2/27/2007 -- Today, Cisco debuted a new exam for its Cisco Certified Design Associate (CCDA) certification.

According to Roger Beatty, senior manager of Learning and Development at Cisco, and Dan Stern, program manager of Learning and Development at Cisco, the new CCDA (#640-863) focuses more on the converged network topics -- such as wireless, voice and security -- than its predecessor.

"What's driving this update is the recognition...that network technologies have changed significantly over the past two years," Beatty said in an interview. "We [now] have network devices performing application functions...It has profound implications in how networks are designed, and in realizing this we knew we had to update accordingly."

The new exam consists of 65 questions with a time limit of 90 minutes. There are no simulation questions on the exam, Stern said. Objectives are available on Cisco's Web site here.

The new exam is available now through Pearson Vue and Prometric testing centers worldwide for $125 (U.S.). The previous version of the exam will remain available concurrently for 135 days, which Beatty said is the "standard" timeframe that Cisco usually leaves a replaced exam available.

Cisco's optional training class for the new exam is also now live.

Beatty and Stern would not say if the Cisco Certified Design Professional (CCDP), the CCDA's higher-level sibling, is undergoing a similar revision.

The CCDA originally debuted in 1992 and was last updated in May 2004. Stern wouldn't say exactly how many people have earned the CCDA, but did say it is Cisco's "third or fourth" most popular certification with holders in the "tens of thousands."

For more information on the new exam, go here. -Becky Nagel