# 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. - Canonical page: https://www.arcadesacademy.com/exams/network-associate - Markdown source: https://www.arcadesacademy.com/exams/network-associate/llms.txt - Exam family: IT certifications - Governing body: Cisco Systems, Inc. - Official exam information: https://learningnetwork.cisco.com/s/ccna-v2-exam-topics - Who takes it: Early-career network technicians, administrators, and students who want an associate-level networking certification. - Follows the v2.0 exam topics, from 3 Feb 2027 ## Overview 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. ## Exam format - **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 ## 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. ## Domains Network Associate 200-301 is organized into 5 domains. Each one below lists its published weighting where the governing body publishes one, the topics it covers, and study tips specific to it. ### 1. Domain 1: Network Infrastructure and Connectivity - Position: 1 of 5 - Published weighting: 25% - Page: https://www.arcadesacademy.com/exams/network-associate/domain-1-network-infrastructure-and-connectivity The physical and addressing groundwork every other domain depends on: diagnosing copper and fiber links, IPv4 and IPv6 addressing and subnetting, wireless fundamentals, and getting clients connected. It also covers what virtual machines and containers are, client connectivity on common operating systems, and DHCP for IPv4. #### Topics - **Cabling and interface faults** — Copper and fiber cable types, and the errors, collisions, and speed or duplex mismatches that show up in interface counters. - **IPv4 and IPv6 addressing** — Subnetting, public and private IPv4 ranges, IPv6 prefixes, and how hosts form IPv6 addresses, including modified EUI-64. - **Virtualization** — What hypervisors, virtual machines, and containers do, and how they connect to the network. - **Wireless fundamentals** — Bands and non-overlapping channels, radio behavior and interference, and Wi-Fi security protocols. - **Client connectivity and DHCP** — Checking addressing on Windows, macOS, and Linux clients, and troubleshooting DHCP for IPv4 servers, clients, and relays. #### Study tips - Drill subnetting until you can find a network, broadcast, and host range in under a minute. - Practice reading interface counters and matching each error pattern to a cause, such as a duplex mismatch. - Learn the DHCP exchange in order, and what a relay changes when the server is on another subnet. ### 2. Domain 2: Switching and Network Access - Position: 2 of 5 - Published weighting: 25% - Page: https://www.arcadesacademy.com/exams/network-associate/domain-2-switching-and-network-access How switches connect to each other, to routers, and to end devices: trunks, EtherChannel bundles, switched virtual interfaces, and access ports with VLANs and power over Ethernet. It includes checking documentation against neighbor discovery, basic troubleshooting with show commands, ping, traceroute and packet capture, and Rapid PVST+. #### Topics - **Trunks, EtherChannel, and switched virtual interfaces** — 802.1Q trunks, LACP port channels, and routing between VLANs on a Layer 3 switch. - **Access ports for end devices** — Assigning VLANs and power over Ethernet for computers, phones, printers, IoT devices, and access points. - **Neighbor discovery and documentation** — Using CDP and LLDP output to confirm what a network diagram says is connected. - **Layer 2 and Layer 3 troubleshooting** — Show commands, logs, extended ping, traceroute, and packet captures to isolate a fault. - **Rapid PVST+** — Root bridge election, root and designated ports, and port states and roles in rapid spanning tree. #### Study tips - Build a small lab with two switches and a router, and configure a trunk, a port channel, and inter-VLAN routing from memory. - Practice predicting the spanning-tree root and each port's role before checking the output. - Read neighbor-discovery output against a diagram and find the mismatch; the exam favors that kind of check. ### 3. Domain 3: IP Routing - Position: 3 of 5 - Published weighting: 20% - Page: https://www.arcadesacademy.com/exams/network-associate/domain-3-ip-routing How a router picks a path and how routes get into the table: reading the routing table, static and default routes for IPv4 and IPv6, single-area OSPF for both address families, and first-hop redundancy. Most of the domain asks you to read and troubleshoot rather than just configure. #### Topics - **Reading the routing table** — Longest prefix match, administrative distance, metrics, and how the default route is chosen. - **Static routing** — Network, host, default, and floating static