CCNA 200-301 Exam: Domains, Format, and 2027 v2.0 Switch

The CCNA 200-301 exam is a 120-minute, $300 test from Cisco that validates entry-level networking skills across six domains, and the current v1.1 blueprint retires on February 2, 2027 before the v2.0 version takes over the next day. Passing the single 200-301 exam earns the Cisco Certified Network Associate certification, which stays valid for three years and can double as a recertification credit if you already hold another Cisco credential. Because the six tested domains carry very different weights, mapping preparation time to those percentages — rather than studying every topic equally — is the decision that most affects your final score. This guide breaks down each domain, the exam mechanics, the coming version change, and a weight-first study sequence.

What the CCNA Exam Covers

The 200-301 CCNA is the only exam required for the associate-level Cisco Certified Network Associate credential. Where older CCNA tracks split routing and switching, wireless, and security into separate exams, the v1.1 blueprint folds those areas into one test of foundational networking. The scope runs from cabling and IPv4 subnetting through VLANs, trunking, and EtherChannel, then into single-area OSPFv2, network address translation, and access control lists, before extending to wireless architectures, security fundamentals, and automation concepts such as REST APIs, CRUD operations, and JSON. That breadth is deliberate. Cisco positions CCNA as the universal first step for network engineers, so the exam rewards broad conceptual fluency and hands-on configuration over memorizing product names. If you can configure a switch, read a routing table, and explain how a controller-based network differs from a traditional one, you have covered the spirit of the credential.

One trap to avoid is treating CCNA as purely a routing-and-switching exam. Security Fundamentals alone is 15 percent and covers access control lists, VPN concepts, Layer 2 protections such as DHCP snooping and port security, and authentication, authorization, and accounting. Automation and Programmability, though a smaller share, introduces the controller-based software-defined architecture, northbound and southbound APIs, REST principles, and configuration-management tools like Ansible and Terraform — topics that barely existed in older CCNA versions but now reflect how production networks are operated.

Six Domains and Their Weights

The official weights are Network Fundamentals at 20 percent, Network Access at 20 percent, IP Connectivity at 25 percent, IP Services at 10 percent, Security Fundamentals at 15 percent, and Automation and Programmability at 10 percent. IP Connectivity is the heaviest domain, which means routing-table interpretation, static route configuration, and single-area OSPFv2 deserve the largest block of lab time. The table below pairs each domain with its share and the highest-value topics inside it.

Together the three highest-weighted domains account for 65 percent of the exam, so a candidate who masters fundamentals, switching, and routing already covers most of the scoring surface. Security and automation remain mandatory, but they reward layered study after the core is solid. The same weight-first logic we used to map the CCSP domains applies here: allocate hours in proportion to the published percentages, not to the topic you enjoy most.

Exam Format and Logistics

The 200-301 exam runs 120 minutes, costs US$300 (or an equivalent number of Cisco Learning Credits), and is delivered in English and Japanese with pass/fail results usually posted within 48 hours. In terms of item design, the exam mixes performance-based questions, multiple choice, and drag-and-drop items, and Cisco publishes an exam tutorial so the interface itself is never a surprise. Performance-based tasks tend to appear early and consume more time per item, so budget your minutes rather than treating every question as equal. The exam is available at Pearson VUE test centers and online through OnVUE remote proctoring, and one passing attempt also counts toward recertification for existing Cisco credentials. Confirm the active blueprint before you book a slot: testing on or after February 3, 2027 means sitting the refreshed v2.0 content, not the v1.1 topics mapped above.

How to Prepare Before v2.0

If you plan to certify under v1.1, lock in a test date well before February 2, 2027 and build a plan that tracks the domain weights rather than your comfort zone.

1. Download the official 200-301 CCNA v1.1 Exam Topics from Cisco and rate yourself strong, adequate, or weak in every domain.
2. Split study hours by weight — roughly a quarter of your time to IP Connectivity, a fifth each to Network Fundamentals and Network Access.
3. Stand up a lab in Cisco Modeling Labs or a simulator and rehearse VLANs, trunking, EtherChannel, single-area OSPFv2, static routes, NAT, and ACLs until the commands are automatic.
4. Drill IPv4 subnetting and IPv6 addressing daily; raw speed here frees minutes for the harder performance-based items later.
5. Run timed, full-length practice sets to build stamina and surface the domains where you lose marks.

Cross-check every topic against the current Cisco outline before test day, because materials that predate the v1.1 refresh can quietly omit security and automation items that now carry real weight. For a worked example of scheduling study around weighted domains across many weeks, our CISSP study guide applies the same proportional method to a longer and more advanced credential.

Sources

• Cisco — 200-301 CCNA exam overview: exam duration, price, languages, and the six tested domains.
• Cisco Learning Network — 200-301 CCNA v1.1 Exam Topics: domain weights, question types, and the February 2027 transition to v2.0.