Cisco’s six domains, split into study areas
| Cisco domain (v1.1) | Cisco weight | Study areas here | Our estimate, by study area |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.0 Network Fundamentals | 20% | 1A Components and cabling, 1B IPv4 and subnetting, 1C IPv6 addressing; its wireless-basics and switching topics sit in 2C and 2A | 1A 9.2 · 1B 4.6 · 1C 3.1 · 2A 1.5 · 2C 1.5 |
| 2.0 Network Access | 20% | 2A Switching and VLANs, 2B Rapid PVST+ and EtherChannel, 2C Wireless LANs; its management-access topic sits in 4B | 2A 6.7 · 2B 4.4 · 2C 6.7 · 4B 2.2 |
| 3.0 IP Connectivity | 25% | 3A Routing and static routes, 3B OSPF and first-hop redundancy | 3A 15.0 · 3B 10.0 |
| 4.0 IP Services | 10% | 4A NAT, DHCP and DNS, 4B Management and QoS | 4A 3.3 · 4B 6.7 |
| 5.0 Security Fundamentals | 15% | 5A Security and VPNs, 5B ACLs and Layer 2 security; its two WPA topics sit in 2C | 5A 9.0 · 5B 3.0 · 2C 3.0 |
| 6.0 Automation and Programmability | 10% | 6A Automation, APIs and AI | 6A 10.0 |
Cisco publishes weights per domain only. Our estimate divides each domain’s weight evenly across its numbered topics and adds up the topics a study area covers, so it is our arithmetic, never a Cisco figure. Even splitting under-counts dense topics such as access control lists (ACLs) and over-counts short describe-only ones.
The blueprint by weight
The same 13 study areas in blueprint order, with our estimated share, the frames on each page and the trap concepts filed under it.
| Area | Study area | Weight (our estimate) | Frames on its page | Concepts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| L1 1A | Network components, cabling and TCP/UDP | ≈9% | 18 | 1 |
| IPv4 1B | IPv4 addressing and subnetting | ≈5% | 15 | 0 |
| IPv6 1C | IPv6 addressing | ≈3% | 15 | 0 |
| L2 2A | Switching, VLANs and trunking | ≈8% | 17 | 1 |
| STP 2B | Rapid PVST+ and EtherChannel | ≈4% | 15 | 2 |
| WLAN 2C | Wireless LANs | ≈11% | 19 | 1 |
| L3 3A | Routing table and static routes | ≈15% | 20 | 2 |
| OSPF 3B | Single-area OSPF and first-hop redundancy | ≈10% | 18 | 2 |
| SVC 4A | NAT, DHCP and DNS | ≈3% | 15 | 1 |
| MGMT 4B | Device management, NTP, SNMP, syslog and QoS | ≈9% | 17 | 1 |
| SEC 5A | Security concepts, passwords and VPNs | ≈9% | 18 | 1 |
| ACL 5B | ACLs and Layer 2 security | ≈3% | 15 | 2 |
| API 6A | Automation, APIs and AI | ≈10% | 18 | 2 |
Version 1.1 now, version 2.0 from February 3, 2027
| Point of comparison | Version 1.1 (live) | Version 2.0 (announced) |
|---|---|---|
| Exam code | 200-301 | 200-301 |
| Test dates (differs) | August 20, 2024 to February 2, 2027 | From February 3, 2027 |
| Exam length | 120 minutes | 120 minutes |
| Domain 1.0 (differs) | Network Fundamentals, 20% | Network Infrastructure and Connectivity, 25% |
| Domain 2.0 (differs) | Network Access, 20% | Switching and Network Access, 25% |
| Domain 3.0 (differs) | IP Connectivity, 25% | IP Routing, 20% |
| Domain 4.0 (differs) | IP Services, 10% | Network Services and Security, 20% |
| Domain 5.0 (differs) | Security Fundamentals, 15% | AI, and Network Operations and Management, 10% |
| Domain 6.0 (differs) | Automation and Programmability, 10% | no sixth domain |
| Automation tools named (differs) | Ansible and Terraform | Ansible |
≠ marks rows where the two differ.
