The specialists who decide to take the Cisco 300-510 exam are interested in obtaining the specialist-level Cisco Certified Specialist - Service Provider Advanced Routing Implementation certification. Also, this exam is one of the concentration tests that individuals can take to obtain the CCNP Service Provider certificate.

Candidates for 300-510 Certification Exam

The individuals who enroll in the Cisco 300-510 exam choose this test as it helps them consolidate their skills in applying advanced routing theories and practices. For example, they will learn how to work with multicast routing, routing protocols, Multiprotocol Label Switching, segment routing, or policy language solutions. In general, the individuals who apply for this exam occupy positions such as Network Administrators, Network Designers, System Engineers, or Project Managers, and this test helps them develop some of the most in-demand competencies related to operating advanced technologies such as the Service Provider core networks.

Overview of 300-510 Evaluation

The candidates who decide to take the Implementing Cisco Service Provider Advanced Routing Solutions, coded as 300-510, will become eligible for obtaining the CCNP Service Provider certification. This designation, in particular, can be obtained by passing a core exam which is coded 350-501. The second step would be to get the passing score in a concentration test, and the Cisco 300-510 SPRI is one of the options that can help the candidates get certified. Coming back to the 300-510 exam structure, the candidates should be prepared to answer as many questions as possible during 90 minutes. In addition, the actual test is available only in one language, which is English, and the registration fee for this evaluation is $300 plus applicable taxes. Still, the amount can be lowered if the applicants have any Cisco Learning Credits available. Additionally, the official test can be taken either online or in person, and the candidates who want to take the exam online should have a secure internet connection. On the other hand, if partakers prefer a testing center, then they should check the options available on the Pearson VUE platform and schedule the test through it.

Topics Tested in Cisco 300-510 Exam

The specialists who decide to take the 300-510 test should start their preparation process by exploring the details included in the test blueprint as it includes an overview of the skills the candidates need to develop before taking the real test. Also, it helps the candidates understand what’s expected from their side and identify the topics on which they should focus. So, exam-takers should demonstrate that they possess the following skills:

• Developing a solid knowledge of Unicast Routing concepts

  The individuals who take the 300-510 exam should learn how to make the difference between IS-IS and OSPF routing protocols. Additionally, they will need to gain expertise in troubleshooting OSPF operations such as summarization and route advertisement. Another subtopic included in this section focuses on consolidating the examinees’ skills in troubleshooting BGP environments via multihoming, security for TTL, communities, etc. Besides, the examinees will need to demonstrate that they are familiar with using route reflectors and BGP confederation performance techniques. Finally, the test-takers will need to become skilled at implementing Timers, NSR, LFA, and other fast convergence elements as well as describing the static IPv6 into IPv4 tunnel mechanisms.

• Comparing and describing Multicast Routing concepts

  Within this chapter, the test-takers will have the opportunity to consolidate their knowledge of using multicast domains, IGMP operations, and distribution trees. The takers who decide to take the main Cisco 300-510 exam should also become skilled at using intra-domain multicast concepts and differentiate them from inter-domain elements. Other areas from this topic included in the test blueprint focus on explaining how to troubleshoot both single domain and multidomain multicast routing. When they go through the exam syllabus, the exam-takers will also learn about implementing PIM-SM operations such as SSM, MSDP, or BIDIR-PIM processes.

• Understanding how to implement Manipulation and Routing Policy techniques

  Within a section like this, the test-takers will identify the most important elements that differentiate routing policy language from route maps. Also, they should become proficient in implementing conditional matching options. For example, they will learn about operations, regular expressions, tags, ACLs, route types, or BGP communities & attributes. The exam-takers should then consolidate their ability to troubleshoot route manipulation processes for both IGPs and BGP. This means that they should know how to immediately take action when managing IS-IS and OSPF-related processes or implementing route filtering together with traffic steering actions.

• Getting familiar with MPLS and Segment Routing concepts

  One of the most important objectives included in such a chapter focuses on leveraging the candidates’ skills in troubleshooting MPLS architecture. For example, the examinees should learn about LDP, LSP, BGP free core, RSVP-TE tunnels, or unified BGP elements. Additionally, the candidates should gain solid skills in implementing segment routing components. Therefore, they should understand how the SRGB and SRLB processes work or how to extend protocol routing elements. Other parts included in this chapter focus on helping the candidates describe both segment routing v6 options and segment routing traffic engineering aspects. So, the individuals who want to get certified should learn about data plane and control plane operations as well as PCE-based path calculation alongside automated coloring and steering options.

Career Path

The IT specialists who want to pass the Cisco 300-510 exam should be aware that this test will make them eligible for the CCNP Service Provider certification. Therefore, they will have the advantage of adding an international designation to their resumes. Also, this means that they will become interesting candidates for multinational companies that are looking for skilled professionals who can bring innovative technologies and concepts to their organizations. So, once you nail the 300-510 evaluation, you will be able to apply for the following positions:

• Network Administrator;
• System Engineer;
• Network Designer.

On Payscale.com, the candidates will discover that the annual salary offered to a Network Administrator can reach an average value of $60k per annum but if you decide to become a System Engineer, then you can receive an annual payment of $80k. Finally, becoming a Network Designer can get you a median salary of $90k yearly as ZipRecruiter states.

Certification Path

The candidates who pass the Cisco 300-510 exam and obtain the CCNP Service Provider certification can move forward and opt for the expert-tier CCIE Service Provider validation, also endorsed by Cisco.