CCNP ENCOR study guide · 2026

The 6 CCNP ENCOR domains, explained

6 domains and 27 official exam topics. Infrastructure carries the most weight at 30%. Each guide explains what the domain covers, how its questions are framed and where candidates lose marks.

Start with Domain 3 See all domains
Questions
Not published by Cisco (commonly reported as 90–110 items)
Time
120 minutes
Passing score
Not published by Cisco (set statistically and subject to change)
Outline
350-401 ENCOR v1.2 exam topics, effective March 19, 2026 (current)

Exam blueprint

Bar widths follow the official weights. Weight ranges are drawn at their midpoint.

  1. 1 15%
  2. 2 10%
  3. 3 30%
  4. 4 10%
  5. 5 20%
  6. 6 15%
  1. 1 Architecture
  2. 2 Virtualization
  3. 3 Infrastructure
  4. 4 Network Assurance
  5. 5 Security
  6. 6 Automation and Artificial Intelligence

All 6 domains

27 official exam topics 165–235 hrs suggested study

  1. Domain 01 15%

    Architecture

    Architecture is where ENCOR asks you to think like a designer: which campus model fits, how Catalyst SD-WAN and SD-Access split their planes, and what a QoS policy really does to traffic.

    Inside this domain

    • Explain the different design principles used in an enterprise network
    • Explain the working principles of the Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN solution
    • Explain the working principles of the Cisco SD-Access solution
    • Interpret QoS configurations

    Watch for Controller loss means outage

    Exam topics
    4
    Questions est.
    14–17
    Study time est.
    25–35 hrs
  2. Domain 02 10%

    Virtualization

    Virtualization covers hypervisors, VRFs, GRE and IPsec tunnels, LISP and VXLAN: the separation and encapsulation tools that SD-Access, SD-WAN and multi-tenant designs are built from.

    Inside this domain

    • Describe device virtualization technologies
    • Configure and verify data path virtualization technologies
    • Describe network virtualization concepts

    Watch for Global ping for VRF test

    Exam topics
    3
    Questions est.
    9–11
    Study time est.
    15–25 hrs
  3. Domain 03 30%

    Infrastructure

    Infrastructure is the largest ENCOR domain: switching, routing and IP services you must troubleshoot, configure and verify, from EtherChannel negotiation and OSPF adjacencies to eBGP path selection and multicast.

    Inside this domain

    • Layer 2
    • Layer 3
    • IP Services

    Watch for Network statement without a matching route

    Exam topics
    3
    Questions est.
    27–33
    Study time est.
    50–70 hrs
  4. Domain 04 10%

    Network Assurance

    Network Assurance is about proving the network works and finding out why it does not: debugs, syslog and SNMP, Flexible NetFlow, traffic mirroring, IP SLA, Catalyst Center and model-driven NETCONF and RESTCONF access.

    Inside this domain

    • Diagnose network problems using such as debugs, conditional debugs, traceroute, ping, SNMP, and syslog
    • Configure and verify Flexible NetFlow
    • Configure SPAN/RSPAN/ERSPAN
    • Configure and verify IPSLA
    • and 2 more exam topics

    Watch for Debug with no output over SSH

    Exam topics
    6
    Questions est.
    9–11
    Study time est.
    15–25 hrs
  5. Domain 05 20%

    Security

    Security is the second-largest ENCOR domain: locking down device access with lines, local users and AAA, protecting the control plane with ACLs and CoPP, securing REST APIs, and knowing the parts of a network security design.

    Inside this domain

    • Configure and verify device access control
    • Configure and verify infrastructure security features
    • Describe REST API security
    • Describe the components of network security design

    Watch for Local fallback after rejection

    Exam topics
    4
    Questions est.
    18–22
    Study time est.
    35–45 hrs
  6. Domain 06 15%

    Automation and Artificial Intelligence

    Automation and Artificial Intelligence tests whether you can read the code and data that run modern networks: Python scripts, JSON payloads, YANG models, controller APIs, REST responses, EEM applets and orchestration tools.

    Inside this domain

    • Interpret basic Python components and scripts
    • Construct valid JSON-encoded files
    • Describe the high-level principles and benefits of a data modeling language, such as YANG
    • Describe APIs for Cisco Catalyst Center and SD-WAN Manager
    • and 3 more exam topics

    Watch for Python booleans in JSON

    Exam topics
    7
    Questions est.
    14–17
    Study time est.
    25–35 hrs

Study the heaviest domains first

Marks follow weight. This order puts the most marks behind you first, across about 165–235 hrs of study.

  1. 3 Infrastructure 30% · 50–70 hrs
  2. 5 Security 20% · 35–45 hrs
  3. 1 Architecture 15% · 25–35 hrs
  4. 6 Automation and Artificial Intelligence 15% · 25–35 hrs
  5. 2 Virtualization 10% · 15–25 hrs
  6. 4 Network Assurance 10% · 15–25 hrs

Try one

Practice questionDomain 3: Infrastructure

Two routers on a shared Ethernet segment show each other in show ip ospf neighbor, but the adjacency stays in EXSTART. Area IDs, hello and dead timers, and authentication settings match on both routers. What is the most likely cause?

One trap from every domain

The answer that looks right, and the clue that gives it away.

  • Domain 1

    Controller loss means outage

    Clue The question asks what happens to existing traffic, not to new configuration.

  • Domain 2

    Global ping for VRF test

    Clue The interfaces in the exhibit show vrf forwarding, but the test command has no VRF name.

  • Domain 3

    Network statement without a matching route

    Clue The routing table holds only more-specific /24 routes, and no static route to Null0 or aggregate exists.

  • Domain 4

    Debug with no output over SSH

    Clue The engineer is connected remotely through SSH.

  • Domain 5

    Local fallback after rejection

    Clue The scenario says the server is reachable and responded.

  • Domain 6

    Python booleans in JSON

    Clue The answer choices differ only in capitalization or quoting of values.

Other Networking certifications

Study guides for exams that overlap with CCNP ENCOR.

Practise what you read

CCNP ENCOR domains: common questions

How many domains are in the CCNP ENCOR exam?

CCNP ENCOR has 6 domains with 27 official exam topics between them: Architecture, Virtualization, Infrastructure, Network Assurance, Security and Automation and Artificial Intelligence.

Which CCNP ENCOR domain carries the most weight?

Infrastructure is the heaviest at 30%, followed by Security (20%). The lightest is Network Assurance (10%). Weights come from Cisco's official outline.

What is the CCNP ENCOR exam format?

Questions: Not published by Cisco (commonly reported as 90–110 items). Time allowed: 120 minutes. Passing score: Not published by Cisco (set statistically and subject to change).

How long should I study for CCNP ENCOR?

Our planning estimate is 165–235 hrs across all domains, split by weight. It is an editorial estimate, not an official figure, so adjust it to your experience and to how you score on practice questions.

Where should I start?

Start with Infrastructure, because it carries the most marks, then work down by weight. Use the checklist on each domain page to confirm you can do what the domain asks before moving on.

Which outline is this guide based on?

This guide follows 350-401 ENCOR v1.2 exam topics, effective March 19, 2026 (current), published by Cisco. It was last reviewed in October 2026.

Domain names, weights and exam topics come from Cisco's official outline (350-401 ENCOR v1.2 exam topics, effective March 19, 2026 (current)). Question counts and study hours are editorial planning estimates, not official figures. Last reviewed October 2026.