Am I Ready for 200-901 CCNA Automation? Checklist (2026)
Tick what you can do today, without notes. The board scores you against the Cisco outline and says GO, HOLD or NO-GO before you spend US$300 on a booking.
- Not publishedQuestions
- 120 minTime
- Not publishedPass mark
- US$300Fee
- Pearson VUEDelivery
Table of Contents
Exam 200-901 is the single exam for CCNA Automation, the certification Cisco called DevNet Associate until February 2026. It is for network engineers learning to automate and for developers working with Cisco platforms: Python, REST APIs, Git, Docker, YANG with NETCONF and RESTCONF, Ansible, and the APIs of Meraki, Catalyst Center and Webex, plus enough networking to work out why an application cannot connect.
The content did not change with the rename, so DEVASC-era resources still map to the v1.1 topics, apart from product names such as Catalyst Center for DNA Center. Ready means writing small working scripts, not just reading them: several objectives say construct or utilize, and Cisco exams can include hands-on items. Cisco does not publish an item count or a passing score, so this checklist is weighted by the official domain percentages. Tick an item only if you could do it from a blank editor tomorrow.
How to use this checklist
Tick only what you can do today, without notes. Each tick is weighted by its domain's share of the official outline, so the score follows the exam, not the number of boxes. A heavy domain (15%+ of the weight) at NO-GO holds the verdict even when the total looks fine. Your ticks are saved in this browser only.
The 200-901 CCNA Automation readiness checklist
26 items across 6 domains, each one a thing the exam expects you to do rather than recognise.
Your go / no-go board
One lamp per domain, one verdict overall. Amber and red rows are your study plan for the next week or two.
Check your ticks under exam conditions
A tick is a claim; a timed set of questions is the evidence. The 200-901 CCNA Automation app has 1,300+ exam-style 200-901 CCNA Automation questions with an explanation for every option. Do a mixed set and see whether the domains you ticked hold up.
App StoreGoogle PlayFree 200-901 CCNA Automation practice testRed flags: don't book yet if...
Any one of these on the 200-901 CCNA Automation is a better predictor of a fail than a low tick count.
You can read Python but freeze in front of a blank file
Several objectives say construct: a REST call with requests, a script using a Cisco SDK, code from API reference documentation, a unit test. Recognising code from tutorials does not transfer to writing it under a clock.
Fix:Write three scripts from nothing against a free Cisco DevNet sandbox: list devices, post a Webex message, and test one function with unittest. Repeat until none needs a search engine.
You skipped Network Fundamentals because you are a developer
It is 15% of the exam, the same as Software Development and Design: subnets, VLANs, ports, NAT, the three planes and diagnosing why an application cannot connect. Developers coming from outside networking lose easy marks here.
Fix:Learn subnetting to the point of doing it in your head, memorise the listed default ports, and practise reading topology diagrams until you can trace a flow through them.
Git is a set of buttons in your IDE
The topics list clone, add and remove, commit, push and pull, branch, merge with conflict handling, and diff, and a separate objective asks you to interpret a unified diff. Exam items show commands and output, not IDE screens.
Fix:Create a throwaway repository, make two branches edit the same line, and resolve the conflict and read the diff using the command line only.
HTTP status codes and auth headers are fuzzy
Understanding and Using APIs is one of the two heaviest domains at 20%, and it includes troubleshooting a call from its response code, request and documentation, plus three authentication styles.
Fix:Deliberately break calls in a sandbox: a wrong token, a missing header, a bad path, too many requests. Note the exact code and body each failure returns.
You have never run a container or an Ansible playbook
Application Deployment and Security asks you to interpret a Dockerfile and use Docker images locally, and Infrastructure and Automation asks what an Ansible playbook or bash script automates. Guessing from syntax is slow and unreliable.
Fix:Containerise one of your own scripts with a Dockerfile, then run a small Ansible playbook against a sandbox device and compare its output with what you predicted.
The numbers that say you're ready
Rules of thumb, not official thresholds: Cisco does not publish a readiness score. Hit all four before you pay for a booking.
A rule of thumb, not a Cisco figure: Cisco publishes no pass mark. Scoring well on questions you have never seen, from two sources, shows understanding rather than memory of one bank.
A rule of thumb. Cisco exams do not let you return to earlier items, so you have to commit to each answer and still leave time for reading code and any hands-on items.
A rule of thumb. Listing devices, posting a Webex message and pulling RESTCONF data, with only the API docs open, proves the construct-level objectives across two domains.
A rule of thumb. If you can explain NETCONF versus RESTCONF with a YANG tree, or a CI/CD pipeline for network changes, aloud to a colleague, the describe-level questions will not surprise you.
Booking and ID checklist
The logistics that trip people up are specific to the 200-901 CCNA Automation and its delivery provider. Work through them in order.
Set up your Cisco and Pearson VUE profiles
Sign in to Pearson VUE through Cisco's testing program and make sure the name on the profile matches your ID exactly. Keep your Cisco candidate ID (CSCO number) so the result lands on your certification record.
Book 200-901 CCNAAUTO
Pick a Pearson VUE test centre or OnVUE online proctoring, in English or Japanese. The exam lasts 120 minutes; the booking may show the CCNAAUTO title rather than DEVASC, which is expected.
Pay US$300 or redeem a voucher
Pay by card, with Cisco Learning Credits, or with a voucher bought from Pearson VUE or an authorised source. Cisco does not compensate candidates for fraudulent or unauthorised vouchers.
Run the Pearson VUE system test
Use the same computer and network you will test on: Windows 10 or macOS 14 or later, one monitor, webcam, microphone and speaker, no VPN or corporate network, and at least 6 Mbps down and 2 Mbps up.
