120 minutes, five domains, 29 topics: the CCNA exam in plain English

Most candidates who run out of time on CCNA do not lack knowledge. They meet a simulation they have never practised and treat it like a multiple-choice question. The exam is a reading, thinking and typing test, and only one of those can be learned from a book.

What does Cisco tell you about the format?

Both versions last 120 minutes. That is nearly all Cisco publishes. It does not state the number of questions or the passing score, which it sets statistically and may change. Anyone quoting "you need 82 per cent" is guessing.

What you do get is a score report at the end of the exam, showing pass or fail and your performance by section. Cisco states that results are typically online within 48 hours. Your certification then appears in Cisco's tracking system, with a digital badge you can share.

The questions go beyond recall. You read device output, choose configurations and, in simulations, type commands on virtual equipment.

Which question types will you meet?

Cisco does not say in advance how many of each appear, so check Cisco's exam tutorial for the current list. Work through that tutorial before exam day, because learning where the buttons are costs seconds you cannot afford mid-exam.

Simulations take time. A sensible habit is to read the whole task first, note what must change, then type. Practise at a keyboard as well as in your head: reading a command and recalling it under pressure are different skills.

What are the five domains in v2.0?

Weights are the share of the exam, so a 25 per cent domain is roughly a quarter of what you are asked. Ignoring a 10 per cent domain still costs you more than one question.

What did v1.1 look like?

If you are sitting v1.1 before 2 February 2027, the same exam has six domains: Network Fundamentals at 20 per cent, Network Access at 20, IP Connectivity at 25, IP Services at 10, Security Fundamentals at 15 and Automation and Programmability at 10. Notice that IP Connectivity, which holds routing, is the heaviest domain in v1.1 and the third in v2.0. What changed in v2.0 compares the two lists in full.

How should you use the weights?

Weights tell you where to spend hours, not which topics to skip. Use them in three steps.

1. Split your total hours in proportion to the domain weights of your version.
2. Rate yourself from 1 to 5 on every topic and move hours towards your lowest scores.
3. Check each domain with a timed question set before you book. A domain far behind the others is a bigger risk than a lower overall average.

One candidate in the book rated himself 2 out of 5 on troubleshooting (2.4) and OSPF (3.3), gave both extra lab hours, and met both in simulations on his exam. Your self-rating is cheap and your exam fee is not.

What should you do before exam day?

Download the exam topics for your version from Cisco and check the version number, the domain weights and the first or last test date before you buy study material. Then use a lab. Cisco recommends Packet Tracer or Cisco Modeling Labs for hands-on practice. Packet Tracer is free through a Cisco Networking Academy account and covers most exam topics.

The study hours guide turns your weights into a dated plan, and ten scenario questions let you test one domain at a time. Chapter 5 of CredenTrek For Cisco CCNA lists every topic with what it means in practice, and Appendix G adds 16 more questions mapped to v2.0.