CCNA v1.1 vs v2.0: Your Test Date Decides Which 200-301 Exam You Take

Cisco is running the last months of one CCNA version and has published the next one under the same exam number. There is no overlap period to choose from. Cisco's dates put every appointment on one side of the line or the other, so the version you sit follows from the day you test.

Which CCNA version you take, by test date

Cisco's Learning Network page for the v1.1 exam topics, checked on October 27, 2026, carries the note: the last date to test for v1.1 is February 2, 2027, and the first date to test for v2.0 is February 3, 2027. The v2.0 exam topics page repeats the February 3 start.

From October 27, 2026, February 2, 2027 is 98 days away, exactly 14 weeks. The objective counts are Passy's tally of the numbered items in each PDF.

What stays the same in CCNA v1.1 and v2.0

The two exam topics pages list identical exam details:

Cisco's CCNA page lists no prerequisites and a three-year validity, with nothing on the pages checked tying either to the version.

What changes in CCNA v2.0

The domains are regrouped and reweighted:

The rows sit side by side for reading, not as a one-to-one mapping. Beyond the table, four shifts stand out:

• Troubleshooting is written into the objectives. None of the 53 v1.1 objectives starts with "Troubleshoot" or "Diagnose." Eight of the 29 v2.0 objectives do, by Passy's count of the PDFs.
• AI moves from explaining to applying. v1.1 has one AI objective, 6.4, which asks you to explain generative and predictive AI and machine learning. The v2.0 exam description says you may be required to evaluate output and recommendations from agentic AI and digital network assistants, and objective 5.2 asks you to select a prompt for a generative AI system.
• Practical assessments. Cisco's Learning Network post Steps to the Future: The Modern CCNA says the new exam includes hands-on, practical skill assessments and that security is woven through every domain.
• Not a rebuild. Cisco's blog Stay on Track (July 1, 2026) calls v2.0 not a total overhaul but a different approach to the depth of each topic.

Objective by objective, including the v1.1 topics v2.0 no longer names, the CCNA v2.0 exam topics guide walks through all five domains. To practice for the new outline, you can see how CCNA prep planned for launch maps original scenarios to the five v2.0 domains.

Should you sit CCNA v1.1 or wait for v2.0?

Cisco's own answer, in the Stay on Track FAQ, written for people already studying v1.1, is to take v1.1 now rather than wait: the exam is available through February 2, 2027, and Cisco says the skills carry into v2.0. The Learning Network post says the same to Networking Academy learners: if you have been studying the current exam, keep going.

How that plays out depends on where you are:

A practical rule from Passy, not Cisco: if you have to re-plan around a different outline halfway through, you lose study time. Decide which outline you are studying now. Passy's planned CCNA practice is written to v2.0, with original scenarios planned for launch, most of which also fit v1.1.

Timing traps around February 2 and 3, 2027

1. The six-week booking window. Cisco's registration page says exams in the U.S. and Canada can be scheduled up to six weeks ahead. By that rule, a February 2 seat opens for booking around December 22, 2026.
2. Rescheduling across the line. Moving a v1.1 appointment to February 3 or later means you'd sit v2.0 and its different outline.
3. A late-January retake. Cisco's policies require a five-calendar-day wait, beginning the day after a failed attempt. Read literally, a v1.1 fail on January 27 leaves February 2 as the first possible retake day, and a fail on January 28 or later leaves only v2.0. The CCNA retake guide works through the dates.
4. The 180-day rule. After you pass, Cisco bars you from taking an exam with the identical number for 180 days. Both versions are 200-301.
5. Prepaid codes. Cisco's CCNA page says exam vouchers are valid for 365 days. The pages checked don't explain how an Exam Safeguard second attempt works if it falls after the switch, so ask Cisco before you rely on one for a late-January first attempt.

Your CCNA after either version

Passing v1.1 or v2.0 earns the same CCNA. Cisco's Learning Network post tells v1.1 candidates their certification is "valid, respected, and recognized," and Cisco's exams FAQ says active certifications stay valid until their own expiration dates after an exam retires.

Either way, the clock is three years. To renew, Cisco's CCNA page lists passing the current CCNA exam or a higher-level Cisco exam, or earning 30 Continuing Education credits.

Next step for your CCNA version decision

Enter your target date in the free CCNA study planner. It weights your days 25/25/20/20/10 by the v2.0 domains and flags dates on or before February 2, 2027, when v1.1 still applies. If your date lands on v2.0, you'll be able to practice across all five v2.0 domains when full CCNA prep launches. Checkout isn't open yet.