Cisco says version 2.0 adds practical assessments and more troubleshooting tasks; the topic list leans on verbs such as troubleshoot and diagnose. Every study-area page notes where its topics land in version 2.0.
A route through the guide
Plan by weight, then confirm with frames. Cisco’s own CCNA FAQ suggests using the topic weights to budget study time and doing hands-on labs, and it names subnetting and the command line as the two places newcomers struggle most. That points to a starting order.
First: the address arithmetic
Open IPv4 addressing and subnetting before anything that routes. Its estimated share is small, but static routes, Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) network statements, Network Address Translation (NAT) pools and ACL wildcards all assume you can read a prefix at sight.
Then: the frame, then the packet
Move up the stack in blueprint order: switching and virtual LANs, or VLANs (2A), spanning tree and EtherChannel (2B), then the routing table (3A) and OSPF (3B). IP services, security and automation read faster once forwarding is settled, because each one acts on traffic you can already trace.
Throughout: the command line
Cisco recommends Packet Tracer and Cisco Modeling Labs (CML) for practice; CML has a free tier, per Cisco’s CCNA exam page. Type every command a study-area page shows you on a lab device instead of reading it twice.
To turn this order into weeks, the CCNA study plan lays out 4-, 8- and 12-week schedules weighted by the same estimates. To check where you stand before you start, take the mixed CCNA practice test and read its report by study area against the table above. If you started on version 1.0 material, the current CCNA version page lists what changed and when.
Complete contents
Every study area and every concept page under it. The hex offset beside each entry is its place in the guide.
- 0000L11A Network components, cabling and TCP/UDP
- 0001 TCP vs UDP
- 0010IPv41B IPv4 addressing and subnetting
- 0020IPv61C IPv6 addressing
- 0030L22A Switching, VLANs and trunking
- 0040STP2B Rapid PVST+ and EtherChannel
- 0050WLAN2C Wireless LANs
- 0051 WPA2 vs WPA3
- 0060L33A Routing table and static routes
- 0061 AD vs metric
- 0062 Longest prefix match
- 0070OSPF3B Single-area OSPF and first-hop redundancy
- 0071 OSPF DR/BDR election
- 0072 HSRP vs VRRP vs GLBP
- 0080SVC4A NAT, DHCP and DNS
- 0090MGMT4B Device management, NTP, SNMP, syslog and QoS
- 0091 SNMPv2c vs SNMPv3
- 00a0SEC5A Security concepts, passwords and VPNs
- 00a1 TACACS+ vs RADIUS
- 00b0ACL5B ACLs and Layer 2 security
- 00c0API6A Automation, APIs and AI
Exam facts
Short answers, each taken from a named Cisco page with the date it was checked: fee, format, version, registration, retakes, and the numbers Cisco does not publish.
Getting certified
What sits around the exam: requirements, renewal every three years, the Cisco certification ladder, and the occupation pay data the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) publishes.
Compare and choose
The CCNA next to CompTIA Network+, CCNP Enterprise and CCST Networking, and a dated comparison of courses, books, labs and practice exams.
References
- [1]Cisco Learning Network: CCNA exam topics (v1.1)domain names and weights. Checked October 29, 2026.
- [2]Cisco Learning Network: CCNA v2.0 exam topicsversion 2.0 domains and weights. Checked October 29, 2026.
- [3]Cisco Learning Network: certification roadmaps (CCNA tab)last v1.1 and first v2.0 test dates. Checked October 29, 2026.
- [4]Cisco: CCNA exam pageexam name, 120 minutes, Cisco Modeling Labs free tier. Checked October 29, 2026.
- [5]Cisco: CCNA certification page and FAQstudy advice: topic weights, labs, subnetting and the CLI. Checked October 29, 2026.