LinkwingThe CCNA 200-301 exam moves from version 1.1 to version 2.0 on 3 February 2027. The last day to sit the v1.1 exam is 2 February 2027. The version you take is decided by the day you sit the exam, not the day you started studying, so the useful question is simple: when will you be ready?
This guide is based on the published domain lists and on the topic changes covered in Linkwing's study material. Cisco can revise exam details, so always confirm on Cisco's official CCNA 200-301 exam topics page before you book.
The key dates
| v1.1 | v2.0 | |
|---|---|---|
| Exam date | Up to and including 2 February 2027 | From 3 February 2027 |
| Number of domains | 6 | 5 |
| Largest domain weight | IP Connectivity, 25% | Network Infrastructure and Connectivity, and Switching and Network Access, 25% each |
Domain weights side by side
| Domain | Weight |
|---|---|
| Network Fundamentals | 20% |
| Network Access | 20% |
| IP Connectivity | 25% |
| IP Services | 10% |
| Security Fundamentals | 15% |
| Automation and Programmability | 10% |
| Domain | Weight |
|---|---|
| Network Infrastructure and Connectivity | 25% |
| Switching and Network Access | 25% |
| IP Routing | 20% |
| Network Services and Security | 20% |
| AI, Network Operations and Management | 10% |
The two lists do not map one to one. The table below lines them up by subject as a reading aid; it is not an official mapping.
| v1.1 domain (weight) | Closest v2.0 domain (weight) |
|---|---|
| Network Fundamentals (20%) | Network Infrastructure and Connectivity (25%) |
| Network Access (20%) | Switching and Network Access (25%) |
| IP Connectivity (25%) | IP Routing (20%) |
| IP Services (10%) and Security Fundamentals (15%) | Network Services and Security (20%) |
| Automation and Programmability (10%) | AI, Network Operations and Management (10%) |
Read this way, three shifts stand out. Infrastructure and switching together grow from 40% to 50% of the exam. Services and security, two domains worth a combined 25% in v1.1, become one domain worth 20%. Routing drops from 25% to 20%. The last domain keeps its 10% but is reframed around AI and network operations.
Topic changes
According to Linkwing's material, v2.0 drops a few v1.1 topics and adds several new ones. Linkwing's v2.0 track covers the following:
| Change | Topic | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Added | Agentic AI | AI systems that plan and carry out multi-step tasks by calling tools, such as collecting device output or proposing a change, rather than only answering a question. In networking the interest is in agents that help with operations under human oversight. |
| Added | Prompt engineering | Writing clear instructions, context and constraints for a generative AI model so that its output, for example a configuration review, is useful and checkable. |
| Added | OSPFv3 | The version of OSPF for IPv6 (RFC 5340). The link-state concepts carry over from OSPFv2; on Cisco IOS it is enabled per interface, for example ipv6 ospf 1 area 0, after ipv6 unicast-routing. |
| Added | Storm control | A switch port feature that measures broadcast, multicast or unknown-unicast traffic and drops it, or takes an action such as shutting the port, when it exceeds a threshold, for example storm-control broadcast level 20. |
| Added | RA guard | An IPv6 first-hop security feature that blocks Router Advertisement messages on ports where no router should be, protecting hosts from rogue default gateways and prefixes. |
| Removed | WLC GUI | Interpreting the wireless LAN controller's web interface for client connectivity: WLAN creation, security settings, QoS profiles and advanced settings. |
| Removed | QoS | Quality of service concepts: classification, marking, queuing, congestion, policing and shaping. |
| Removed | REST and JSON | REST-based APIs (HTTP methods, authentication, data encoding) and reading JSON-encoded data. |
Removed from the exam does not mean useless: QoS, APIs and JSON are everyday skills in networking jobs. They just stop being exam targets.
What stays the same
Judging by the domain names, the core of the exam carries over: addressing and subnetting, switching, routing, network services and security are all still there, grouped into five domains instead of six. If you have been studying for v1.1, most of that work transfers. The changes are concentrated in the topics listed above and in the relative weights.
Which version should you study for?
| Your situation | Study for |
|---|---|
| Your exam is booked on or before 2 February 2027 | v1.1 |
| Your exam is on or after 3 February 2027 | v2.0 |
| No date yet, starting from zero in late 2026 | Estimate your finish date first (below). At 30 minutes a day or less, a beginner starting in October 2026 is likely to finish after the switch. |
| Studying for v1.1 but you might slip past 2 February 2027 | Keep going, and add the new v2.0 topics before your final review |
Estimate your finish date
A complete beginner needs roughly 60 to 80 hours of focused study. Taking 72 hours and daily study starting on 1 October 2026:
| Daily study | Weeks | Ready around | Version |
|---|---|---|---|
| 45 min a day | about 14 | 5 January 2027 | v1.1 (about 4 weeks of buffer) |
| 30 min a day | about 21 | 22 February 2027 | v2.0 |
| 20 min a day | about 31 | 5 May 2027 | v2.0 |
If you start later, shift the date by the same amount. If your estimate lands within a few weeks of 2 February 2027, either plan for v2.0 or build in a clear buffer: once the cutoff passes, a postponed exam can only be taken on v2.0. The CCNA study plan breaks the 72 hours down week by week.
Switching from v1.1 to v2.0 mid-way
- Keep everything you have learned on addressing, switching, routing, services and security.
- Add OSPFv3, storm control and RA guard. They build on OSPFv2, switch port features and IPv6, which you already know.
- Learn the AI topics: what agentic AI is and how to write clear prompts.
- Spend less time on the WLC GUI and QoS details, which Linkwing's v2.0 track drops.
- Take new mock exams weighted to the v2.0 domains so your readiness estimate reflects the new blueprint.
How Linkwing handles the change
Linkwing supports both versions and picks the blueprint from the exam date you set: v1.1 up to 2 February 2027, v2.0 from 3 February 2027. Mock exams are weighted like the blueprint for your version, and the v2.0 track covers the added topics listed above. If your date moves across the cutoff, update it in the app and the blueprint follows.