IT certifications, 5 domains
Network Associate 200-301 exam guide
Practice for topics on the Cisco® CCNA® exam, version 2.0: the five exam domains with their published weights and what each one tests.
Follows the v2.0 exam topics, from 3 Feb 2027
Overview
What Network Associate 200-301 covers.
This guide covers the topics on the Cisco® CCNA® exam (200-301), version 2.0, which Cisco makes the only version on 3 February 2027. Cisco publishes the exam topics as five domains with exact weights: network infrastructure and connectivity, switching and network access, IP routing, network services and security, and a new domain on AI and network operations. If you test on or before 2 February 2027, you take version 1.1, which this guide does not cover.
Version 2.0 has fewer, broader topics than version 1.1, and more of them ask you to troubleshoot or interpret output rather than describe a feature. New material includes agentic and generative AI in network operations, OSPFv3 for IPv6, secure file transfer, and Layer 2 protections such as storm control and RA guard. Plan on practice with real or simulated devices: the exam includes hands-on items, and reading command output quickly is a skill of its own.
Arcade Academy is an independent study workspace and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Cisco. Use Cisco's exam topics page as the authority on what is tested, and use the pages below to organize review of each domain.
At a glance
- Exam
- 200-301, version 2.0
- Time
- 120 minutes
- Questions
- Multiple-choice, drag-and-drop, and hands-on items; Cisco does not publish the number of questions
- Delivery
- Scheduled through Pearson VUE
- Version dates
- Version 2.0 from 3 February 2027; version 1.1 until 2 February 2027
- Validity
- 3 years
- Governing body
- Cisco Systems, Inc.
- Who takes it
- Early-career network technicians, administrators, and students who want an associate-level networking certification.
Scoring
Cisco reports a pass or fail result and does not publish the number of questions or the passing score, which it says can change. Passing earns the associate certification, valid for three years; renew it by passing a qualifying Cisco exam or by earning continuing education credits before it expires.
Exam structure
Domains
Network Associate 200-301 covers 5 domains. Open one for its topics, published weighting, and section-specific study tips.
Domain 1: Network Infrastructure and Connectivity
25%The physical and addressing groundwork every other domain depends on: diagnosing copper and fiber links, IPv4 and IPv6 addressing…
5 topics
Domain 2: Switching and Network Access
25%How switches connect to each other, to routers, and to end devices: trunks, EtherChannel bundles, switched virtual interfaces…
5 topics
Domain 3: IP Routing
20%How a router picks a path and how routes get into the table: reading the routing table, static and default routes for IPv4 and…
4 topics
Domain 4: Network Services and Security
20%The services and protections that run on top of a working network: secure device login with local accounts and AAA, moving files…
5 topics
Domain 5: AI, and Network Operations and Management
10%The newest domain covers how networks are run day to day and where AI fits in: what agentic AI can do in network operations…
4 topics
Study strategies
How to work through this exam.
These strategies follow from the exam's own structure. Adapt them to the time you actually have each week.
- Weight review by the published domain percentages: half of the exam is the first two domains.
- Practice on real or simulated devices every week, since the exam includes hands-on items and rewards reading command output quickly.
- Study troubleshooting by breaking a working lab on purpose and fixing it from the symptoms.
- Check your exam date against the version dates: on or before 2 February 2027 is version 1.1, and from 3 February 2027 it is version 2.0.
- Re-read the official exam topics close to the exam, because Cisco says related topics may appear and the list can change.
Common questions
Network Associate 200-301 questions students ask.
Which exam version does this guide cover?
Version 2.0 of the Cisco® CCNA® exam (200-301), the only version from 3 February 2027. The last day to test on version 1.1 is 2 February 2027; if you test before the change, study the version 1.1 topics instead.
How are the domains weighted?
Cisco publishes exact weights: network infrastructure and connectivity 25%, switching and network access 25%, IP routing 20%, network services and security 20%, and AI and network operations and management 10%.
How long is the exam and how many questions does it have?
The exam is 120 minutes. Cisco does not publish the number of questions or the passing score, and says both can change.
Does a version 1.1 pass count the same as version 2.0?
Both earn the same certification, which is valid for three years from the day you pass. Choose the version by your test date, not by which one is easier.
Is Arcade Academy affiliated with Cisco?
No. Arcade Academy is an independent educational resource and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Cisco. Cisco® and CCNA® are trademarks or registered trademarks of Cisco and/or its affiliates.
Before you build the schedule
Exam structures change. Confirm the current format, eligibility, and policies with Cisco Systems, Inc. before you commit to a study plan.
Official exam information opens in a new tabMarkdown version of this guide for citation, offline reading, and language models.
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