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Free ENCOR 350-401 Exam Prep

Implementing Cisco Enterprise Network Core Technologies (ENCOR 350-401) v1.2

Prepare for the ENCOR 350-401 exam without spending hundreds on expensive prep courses. Free study guides, practice questions, flashcards, and related exam resources.

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Your Study Path

ENCOR Cisco Certifications License: Complete Roadmap

Follow this path to organize your licensing and exam preparation

1

Phase 1: Architecture and DesignYou are here

Master 2-tier vs 3-tier campus, FHRP/SSO, Catalyst SD-WAN (vBond/vManage/vSmart, OMP, TLOC), SD-Access (LISP, VXLAN, fabric roles), and QoS interpretation.

40
hours
2

Phase 2: Virtualization and Overlays

Learn Type 1/2 hypervisors and vSwitch behavior, VRF, GRE/IPsec tunneling, LISP control plane, and VXLAN with BGP EVPN.

30
hours
3

Phase 3: Infrastructure (Largest Domain)

Drill 802.1Q trunking, EtherChannels (LACP/PAgP), RSTP/MST with root and BPDU guard, OSPFv2/v3 areas including NSSA, eBGP best path, PBR, NTP/PTP, NAT/PAT, HSRP/VRRP, and multicast (PIM SM, Auto-RP/BSR, anycast RP, MSDP, SSM, BIDIR).

70
hours
4

Phase 4: Assurance and Programmability

Practice debugs and conditional debugs, Flexible NetFlow, SPAN/RSPAN/ERSPAN, IP SLA, Catalyst Center AI workflows, NETCONF, and RESTCONF.

30
hours
5

Phase 5: Security and Automation/AI

Configure local users and AAA (TACACS+/RADIUS), ACLs, CoPP, REST API security, TrustSec/SGT, MACsec; learn Python basics, JSON/YANG, Catalyst Center and SD-WAN Manager APIs, REST response codes, EEM applets, and agent vs agentless orchestration (Ansible/Terraform/Puppet/Chef).

40
hours
Start this step
Estimated total study time
210 hours
That's about 21 weeks at 10 hours/week

Can You Take the ENCOR 350-401 Exam?

Check if you meet the basic eligibility requirements

Age
Education
No formal education requirement
Experience
Cisco recommends 3-5 years of hands-on enterprise networking experience and CCNA-level fundamentals.
Additional Requirements
  • •Pearson VUE delivery either at a physical test center or online via OnVUE proctoring
  • •Cisco professional certifications are valid for three years and require recertification
  • •Passing 350-401 alone earns the Cisco Certified Specialist - Enterprise Core badge
  • •ENCOR is the qualifying core exam for both CCNP Enterprise and CCIE Enterprise Infrastructure

ENCOR 350-401 Quick Facts

Time to Get Licensed

12-20 weeks of focused review for candidates with CCNA-level networking experience

From start to license in hand

Exam Provider

Pearson VUE

Remote Testing Available
Schedule Your Exam

Retake Policy

Cisco enforces a 5 calendar day wait between attempts on the same exam, and a maximum of 4 attempts per rolling 12-month period for the same exam ID.

Total Cost Breakdown

Exam FeeUS$400
Total Estimated CostUS$400-US$2,500+ depending on training choices
Why Choose Us

Free ENCOR 350-401 Prep Tools

Reported exam pass rate: Cisco does not publish public pass-rate data for the 350-401 ENCOR exam.. These figures describe exam candidates, not OpenExamPrep user outcomes. Check the exam sponsor’s website for published statistics.

100 Practice Questions

Cisco 350-401 ENCOR questions weighted to the official six-domain v1.2 blueprint.

Real Cisco Syntax

Covers IOS-XE configuration, show output, NETCONF/RESTCONF, and Catalyst Center API patterns.

Refreshed for 2026

Review the ENCOR v1.2 blueprint that went live March 19, 2026 (wireless removed, AI added).

Free Access

Detailed explanations on every question - including why each wrong answer is wrong.

Compare:
Kaplan $300+•Achievable $200+•OpenExamPrep $0

What You'll Study

17 chapters covering the exam topics in this guide

ENCOR 350-401 Exam Details

Implementing Cisco Enterprise Network Core Technologies (ENCOR 350-401) v1.2

Administered by Cisco

Official Source
Variable scaled cut score; Cisco does not publish 350-401 passing percentage (commonly reported around 825/1000)
Passing Score
Approximately
Questions
120
Minutes
US$400 registration fee
Exam Fee
Study time: Roughly 200-350 hours of focused review for engineers with CCNA-level production experience; longer if SD-WAN, SD-Access, or programmability are new.
Prerequisites: No formal prerequisite; Cisco recommends 3-5 years of enterprise networking experience and CCNA-level fundamentals.
Valid for: 3 years

Exam Content Breakdown

Based on the official Cisco content outline

Architecture15%

Enterprise design (2-tier, 3-tier, fabric, cloud), high availability with FHRP and SSO, Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN control/data planes (vBond, vManage, vSmart, OMP, TLOC), Cisco SD-Access control/data planes (LISP, VXLAN, edge/border/CP nodes), traditional campus interop, and QoS configuration interpretation.

Virtualization10%

Device virtualization (Type 1/2 hypervisors, virtual machines, virtual switching), data path virtualization (VRF, GRE, IPsec tunneling), and network virtualization concepts (LISP, VXLAN).

Infrastructure30%

Layer 2 (802.1Q trunking troubleshooting, EtherChannels with LACP/PAgP, RSTP and MST, root guard, BPDU guard); Layer 3 (EIGRP vs OSPF concepts, OSPFv2/v3 multi-area design, eBGP between directly connected neighbors, policy-based routing); IP services (NTP/PTP, NAT/PAT, HSRP/VRRP, multicast with RPF, PIM SM, IGMP v2/v3, SSM, BIDIR-PIM, MSDP).

Network Assurance10%

Diagnosing problems with debugs, conditional debugs, traceroute, ping, SNMP, syslog; Flexible NetFlow; SPAN/RSPAN/ERSPAN; IP SLA configuration and verification; Cisco Catalyst Center (formerly DNA Center) traditional and AI-powered workflows; NETCONF and RESTCONF configuration and verification.

Security20%

Device access control (lines, local user authentication, AAA with TACACS+/RADIUS), infrastructure security features (ACLs, CoPP), REST API security (token auth, TLS, rate limiting), and network security design components (threat defense, endpoint security, next-generation firewall, TrustSec/SGT, MACsec).

Automation and Artificial Intelligence15%

Python basics (data types, requests, ncclient), JSON syntax and parsing, YANG data modeling, Cisco Catalyst Center and SD-WAN Manager APIs, REST response codes and payloads with RESTCONF, EEM applets for event-driven automation, and agent vs agentless orchestration tools (Ansible, Puppet, Chef, Terraform).

What's Included

17 Chapters

Complete exam coverage

Practice Quizzes

With detailed explanations

Free to Start

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What's Next After the ENCOR 350-401?

After passing the ENCOR 350-401, you can pursue these career paths

ENCOR 350-401 Exam FAQ

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