late January leaves little room. What to do after failing CCNA covers retakes.

Jeremy's IT Lab: the free course

Jeremy's IT Lab publishes a free CCNA course on YouTube. His resources page says you can also watch it ad-free on his JITL Academy site, and that his own two-volume book, Acing the CCNA Exam, covers all topics in CCNA v1.1.

The course is built around labs. Jeremy recommends Cisco Packet Tracer, a free simulator that needs only a Cisco account, and his lab videos give you a file to configure after each topic. He is candid that Packet Tracer only supports the commands its developers built in, which is fine for CCNA and limiting beyond it.

He also lists two CCNA practice exams of his own, 100 questions each, on Udemy. Udemy prices move with its sales, so check at checkout.

Why start here: it is the one complete course on this page that costs nothing, and the lab-after-every-lesson structure is the habit CCNA rewards. The free cost also means you lose nothing by trying the first ten videos and switching if the style does not suit you.

One honest note on Jeremy's resources page: some product links there are affiliate links, which he discloses at the top of the page. His recommendations below, Boson ExSim and NetSim, are products he says he has used himself.

Boson ExSim-Max: the practice bank

Boson sells ExSim-Max for Cisco 200-301 CCNA at $99 for a one-year subscription that auto-renews until you cancel. It has five practice exams and 370 questions, with explanations for why each answer is right or wrong, a simulation mode that matches the live exam's timing, a study mode and topic reports. Boson says it is aligned with the latest 200-301 exam objectives and guarantees that if you can pass ExSim-Max you will pass the live exam; that is Boson's own claim and guarantee.

Jeremy's IT Lab calls ExSim the best tool for final preparation once you finish a course. Use it that way:

1. Sit exam one in simulation mode three to four weeks before your date.
2. Fix every topic it exposes from your course and labs, not from the explanations alone.
3. Sit exams two to four over the next fortnight.
4. Keep exam five for the last week as an unseen check.

Is Boson ExSim worth $99? Against a $300 exam fee and a five-day wait after a fail, one avoided retake covers it three times over. Cancel the renewal on the day you buy it if CCNA is your only Cisco exam this year.

Boson also sells bundles combining ExSim-Max with NetSim or the courseware, listed at $159 to $299 a year depending on the combination.

Lab tools to practise on

CCNA tests configuration as well as theory, so pick one lab tool and use it every study week.

• Cisco Packet Tracer, free. A simulator with a Cisco account. It covers CCNA-level configuration on a modest laptop. Jeremy's IT Lab and Neil Anderson's free CCNA Lab Guide, which Jeremy's page says has more than 300 pages of Packet Tracer lab tasks, both use it.
• Boson NetSim for CCNA, $59 for 3 months. A simulator with more than 100 guided labs, according to Jeremy's resources page. It suits people who want a set path through the labs rather than designing their own.
• Cisco Modeling Labs, free tier. Cisco's exam page says you can start using Modeling Labs for free. It runs real Cisco software, which matters more at CCNP level than CCNA.

If money is tight, Packet Tracer plus Jeremy's lab files are enough for CCNA. Spend on NetSim only if you find yourself not doing labs because you do not know what to build.

A lab you can describe is also your best interview answer after you pass. CCNA jobs with no experience explains how to present it to a NOC or network support hiring manager.

Paid courses and where they fit

Pay for a course when you need structure, an instructor or a deadline, not because free material is missing.

• CBT Nuggets Individual lists at $49 a month, billed annually. It is a subscription to a library of video training rather than a single CCNA course, so it makes sense if you plan more than one certification in the year, such as CCNA then Security+.
• Boson 8 Weeks to CCNA is an instructor-led, live online course at $799. The run listed on 2 November 2026 is 20 October to 17 December 2026, so check the next start date before you buy.
• Cisco Networking Academy offers a free 22-hour self-paced Networking Basics course for complete beginners. Its CCNA: Introduction to Networks course is offered through partner academies, including in-person and virtual instructor-led classes, with fees set by each academy.
• Cisco's own route is the Implementing and Administering Cisco Solutions course and the Cisco U. learning path, linked from Cisco's CCNA exam page with pre- and post-assessments.

The free route of Jeremy's IT Lab, Packet Tracer and one Boson bank costs $99 in total. Everything above adds structure on top of that, not content you cannot get otherwise.

The CCNA exam guide has the topics and a study plan, and how long to study for CCNA helps you choose a realistic date.

A CCNA buying plan, by budget

Jeremy's IT Lab on YouTube, Packet Tracer, Cisco's v1.1 exam topics as your checklist, then Boson ExSim-Max ($99) for the last month. This is the plan most people should follow.

Add Boson NetSim ($59 for 3 months) if you want guided labs. Buy it at the start of your study, not the end.

CBT Nuggets for a year at $49 a month billed annually ($588), or Boson's 8 Weeks to CCNA at $799, if you need an instructor or will not study without a timetable. Still add ExSim-Max for practice.

Any site selling "actual" CCNA questions. Cisco says brain dumps are covered by its Candidate NDA and that it invalidates certifications for people who accessed them and gives them lifetime bans; ExamTopics alternatives lists the legitimate free and paid options, and Is ExamTopics legit? covers the enforcement record.

Why it is worth doing properly: the BLS counts 152,500 computer network support specialist jobs in 2025, with a May 2025 median of $76,220. A CCNA that you can back with a working lab is how you compete for those roles. A failed attempt costs another $300 and five days, and a pass built on memorised questions fails the first technical interview.

If you are still choosing between CCNA and a CompTIA exam, CCNA vs Network+ compares the two.