Updated 1 Nov 2026 · 5 min read
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What the Cisco 350-201 CBRCOR is and who it is for
The 350-201 CBRCOR, Performing Cybersecurity Using Cisco Security Technologies, is the core exam of the CCNP Cybersecurity certification. Cisco says it tests your knowledge of core cybersecurity operations, including cybersecurity fundamentals, techniques, processes and automation. Cisco pitches the certification at people who serve as the first line of defence: analysing threats, investigating breaches, identifying malware, recommending vulnerability mitigation and automating security tasks.
Passing it on its own earns you the Cisco Certified Specialist Cybersecurity Core certification. To complete CCNP Cybersecurity you also pass one concentration exam, either 300-215 CBRFIR (forensic analysis and incident response) or 300-220 CBRTHD (threat hunting and defending). There are no formal prerequisites.
If you have seen older material, note that the names have changed. Cisco's earlier exam topics called this exam Performing CyberOps Using Cisco Security Technologies and tied it to the Cisco CyberOps Professional certification. Cisco's exam and certification pages use the Cybersecurity names, and its exam page carries the notice that cybersecurity certification names have changed.
Cisco 350-201 CBRCOR at a glance
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Exam code | 350-201 CBRCOR |
| Time allowed | 120 minutes |
| Exam fee | US$400, or Cisco Learning Credits |
| Languages | English |
| Where you sit it | In person at a test centre or online, booked through Cisco's Certification Tracking System with Pearson VUE |
| Prerequisites | None |
| Certification valid for | 3 years |
Cisco does not publish a question count or a passing score for its exams. The score report you get at the end shows a score for each section and the passing score for the exam.
What is on the exam
Cisco has published two exam topics documents for the 350-201. The newer version 1.2 document adds AI to several objectives and ties the exam to CCNP Cybersecurity. The exam page still describes the exam as v1.1, so check which version is shown when you book. The four domains and their weights are the same in both, and the outline below follows version 1.2.
Fundamentals (20%). Playbooks: reading their components, choosing the tools a scenario needs and applying one to a common case such as privilege escalation, DoS or website defacement. Matching compliance standards such as PCI, FISMA, FedRAMP, SOX and GDPR to industries, cyber risk insurance, risk analysis, the incident response workflow and its metrics, and security operations across cloud models such as IaaS and PaaS.
Techniques (30%). The broadest domain, with 25 objectives. It covers AI-powered data analytics, hardening machine images, assessing security posture, patching and services to disable, network segmentation, DevSecOps, threat intelligence platforms and AI-driven threat intelligence. Data loss prevention follows, at host, network, application and cloud level, then SIEM tools, SOAR workflows, dashboards for executives, user and entity behaviour analytics, packet capture analysis, troubleshooting detection rules and identifying an attacker's tactics, techniques and procedures.
Processes (30%). The investigation side: threat models, the steps for common case types and the full malware analysis sequence, from extracting samples through reverse engineering, dynamic sandbox analysis and static analysis to sharing results. You reconstruct attacks from traffic patterns, investigate endpoint intrusions on desktops, IoT and mobile devices, identify IOCs and IOAs, trace data loss and triage vulnerabilities with CVSS.
Automation (20%). SOAR concepts and platforms, reading and modifying Python scripts for a security task, data formats such as JSON, CSV and XML, consuming REST APIs (rate limits, timeouts, HTTP response codes and authentication with tokens and API keys), Bash commands, CI/CD pipelines, DevOps practices and infrastructure as code.
Why people fail it
Many objectives use verbs like determine, recommend and evaluate. The exam gives you a scenario and asks for the next action, the right tool or the right sequence, so knowing the definition of a playbook or an IOC is not enough. Candidates who have read about SOC work without doing it find these questions hard to pin down.
The second cause is breadth. Techniques alone has 25 objectives, from machine image hardening to packet capture analysis, and Processes expects you to know the malware analysis process step by step. An analyst who has spent years on one SIEM may never have reverse engineered a sample or written a detection rule.
