Cisco Implementing and Operating Cisco Enterprise Network Core Technologies (350‑401 ENCOR) Practice Exams
About the Cisco 350-401 ENCOR exam
Exam at a glance
Professional tier. The Core exam for both CCNP Enterprise and CCIE Enterprise written. 90–110 questions, 120 minutes, scaled passing score, $400 USD. Valid 3 years plus CE-credit recertification.
Dual role: CCNP and CCIE
350-401 ENCOR is uniquely positioned in Cisco's certification track. It satisfies two paths simultaneously:
- CCNP Enterprise = ENCOR + one Concentration exam (e.g. 300-410 ENARSI, 300-415 ENSDWI, 300-420 ENSLD).
- CCIE Enterprise Infrastructure / Wireless written — pass ENCOR, then book the 8-hour lab within 3 years.
Passing 350-401 on its own also earns the standalone Cisco Certified Specialist - Enterprise Core badge, so the exam delivers a credential even before you complete a full track.
Domain weighting
- Architecture — 15%
- Virtualization — 10%
- Infrastructure — 30%
- Network Assurance — 10%
- Security — 20%
- Automation and Artificial Intelligence — 15%
Prerequisites
No formal prerequisites — Cisco removed the CCNA requirement for CCNP-level exams. Cisco recommends three to five years of hands-on enterprise networking experience. Most successful candidates hold a current CCNA (200-301) and have spent two-plus years configuring Cisco gear in production.
Why take this certification
- Single test, two career tracks. No other Cisco professional exam satisfies both CCNP Enterprise and a CCIE written. ENCOR is the most leveraged exam in Cisco's portfolio for enterprise-track engineers.
- Senior-engineer credential. CCNP Enterprise is a long-standing benchmark in network engineering job descriptions and signals real production-grade enterprise routing/switching/wireless ability.
- Gateway to CCIE. Passing 350-401 starts the 3-year clock for the CCIE Enterprise Infrastructure (or Wireless) lab — Cisco's highest-tier expert credential.
- CE-credit value. ENCOR is worth 40 Continuing Education credits, which can keep your other Cisco professional certifications current without sitting another full exam.
What you'll learn in the 350-401 ENCOR exam
ENCOR is deliberately broad — Cisco wants senior engineers who can speak fluently across architecture, infrastructure, security, and automation. Most questions are scenario-driven, often presenting partial configs, show-command output, or topology diagrams.
Enterprise architecture
- Traditional 2-tier (collapsed core) vs 3-tier (core / distribution / access) campus designs and when to choose each.
- Fabric overlays — VXLAN encapsulation, LISP control plane, underlay vs overlay separation.
- Cisco SD-WAN with Viptela — vBond / vSmart / vManage roles, OMP control plane, IPsec tunnels, application-aware routing.
- Cisco SD-Access with DNA Center — fabric edges, control plane nodes, border nodes, host onboarding, virtual networks.
Virtualization
- Hypervisor types (Type 1 vs Type 2), virtual switching primitives, network function virtualization (NFV).
- VM networking on Cisco UCS — VIC adapters, fabric interconnects, port profiles.
- Virtual Routing and Forwarding (VRF), Generic Routing Encapsulation (GRE), IPsec at concept level.
Infrastructure (largest domain)
- Routing: advanced OSPF (LSA types, area design, route summarization), BGP (eBGP vs iBGP, route reflectors, MP-BGP for VPN, attributes/path selection), EIGRP review (DUAL, metrics).
- Switching: advanced STP — RSTP and MST, EtherChannel (PAgP/LACP, load balancing), first-hop redundancy (HSRP, VRRP, GLBP) including authentication and tracking.
- Wireless: WLC architecture, AP modes (local, FlexConnect, monitor), CAPWAP control/data planes, roaming (intra/inter-controller), antenna theory basics.
- IP services: NAT/PAT advanced cases, multicast at concept level (PIM-SM, IGMP), NTP with authentication, QoS (classification, marking, queuing, policing, shaping).
Network assurance
- NETCONF and RESTCONF protocols, YANG data models — the modern programmability stack.
- NetFlow / IPFIX for traffic analytics; SPAN, RSPAN, and ERSPAN for packet capture.
- Cisco DNA Center Assurance — client health, network health, AI/ML-driven path trace.
- Embedded Event Manager (EEM) for on-device automation triggered by syslog or SNMP.
Security
- Device hardening (console/AUX/VTY security, password encryption, role-based CLI).
- Control Plane Policing (CoPP) — protecting the route processor from control-plane DoS.
- AAA with TACACS+ and RADIUS — server groups, method lists, command authorization.
- ACLs (standard, extended, time-based), port security, DHCP snooping, Dynamic ARP Inspection (DAI).
- MACsec (802.1AE) for hop-by-hop wire encryption.
Automation
- Python basics for network engineers — data types, control flow, requests library, Netmiko / NAPALM.
- Ansible modules for Cisco IOS-XE / NX-OS — idempotency, inventory, playbooks.
- JSON and YAML — reading, writing, transforming, schema awareness.
- REST APIs against Cisco DNA Center, ACI APIC, and Meraki Dashboard.
- Embedded Event Manager (EEM) scripts for triggered on-device actions.
How the practice exams help
Each free question and every premium exam mirrors the scenario-driven format Cisco uses — partial configs, topology context, multi-step reasoning. Detailed explanations cover not just why the right answer is right but why the distractors are wrong, so you learn the protocol trade-offs (RSTP vs MST, HSRP vs VRRP, eBGP vs iBGP) rather than memorising answers.
How to prepare for the 350-401 ENCOR exam
ENCOR is a wide exam, so successful preparation balances book study with deliberate hands-on lab time. Recommended approach for someone holding a current CCNA with two-plus years of Cisco production experience:
- Study the six domains (6–10 weeks). Work through the official Cisco 350-401 exam topics domain by domain. The Cisco Press CCNP and CCIE Enterprise Core ENCOR 350-401 Official Cert Guide is the canonical text. Focus extra time on Infrastructure (~30%) and Security (~20%) — they carry half the exam between them.
- Hands-on labs (4–8 weeks, in parallel). Run Cisco Modeling Labs (CML) — it's the official replacement for VIRL and runs IOS-XE / IOS-XR / NX-OS images. Build a small SD-WAN lab, a multi-area OSPF + BGP topology, and a wireless WLC + AP simulation. Pair CML with DevNet sandboxes for DNA Center and ACI hands-on without buying hardware.
- Automation week (1–2 weeks). If you have never written Python or used Ansible, dedicate a focused week. Cisco DevNet's free learning labs walk through requests, Netmiko, Ansible, and REST APIs to DNA Center with working examples — exactly the surface area ENCOR tests.
- Practice exams (2–3 weeks). Take timed full-length tests and review every wrong answer with the explanation. Aim for consistent 85%+ before scheduling — the scaled passing score is unpublished, so over-shoot the bar.
Recommended timeline
16–24 weeks of focused study (10–15 hours per week) for current CCNA holders with two-plus years hands-on Cisco experience. Add 4–6 weeks for engineers without recent BGP / wireless / automation exposure.
Official resources
Start with the official Cisco 350-401 ENCOR exam topics page on the Cisco Learning Network. Pair the Cisco Press CCNP and CCIE Enterprise Core ENCOR 350-401 Official Cert Guide with Cisco Modeling Labs for hands-on practice and Cisco DevNet sandboxes for DNA Center / ACI / SD-WAN labs without owning hardware.
Frequently asked questions
Are these actual exam questions?
No. All Nex Arc Cisco 350-401 ENCOR practice questions are original content based on the provider's published exam blueprint, official documentation, and real-world scenarios across every topic the exam covers. We do not offer brain dumps, leaked questions, or actual exam content. Using or distributing real exam questions violates certification provider agreements and can result in certification revocation.
