Cisco has put a hard date on the next CCNA. The last day to sit the current exam is February 2, 2027, and the first day for the rewritten version is February 3. Both carry the same code, 200-301, so the number on your exam voucher tells you nothing about which blueprint you are studying for. That is exactly how people end up preparing for the wrong exam.
Cisco reshuffled most of its program in February 2026, which we walked through in our rundown of the CCNA-to-CCIE changes, but the core CCNA exam itself was left alone. This is the update that touches it. Below you will find the new domain weights, the topics that quietly left the blueprint, the ones that arrived, and a straight answer on whether to sit the old version before the cutoff.
CCNA v2.0 Dates, Price, and Format at a Glance
Cisco publishes both blueprints side by side on the Cisco Learning Network, and the notice at the top of the v1.1 exam topics page states the cutover plainly. Here is what is confirmed:
- Last date to test v1.1: February 2, 2027.
- First date to test CCNA v2.0: February 3, 2027.
- Exam code: 200-301 for both versions.
- Length and price: 120 minutes and $300 (or Cisco Learning Credits), as listed on both blueprint pages.
- Question types: performance-based questions, multiple choice, and drag-and-drop.
Cisco’s own announcement describes the refresh as a different approach to depth, with practical assessments, security and AI woven through the exam, and more troubleshooting tasks. Its post urging candidates to certify before the refresh also points to the Exam Safeguard bundles, which include a second exam attempt. Nothing in the material I reviewed announces a price change, but fees are the first thing vendors adjust at a cutover, so check the booking page before you pay.
Six Domains Became Five: How the Weights Moved
The most visible change is structural. Version 1.1 splits the exam into six domains; v2.0 uses five, and the percentages shift noticeably. The v2.0 figures below come straight from Cisco’s CCNA v2.0 exam topics page.
| v1.1 domain | Weight | v2.0 domain | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Network Fundamentals | 20% | Network Infrastructure and Connectivity | 25% |
| Network Access | 20% | Switching and Network Access | 25% |
| IP Connectivity | 25% | IP Routing | 20% |
| IP Services (10%) and Security Fundamentals (15%) | 25% combined | Network Services and Security | 20% |
| Automation and Programmability | 10% | AI, and Network Operations and Management | 10% |
The mapping is approximate, since topics moved between domains, but the direction is clear. Switching, VLANs, and physical connectivity now carry half the exam between them (25% plus 25%), routing loses five points, and the automation slice keeps its 10% while changing what it asks.
Fewer Topics, Harder Verbs
Counting the numbered topics on Cisco’s two pages gives a more revealing picture than the percentages. Version 1.1 lists 53 top-level topics. Version 2.0 lists 29. Cisco removed nearly half the line items, and then raised the bar on the ones that stayed.
Eight of the 29 v2.0 topics (about 28%) tell you to troubleshoot or diagnose something: interface and cable faults, IPv4 and IPv6 addressing, wired and wireless client connectivity, DHCPv4, Layer 2 and Layer 3 reachability, static routes, and DNS records. In v1.1, none of the 53 topics uses either verb. Independent breakdowns such as the CCNA v2.0 blueprint analysis at Certskills reach the same 28% figure.
What Disappeared From the CCNA Blueprint
A topic that is missing from the v2.0 list is not guaranteed to be absent from every question, because some concepts remain background knowledge a candidate is expected to carry. Still, the blueprint is the contract, and these are the items v1.1 named that v2.0 no longer does.
Wireless Controller and Architecture Topics
- Cisco wireless architectures and AP modes
- Physical connections for WLAN components (AP, WLC, LAG)
- Interpreting the wireless LAN GUI, including WLAN creation and QoS profiles
- Configuring a WLAN in the GUI with WPA2 PSK
Wireless is not gone. V2.0 keeps “describe wireless principles” and spells it out as band and channel selection, RF characteristics, security protocols, and causes of interference. What left is the controller-GUI walkthrough that many learners memorized by screenshot.
Services That Used to Be Easy Points
- NTP client and server configuration
- QoS per-hop behavior (classification, marking, queuing, policing, shaping)
- TFTP and FTP functions
- SSH remote-access configuration as its own topic
QoS was always the topic people crammed the night before and forgot by lunch. Its removal frees study time for DNS, DHCP, and NAT, which now arrive as troubleshooting tasks instead of definitions.
Architecture and Programmability Theory
- Two-tier, three-tier, and spine-leaf topology comparisons
- Controller-based and software-defined architecture (overlay, underlay, fabric, northbound and southbound APIs)
- REST API characteristics and JSON data structures
- Terraform, which v1.1 listed alongside Ansible
- TCP versus UDP, IPv6 address types, and MAC learning and flooding as standalone topics
The REST and JSON removal is the one that will surprise people most. Anyone who spent weeks on API verbs for v1.1 should know that none of that appears in the v2.0 topic list.