The third is automation. It is 20% of the exam, and it expects you to read and change Python, interpret HTTP responses and use Bash. Security people without a scripting habit often leave it to the end and run out of time.
A study plan that fits the exam
Seven weeks suits most people with some SOC experience. Techniques and Processes, at 30% each, get two weeks each, Fundamentals and Automation get a week each, and the last week is timed practice.
- Week 1: fundamentals. Playbooks, compliance standards, risk analysis, incident response workflow and metrics, and cloud security operations. End the week with the free 350-201 practice questions to find your gaps.
- Week 2: hardening and posture. Machine images, posture assessment, patching, services to disable, segmentation, network controls and DevSecOps.
- Week 3: detection and data. Threat intelligence platforms, DLP at each level, SIEM and SOAR workflows, UEBA, packet capture analysis, detection rules and TTPs.
- Week 4: investigation. Threat models, case investigation steps, endpoint intrusion across platforms, IOCs and IOAs, and data loss investigation.
- Week 5: malware and vulnerabilities. Work through the malware analysis sequence on a safe sample in a sandbox, then vulnerability mitigation and CVSS triage.
- Week 6: automation. Read and modify short Python scripts that call a REST API, practise HTTP status codes and API authentication, Bash basics, CI/CD and infrastructure as code.
- Week 7: timed runs. Work through the questions-only copy in the 350-201 CBRCOR practice question pack in 120 minute blocks and read the explanation for every miss.
On exam day
Cisco offers its professional written exams both in person and online. You schedule through the Cisco Certification Tracking System, which needs a Cisco account and a completed profile, and you pay with Pearson VUE by card or with an exam voucher. Cisco Learning Credits are also accepted.
You have 120 minutes. Grading is pass or fail, and Cisco says results are available online within 48 hours. Before you sit, you must accept the Cisco Certification and Confidentiality Agreement, and refusing it ends the exam with the fee forfeited.
Frequently asked questions
What happens if I fail the 350-201?
You must wait five calendar days, starting the day after the failed attempt, before you can sit it again. Use the section scores on your report to decide where to spend those days.
How long does the certification last, and how do I renew it?
Three years. You can recertify by retaking exams, moving up a level or earning Continuing Education credits: 40 for a Specialist certification and 80 for a Professional one such as CCNP Cybersecurity. Passing the 350-201 again also counts towards recertification.
Is the practice pack enough on its own?
No. It is practice, not a course. The 228 questions show how Cisco frames SOC scenarios and explain why the wrong options are wrong, but the exam expects hands-on skills such as reading a packet capture or changing a script. Do that work in a lab, then use the questions to test yourself under time.
When you are ready to test yourself properly, get the 350-201 CBRCOR practice questions with full explanations.
Sources
The official pages the facts in this guide were checked against.
- cisco.com/site/us/en/learn/training-certifications/exams/cbrcor.html
- cisco.com/site/us/en/learn/training-certifications/certifications/cybersecurity/ccnp-cybersecurity/index.html
- learningcontent.cisco.com/documents/marketing/exam-topics/350-201-CBRCOR-v1.1.pdf
- cisco.com/site/us/en/learn/training-certifications/exams/index.html
- learningcontent.cisco.com/documents/marketing/exam-topics/350-201-CBRCOR-v1.2_02July2025.pdf
- cisco.com/site/us/en/learn/training-certifications/exams/policies.html
- cisco.com/site/us/en/learn/training-certifications/certifications/recertification/index.html
What people say about this pack
These practice files worked really well for me, they were actually not bad at all. The explanations were short and easy to understand. I liked the layout; it was simple but effective. They helped me clear my exam calmly and confidently.
I wasn’t sure what to expect with the 350-201 exam, but the practice questions helped clarify things. The practice questions were useful and gave me confidence going into the test.