Course overview
thinQtank® Learning is offering a unique instructor-led training camp that gives students the knowledge and skills needed to start a networking career from nothing — what a network actually is, how an address gets a packet somewhere, what is really running down the cable or through the air, what each box in the rack does, how to find a fault with a method instead of a hunch, and how to keep the whole thing secure.
This course also helps students prepare to take the Cisco Certified Support Technician (CCST) Networking exam, 100-150. Cisco sets NO prerequisites for CCST, and we build the course to that. It is a credential in its own right and the first rung of the Cisco ladder — the step before CCNA, and the one that makes CCNA make sense.
What's included
14 itemsthinQtank® Learning Accelerated Custom Exam Study Guide for the 100-150 exam
Exam delivery in classroom with 98% success
Custom and focused exam preparation software and materials
Course specific thinQtank® Learning publications to promote a fun and exciting learning
Membership to the thinQtank® Learning University Online
WE DO NOT "TEACH THE TEST" - Students will receive valuable examples and discussion
Receive all reading material and study guides when you register
All courses taught by certified instructors
Additional hours of remote lab access on real switches, routers and wireless kit
Custom video recordings with even more in-depth learning of course topics
Customized practice exam software
Digital courseware
Retake any or all portions of the course as many times as you like in person or live on-line for 24 months
Six months mentoring access to our engineers after completing the course
What you'll be able to do
16 objectives- Explain the purpose of a network and identify the common network types
- Work confidently in both the OSI and TCP/IP models, and place a protocol in the right layer
- Describe encapsulation, and follow a frame from one host to another
- Explain bandwidth, throughput, delay and jitter, and what each one actually costs a user
- Read, write and subnet IPv4 addresses, including CIDR notation, quickly and correctly
- Recognize IPv6 address formats and the address types you will meet in practice
- Explain MAC addressing and how a switch uses it to learn and forward
- Identify endpoints, cable types, connectors and the wireless standards in current use
- Choose the correct media for a run, given distance, interference and cost
- Describe what routers, switches, access points and firewalls each do in a network
- Explain DHCP, DNS and NAT well enough to know which one broke
- Configure basic wired and wireless host networking, and verify that it works
- Apply a structured troubleshooting method rather than a sequence of guesses
- Use ping, traceroute, ipconfig, netstat and the other everyday diagnostic tools deliberately
- Explain firewalls, VPNs, wireless security and authentication at a support-technician level
- Recognize common attacks and threats, and the controls that answer them
The exam
100-15050minutes to complete
- Exam 100-150 — Cisco Certified Support Technician (CCST) Networking
- Domains: Standards and Concepts; Addressing and Subnet Formats; Endpoints and Media Types; Infrastructure; Diagnosing Problems; Security
- Cisco does not publish a question count, a passing score or domain weightings for this exam, so we do not quote any
- No prerequisites — no prior certification, no minimum education, no required training
- KNOW THE TERM BEFORE YOU SIT IT. A CCST earned on or after 15 July 2025 is valid for five years; one earned before that date does not expire. You recertify by passing any CCST, associate, professional or expert Cisco exam — so going on to CCNA renews this one as a side effect
- CCST Networking is a first step toward CCNA. It is not a formal prerequisite for it — CCNA has none
- CCST Networking Voucher — an exam voucher is available through thinQtank for $125 USD. Ask when you register and we will add it to your enrollment
Who it's for, and what you need first
Target Audience
- Career changers making a first, deliberate move into networking
- Help desk and desktop support staff who keep hitting the network and want to stop guessing
- Students and school leavers who want a credential an employer recognizes
- Field and facilities technicians whose work has quietly become network work
- Anyone planning CCNA who wants the fundamentals solid first
- Service members, veterans and military spouses using AF COOL, Army Credentialing Assistance, MyCAA or VET TEC 2.0
Prerequisites
- None. Cisco sets no prerequisites for CCST — no prior certification, no minimum education and no required training
- Familiarity with using a computer and getting online is helpful, but it is not required
- If you have looked at CCNA and stopped, this is the ground underneath it
How it's delivered
Instructor-Led Training
Immersive Live-Online Training
On-Site and Custom Delivery
Training Camp Format
This course is delivered as an instructor-led training camp, with the exam sat in the classroom as part of the camp. Camps are scheduled by cohort, and the balance of lecture and hands-on lab work is set to suit the group and the delivery method. Contact us for the schedule covering your dates.
