Cisco certification path: From CCST to CCIE

Over the course of 30 years, Cisco has issued more than 4 million certifications. Within this vast sea of options are endless certification pathways built as defined ladders: you can start with a 50-minute entry-level exam and work up to an expert credential that ends in an eight-hour lab.

Knowing the whole path helps you choose the right first step and plan the ones after it. It also helps you read older roadmaps with care: Cisco has renamed several certifications in the past two years, so some of the names you’ll find online no longer exist.

This guide walks through each level of the Cisco certification path as Cisco describes it today: what each level requires, who it suits, and how the technology tracks line up from entry to expert.

What are the levels of Cisco certification?

Cisco sorts its career certifications into four levels: Entry, Associate, Professional, and Expert. Each level has its own exams, and you don’t have to hold a lower-level certification before you sit a higher-level exam. Cisco lists no prerequisites for the CCST, CCNA, CCNP Enterprise core, or CCDE written exams.

Here’s how the four levels compare at a glance:

Older guides describe a fifth level, Cisco Certified Architect (CCAr). As of October 2026, Cisco’s certification pages no longer list an Architect level, and the old Architect page now redirects to the main certifications page.

Cisco also offers Specialist certifications. You earn one automatically for each professional-level exam you pass, and you can also earn them on their own.

Most Cisco certifications, the CCNA included, are valid for three years. To keep one, you recertify before it expires, either by passing an exam (the same one again or one at the next level) or by earning continuing education (CE) credits: 30 at the associate level, 80 at the professional level, and 120 at the expert level.

Entry and associate levels: CCST and CCNA

Most people start at one of these first two levels, where each certification takes just one exam.

Entry: Cisco Certified Support Technician (CCST)

The CCST certifications validate the skills for entry-level IT jobs. There are three, each earned with one 50-minute exam that costs $125:

• CCST Networking: How networks operate, including the devices, media, and protocols that carry network traffic. Cisco calls it a first step toward the CCNA.
• CCST Cybersecurity: Security principles, network and endpoint security, vulnerability assessment, risk management, and incident handling.
• CCST IT Support: Help desk and user support skills, such as troubleshooting and assisting end users.

Cisco aims the CCST at people moving into IT and at IT professionals who want to stand out, and says it can lead to internships and apprenticeships. A CCST earned on or after July 15, 2025, is valid for five years, and you renew it by passing an exam, not with CE credits.

Associate: The CCNA and its two siblings

The CCNA covers networking fundamentals and has been earned by more than 1.8 million people in 190 countries. You earn it with one exam, 200-301 CCNA: 120 minutes, $300, and no prerequisites. Cisco says it “assumes you have little to no networking knowledge” and aims it at entry-to-mid-level IT professionals who want to become a network engineer, administrator, or technician. On February 3, 2027, Cisco moves the exam to CCNA v2.0, with more troubleshooting and a new focus on AI in network operations. Our CCNA study guide covers the exam in detail.

Two more certifications now sit at the associate level, each with one 120-minute, $300 exam:

• CCNA Automation (200-901 CCNAAUTO): Automating workflows across network, security, collaboration, and computing systems, with tools such as Python, REST APIs, Ansible, Terraform, Git, and Docker.
• CCNA Cybersecurity (200-201 CCNACBR): The day-to-day skills security operations center (SOC) teams use to detect and respond to threats, useful if you’re aiming for a cybersecurity career.

Both names are new. On February 3, 2026, Cisco renamed the DevNet certifications to CCNA, CCNP, and CCIE Automation, and the Cybersecurity Associate and Professional to CCNA and CCNP Cybersecurity. (The cybersecurity certifications were called CyberOps until January 21, 2025.) Active holders moved to the new names automatically, and the associate exam topics didn’t change.

The professional level: CCNP

The professional level is the Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP). Every CCNP takes two exams: a core exam on the track’s main technologies and one concentration exam you choose to specialize in.

For CCNP Enterprise, the core exam is 350-401 ENCOR (120 minutes, $400). You then pick one of six concentration exams (90 minutes, $300 each), such as 300-410 ENARSI on advanced routing or 300-415 ENSDWI on SD-WAN. Each exam you pass also earns its own Specialist certification, so you have something to show employers before you finish.

The CCNA isn’t a prerequisite: Cisco lists none for the core exam. Still, the CCNP goes much deeper into the technologies the CCNA introduces, and it asks you to choose a specialty, so it suits people already working with networks who want to move into more senior roles. Our CCNA vs. CCNP guide compares the two in depth, from what each covers to the jobs each leads to.

CCIE vs. CCNA: The expert level

The expert level has two certifications: one for hands-on engineers and one for network designers. Both are a big step up.

Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE)

The CCIE is Cisco’s expert certification for hands-on engineers. Like the CCNP, it takes two exams, but the second is a lab. For CCIE Enterprise Infrastructure:

• Core exam: 350-401 ENCOR, the same exam as the CCNP Enterprise core, so passing it counts toward both.
• Lab exam: An eight-hour, hands-on exam ($1,600) in which you plan, design, operate, and optimize a complex enterprise network.

The gap between the CCNA and the CCIE is wide. The CCNA is one two-hour exam built for people new to networking; the CCIE proves you can handle the full lifecycle of the most complex networks, from design to optimization. If you fail a lab exam, you wait 30 days before you can book it again, compared with five days for a CCNA retake. Cisco is also adding a one-hour AI module to the CCIE lab, rolling out first for CCIE Data Center and going live at Cisco Live in the U.S. in 2027.

Cisco Certified Design Expert (CCDE)

The CCDE is the expert certification for network design rather than hands-on configuration. It takes a two-hour written exam, 400-007 CCDE ($450, 90-110 multiple-choice questions), and an eight-hour, scenario-based practical exam ($1,600). The practical covers core enterprise architectures plus one elective: AI Infrastructure, Large Scale Networks, On-Prem and Cloud Services, or Workforce Mobility. It suits experienced engineers who turn network requirements into designs and explain the decisions behind them.

Cisco certification roadmap by track

Cisco’s certifications are grouped by technology, and not every track has every level. Here’s how they line up as of October 2026:

A few things stand out:

• Enterprise is the only track with all four levels: CCST Networking, the CCNA, CCNP Enterprise, and CCIE Enterprise Infrastructure.
• Five tracks start at the professional level: Security, data center, collaboration, service provider, and wireless have no associate certification of their own. Cisco describes the CCNA as covering fundamentals “for all IT careers,” so it’s the natural associate step for these tracks too.
• Security and cybersecurity are different tracks: Security (CCNP and CCIE Security) is about protecting network infrastructure, while cybersecurity (CCST, CCNA, and CCNP Cybersecurity) is about security operations: monitoring, analysis, and incident response. Cybersecurity has no expert level.
• Wireless is new: Cisco announced its wireless track, CCNP Wireless and CCIE Wireless, in February 2026.

Cisco’s path covers only Cisco technologies. If you’re also weighing certifications from other vendors, our IT certifications guide maps the options by career track.

Final thoughts

For most people, the Cisco certification path starts with the CCNA, or with a CCST if you’re brand new to IT. From there, you choose a track based on the work you want to do, earn the CCNP in it, and aim for the CCIE or CCDE once you have deep hands-on experience in that track.

You don’t have to plan every step today. Start with the level that matches your experience, keep each certification active as you go, and let your job point you toward the next one. If the CCNA is your first step, compare the best CCNA prep courses to find one that fits the way you study.