CCNA Automation Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown

The 200-901 CCNAAUTO Exam Fee

The single biggest line item in any CCNA Automation budget is the exam fee itself. Cisco prices the 200-901 CCNAAUTO exam, officially titled Automating Networks Using Cisco Platforms, at USD 300. That fee is fixed by Cisco and collected through Pearson VUE at the time of registration - there is no tiered pricing, no student discount published in the certification's exam-overview materials, and no bundled "exam plus training" package that changes the base cost.

The exam itself runs 120 minutes and is offered in English and Japanese. Format-wise, expect single- and multiple-answer multiple choice, drag-and-drop matching, script-completion tasks, and lab-style items, per Cisco's 2026 exam briefing. Because the exam is closed-book and delivered under a confidentiality agreement with strict identity verification, there's no way to shortcut the content investment with notes or open resources during the test - which is exactly why the study-time investment matters as much as the dollar figure. For a full breakdown of what's actually tested, see the CCNA Automation Exam Domains 2026 guide.

How Registration and Payment Actually Work

Cisco uses Pearson VUE as the exclusive testing provider for the 200-901 CCNAAUTO exam. Candidates can sit the exam in one of two ways:

• Authorized test center: An in-person, proctored testing facility.
• OnVUE online proctoring: Remote testing from a private space that meets Pearson VUE's environment and identity requirements.

There are no formal prerequisites or mandatory training courses required to register - anyone can book the exam directly once they pay the $300 fee. That open-eligibility structure is one reason the certification appeals to career-changers as well as existing network engineers; if you want the fuller eligibility picture, the CCNA Automation Requirements guide covers it in detail.

Grading is pass/fail, and results post online within 48 hours of finishing the exam. There's no partial credit disclosed, no published minimum percentage - if you want a precise breakdown of how scoring is communicated, see the CCNA Automation Passing Score guide. Scheduling flexibility (available time slots, blackout periods, and how far in advance to book) is covered separately in the CCNA Automation Exam Dates guide.

Retake Costs and the Five-Day Waiting Period

If you don't pass on the first try, Cisco's retake policy has two components worth budgeting around:

• Waiting period: You must wait five full calendar days, starting the day after the failed attempt, before you're eligible to retest.
• Cost: Standard retakes cost the same as the initial exam - there is no discounted "second chance" rate published for 200-901 CCNAAUTO.

In plain budget terms: every failed attempt effectively doubles your exam-fee spend. Two attempts means $600 in Pearson VUE fees alone, three attempts means $900, and so on. This is the single most controllable cost in the entire certification journey, because it's driven almost entirely by preparation quality rather than external fees. If you're trying to gauge your odds honestly before you book, the How Hard Is the CCNA Automation Exam guide and CCNA Automation Pass Rate guide are useful reality checks before you commit to a date.

Where the Money Should Go: Domain-by-Domain Prep

Since Cisco doesn't require paid training, the real financial decision isn't "should I pay Cisco more" - it's "how much should I spend on third-party prep, and on which of the six domains." The current blueprint weights are:

Understanding and Using APIs and Infrastructure and Automation together make up 40% of the exam - the two heaviest single domains. That's exactly where hands-on, tool-based practice tends to pay off more per dollar than passive reading, since these domains lean on applied skill rather than memorization. A domain-by-domain study allocation, including how to sequence these six areas, is laid out in the CCNA Automation Exam Domains 2026 guide.

Free and Low-Cost Prep: DevNet Sandbox and Beyond

The most cost-effective lever in the entire CCNA Automation budget is Cisco DevNet Sandbox, which provides free practice environments for APIs and programmability work. Because two of the six domains (Understanding and Using APIs, Infrastructure and Automation) are inherently hands-on, a free sandbox environment can replace what would otherwise be a paid lab subscription elsewhere.

A caution worth budgeting time around, not just money: align any original questions or hands-on exercises with the current blueprint rather than assuming legacy practice banks are automatically current. Given that DevNet Associate/DEVASC only became CCNA Automation/CCNAAUTO on February 3, 2026, and the exam-topics page reflects a v1.1 blueprint while the exam-overview page still shows v1.0 labeling, older practice material floating around online may not match what you'll actually see. Cross-check any purchased or free question bank against the current domain guide before trusting it.

Three-Year Renewal and Continuing Education Costs

CCNA Automation certification remains active for three years from the date you pass. After that, associate-level renewal requires 30 Continuing Education (CE) credits, earned through eligible training and approved activities.

The most budget-friendly renewal path for many candidates: passing another associate-level certification exam earns the full 30 CE credits needed, satisfying renewal in a single step rather than accumulating credits piecemeal through smaller activities. That means your renewal "cost" could realistically be another $300 exam fee (if you choose to renew by exam) rather than a separate fee structure - though other CE-eligible activities may also apply toward the 30-credit requirement without requiring a new exam purchase.

Because renewal timing is tied to a three-year clock from your original pass date, it's worth planning ahead rather than scrambling near expiration. The CCNA Automation Exam Dates guide is a useful reference for mapping out testing windows well before your certification lapses.

Total Budget: What a Realistic Spend Looks Like

Putting the pieces together, here's how a candidate's total spend can range depending on preparation approach and attempts needed:

Notice that Cisco's own required costs are entirely exam-fee based - there's no mandatory course fee, no application fee, no separate proctoring surcharge disclosed for OnVUE versus in-person testing in the cert facts. The variable in your total budget is almost entirely: how many attempts will you need, and how much (if anything) will you spend on supplemental prep beyond free resources like DevNet Sandbox. That's a strong argument for spending real time on preparation quality rather than treating the exam fee as a rounding error you can absorb through repeated attempts.

If you're still weighing whether the investment is justified relative to career outcomes, the Is CCNA Automation Certification Worth It guide and CCNA Automation Salary Guide dig into the return side of this equation.

Budgeting Your Study Weeks Around the Fee

Since every failed attempt costs another $300 plus a five-day delay, the smartest financial move is often timing your exam date around genuine domain readiness rather than an arbitrary deadline. A simple way to structure this, weighted toward the two heaviest domains:

For a much deeper walkthrough of this kind of week-by-week planning, including how to sequence topics if you're coming from a networking background versus a software background, see the CCNA Automation Study Guide 2026. And once you're ready to test your readiness under realistic conditions before spending another $300, running full-length timed simulations on our practice test platform is one of the cheapest ways to catch gaps before exam day.

Frequently Asked Questions