On February 24, 2020, Cisco drastically transformed its certification program. From multiple CCNA exams and certifications to a single comprehensive exam. Before, the old CCNA certification program offered multiple concentration exams for different learning paths. Now, the specialization for different Cisco technologies is chosen at the CCNP level.
To be certified in the old CCNP curriculum, you must pass 3-4 separate written exams. In the new CCNP curriculum, you would only need to pass two exams, one core exam and one concentration exam.
Older CCNP Certificates
Your CCNP certification acquired under the old curriculum will be active until its expiration date. If you had an active CCNP certification in February 2020, it was automatically transitioned to an equivalent in the new program. Listed below are the old CCNP certifications and their new curriculum equivalent.
| Old CCNP Certifications | New CCNP Certification Equivalent |
| CCDP | CCNP Enterprise |
| CCNP Cloud | CCNP Data Center |
| CCNP Collaboration | CCNP Collaboration |
| CCNP Data Center | CCNP Data Center |
| CCNP Routing and Switching | CCNP Enterprise |
| CCNP Security | CCNP Security |
| CCNP Service Provider | CCNP Service Provider |
| CCNP Wireless | CCNP Enterprise |
About CCNP
Your specialization will begin when you decide to go for your CCNP certification. The biggest news regarding the CCNP exam is that you will no longer be required to pass the CCNA exam in order to take the CCNP exam.
As of February 2020, the following CCNP tracks are available. You can see that there are tracks that are retained and there are new tracks as well.
- CCNP Collaboration
- CCNP Data Center
- CCNP Enterprise
- CCNP Security
- CCNP Service Provider
- CyberOps Professional
- DevNet Professional
To earn any of the CCNP certifications listed above, you need to pass two exams: a technology core exam (covers foundational and common concepts) and a concentration exam (a deeper dive into the technology). For each track, you have a single core exam and multiple concentration exams you can choose from.
CCNP 350-401 ENCOR Curriculum
The CCNP 350-401 ENCOR exam, “Implementing Cisco Enterprise Network Core Technologies”, is a 120-minute long exam with around 100 questions on the following topics:
- Dual Stack (IPv4 and IPv6) Architecture – Enterprise Network Design, WLAN Design, On-premises and Cloud Deployments, SD-WAN, SD-Access, QoS, Switching Mechanisms
- Virtualization – Device Virtualization, Data Path Virtualization, Network Virtualization
- Infrastructure – 802.1q, EtherChannel, STP, EIGRP, OSPF, BGP, Wireless Infrastructure, IP Services
- Network Assurance – Network Diagnostic Tools, Syslog, NetFlow, SPAN/RSPAN/ERSPAN, IPSLA, Cisco DNA Center, NETCONF and RESTCONF
- Security – Passwords, AAA, ACLs, CoPP, Wireless Security, Network Security Design
- Automation – Python, JSON, YANG, APIs, Cisco IOS EEM, Chef, Puppet, Ansible, and SaltStack
Cisco has reserved the right to change the exam topics guidelines at any time without notice.
CCNP Enterprise Concentration Exams
To obtain the CCNP Enterprise “Implementing Cisco Enterprise Network Core Technologies” certification, you will need to pass the 350-401 ENCOR core exam and one of the following concentration exams.
- ENARSI 300-410 Implementing Cisco Enterprise Advanced Routing and Services
ENARSI focuses on implementing and troubleshooting advanced routing technologies and services, including Layer 3 and VPN technologies, and infrastructure security, services, and automation.
- ENSDWI 300-415 Implementing Cisco SD-WAN Solutions
ENSDWI concentrates on SD-WAN solutions, such as its architecture, controller deployment, edge router deployment, policies, security, QoS, management, and operations.
- ENSLD 300-420 Designing Cisco Enterprise Networks
ENSLD covers the enterprise network design with the advanced topics in addressing, routing solutions, and enterprise campus networks. WAN, automation, and security and network services are also included.
- ENWLSD 300-425 Designing Cisco Enterprise Wireless Networks
ENWLSD tests you on wireless network design, consisting of site surveys, wired and wireless infrastructures, mobility, and WLAN high availability topics.
- ENWLSI 300-430 Implementing Cisco Enterprise Wireless Networks
ENWLSI evaluates your knowledge on wireless network implementation, including the topics on FlexConnect, QoS, multicast, location services, client connectivity security, monitoring, and device hardening.
- ENAUTO 300-435 Implementing Automation for Cisco Enterprise Solutions
ENAUTO covers enterprise automated solutions that involve network programming, API and protocol automation, controllers, and automation tools.
CCNP Enterprise Exam
The CCNP exam doesn’t have a prerequisite, so you don’t need to have a CCNA to take the CCNP exam. You can take either the CCNP core or concentration exam directly. The CCNP ENCOR 350-401 exam cost is $400, and the concentration exams are $300 each.
CCIE Enterprise
For the CCIE Enterprise exam, you would need to pass the CCNP ENCOR 350-401 exam as a prerequisite. If you passed the CCNP ENCOR exam, you can take the CCIE Enterprise Infrastructure Lab Exam and/or the CCIE Enterprise Wireless Lab Exam and pass it to become CCIE Enterprise certified.
Download our Free CCNA Study Guide PDF for complete notes on all the CCNA 200-301 exam topics in one book.
We recommend the Cisco CCNA Gold Bootcamp as your main CCNA training course. It’s the highest rated Cisco course online with an average rating of 4.8 from over 30,000 public reviews and is the gold standard in CCNA training:
