What the Cisco 350-401 ENCOR is and who it is for
The 350-401 ENCOR, Implementing Cisco Enterprise Network Core Technologies, is the core exam for CCNP Enterprise. Passing it does double duty: it also satisfies the written exam requirement for CCIE Enterprise Infrastructure and CCIE Enterprise Wireless. It validates advanced knowledge across dual stack architecture, virtualisation, enterprise infrastructure, network assurance, security and automation.
It is aimed at network engineers who already run enterprise networks and want the professional level credential. Cisco sets no formal prerequisites, and the CCNA is no longer mandatory before you attempt a CCNP exam.
ENCOR on its own does not complete the CCNP Enterprise. After passing it you need one concentration exam, which costs US$300, to finish the certification. The current ENCOR blueprint is v1.2.
Cisco 350-401 ENCOR at a glance
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Exam code | 350-401 |
| Time allowed | 120 minutes |
| Passing score | Not publicly disclosed by Cisco |
| Exam fee | US$400 per attempt |
| Where you sit it | Pearson VUE testing centres and online proctored |
| Certification valid for | 3 years |
What is on the exam
The v1.2 blueprint has six domains. Infrastructure and security together make up half the exam, so they should take half your study time.
Architecture (15%). How enterprise networks are designed: campus and WAN design principles, the trade offs between different topologies, and the architectures Cisco uses for software defined campus and WAN. Questions ask you to pick the design that meets a requirement, not to configure it.
Virtualisation (10%). Device, path and network virtualisation: how a single physical network is carved into separate logical ones, and the technologies that carry traffic between them. Expect questions that test whether you understand what each virtualisation technique isolates and what it does not.
Infrastructure (30%). The largest domain and the one closest to daily engineering work: layer 2 and layer 3 configuration, routing protocol behaviour, wireless infrastructure and IP services. This is where the exam gets hands on, with configurations and outputs you have to read and interpret quickly.
Network assurance (10%). How you know the network is working: monitoring, telemetry, logging and the diagnostic tools used to find and fix problems.
Security (20%). Securing the network infrastructure itself: device access control, infrastructure security features, wireless security and the components of a Cisco security architecture.
Automation and artificial intelligence (15%). Renamed in v1.2 from the old automation domain, with AI era operations content folded in. It covers programmability concepts, APIs, configuration management and the way automation and AI tooling are applied to network operations.
Why people fail it
ENCOR is one of the most demanding exams Cisco offers at this level, and the main reason is density. You have 120 minutes, and the questions are professional level scenarios, not definitions. Candidates who know the material but have never practised it at that pace run out of time in the infrastructure section, which is exactly where the marks are.
The second reason is the weight distribution. Infrastructure is 30% and security is 20%, so half the paper sits in two domains. People who spread their study evenly across six domains end up underprepared for the half that matters most.
The third is the blueprint change. v1.2 renamed the automation domain to Automation and Artificial Intelligence and added AI era operations content. Study material written for the older blueprint does not cover it, and candidates using it walk into questions they have never seen.
A study plan that fits the exam
Eight weeks, weighted by domain. Infrastructure gets two full weeks, security gets most of another, and the rest share the remaining time. Before you start, sit the free ENCOR practice questions under timed conditions to see the question style and get a baseline.
- Week 1: architecture. Campus and WAN design, software defined architectures and the reasoning behind each design choice. Write down the requirements each architecture serves, because that is how the exam frames its questions.
- Week 2: virtualisation. Device, path and network virtualisation. Lab what you can, and for every technique note exactly what it separates and what it shares.
- Weeks 3 and 4: infrastructure. Two weeks on layer 2, layer 3, routing protocols, wireless and IP services. Practise reading outputs, not just configuring. Start the ENCOR practice pack here and work through the infrastructure questions with the explanations open, noting every wrong option you would have chosen.
- Week 5: security. Device access control, infrastructure security features, wireless security and the Cisco security architecture. Run the security questions from the pack at the end of the week.
- Week 6: network assurance. Monitoring, telemetry and diagnostics. Spend the second half of the week going back over any infrastructure topics that the pack showed you were weak on.
- Week 7: automation and artificial intelligence. Programmability, APIs, configuration management and the AI era operations content added in v1.2. Do not skip this because it feels unfamiliar: it is 15% of the paper.
- Week 8: timed runs. Sit at least two full sessions with the questions only PDF, 120 minutes each, and review every miss. Use the last days on the weakest domain.
On exam day
ENCOR is delivered at Pearson VUE testing centres and online with a proctor. If you sit it online, complete the system check and prepare your room well ahead of time, because a failed check in on the day can cost you the appointment. A testing centre is the lower risk choice if there is any doubt about your setup.
You have 120 minutes, and the pace is unforgiving, so decide before you start how you will handle long output based questions: read the question stem first, then look at the output for the specific thing it asks about, rather than reading the whole output top to bottom. Answer everything. Cisco does not publish the passing score, so there is nothing to gain from leaving a question blank.
Frequently asked questions
Can I retake the 350-401 if I fail?
Yes. Each attempt costs the full US$400, and Cisco applies its own retake policy, including a waiting period between attempts, so check the current rules on the vendor page before you rebook. Use the gap to run timed practice on the domains that felt weakest, since the exam gives you no score breakdown to work from.
Is the practice pack enough on its own?
No. The pack is 1,066 practice questions with explanations, one of the largest banks available for the 350-401, and it is the best way to learn the question style and find your gaps. It is not a course and it is not a lab. ENCOR is a professional level exam, and the infrastructure and virtualisation questions assume you have configured these technologies yourself.
Does passing ENCOR give me the CCNP Enterprise?
Not on its own. ENCOR is the core exam, and you need one concentration exam, at US$300, to complete the CCNP Enterprise. Passing ENCOR also counts as the written exam for CCIE Enterprise Infrastructure and CCIE Enterprise Wireless, so it is the first step on both the CCNP and the CCIE paths.
Do I need the CCNA first?
No. Cisco no longer requires the CCNA before you sit a CCNP exam, and there are no formal prerequisites for the 350-401. What matters more is real experience working with enterprise networks.
Get the Cisco 350-401 ENCOR practice pack, 1,066 questions with full explanations, pass or your money back.