Failed the CCNA? The Five-Day Retake Rule, What a Retake Costs, and the v2.0 Cutover

A failed CCNA attempt is a scheduling question and a study question, in that order. The scheduling part is short and fixed by Cisco's policy. The study part decides whether the next attempt goes differently, and your score report is the best place to start it.

When you can retake the CCNA: the five-day rule as dates

Cisco's Exam, Testing, and Certification Policies, checked October 27, 2026, say that candidates who fail an Associate-level written exam must wait five calendar days, beginning the day after the failed attempt, before they retest for the same exam. Cisco's exams page repeats the rule. Calendar days include weekends.

Read literally, the five waiting days are the five days after your attempt, and the sixth day is the first open one:

Cisco's own worked example points the same way: its online testing FAQ, dated April 2020 and still linked from the policies page, says a candidate who tests on a Tuesday may test again no sooner than the following Monday.

Cisco's registration page words the rule slightly differently, as five calendar days "from the end of their first attempt." If a date looks borderline, check that the booking system offers it before you plan around it. The free CCNA retake planner also checks a retake date against the waiting rule.

Two more rules from the same policies page:

• No attempt limit is stated. The Cisco pages checked don't set a maximum number of CCNA attempts. Each failed attempt starts the same five-day wait.
• Passing locks the exam number. After you pass, you must wait at least 180 days before taking an exam with the identical number. Both CCNA versions are 200-301.

What a CCNA retake costs

Cisco's recertification FAQ says you can retake the exam for the same cost, unless you purchased CCNA Exam Safeguard. At the current price, that's another $300 USD plus tax.

If you prepaid with Associate Exam Safeguard, Cisco U. says you retake at no additional cost by entering the same voucher code you used for the first attempt. Cisco's CCNA FAQ describes Safeguard Plus, $450 USD, as a second chance if you don't pass "the first attempt within 90 days," and both products list 90-day access, so check your code's dates. The CCNA exam cost guide totals one, two and three attempts.

A v1.1 attempt in late January 2027

Cisco's last day to test on v1.1 is February 2, 2027, and v2.0 starts February 3. Combined with the five-day wait:

• Fail on or before January 27, 2027: a v1.1 retake is still possible, on February 2 at the latest, if a seat is open.
• Fail on January 28, 2027 or later: v1.1 is no longer offered by the time you can retest, so your retake would be v2.0, with a different outline.

If you're booking a first v1.1 attempt now, the safer window is mid-January or earlier. That leaves at least one retake chance on v1.1 if you need it. In the U.S. and Canada, Cisco allows bookings up to six weeks ahead, so a January 20 seat, for example, opens around December 9. The Cisco pages checked don't say how an Exam Safeguard second attempt works across the switch, so ask Cisco before relying on one.

If your retake will be v2.0, re-plan against the v2.0 exam topics. The CCNA v1.1 vs v2.0 guide summarizes what changed.

Read your CCNA score report before you rebook

Cisco's policies say your score report gives your performance breakout by exam section, and Cisco's exams page says it shows a score for each section and the passing score for your exam. The CCNA passing score guide explains why that passing score isn't published in advance.

Rank the sections from weakest to strongest and weigh them by domain weight. If you failed v1.1 and will retake on v2.0, map the old sections onto the new domains. This is Passy's approximate reading of the two outlines, not a Cisco crosswalk:

Keep your missed practice items, too. The ones you got wrong twice usually point to the same gap as your weakest section, and CCNA prep planned for launch saves missed items for review.

What not to do between CCNA attempts

• Don't use "recalled" exam questions. Cisco's confidentiality agreement treats exam questions, answers and diagrams as Cisco's confidential property, and its policies list penalties up to a lifetime ban and the nullification of earlier certifications.
• Don't buy a retake voucher from an unofficial seller. Cisco's policies say neither Cisco nor Pearson VUE guarantees vouchers obtained from anyone other than Pearson VUE, and fraudulent vouchers can bring the same penalties.
• Don't retake on habit. If your preparation hasn't changed since the first attempt, the gap behind that result is probably still there.

Original practice keeps you clear of the first risk: original practice questions are planned for full CCNA prep, with no Cisco exam items. Checkout isn't open yet.

A CCNA retake plan in four parts

This is a practical approach from Passy, not a Cisco requirement:

1. Rebuild the weakest heavily weighted section first, with labs, not just reading. Cisco's CCNA FAQ says you can't pass by reading alone.
2. Re-drill the skills that feed every domain. Cisco names subnetting and the command line as often the hardest topics for people without IT experience. Slow subnetting costs time in addressing, routing and ACL items alike.
3. Switch to mixed, timed practice for the last third of your plan, so topics arrive unannounced, as they will on the exam.
4. Choose a date that gives the plan time to work. Five days is the minimum Cisco allows, not a recommendation. Book the earliest date only if the gap was narrow and specific.

Your next step: open the free CCNA retake planner, rate each domain from your score report, and add your weekly hours. It builds a week-by-week schedule with the hardest domains first and checks your retake date against the waiting rule. It doesn't predict a result. Once full prep opens, you'll also be able to drill a weak CCNA domain five questions at a time.