200+ Free CND Practice Questions
Pass your Certified Network Defender (CND) exam on the first try — instant access, no signup required.
Loading practice questions...
Key Facts: CND Exam
100
Exam Questions
EC-Council
4 hours
Exam Duration
EC-Council
60%-85%
Cut Score Range
EC-Council
$550
RPS Voucher
EC-Council Store
$650
Pearson VUE Voucher
EC-Council Store
120 ECEs
Renewal Requirement
3-year cycle
The CND (Certified Network Defender) exam has 100 multiple-choice questions in 4 hours. EC-Council's current public blueprint weights the exam across 8 domains: Network Defense Management (10%), Network Perimeter Protection (10%), Endpoint Protection (20%), Application and Data Protection (10%), Enterprise Virtual, Cloud, and Wireless Network Protection (15%), Incident Detection (10%), Incident Response (10%), and Incident Prediction (15%). Self-study candidates need approved eligibility and a $100 application fee before buying a voucher.
About the CND Exam
CND is EC-Council's blue-team network defense certification. It focuses on protecting enterprise networks through secure architecture, hardening, logging, monitoring, incident response, and threat prediction across on-prem, cloud, wireless, and IoT environments.
Questions
100 scored questions
Time Limit
4 hours
Passing Score
60%-85% (cut score varies by exam form)
Exam Fee
$550 (ECC/RPS) or $650 (Pearson VUE) (EC-Council)
CND Exam Content Outline
Network Defense Management
Attack types, defense strategies, compliance, policies, awareness, and administrative controls
Network Perimeter Protection
Access control, cryptography, segmentation, firewalls, IDS/IPS, router and switch hardening
Endpoint Protection
Windows, Linux, mobile, and IoT endpoint security baselines, hardening, and management
Application and Data Protection
Application whitelisting, sandboxing, WAFs, encryption, DLP, backup, retention, and destruction
Enterprise Virtual, Cloud, and Wireless Network Protection
Virtualization, containers, Kubernetes, cloud security controls, and wireless encryption and access security
Incident Detection
Traffic baselining, Wireshark analysis, bandwidth monitoring, anomaly detection, and log analysis
Incident Response
First response, incident handling, SOAR, EDR/MDR/XDR, and forensic investigation workflow
Incident Prediction
BC/DR, risk management, attack surface reduction, and cyber threat intelligence
How to Pass the CND Exam
What You Need to Know
- Passing score: 60%-85% (cut score varies by exam form)
- Exam length: 100 questions
- Time limit: 4 hours
- Exam fee: $550 (ECC/RPS) or $650 (Pearson VUE)
Keys to Passing
- Complete 500+ practice questions
- Score 80%+ consistently before scheduling
- Focus on highest-weighted sections
- Use our AI tutor for tough concepts
CND Study Tips from Top Performers
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the CND exam format?
The current EC-Council CND exam uses 100 multiple-choice questions with a 4-hour time limit. The official training page lists exam code 312-38 and the July 1, 2025 CND Candidate Handbook confirms the 100-question, 4-hour format.
What passing score do I need for CND?
EC-Council states that the CND cut score varies by exam form. On current public CND pages, the passing range is presented as 60%-85%, which reflects form-based scoring rather than a single fixed percentage for every candidate.
How much does the CND exam cost?
Current EC-Council store pricing shows the CND RPS/ECC Exam Center voucher at $550 and the CND Pearson VUE voucher at $650. If you use the self-study route instead of official training, EC-Council also requires a non-refundable $100 eligibility application fee.
What are the eligibility requirements for self-study candidates?
If you do not complete official EC-Council training, you need at least 2 years of information security work experience, an educational background reflecting information security specialization, a completed eligibility application, and the $100 non-refundable application fee. Approved applications remain valid for 3 months, and the voucher is valid for 1 year from release.
How is the CND exam weighted?
The official CND v4 blueprint weights Network Defense Management at 10%, Network Perimeter Protection at 10%, Endpoint Protection at 20%, Application and Data Protection at 10%, Enterprise Virtual/Cloud/Wireless Network Protection at 15%, Incident Detection at 10%, Incident Response at 10%, and Incident Prediction at 15%. Endpoint Protection is the single largest domain.
Were there any 2026 CND policy or blueprint changes?
As of March 11, 2026, EC-Council has not publicly posted a new CND-specific 2026 blueprint or handbook revision. The latest visible CND changes remain the CND v4 blueprint effective April 10, 2024 and the CND Candidate Handbook v6.1 issued July 1, 2025. Broader EC-Council policies still in force include optional CE auto-renewal effective October 1, 2024 and RPS rescheduling fees introduced on October 17, 2023.
How do I maintain the CND certification?
CND remains valid for 3 years. To renew, EC-Council requires 120 ECE credits within that 3-year cycle and continuing education fees under its current member policy framework.