routes for IPv4 and IPv6, and why one fails to install. - **Single-area OSPFv2 and OSPFv3** — Neighbor adjacencies, router IDs, and network types, including DR and BDR election on broadcast links. - **First-hop redundancy** — Reading HSRP and VRRP state to tell which router is forwarding for a subnet. #### Study tips - For any destination, practice choosing the route the router uses: longest prefix first, then administrative distance, then metric. - Configure OSPF for IPv4 and IPv6 on the same routers and compare the commands side by side. - Break an OSPF adjacency on purpose (mismatched area, timers, or network type) and learn what the output shows. ### 4. Domain 4: Network Services and Security - Position: 4 of 5 - Published weighting: 20% - Page: https://www.arcadesacademy.com/exams/network-associate/domain-4-network-services-and-security The services and protections that run on top of a working network: secure device login with local accounts and AAA, moving files securely, NAT and PAT, DNS records, VPN concepts, access control lists, and Layer 2 security features that stop common attacks on switch ports. #### Topics - **Device access and AAA** — Local user accounts and acting as a TACACS+ or RADIUS client for management login. - **Secure file transfer** — Copying configuration and software images with SFTP and SCP instead of clear-text protocols. - **NAT, PAT, and DNS** — Translating private addresses for internet access, and diagnosing A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, NS, and PTR records. - **VPNs and access control lists** — Remote-access and site-to-site IPsec concepts, and standard and extended IPv4 ACLs, numbered and named. - **Layer 2 security** — Port security, DHCP snooping, dynamic ARP inspection, storm control, and RA guard. #### Study tips - Write ACLs on paper first and check where each must be placed and in which direction. - Trace one connection through NAT and name the inside and outside addresses at each step. - Pair each Layer 2 security feature with the attack it stops, such as a rogue DHCP server for DHCP snooping. ### 5. Domain 5: AI, and Network Operations and Management - Position: 5 of 5 - Published weighting: 10% - Page: https://www.arcadesacademy.com/exams/network-associate/domain-5-ai-and-network-operations The newest domain covers how networks are run day to day and where AI fits in: what agentic AI can do in network operations, writing effective prompts for generative AI tools, and judging what an assistant recommends. It also compares management models, from device by device to infrastructure as code, and covers SNMP, Ansible, and syslog. #### Topics - **Agentic AI in network operations** — What AI agents can monitor, propose, or change, and how to evaluate an assistant's output before acting on it. - **Prompting generative AI tools** — Choosing a prompt's instructions, persona, and output format, and keeping sensitive data out of it. - **Management models** — Device-based, cloud-based, controller-based, and automation-based management, and infrastructure as code. - **SNMP, syslog, and Ansible** — What SNMP is for, how to read a syslog message's severity and facility, and running configuration tasks with Ansible. #### Study tips - Memorize the eight syslog severity levels in order; questions often hinge on them. - Run a simple Ansible playbook against lab devices so the workflow is familiar. - Practice reviewing an AI tool's suggested configuration for errors before you would apply it. ## Study strategies - 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. ## Frequently asked questions ### 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. ## Related exam guides - [AP Cybersecurity](https://www.arcadesacademy.com/exams/ap-cybersecurity): The five AP Cybersecurity units, the three tested skill categories with their exam weightings, and the device security free-response question. - [AP Computer Science Principles](https://www.arcadesacademy.com/exams/ap-computer-science-principles): All five AP Computer Science Principles big ideas with published exam weightings, plus the Create performance task. ## Independence and trademark notice Not affiliated with or endorsed by Cisco. Arcade Academy is an independent educational resource. Cisco® and CCNA® are trademarks or registered trademarks of Cisco and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. Confirm exam topics, policies, and dates with Cisco directly. Arcade Academy is an independent educational resource. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by Cisco or any other certification vendor. Cisco® and CCNA® are trademarks or registered trademarks of Cisco and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries.