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Free CCNA practice · Tech

CCNA practice test: 4 free 200-301 questions, and the numbers Cisco will not publish

CCNA is a single 120-minute exam, Cisco 200-301, weighted toward IP connectivity at 25%, with network fundamentals and network access at 20% each. Cisco publishes the length and the six topic weights but not a question count and not a passing score. It costs $300, lasts three years, and Cisco warns the topics can change without notice.

Formally the Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA, exam 200-301). Awarding body: Cisco Systems, Inc.. Neuron Trainer is an independent study app and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by the organization that owns this exam.

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CCNA at a glance, with the source for every line

Every row below is quoted from a document published by Cisco and carries the date we checked it. Where Cisco publishes nothing, the row says so instead of quoting a number from somewhere else.

Exam code
200-301, currently at exam-topics version v1.1.Source: Cisco, 200-301 CCNA exam topics v1.1, verified 7 August 2026
Time limit
120 minutes.Source: Cisco, 200-301 CCNA exam topics v1.1, verified 7 August 2026
What it covers
Network fundamentals, network access, IP connectivity, IP services, security fundamentals, and automation and programmability.Source: Cisco, 200-301 CCNA exam topics v1.1, verified 7 August 2026
How stable the topics are
Cisco states that the published topics are general guidelines, that other related topics may appear on any specific delivery of the exam, and that the guidelines may change at any time without notice.Source: Cisco, 200-301 CCNA exam topics v1.1, verified 7 August 2026
Cisco’s own course
Implementing and Administering Cisco Solutions (CCNA) is the course Cisco names as preparation for this exam.Source: Cisco, 200-301 CCNA exam topics v1.1, verified 7 August 2026
Cost
$300 USD. Cisco’s own phrasing is “$375 USD instead of $300 USD for the CCNA”, the $375 being the optional Exam Safeguard bundle that adds one free retake within 90 days. The 200-301 exam-topics document itself carries no price, and Cisco warns that “promotions can change”, so treat $300 as the list price and confirm it when you book.Source: Cisco Learning blog, “Heard This About Cisco Exams? Let’s Set the Record Straight”, 31 March 2026, verified 7 August 2026
How long it stays valid
Three years. Cisco’s wording is “Most Cisco certifications—including CCNA—remain active for three years”. You can renew by retaking the same exam, by earning a higher-level certification, or by earning Continuing Education credits, and passing another exam restarts the three years from that pass date.Source: Cisco Learning blog, “Heard This About Cisco Exams? Let’s Set the Record Straight”, 31 March 2026, verified 7 August 2026
Question count
Not published by Cisco. Cisco does not publish a question count for 200-301. It publishes the 120-minute length and the six topic weights, and any specific number you see quoted is somebody’s estimate from their own sitting.Checked against: Cisco, 200-301 CCNA exam topics v1.1, verified 7 August 2026
Passing score
Not published by Cisco. Cisco does not publish a passing score for CCNA. Scores are scaled and the cut score is not disclosed, so the widely repeated "825 out of 1000" figure has no Cisco source behind it.Checked against: Cisco, 200-301 CCNA exam topics v1.1, verified 7 August 2026
Pass rate
Not published by Cisco. Cisco does not publish a CCNA pass rate.Checked against: Cisco, 200-301 CCNA exam topics v1.1, verified 7 August 2026

Always verify: Cisco states its published exam topics are guidelines that may change at any time without notice, and it sets pricing per country. Confirm the current topics and price with Cisco before you book.

What Cisco publishes as the official CCNA blueprint

These weights are Cisco's, quoted from the source below. They are the only weights on this page that describe the real exam.

Published by Cisco and verified on 7 August 2026.
AreaWeight Cisco publishes
Network fundamentals20%
Network access20%
IP connectivity25%
IP services10%
Security fundamentals15%
Automation and programmability10%

Scroll the table sideways to see every column.

Source: Cisco, 200-301 CCNA exam topics v1.1, verified 7 August 2026.

What our CCNA question bank covers

What this app's question bank covers — our own category shares across 650 questions, not Cisco's published blueprint.
CategoryQuestions in our bankShare of our bank
Network Fundamentals
OSI/TCP-IP, IPv4/IPv6, subnetting, cabling, wireless basics, virtualization
13020%
Network Access
VLANs, trunking (802.1Q), STP, EtherChannel, wireless LAN architecture
13020%
IP Connectivity
Static routing, OSPFv2 single-area, FHRP/HSRP, route selection logic
16224.9%
IP Services
NAT, NTP, DHCP, DNS, SNMP, syslog, QoS basics, SSH
6510%
Security Fundamentals
Device hardening, port security, ACLs, AAA, VPN basics, wireless security
9815.1%
Automation & Programmability
SDN, REST APIs, JSON, controller-based networking, DNA Center
6510%

Scroll the table sideways to see every column.

Try it

4 questions from our CCNA bank

Questions from our CCNA bank, weighted the way Cisco weights the 200-301 topics, with a full explanation on each.

