- Exam 200-901 CCNAAUTO costs USD 300, runs 120 minutes, and is offered in English and Japanese.
- Understanding and Using APIs and Infrastructure and Automation each weigh 20%, making up 40% of the exam combined.
- The certification replaced DevNet Associate (DEVASC) on February 3, 2026, keeping the same exam code.
- There are no formal prerequisites or mandatory training courses required to sit for the exam.
What Is CCNA Automation Certification?
CCNA Automation Certification is Cisco's associate-level credential for professionals who write, deploy, and troubleshoot automation against Cisco networking platforms. It is administered by Cisco Systems, Inc., and the exam itself is delivered through Pearson VUE, either at an authorized testing center or via OnVUE online proctoring. The current exam is 200-901 CCNAAUTO, titled Automating Networks Using Cisco Platforms, and it validates the ability to combine software development practices with infrastructure automation across Cisco environments.
Unlike many professional-track certifications, this credential carries no formal prerequisites and no mandatory training requirement. Candidates come from a mix of backgrounds - some from traditional networking roles, others from software or systems administration - and self-study or hands-on lab practice is a legitimate path to the exam. If you're still deciding whether this credential fits your background, the deeper breakdown in CCNA Automation Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify walks through who qualifies and how to prepare a candidacy timeline.
Exam Format, Fees, and Registration
The 200-901 CCNAAUTO exam is priced at USD 300 and runs for 120 minutes. It is offered in English and Japanese, and candidates schedule their attempt through Pearson VUE at a physical test center or via OnVUE remote proctoring. Because the test is closed-book, you'll sign Cisco's confidentiality agreement, pass identity verification, and follow standard proctoring rules - no notes, reference material, or secondary devices are permitted during the session.
Cisco's 2026 exam briefing describes a mixed question format rather than a single style of item. Expect:
- Single-answer and multiple-answer multiple-choice questions
- Drag-and-drop matching tasks
- Script-completion exercises where you fill in missing code or configuration logic
- Lab-style tasks that simulate working against an API or automation workflow
Grading is pass/fail - there's no scaled numeric score reported to candidates, and results become available online within 48 hours of finishing the exam. If your attempt doesn't succeed, Cisco requires a five full calendar day wait, beginning the day after the failed attempt, before you can retest. Retakes are billed at the same USD 300 rate as the original attempt, so a failed exam has a real cost, not just a scheduling delay. For a granular look at what actually constitutes a passing result under this pass/fail model, see CCNA Automation Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass, and for the full breakdown of what you'll spend across registration, retakes, and renewal, check CCNA Automation Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown.
Key Takeaway
Because retakes cost the full USD 300 exam fee again, treat your first attempt as the one that counts - align your prep with the current v1.1 blueprint before you book a date.
The Six CCNA Automation Exam Domains
The 200-901 CCNAAUTO blueprint is organized into six weighted domains. Two of them - Understanding and Using APIs and Infrastructure and Automation - carry 20% each, together accounting for 40% of the total exam, making them the highest-leverage areas for study time. The remaining four domains are each weighted at 15%.
Domain 1: Software Development and Design (15%)
Covers software design principles, version control practices, and the coding fundamentals needed to build maintainable automation scripts.
- Understand common data formats and software design patterns used in automation code
Domain 2: Understanding and Using APIs (20%)
The single largest domain alongside Infrastructure and Automation. Candidates must be comfortable making API calls, interpreting responses, and handling authentication against Cisco platform APIs.
- Practice constructing and troubleshooting REST API requests against real Cisco endpoints
Domain 3: Cisco Platforms and Development (15%)
Focuses on developing against specific Cisco platform APIs and understanding platform-specific automation capabilities.
- Know how development workflows differ across Cisco's platform ecosystem
Domain 4: Application Deployment and Security (15%)
Tests knowledge of deploying automation applications securely, including basic application security concepts relevant to network automation tooling.
- Understand secure deployment practices for automation code and credentials
Domain 5: Infrastructure and Automation (20%)
Tied with APIs as the heaviest-weighted domain. Covers infrastructure-as-code concepts and automating network infrastructure tasks using Cisco tooling.
- Practice model-driven automation and infrastructure-as-code workflows hands-on
Domain 6: Network Fundamentals (15%)
Establishes the baseline networking knowledge needed to automate intelligently - you can't script around infrastructure you don't understand.
- Refresh core networking concepts even if your background is primarily in software
For an item-by-item expansion of every subtopic inside these six areas, the dedicated CCNA Automation Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 6 Content Areas resource is worth bookmarking alongside your blueprint PDF.
From DevNet Associate to CCNAAUTO
CCNA Automation has a direct lineage worth understanding if you're researching older study material. DevNet Associate (exam code DEVASC) was rebranded as CCNA Automation (CCNAAUTO) on February 3, 2026, while retaining the same exam code, 200-901. Cisco has been explicit that this associate-level rename is a distinct event from the larger professional-level Automation redesign happening elsewhere in its certification portfolio - the two shouldn't be conflated when you're comparing study guides or forum discussions.
| Attribute | Before Feb 3, 2026 | Current (CCNA Automation) |
|---|---|---|
| Certification name | DevNet Associate | CCNA Automation |
| Exam code | 200-901 DEVASC | 200-901 CCNAAUTO |
| Exam title | DevNet Associate | Automating Networks Using Cisco Platforms |
| Blueprint version | Legacy DEVASC topics | v1.1 (per exam-topics page) |
Practically, this means any DEVASC-branded practice questions, videos, or study groups you encounter should be checked against the current blueprint before you rely on them. Cisco's DevNet Sandbox still provides free practice environments for APIs and programmability, and it remains genuinely useful - but align any exercises you build from it, and any legacy question bank you find, with the current CCNAAUTO topics rather than assuming older material is automatically current. If you're unclear on how the name change affects terminology you'll see in study resources, CCNA Automation Meaning and What Does CCNA Automation Stand For? both untangle the naming history in more depth.
