Head to head
CCNA vs CCST Networking
Cisco's two entry points, $175 apart: the $125 true-beginner checkpoint or the $300 credential employers actually recognize. The right answer depends entirely on where you're standing.
The short answer
If you're an adult committed to a networking career: CCNA, full stop — CCST gives no exam credit toward it, and hiring filters search for CCNA, not CCST. Pick CCST Networking when you're a student, when $300 plus study materials is genuinely out of reach, or when you're honestly unsure networking is your lane and want a $125 structured answer before committing. CCST's real product is the free 70-hour NetAcad path with a cheap proof-of-completion attached — used that way, it's excellent.
Side by side
| Cisco CCNA | CCST Networking | |
|---|---|---|
| Exam | 200-301, $300, 120 minutes — question count not published (simulations included) | 100-150, $125, 50 minutes, 40–50 questions incl. performance items |
| Recognition | The most-cited networking cert at its level — the interview-getter | Almost no job filters search it yet; growing via the high-school pipeline |
| Audience | Committed networking careers; assumes real study commitment | Students, budget starts, and the genuinely undecided |
| Training | Books, videos, Packet Tracer — typically $50–200 in materials | Free official NetAcad path (~70 hours) covers it entirely |
| Validity | 3 years, renewable via exams or CE credits | 5 years if earned on or after July 15, 2025 (lifetime before); exam-only renewal |
| Bridge between them | — | Curricular only: the NetAcad path flows into the CCNA series, but no exam credit or discount transfers |
Which one is yours
Pick Cisco CCNA if…
- You're committed to networking and job-hunting within a year
- You can invest 3–6 months of real study including lab time
- You want the credential that actually appears in job filters
- $300 is affordable without hardship
Pick CCST Networking if…
- You're a student — especially if your school offers it through Certiport
- Budget is the genuine constraint and $125 is the ceiling
- You're testing whether networking pulls you before committing months
- You want a milestone partway through the free NetAcad curriculum
Frequently asked
Does CCST Networking give any credit toward CCNA?
No — no exam credit, no discount. The bridge is purely curricular: the free NetAcad path that preps CCST flows directly into the CCNA course series. Your knowledge carries; your $125 doesn't.
Will employers care about CCST at all?
Mostly not yet, honestly. It appears in almost no job filters — CCNA, Network+, and A+ own that space. Its value is proof-of-readiness, momentum, and the genuinely good free training behind it. As a resume line next to a homelab story it does no harm; as a substitute for CCNA it doesn't work.
I'm 30+ and switching careers — is CCST beneath me?
Not beneath you, just possibly redundant. If you're committed, the $125 buys more as CCNA study materials. But if 'committed' is doing heavy lifting in that sentence — if you're actually still deciding — a $125 structured test-drive with free training is the cheapest honest answer in IT. Deciding is a legitimate use of money.
Facts on this page last verified July 2026. Exam prices and structures change — confirm on the official vendor pages before booking.