Of the current four exams for Cisco's popular mid-level title, the 642-821 BCRAN and the 642-831 CIT will be replaced with new exams, and the other two -- the 642-811 BCMSN and 642-801 BSCI -- will be updated:

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The new exams are available immediately worldwide at Cisco-authorized testing centers. The old exams will be retired Dec. 31, 2006.

The focus of the changes is on "applications deployed on the edge of the network, such as wireless, security and voice," Cisco said in a statement. A key part of the expanded coverage beyond core routing and switching is Cisco's Integrated Services Routers (ISRs), which deliver data, voice, video and wireless services.

"We did a pretty major overhaul of the curriculum to include advanced technologies (e.g, security, VoIP, wireless)," Ray Garra, a manager in the Learning and Development Group at Cisco, told TCPmag.com. "We also uplifted and upgraded the labs and exams to include relevant applications, tasks and skills necessary to implement the ISRs and how those have integrative services now."

Another goal of the update was to emphasize security skills, which are largely tested on the new ISCW exam. Topics include securing VPNs, hardening Cisco devices and defending the Cisco IOS from threats.

"You don't create a network without security being a top priority," Garra said. "If you're going to build a network, you have to secure it."

Components of the retiring BCRAN exam will now be part of the updated BCMSN and the new ONT exams, while the troubleshooting skills tested on the old CIT exam will be found throughout all the new exams.

As a result of the BSCI exam's upgrade, the Cisco Certified Internetwork Professional (CCIP) and Cisco Certified Design Professional (CCDP) certifications will also include the new BSCI exam as part of their required exams.

For more info on the CCNP exam changes, go here.

Cisco also announced Tuesday that cert holders can recertify their active Professional-level certifications -- CCNP, CCDP, CCIP, Cisco Certified Security Professional (CCSP) or Cisco Certified Voice Professional (CCVP) -- by passing any one of the Professional-level exams or a Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) exam before the expiration date of their certification(s).

Previously, candidates had to pass select exams, or a composite exam, within each certification track to recertify. In the case of the CCNP, active holders recertified by passing either the 642-891 Composite exam, or both the BSCI and BCMSN exams.

Certification holders can check their current status by using their Cisco ID to access the Certification Tracking System here. -Dan Hong