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Cisco Certified Support Technicians (CCST) certifications help validate your skills and qualifications for entry-level IT job roles.

Cisco Certified Support Technicians

Cisco Certified Support Technicians (CCST) certifications help validate your skills and qualifications for entry-level IT job roles. You can also use them to prove your readiness to pursue associate-level certifications, such as Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) and Cisco Certified Cybersecurity Associate.

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Overview Exams and training Community Resources

Big changes coming in early 2026. New names, specialist certifications, exam updates, and more.

Learn what's changing

Kick-start your IT career

These new certifications are perfect stepping stones that will pave the way to your next career move. They can lead to internships and apprenticeships so that you can start your tech career. They also validate your knowledge and experience to build your qualifications.

Cisco Networking Academy offers CCST resources for students and educators

For students

Access free courses and study resources

Prepare for your CCST certification exams on Cisco Networking Academy. Learn for free with self-paced courses or take instructor-led courses from academies across the globe. Earn digital badges and prepare for industry-recognized certifications in topics like cybersecurity, networking, and Python.

Go to Cisco Networking Academy

For educators

Offer CCST to your students

Check out our one-stop-shop resources page for educators and schools. Find out how easy it is to become a testing center, offer CCST training, test drive the CCST exams, and more.

Explore CCST educator resources via Certiport

How it works

No formal prerequisites

There are no formal prerequisites to earn these certifications, but you should have an understanding of the exam topics before taking any of the exams.

Example learner profiles

  • Individuals looking to move into the IT field
  • IT professionals looking to stand out in the job market
  • IT professionals looking to enrich their current roles with additional networking skills

CCST Cybersecurity

The Cisco Certified Support Technician (CCST) Cybersecurity certification validates your skills and knowledge of entry-level cybersecurity concepts and topics. These include security principles, network and endpoint security, vulnerability assessment and risk management, and incident handling.

The Cisco Certified Support Technician (CCST) Cybersecurity certification is also a first step toward Cybersecurity Associate certification.

CCST Networking

The Cisco Certified Support Technician (CCST) Networking certification validates your skills and knowledge of entry-level networking concepts and topics. The certification demonstrates foundational knowledge and skills needed to show how networks operate, including the devices, media, and protocols that enable network communications.

The Cisco Certified Support Technician (CCST) Networking certification is also a first step toward CCNA certification.

CCST IT Support

The Cisco Certified Support Technician (CCST) IT Support certification demonstrates your work-ready skills and knowledge to help start careers in a variety of IT roles. These roles include IT end user support, IT help desk support, computer support specialists, and IT help desk analyst.

Getting started

To earn each certification, you’ll need to pass a core exam.

Get ready to ace the core exam using a variety of resources — from guided learning, self-study materials, and a community of peers and experts.

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New! Cisco Certificate in Ethical Hacking

Now you can stay one step ahead of cybercriminals by acting and thinking like a hacker. Learn through hands-on, real-world challenges in ethical hacking and red-teaming security exercises.

Learn more about the Ethical Hacker certificate program

Maintain your certification

Starting July 15, 2025, a US State Legislature Law mandates that our CCST certifications will now be valid for 5 years. If you’ve earned a CCST certification prior to July 15, 2025 your certification will remain valid for a lifetime. If you earn a CCST certification on July 15, 2025 or later, you can only recertify by passing any CCST, associate, professional, or expert Cisco certification exam. A CCST recertification doesn’t qualify for the Continuing Education program.

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