CCNA cost, booking and exam day: the real budget, the retake rules and the two-ID check

Most candidates budget for one exam fee. Then a course, a practice-test subscription and a second attempt arrive, and the true cost is double the plan. The IDs catch people too, and they cost nothing to check.

What does CCNA cost?

Cisco publishes the fee: US$300 for each attempt, or the equivalent in Cisco Learning Credits. Tax may be added, and the amount in your own currency depends on exchange rates. Check the price shown when you book with Pearson VUE.

The exam fee is only one line. A realistic budget has seven.

Which of the three budgets is yours?

• Economy. A free Networking Academy course or self-study, free Packet Tracer and one practice-test source.
• Standard. Adds a paid course or a Cisco U. path.
• Intensive. Adds an instructor-led course.

The three differ in training and labs, never in the exam fee. In every budget, keep a reserve for a second attempt. Tamer, in the book, chose the economy budget, built every lab in Packet Tracer, bought one practice-test source, passed first time and spent less than he had feared.

To cut cost without cutting your chances, ask your employer to pay the fee, especially a Cisco partner that may hold Cisco Learning Credits. Use free Packet Tracer before you buy equipment, and book only when your practice results are stable.

What are the eligibility and ID rules?

CCNA has no prerequisites, so anyone can book. Candidates must be at least 13 years old. Those aged 13 to 17 may test with a parent or guardian's consent; if the result should count towards certification, the parent or guardian must sign the candidate agreement and send it to Cisco before scheduling.

Cisco's policy asks for two forms of identification for written exams, both bearing your signature. One must be a government-issued photo ID. The name on both must match your Cisco certification profile and your Pearson VUE booking.

In the book, Omar lived in Kuwait on a residence permit. He took his passport as his government photo ID and a signed bank card as his second ID, and registered with his name exactly as printed on both. Put your own IDs side by side before you book and check three things: the name, the signature and the expiry date.

How do you book?

1. Create your Cisco account and certification profile, with your name exactly as on both IDs.
2. Choose 200-301 CCNA, your version and your language. The exam is offered in English and Japanese.
3. Schedule with Pearson VUE: a test centre or online, on a date that fits the end of your plan.
4. Pay US$300 plus any tax, or use Cisco Learning Credits or a voucher. If you use either, check the expiry date and which exams it covers.
5. Save the confirmation and set reminders a week, a day and an hour before.

What are the retake and reschedule rules?

If you fail, Cisco's policy requires you to wait five calendar days before you retake the exam, and you pay the full fee again. If you pass, you must wait at least 180 days before you can sit the same exam number again.

That five-day wait matters in the next few months. A candidate who books v1.1 for 1 February 2027 and fails narrowly cannot retake before the cut-over, so the second attempt has to be v2.0. Lina, in the book, booked 12 January for exactly this reason, passed first time and used the spare weeks to start her lab projects. The version guide shows how to place your date.

Rescheduling and cancellation are handled in your Pearson VUE account, under the deadlines it shows for your appointment. Check them the day you book and avoid any change close to exam day.

What happens on exam day?

At a centre, bring your two signed IDs and arrive early, because centres check identity and photograph you before the exam. Leave everything else in the locker you are given.

Online, run the system test again on the day. Clear your desk and walls, close every other application and keep your IDs ready for the check-in photographs. If your session fails mid-exam, contact Pearson VUE on the same day, with your registration number and a photo of the screen. Faris, in the book, did exactly that and received a new appointment at no charge.

After the exam you receive a score report at the end, and results are typically online within 48 hours. Appendix E of CredenTrek For Cisco CCNA is the full exam-day checklist, and Appendix D has the message templates for Cisco and Pearson VUE.