CCNA · Free practice Every answer explained. No signup, no email wall.

  1. Question 1 of 4

    Router R1 and R2 are configured with HSRP on the same LAN segment. R1 has priority 110 and R2 has priority 100. R1 is currently the active router. R1 fails and R2 becomes active. When R1 comes back online, what will happen?
    Answer and explanation

    Correct answer: R2 remains the active router

    By default, HSRP does not use preemption. Even though R1 has higher priority (110 > 100), R2 will remain active when R1 rejoins because preemption is not enabled. R1 would only reclaim the active role if the 'standby preempt' command were configured. R1 immediately becoming active would require preempt to be configured. The speak state is a transitional state during initialization, not a steady state. MAC address is only used as a tiebreaker when priorities are equal, and priority already differs here.

  2. Question 2 of 4

    Two routers running OSPFv2 are directly connected but fail to form a neighbor adjacency. Both routers are in the same subnet. What is the MOST likely cause?
    Answer and explanation

    Correct answer: Mismatched OSPF hello and dead timers

    OSPF neighbors must have matching hello and dead timers to form adjacencies—default 10s hello and 40s dead on broadcast networks. Mismatched timers prevent the adjacency from establishing. Different router IDs are required, not problematic (each router must have a unique ID). Router priority only affects DR/BDR election, not adjacency formation. OSPF process IDs are locally significant only and do not need to match between routers. Other adjacency requirements include matching area IDs, subnet masks, authentication, and MTU.

  3. Question 3 of 4

    A network engineer needs to assign VLAN 20 to interface GigabitEthernet0/5 on a Cisco switch. Which command should be entered in interface configuration mode?
    Answer and explanation

    Correct answer: switchport access vlan 20

    The correct command is 'switchport access vlan 20' entered in interface configuration mode. This command assigns the interface to VLAN 20 as an access port. The standalone 'vlan 20' command is used in global configuration mode to create a VLAN, not assign it to an interface. 'switchport vlan 20' is not a valid IOS command syntax. 'set vlan 20' is legacy CatOS syntax from older Catalyst switches and is not used in modern IOS.

  4. Question 4 of 4

    A network automation script sends a REST API request to delete a VLAN, and the server responds with HTTP status code 204. What does this indicate?
    Answer and explanation

    Correct answer: The request was successful and no content is returned

    HTTP 204 No Content is correct—it indicates successful processing of the request with no response body. This is typical for DELETE operations where confirmation of deletion is sufficient without returning data. If the VLAN wasn't found, the server would return 404 Not Found. Authentication failures return 401 Unauthorized or 403 Forbidden. Internal server errors return 500 Internal Server Error. Understanding HTTP status codes is critical for error handling in automation scripts, as codes in the 2xx range indicate success, 4xx indicate client errors, and 5xx indicate server errors.

What actually trips people up on CCNA

HSRP does not preempt by default

Give R1 priority 110 and R2 priority 100, fail R1, and R2 takes over. Bring R1 back and it stays standby, because preemption is off unless you configure standby preempt. Higher priority does not reclaim the active role on its own, and this catches almost everyone the first time.

OSPF neighbors fail on timers, not on router IDs

Hello and dead timers must match. Area IDs, subnet masks, authentication and MTU must match. Router IDs must be different, and process IDs are locally significant and do not need to match at all. When an adjacency will not form, the exam is usually pointing at the timers.

IP connectivity is the heaviest domain at 25%

Routing table interpretation, forwarding decisions, static routes, single-area OSPFv2 and first-hop redundancy. It carries more weight than any other topic, and it is where subnetting fluency quietly pays for itself.

Automation is 10% and it is mostly REST and JSON

You are not expected to write production Python. You are expected to know what a 204 means when your DELETE succeeds, which HTTP verb maps to which CRUD operation, and what the control, data and management planes each do. It is 10% of the exam and it is very learnable.

Command syntax is exact

switchport access vlan 20 is right. switchport vlan 20 is not a command. set vlan 20 is legacy CatOS. vlan 20 on its own creates a VLAN in global config, it does not assign one to a port. Type the commands rather than reading them.

An 8-week study plan

Eight weeks, because this one rewards hands-on repetition. Our CCNA bank holds 650 questions across the six official topic areas at Cisco’s own weights, with 162 in IP connectivity.

Weeks 1–2: network fundamentals

20%. Components, topologies, cabling, TCP versus UDP, and IPv4 and IPv6 addressing. Get subnetting to the point where you do it without writing anything down.

Weeks 3–4: network access

20%. VLANs across switches, trunking, EtherChannel, Rapid PVST+, and wireless components and their management access. Configure it, do not just read it.

Weeks 5–6: IP connectivity, the 25%

Routing tables, forwarding decisions, static routing, single-area OSPFv2 and first-hop redundancy protocols. Two full weeks on the largest topic area.

Week 7: IP services and security fundamentals

25% combined. NAT, NTP, DHCP and DNS, syslog, QoS concepts and SSH, then access control lists, port security and wireless security.

