CCNA Exam Topics and Study Guide

CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate) is an associate-level certification program from Cisco. It tests your ability to configure and manage Cisco devices in a company environment. This article lists CCNA V1 Exam objectives and provides a study guide to help you practice and prepare for each objective.

CCNA V1 Exam information

Exam code: 200-301 CCNA
Cost: $400 USD
Languages: English
Duration: 120 minutes
Prerequisites: None
Valid for: 3 years
Mode: Online

This article provides exam objectives and study materials for CCNA V1. For CCNA V2 exam objectives and study guides, check the following article.

CCNA V2 Exam Objectives Study Guide and Tutorials

We continuously update the linked resources to provide the most accurate and valuable study material for the CCNA exam. If a link for any objective is not available at the moment, it means we are either preparing a new tutorial or updating an existing one. Please check this page again after a few days.

CCNA V1 Exam objectives and study guide

Weight	Objectives
20%	1.0 Network Fundamentals
	1.1 Explain the role and function of network components 1.1.a Routers 1.1.b Layer 2 and Layer 3 switches 1.1.c Next-generation firewalls and IPS 1.1.d Access points 1.1.e Controllers 1.1.f Endpoints 1.1.g Servers 1.1.h PoE
	1.2 Describe characteristics of network topology architectures 1.2.a Two-tier 1.2.b Three-tier 1.2.c Spine-leaf 1.2.d WAN 1.2.e Small office/home office (SOHO) 1.2.f On-premises and cloud
	1.3 Compare physical interface and cabling types 1.3.a Single-mode fiber, multimode fiber, copper 1.3.b Connections (Ethernet shared media and point-to-point)
	1.4 Identify interface and cable issues (collisions, errors, mismatch duplex, and/or speed)
	1.5 Compare TCP to UDP
	1.6 Configure and verify IPv4 addressing and subnetting
	1.7 Describe private IPv4 addressing
	1.8 Configure and verify IPv6 addressing and prefix
	1.9 Describe IPv6 address types 1.9.a Unicast (global, unique local, and link local) 1.9.b Anycast 1.9.c Multicast 1.9.d Modified EUI 64
	1.10 Verify IP parameters for Client OS (Windows, Mac OS, Linux)
	1.11 Describe wireless principles 1.11.a Nonoverlapping Wi-Fi channels 1.11.b SSID 1.11.c RF 1.11.d Encryption
	1.12 Explain virtualization fundamentals (server virtualization, containers, and VRFs)
	1.13 Describe switching concepts 1.13.a MAC learning and aging 1.13.b Frame switching 1.13.c Frame flooding 1.13.d MAC address table
20%	2.0 Network Access
	2.1 Configure and verify VLANs (normal range) spanning multiple switches 2.1.a Access ports (data and voice) 2.1.b Default VLAN 2.1.c InterVLAN connectivity
	2.2 Configure and verify interswitch connectivity 2.2.a Trunk ports 2.2.b 802.1Q 2.2.c Native VLAN
	2.3 Configure and verify Layer 2 discovery protocols (Cisco Discovery Protocol and LLDP)
	2.4 Configure and verify (Layer 2/Layer 3) EtherChannel (LACP)
	2.5 Interpret basic operations of Rapid PVST+ Spanning Tree Protocol 2.5.a Root port, root bridge (primary/secondary), and other port names 2.5.b Port states and roles 2.5.c PortFast 2.5.d Root guard, loop guard, BPDU filter, and BPDU guard
	2.6 Describe Cisco Wireless Architectures and AP modes
	2.7 Describe physical infrastructure connections of WLAN components (AP, WLC, access/trunk ports, and LAG)
	2.8 Describe network device management access (Telnet, SSH, HTTP, HTTPS, console, TACACS+/RADIUS, and cloud managed)
	2.9 Interpret the wireless LAN GUI configuration for client connectivity, such as WLAN creation, security settings, QoS profiles, and advanced settings
25%	3.0 IP Connectivity
	3.1 Interpret the components of routing table 3.1.a Routing protocol code 3.1.b Prefix 3.1.c Network mask 3.1.d Next hop 3.1.e Administrative distance 3.1.f Metric 3.1.g Gateway of last resort
	3.2 Determine how a router makes a forwarding decision by default 3.2.a Longest prefix match 3.2.b Administrative distance 3.2.c Routing protocol metric
	3.3 Configure and verify IPv4 and IPv6 static routing 3.3.a Default route 3.3.b Network route 3.3.c Host route 3.3.d Floating static
	3.4 Configure and verify single area OSPFv2 3.4.a Neighbor adjacencies 3.4.b Point-to-point 3.4.c Broadcast (DR/BDR selection) 3.4.d Router ID
	3.5 Describe the purpose, functions, and concepts of first hop redundancy protocols
10%	4.0 IP Services
	4.1 Configure and verify inside source NAT using static and pools
	4.2 Configure and verify NTP operating in a client and server mode
	4.3 Explain the role of DHCP and DNS within the network
	4.4 Explain the function of SNMP in network operations
	4.5 Describe the use of syslog features, including facilities and severity levels
	4.6 Configure and verify DHCP client and relay
	4.7 Explain the forwarding per-hop behavior (PHB) for QoS such as classification, marking, queuing, congestion, policing, and shaping
	4.8 Configure network devices for remote access using SSH
	4.9 Describe the capabilities and functions of TFTP/FTP in the network
15%	5.0 Security Fundamentals
	5.1 Define key security concepts (threats, vulnerabilities, exploits, and mitigation techniques)
	5.2 Describe security program elements (user awareness, training, and physical access control)
	5.3 Configure and verify device access control using local passwords
	5.4 Describe security password policy elements, such as management, complexity, and password alternatives (multifactor authentication, certificates, and biometrics)
	5.5 Describe IPsec remote access and site-to-site VPNs
	5.6 Configure and verify access control lists
	5.7 Configure and verify Layer 2 security features (DHCP snooping, dynamic ARP inspection, and port security)
	5.8 Compare authentication, authorization, and accounting concepts
	5.9 Describe wireless security protocols (WPA, WPA2, and WPA3)
	5.10 Configure and verify WLAN within the GUI using WPA2 PSK
10%	6.0 Automation and Programmability
	6.1 Explain how automation impacts network management
	6.2 Compare traditional networks with controller-based networking
	6.3 Describe controller-based, software defined architecture (overlay, underlay, and fabric) 6.3.a Separation of control plane and data plane 6.3.b Northbound and Southbound APIs
	6.4 Explain AI (generative and predictive) and machine learning in network operations
	6.5 Describe characteristics of REST-based APIs (authentication types, CRUD, HTTP verbs, and data encoding)
	6.6 Recognize the capabilities of configuration management mechanisms such as Ansible and Terraform
	6.7 Recognize components of JSON-encoded data

Conclusion

CCNA is one of the most in-demand networking certifications. It introduces core networking concepts and tests your skills to build and manage networks. To pass this exam, you need to understand network architectures, protocols, IP addressing, routing, switching, access lists, and the fundamentals of an enterprise network. In this tutorial, I list the topics tested on this exam and link each topic to a tutorial or series of tutorials that explain it in detail.

Author Laxmi Goswami Updated on 2026-09-30