Who Earns This Certification and Why
CCNA Automation sits at the intersection of two hiring pools: network engineers who need to script and automate infrastructure they already manage, and software-leaning professionals who need enough networking context to build tools that actually work in production. Employers hiring for network automation engineer, DevOps-adjacent network roles, or infrastructure automation positions frequently list Cisco automation credentials as a signal that a candidate can operate comfortably across both API-driven tooling and traditional network fundamentals.
Because the exam blends Software Development and Design, Understanding and Using APIs, Cisco Platforms and Development, Application Deployment and Security, Infrastructure and Automation, and Network Fundamentals into one test, it functions as a compact proof point that a candidate isn't purely a coder or purely a network operator - they can move fluidly between the two. That dual competency is exactly what shows up in job postings referencing this credential; the CCNA Automation Jobs overview catalogs the kinds of roles and responsibilities where this shows up in practice, and the CCNA Automation Salary Guide 2026: Complete Earnings Analysis looks at how compensation is discussed for these roles.
If you're still weighing whether the investment of time and the USD 300 fee makes sense for your specific career stage, Is the CCNA Automation Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026 lays out the tradeoffs without relying on inflated claims.
Building a Domain-Weighted Study Plan
Because Understanding and Using APIs and Infrastructure and Automation together make up 40% of the exam, your study calendar should give them proportionally more time than the four 15%-weighted domains. A simple, disciplined structure - dedicate early weeks to hands-on API practice using Cisco DevNet Sandbox environments, then layer in infrastructure automation exercises, and reserve the final stretch for Network Fundamentals review and full-length timed practice - respects that weighting instead of spreading effort evenly across six domains as if they mattered equally.
APIs and Software Development
- Work hands-on in Cisco DevNet Sandbox against real API calls
- Review version control and software design basics from Domain 1
Infrastructure and Automation, Cisco Platforms
- Practice infrastructure-as-code exercises tied to Cisco platform APIs
- Map each Domain 3 topic to a hands-on lab task
Deployment, Security, and Fundamentals
- Review secure deployment practices from Domain 4
- Refresh core Network Fundamentals if your background is software-heavy
Full Blueprint Review
- Run timed practice covering all six domains together
- Re-verify you're studying the v1.1 blueprint, not legacy DEVASC material
For a fuller walkthrough of pacing, resource selection, and common first-attempt mistakes, the CCNA Automation Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt goes deeper than a single timeline can. And if you want a candid read on where candidates typically struggle, How Hard Is the CCNA Automation Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026 and CCNA Automation Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows are both useful gut checks before you schedule. Once you're closer to test day, running full-length simulated exams on our practice test platform can help confirm whether your pacing across all six domains actually holds up under the 120-minute clock.
Key Takeaway
Don't split study time evenly across six domains - Understanding and Using APIs and Infrastructure and Automation deserve roughly double the attention of any single 15%-weighted domain.
Maintaining and Renewing the Certification
Once earned, CCNA Automation remains active for three years. Renewal at the associate level requires 30 Continuing Education (CE) credits, which can be obtained through eligible training and approved Cisco activities. Notably, passing another associate-level certification exam is itself worth the full 30 CE credits needed for renewal - meaning candidates who stack certifications can renew CCNA Automation as a byproduct of earning a different associate credential, rather than pursuing CE credits as a separate task.
Scheduling matters here too: knowing your original pass date and tracking the three-year renewal window in advance avoids a lapse. The CCNA Automation Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling guide covers how to plan around testing availability, and it's worth reviewing before you lock in an initial exam date so your renewal clock starts at a time that fits your broader certification roadmap.
Before test day, it's also worth having a single-page reference of the facts that matter most - exam code, fee, timing, domain weights, and retake policy - rather than re-reading the full blueprint the night before. The CCNA Automation Cheat Sheet 2026: One-Page Review of Must-Know Facts is built for exactly that kind of final review, and pairing it with a timed run-through on our exam simulator gives you both the facts and the pacing confidence in one pass.
Frequently Asked Questions
CCNA Automation is the renamed version of DevNet Associate. The rebrand took effect February 3, 2026, and the exam code stayed 200-901, now labeled CCNAAUTO instead of DEVASC.
The 200-901 CCNAAUTO exam costs USD 300. Retakes after a failed attempt are billed at the same rate - there's no discounted retake price.
No. Cisco does not require formal prerequisites or mandatory training before you register for the 200-901 CCNAAUTO exam.
Understanding and Using APIs and Infrastructure and Automation each carry 20% weight, together representing 40% of the exam - the largest combined share among the six domains.
The certification stays active for three years. Renewal requires 30 Continuing Education credits, which can be fulfilled through eligible training or by passing another associate-level exam.
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