What Is New in CCNA v2.0
Configuration Work That Used to Be Conceptual
Several topics moved from “describe” or “interpret” to “configure.” Rapid PVST+ is the clearest case: v1.1 asks you to interpret its operation, and v2.0 asks you to configure it, including root and BPDU guard behavior. OSPF now covers OSPFv3 for IPv6 alongside OSPFv2. NAT is framed as NAT/PAT on IOS XE routers. Layer 2 security adds storm control and RA guard to DHCP snooping, dynamic ARP inspection, and port security.
The other newcomers are practical, too:
- Configuring PoE-capable edge ports for phones, access points, and IoT devices
- Using TACACS+ and RADIUS as an AAA client for device management
- Secure file transfer with SFTP and SCP
- Diagnosing DNS issues across A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, NS, and PTR records
- Interpreting HSRP and VRRP operational status
AI Gets a Different Job Description
It is tempting to read the new domain name as “AI arrives in the CCNA,” but v1.1 already had a topic on generative and predictive AI and machine learning in network operations. What changed is the task. V2.0 asks candidates to describe the role of agentic AI in network operations and to choose a suitable prompt for a generative AI system, weighing data classification, output format, persona, and instructions. That is judgment about using a tool, not a definitions quiz.
Automation also narrows to something a working engineer touches daily: describing management approaches (device-based, cloud-based, controller-based, automation-based, and infrastructure as code) and using Ansible to run commands. If this direction interests you as a career track, the CCNA Automation credential covered in the rundown linked earlier is where that road leads.
Should You Sit the Current Exam Before February 2?
As of today, October 7, you have roughly 17 weeks before v1.1 closes. A CCNA stays active for three years from the day you earn it, according to Cisco’s recertification policy, so a pass on February 2 would remain valid into early 2030, with no penalty for having taken the older version. The right call depends on where you are.
Sit v1.1 If You Match Any of These
- You are already deep into v1.1 study material and can book a slot well before the cutoff.
- You are strongest at memorization-heavy topics such as QoS, wireless GUI, and REST verbs, which v2.0 no longer rewards.
- You need the credential for a job application, contract, or employer deadline in the first half of 2027.
Leave a buffer. Booking your first attempt for the final week leaves no room for a retake if the exam goes badly, and that is exactly the week every other procrastinator will pick.
Wait for v2.0 If You Match These
- You are starting from zero, with no certification pressure, and your realistic exam date lands after February.
- You are strong at hands-on troubleshooting but weak at memorizing definitions.
- Your job already involves Ansible, DNS, or generative AI tools, which is where the new weighting leans.
The Shared Core You Can Study Either Way
A large block of material is identical in both versions, so early study is not wasted whichever way you decide:
- 802.1Q trunking, EtherChannel with LACP, CDP and LLDP, and Rapid PVST+
- Static and default routing, floating statics, and single-area OSPF
- First hop redundancy protocols
- NAT, standard and extended ACLs, and Layer 2 security features
- IPsec VPN concepts and wireless principles
- Ansible for configuration management
If you are unsure, spend the next six to eight weeks on this shared core and decide in December. If you want a large bank of exam-style questions for that stretch, the 200-301 exam page on DirectCertify lists more than 1,000 questions; check the version the material targets before you commit to it.
What a CCNA Is Worth in the Job Market
Network administration pays well but is not a growth field on paper. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median of $99,130 per year for network and computer systems administrators as of May 2025, with roughly 13,400 openings a year on average over the decade. The same page projects employment to decline 4% from 2025 to 2035, which BLS ties to automation of routine tasks and outsourcing to service providers.
That context explains the shape of CCNA v2.0. A blueprint that spends less time on definitions and more on diagnosing faults, scripting, and supervising AI tools is aimed at the engineers whose work is harder to automate away. It also means the certification alone is not a hiring ticket. Pair it with real lab time on Cisco Modeling Labs or Packet Tracer, and with a clear next step, such as the security path covered in our breakdown of the CCNP Security SCOR v2.0 exam.
A Study Plan for the Troubleshooting-Heavy Exam
Whichever version you pick, the direction of travel is the same: Cisco wants proof you can fix things, not just recognize them. A workable order:
- Build the shared core above in a lab, and break it on purpose (wrong VLAN, mismatched duplex, bad OSPF network statement).
- Practice reading
showoutput until you can name the fault in under a minute. - Rehearse DNS record types and DHCP relay behavior with a real server rather than flashcards.
- Run a basic Ansible playbook against two switches or routers.
- For v2.0 only, write and critique a few prompts for a generative AI assistant using the four components Cisco lists.
DirectCertify is an independent certification prep provider and has no affiliation with, endorsement from, or sponsorship by Cisco Systems. Exam dates, fees, and blueprints can change, so confirm them on Cisco’s own certification pages before you book.