How many questions are in the Cisco 350-401 ENCOR exam?
Cisco does not publish an exact question count for the 350-401 ENCOR exam, but candidates typically report 90 to 110 questions delivered in 120 minutes. Item types include multiple choice, multiple response, drag-and-drop, and simlets / testlets. Once you move past a question Cisco does not let you go back, so commit to each answer before clicking next.
What's the 350-401 ENCOR passing score?
Cisco does not publish a fixed passing score for 350-401. Scoring is scaled and the cut score is set by Cisco using statistical analysis of item difficulty. Aim for consistent 85%+ on full-length practice tests with detailed explanations — that gives a comfortable safety margin against the unknown scaled cut.
How do I access the full 350-401 ENCOR practice exam?
Click the Buy Now button in the sidebar to purchase the complete Cisco 350-401 ENCOR course. After payment you get instant access to 10 practice exams with detailed explanations on every option, and lifetime access to updates.
What are the prerequisites for the 350-401 ENCOR exam?
There are no formal prerequisites — Cisco removed the CCNA requirement for CCNP-level exams several years ago. That said, Cisco recommends three to five years of hands-on experience implementing enterprise networking solutions before attempting ENCOR. Most successful candidates hold a current CCNA (200-301) and have spent at least two years configuring Cisco routers, switches, and wireless gear in production.
How long is the 350-401 ENCOR certification valid?
Passing 350-401 grants the Cisco Certified Specialist - Enterprise Core badge plus the Core component toward CCNP Enterprise / CCIE Enterprise — all valid for three years. You can recertify by retaking 350-401, passing a higher-level Cisco exam, or earning Continuing Education (CE) credits through Cisco's CE program. ENCOR is worth 40 CE credits when used to recertify other Cisco professional-level certifications.
What's the exam cost and can I retake it if I fail?
The 350-401 ENCOR exam costs $400 USD (plus local taxes), delivered through Pearson VUE at testing centres or via online proctoring. If you fail, Cisco enforces a five-day waiting period before your next attempt, and after four failed attempts you must wait six months. Each retake is full price — Cisco does not offer fail-and-retake discount vouchers. Practice thoroughly before your first attempt.
What does ENCOR cover and what topics are most heavily tested?
ENCOR is the broad Core exam covering six domains: Architecture (~15%), Virtualization (~10%), Infrastructure (~30%), Network Assurance (~10%), Security (~20%), and Automation (~15%). Infrastructure is the largest single domain — expect heavy emphasis on advanced OSPF, BGP (eBGP/iBGP, route reflectors, MP-BGP), wireless WLC architecture, advanced STP (RSTP/MST), EtherChannel, and HSRP/VRRP/GLBP. Security and Automation together are ~35% — device hardening, CoPP, AAA (TACACS+/RADIUS), MACsec, Python/Ansible, REST APIs to DNA Center, and YANG/NETCONF/RESTCONF show up frequently.
Does 350-401 ENCOR give me CCNP Enterprise on its own?
No — CCNP Enterprise requires passing two exams: the 350-401 ENCOR Core plus one Concentration exam of your choice (e.g. 300-410 ENARSI for advanced routing, 300-415 ENSDWI for SD-WAN, 300-420 ENSLD for network design, or 300-425 ENWLSD for wireless design). Passing just 350-401 still earns you the standalone Cisco Certified Specialist - Enterprise Core badge, so the exam delivers value even if you delay the Concentration.
How does 350-401 ENCOR relate to the CCIE Enterprise Infrastructure certification?
350-401 ENCOR serves a dual role: it is also the qualifying written exam for both CCIE Enterprise Infrastructure and CCIE Enterprise Wireless. After passing 350-401 you have three years to schedule and pass the 8-hour CCIE Enterprise Infrastructure (or Wireless) lab exam. The lab books up months in advance and costs $1,600 USD per attempt, so most candidates use the CCNP Enterprise path (ENCOR + Concentration) as a credentialed checkpoint while preparing for the lab.