Cisco has added performance-based labs to CCNA certification exam. There are typically four performance-based labs with 3-4 questions per lab. Anecdotal evidence suggests point weighting is low and reason not to burn a lot of time with them.
Cisco recommends spending no more than 5-7 minutes on each lab. It is a mistake to spend ten minutes on any single lab and have to rush through the remaining questions.
Manage your time well and realize it is a long exam. There are partial points awarded for getting some lab questions correct. Cisco CCNA does not allow review of any previous questions whether multiple choice, drag and drop, or labs after clicking the Next button. Each lab starts with the following initial window that provides instruction for test-takers.
Configuration Labs
This lab is comprised of multiple configuration tasks that are based on a network topology. CCNA topics could include Etherchannel, OSPF, DHCP, and security protocols for example. Make sure to save your running configuration for each device before closing lab. The split window UI design has the lab topology and command-line interface (CLI) in different windows. CCNA lab software is based on real IOS and navigation buttons are similar.
Analyze Show Command Output
This lab type will ask test-takers to interpret the operational status of network protocols and configuration settings. This will require you to select and issue the correct show commands to answer lab questions. For example, identify the OSPF designated router (DR) for a network topology, or identify trunking protocol assigned to an interface. There is no access to show running-config command for this lab type.