Dates and locations
25 scheduled| Dates | Location | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon Sep 21 – Sep 25, 20265 days · Mon–Fri | Sterling, VA21481 Ridgetop Cir | Guaranteed to run | Request info |
| Mon Oct 5 – Oct 9, 20265 days · Mon–Fri | Atlanta, GA431 Marietta St NW | Guaranteed to run | Request info |
| Mon Oct 19 – Oct 23, 20265 days · Mon–Fri | Burbank, CA3301 N San Fernando Blvd | Guaranteed to run | Request info |
| Mon Nov 16 – Nov 20, 20265 days · Mon–Fri | Sterling, VA21481 Ridgetop Cir | Open | Request info |
| Mon Nov 30 – Dec 4, 20265 days · Mon–Fri | Atlanta, GA431 Marietta St NW | Open | Request info |
| Mon Dec 14 – Dec 18, 20265 days · Mon–Fri | Burbank, CA3301 N San Fernando Blvd | Open | Request info |
| Mon Jan 11 – Jan 15, 20275 days · Mon–Fri | Sterling, VA21481 Ridgetop Cir | Open | Request info |
| Mon Jan 25 – Jan 29, 20275 days · Mon–Fri | Atlanta, GA431 Marietta St NW | Open | Request info |
| Mon Feb 8 – Feb 12, 20275 days · Mon–Fri | Burbank, CA3301 N San Fernando Blvd | Open | Request info |
| Mon Mar 8 – Mar 12, 20275 days · Mon–Fri | Sterling, VA21481 Ridgetop Cir | Open | Request info |
| Mon Mar 22 – Mar 26, 20275 days · Mon–Fri | Atlanta, GA431 Marietta St NW | Open | Request info |
| Mon Apr 5 – Apr 9, 20275 days · Mon–Fri | Burbank, CA3301 N San Fernando Blvd | Open | Request info |
| Mon May 3 – May 7, 20275 days · Mon–Fri | Sterling, VA21481 Ridgetop Cir | Open | Request info |
| Mon May 17 – May 21, 20275 days · Mon–Fri | Atlanta, GA431 Marietta St NW | Open | Request info |
| Mon Jun 7 – Jun 11, 20275 days · Mon–Fri | Burbank, CA3301 N San Fernando Blvd | Open | Request info |
| Mon Jun 28 – Jul 2, 20275 days · Mon–Fri | Sterling, VA21481 Ridgetop Cir | Open | Request info |
| Mon Jul 12 – Jul 16, 20275 days · Mon–Fri | Atlanta, GA431 Marietta St NW | Open | Request info |
| Mon Jul 26 – Jul 30, 20275 days · Mon–Fri | Burbank, CA3301 N San Fernando Blvd | Open | Request info |
| Mon Aug 23 – Aug 27, 20275 days · Mon–Fri | Sterling, VA21481 Ridgetop Cir | Open | Request info |
| Mon Sep 13 – Sep 17, 20275 days · Mon–Fri | Atlanta, GA431 Marietta St NW | Open | Request info |
| Mon Sep 20 – Sep 24, 20275 days · Mon–Fri | Burbank, CA3301 N San Fernando Blvd | Open | Request info |
| Mon Oct 18 – Oct 22, 20275 days · Mon–Fri | Sterling, VA21481 Ridgetop Cir | Open | Request info |
| Mon Nov 1 – Nov 5, 20275 days · Mon–Fri | Atlanta, GA431 Marietta St NW | Open | Request info |
| Mon Nov 15 – Nov 19, 20275 days · Mon–Fri | Burbank, CA3301 N San Fernando Blvd | Open | Request info |
| Mon Dec 13 – Dec 17, 20275 days · Mon–Fri | Sterling, VA21481 Ridgetop Cir | Open | Request info |
Guaranteed to run means the class goes ahead whatever the enrollment.
Prices shown are MSRP. Qualified military personnel funding through Air Force COOL, Army Credentialing Assistance, MyCAA or VET TEC 2.0 pay a flat $1,500 per class, whatever the listed price. Everyone else — call 855-868-4467 about group pricing, discounts and current promotions.