Prep
What Cisco has announced
The CCNA v2.0 changes were confirmed in a Cisco Learning blog post published on July 1, 2026 by Ryan Rose, Director of Skills and Certifications Product Management. It gives two dates: the last day of testing for 200-301 CCNA v1.1 is February 2, 2027, and CCNA v2.0 goes live for testing on February 3, 2027.
Cisco describes v2.0 as a change in how deeply topics are covered rather than a complete overhaul. The post says to expect more practical assessment, security and AI integrated throughout, and more troubleshooting tasks. The technical core stays.
The official v2.0 exam topics document confirms the rest:
- The exam is still called Implementing and Administering Cisco Solutions, code 200-301, and it is a 120-minute exam.
- Passing it earns you the same CCNA certification.
- You may be asked to evaluate output and recommendations from agentic AI and digital network assistants to support network operations and troubleshooting.
Cisco does not publish the number of questions or a fixed passing score for either version, and the blog post does not mention a price change. The current exam costs USD 300.
| CCNA v1.1 | CCNA v2.0 | |
|---|---|---|
| Testing dates | Until February 2, 2027 | From February 3, 2027 |
| Exam code and length | 200-301, 120 minutes | 200-301, 120 minutes |
| Domains | 6 | 5 |
| Domain weights | Network Fundamentals 20%, Network Access 20%, IP Connectivity 25%, IP Services 10%, Security Fundamentals 15%, Automation and Programmability 10% | Network Infrastructure and Connectivity 25%, Switching and Network Access 25%, IP Routing 20%, Network Services and Security 20%, AI, and Network Operations and Management 10% |
| AI content | Explain AI (generative and predictive) and machine learning in network operations | Agentic AI in operations, prompt selection for generative AI, evaluating AI output during troubleshooting |
| Routing extras | Single-area OSPFv2; describe first hop redundancy | OSPFv2 and OSPFv3; interpret HSRP and VRRP status |
| Certificate earned | CCNA, valid 3 years | CCNA, valid 3 years |
CCNA v2.0 changes: the new exam topics
Version 1.1 had six domains. Version 2.0 has five, with different names and a different split. The key table below compares them. The most important topic-level changes we found when reading the two official documents side by side:
- Troubleshooting verbs everywhere. Many v2.0 objectives start with "troubleshoot" or "diagnose": interface and cable issues, IPv4 and IPv6 addressing, DHCPv4, static routing, and wired and wireless client connectivity on Windows, macOS and Linux. There is also an objective on troubleshooting with show commands, show logs, ping, extended ping, traceroute and packet capture output.
- More routing. v2.0 asks you to configure OSPFv3 for IPv6 alongside single-area OSPFv2. First hop redundancy moves from describing the concepts in v1.1 to interpreting the operational status of HSRP and VRRP.
- Security in more depth. New or expanded objectives cover devices as AAA clients with TACACS+ and RADIUS, secure file transfer with SFTP and SCP, IPsec remote access and site-to-site VPNs, and Layer 2 security features: DHCP snooping, dynamic ARP inspection, storm control, RA guard and port security. DNS gets its own objective on diagnosing A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, NS and PTR record issues.
- A new AI and operations domain (10%). It covers the role of agentic AI in network operations, choosing a prompt for a generative AI system (data classification, output format, persona and instructions), network management approaches including infrastructure as code, SNMP, using Ansible to run commands, and reading syslog messages.
Some v1.1 topics are not named in the v2.0 document. We could not find explicit objectives for NTP, QoS, REST APIs or JSON-encoded data in v2.0, while v1.1 lists all four. Cisco notes that additional related topics may appear on any exam, so treat this as a shift in emphasis, not a guarantee that those topics are gone.
What it means for you
Cisco's own FAQ in the July post is direct: take the current CCNA v1.1 exam now, and do not pause your studies. The skills carry over to v2.0, and the certification you earn is the same CCNA, valid for three years either way. Here is how we would apply that, as of November 7, 2026:
- You are well into v1.1 study: book a v1.1 date now, well before February 2, 2027. That is about 12 weeks away. Leave room for a retake, because a fail in late January would push you onto the new blueprint. Cisco's post also points to its Exam Safeguard offers, which include a second attempt.
- You are just starting: plan for v2.0. The foundations, such as subnetting, VLANs, trunks, spanning tree, OSPF, NAT and ACLs, are the same in both, so you lose nothing by starting now. Add the v2.0-only topics later in your plan.
- You are halfway and unsure you can finish in time: be honest about your hours. If you cannot sit v1.1 with a few weeks to spare, switch your remaining weeks to v2.0 topics: OSPFv3, HSRP and VRRP status, Layer 2 security features, DNS troubleshooting and the AI and operations domain.
- You already hold the CCNA: nothing changes. Recertification still works through the current CCNA exam, a higher-level Cisco exam, or 30 Continuing Education credits.
Whichever version you choose, practise with real command output. v2.0 makes this more important, because so many objectives ask you to read output and find the fault.
What Cisco has not said
Cisco has not published the number of questions or a passing score for v2.0, as it does not for v1.1. It has also not announced a price change. We assume v2.0 stays at USD 300 because the exam code is unchanged, but that is our assumption, not a Cisco statement. Official v2.0 study materials are still rolling out, so check that any book or course you buy names v2.0 explicitly.
How to study for CCNA v2.0
Start with the official v2.0 exam topics document and use its numbered objectives as a checklist. Then:
- Reuse a v1.1 study plan for the shared foundations. Our 12-week CCNA study guide covers subnetting, switching and OSPF in the order most people need them.
- Turn every lab into a troubleshooting lab: build it, break one thing, and find the fault with show commands, ping and traceroute.
- Add the new routing and security labs: OSPFv3, HSRP, DHCP snooping, dynamic ARP inspection and storm control.
- For the AI domain, practise judging AI-generated output. Take a suggested configuration or diagnosis and check every line against what you know the network needs.
- Finish with timed practice in two-hour blocks.
Our free CCNA practice test focuses on the core that both versions share. For budget planning, see the CCNA exam cost page, and if you are still choosing a first networking certification, read CCNA vs Network+.