Week 8: automation, then simulate

Cover the 10% automation topic, then sit 120-minute simulations. Because Cisco publishes no cut score, drill until your per-domain breakdown is consistently strong everywhere rather than aiming at a target percentage.

Is CCNA hard?

CCNA is the hardest exam in our tech slice to judge your readiness for, because Cisco publishes neither a question count nor a passing score. You get a 120-minute clock and six weighted topics, and that is the whole of what the vendor tells you. The widely repeated "825 out of 1000" has no Cisco source, so treating it as a target is guesswork.

The difficulty itself is that CCNA tests behavior, not vocabulary. It expects you to know that HSRP does not preempt unless you configure it, that OSPF adjacencies fail on mismatched timers while router IDs are supposed to differ, and that switchport access vlan 20 is the command while switchport vlan 20 is not. Reading about a switch does not produce that knowledge; configuring one does.

Our own bank of 650 questions puts 214 at difficulty 3 and 185 at difficulty 4, with IP connectivity carrying the most at 162 questions, matching its 25% weighting as the heaviest topic on the real exam.

How the CCNA differs from the exams beside it

CCNA is the only exam in our Tech family that expects you to have configured a device from a command line. Network+ asks what a VLAN is; CCNA asks which command assigns one and what happens on the wire when you get it wrong. It is also the only one here where the sponsor withholds both the question count and the passing score, which makes readiness harder to judge and makes drilling to consistency more important than chasing a number.

Questions people actually ask about the CCNA

How many questions are on the CCNA exam?

Cisco does not publish a question count. It publishes a 120-minute length and the topic weights, and that is all. Specific numbers quoted online come from candidates’ own sittings, not from Cisco.

What is the passing score for CCNA?

Cisco does not disclose it. Scores are scaled and the cut score is not published, so the widely repeated "825 out of 1000" has no Cisco source. Prepare to be consistently strong across all six topics rather than aiming at a number.

How long is the CCNA exam?

120 minutes for exam 200-301. That is the one timing figure Cisco publishes on its exam-topics document.

Is CCNA harder than Network+?

Generally yes, because it is vendor-specific and configuration-led. Network+ tests concepts and CompTIA’s model of them; CCNA tests Cisco IOS behavior, including defaults like HSRP preemption being off. Candidates who have never touched a switch feel the difference.

Do you need Network+ before CCNA?

No. Cisco sets no prerequisite for CCNA. Network+ first is a common path because it builds the vocabulary, but plenty of people go straight to CCNA with lab time instead.

How long should you study for CCNA?

Eight weeks, because this one rewards typing commands rather than reading about them: two on fundamentals, two on switching and access, two on IP connectivity, one on services and security, one on automation plus timed runs. Lab access matters more than extra reading.

Does CCNA cover automation and AI topics?

Automation and programmability is 10% of the v1.1 exam topics, covering REST APIs, data formats and the control, data and management planes. Check Cisco’s current exam-topics PDF before you book, since Cisco revises the list without changing the exam number.

Are these real CCNA exam questions?

No. These are original questions written from Cisco’s published 200-301 exam topics. Reproducing live items breaches Cisco’s exam security agreement and Cisco can revoke a certification over it. All 650 are ours, and the explanations cover the configuration reasoning rather than just naming the correct line.

Practice another Tech exam

IT, cloud & cybersecurity. Every one of these pages is built the same way: sourced facts, an honest admission where the sponsor publishes nothing, and free practice questions.

The app

The CCNA app is still in development

The CCNA app carries 650 questions across the six 200-301 topic areas at Cisco’s own weights, each with a full written explanation. It includes Smart Quiz, Topic Drill, a fixed-length 100-question Exam Simulator on a 120-minute clock matching Cisco’s exam length, and an AI tutor configured for Cisco material. It is not on the App Store yet.

  • Smart Quiz — keeps returning to the categories you keep missing
  • Topic Drill — one category at a time, on its own
  • Exam Simulator — a fixed-length timed paper (100 questions in 120 minutes, as this app sets it). It does not get harder as you go; the length and the mix are fixed.
  • AI tutor — re-explains any question in plain English
  • Progress tracking, reported per category
  • On-screen calculator
  • Study reminders
  • Light and dark themes

The app calls you ready at 82.5% on its own simulator. That is an in-app practice target we chose, not Cisco's passing standard.

Not on the App Store yet. This one is still in development, so there is nothing to download today. The practice questions above are the whole of what we can give you right now, and they are free and complete. See where it sits in the queue, or browse the apps that are live.

Cisco will not tell you the pass mark.

So be strong everywhere instead. The CCNA app is in development; the practice questions and verified 200-301 facts on this page are free now, with no signup.

See the apps that are live

Sources, and when we last checked them

This page was last reviewed on . The 7 facts quoted above were last checked against their sources on . Where Cisco publishes nothing, the table above says so rather than guessing.

Cisco, CCNA and Cisco Certified Network Associate are trademarks of Cisco Systems, Inc. Neuron Trainer is an independent study aid and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Cisco.