Check your identification
At a test centre Cisco wants two IDs, one a government-issued photo ID, both signed. OnVUE needs one valid, unexpired government photo ID whose name matches the booking exactly.
Note the reschedule deadline
Your Pearson VUE confirmation states the last point at which you can reschedule or cancel. Changes after it, or a no-show, forfeit the fee, so put the date in your calendar.
Plan the retake properly
Cisco requires a five-calendar-day wait, counted from the day after the attempt, before you resit 200-901. Use the section breakdown on your score report to pick the domains to practise first.
Exam-week countdown: T-7 to T-0
Sit your last full timed mock under exam conditions: 120 minutes, no notes, no going back. Note your two weakest domains and spend the week writing code or labbing only those. Confirm the appointment time and time zone in Pearson VUE.
Write one script per API domain from a blank file, run a Docker image and an Ansible playbook, and resolve one Git merge conflict. Stop opening new topics. If you are testing on OnVUE, rerun the system test on the exam machine and network.
Light review only: HTTP status codes, auth header formats, default ports, the YANG tree layout and the main Git commands. Lay out your IDs, clear the desk and room if testing at home, and sleep properly.
Start OnVUE check-in 30 minutes early, or arrive early at the test centre with both IDs. Read the tutorial screens, answer every item before you move on, and read code exhibits line by line rather than skimming.
Test-day rules
✓ Allowed / expected
- Two IDs at a test centre (one government-issued photo ID, both signed); one valid government photo ID on OnVUE
- The note board the test centre issues, or the built-in digital whiteboard on OnVUE
- A drink in an unmarked container on your OnVUE desk
- Comfort aids and accommodations approved by Pearson VUE before exam day
✕ Not allowed
- Phones, watches, notes, laptops or anything else taken into or out of the exam room
- Paper, pens or a physical whiteboard during an OnVUE exam
- A second monitor, a virtual machine, a VPN or a corporate network on OnVUE
- Leaving the webcam view, reading aloud, or anyone else in the room during OnVUE
- Discussing or sharing exam content afterwards, which Cisco's confidentiality agreement forbids
After you pass
Result on screen
You get a preliminary score report with a per-section breakdown as soon as you finish. Cisco can revise a score after testing if misconduct or a scoring error comes to light, and employers verify results online rather than from the printout.
CCNA Automation badge
A pass earns CCNA Automation, with a digital badge you claim from a Credly email. It is an associate-level certification in its own right, separate from the 200-301 CCNA, and the next step up is CCNP Automation.
Three-year clock
The certification stays active for three years. Recertify with 30 Continuing Education credits, by passing 200-901 again, or by advancing to a higher-level Cisco certification before it lapses.
The 200-901 CCNA Automation at a glance
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Time | 120 minutes |
| Fee | US$300, or Cisco Learning Credits |
| Delivery | Pearson VUE test centre or OnVUE online proctoring; English or Japanese |
| Retakes | After a fail, wait 5 calendar days (counted from the day after); after a pass, 180 days before the same exam number |
| Results | Preliminary score report with a per-section breakdown when you finish; official results are verified online through Cisco |
| Validity and renewal | 3 years; renew with 30 CE credits, by retaking the exam or by passing a higher-level exam |
Turn the amber rows green
Work 200-901 CCNA Automation questions by domain, starting with whatever the board marked HOLD or NO-GO, then tick again.
App StoreGoogle PlayFree 200-901 CCNA Automation practice testFAQ
Is the DevNet Associate exam still available?
The exam is, under a new name. Since 3 February 2026, 200-901 is titled CCNAAUTO, Automating Networks Using Cisco Platforms v1.1, and leads to CCNA Automation instead of DevNet Associate. The number, length and domain weights did not change, and anyone already holding an active DevNet Associate was recognised as CCNA Automation certified automatically.
How many questions are on 200-901 and what score do I need?
Cisco does not publish an item count or a passing score for 200-901. It states only that the exam lasts 120 minutes, and it sets cut scores statistically and can change them. Ignore study sources that quote a fixed number of questions or a target score, and use the official domain weights to judge where the marks are.
Do I need the CCNA before taking 200-901?
No. CCNA Automation is a separate associate-level certification from the 200-301 CCNA, and you can take 200-901 without it. You still need networking basics, because Network Fundamentals is 15% of the exam: IP addressing and subnets, VLANs, NAT, common ports, DHCP, DNS and working out why an application cannot connect.
How much Python do I need for 200-901?
Enough to write short scripts unaided: parse JSON, XML and YAML into Python structures, call a REST API with the requests library, handle authentication and status codes, use a Cisco SDK from its documentation, and write a unit test. You also need to read scripts, Ansible playbooks and bash and say what they automate.
What does 200-901 cost and can I take it online?
Cisco lists the exam at US$300, payable by card, Cisco Learning Credits or a Pearson VUE voucher. It runs 120 minutes in English or Japanese, at a Pearson VUE test centre or through OnVUE online proctoring in most countries. If you fail, Cisco requires a five-calendar-day wait before you can retake it.
Sources
Figures on this page come from Cisco and the other primary sources below:
- Cisco: 200-901 CCNAAUTO exam topics v1.1 (PDF)
- Cisco: 200-901 CCNAAUTO exam page
- Cisco Blogs: Par Merat announces Learn with Cisco (DevNet track rebrand)
- Cisco: certification and exam policies
- Cisco: recertification policy
- Pearson VUE: OnVUE online testing for Cisco
Checked October 14, 2026. Fees, outlines and eligibility rules change — confirm with Cisco before you book.