300-715 SISE Training vs Self-Study: Do You Need a Course? (2026)
No course is required for the 300-715 SISE. Here is what the training on the market costs, what it gives you, and when self-study is the smarter spend.
- NoCourse required?
- $4,395Official course
- ~$270Self-study
- 80-120 hPrep time
- $300Exam fee
Table of Contents
Most SISE candidates can self-study: ISE's 90-day evaluation unlocks every feature, and the exam rewards configuring policy, not attending class. Pay for Cisco's SISE v5.0 course if an employer funds it or you have never touched 802.1X, because its prebuilt labs skip days of setup. Without a lab host that can give ISE 16 GB of RAM, the $900 Cisco U. path or a CBT Nuggets subscription is the cheaper way to get hosted labs.
Exam 300-715 SISE is the Cisco ISE concentration for CCNP Security: pair it with the 350-701 SCOR core for CCNP Security, or pass it alone for a Cisco Certified Specialist badge. It runs 90 minutes, costs $300 and follows the v1.2 outline, seven domains in which Policy Enforcement (AD and LDAP, 802.1X, MAB, TrustSec and authorization profiles) is the largest at 25%.
The training market is reasonable. Cisco's SISE v5.0 course, rebuilt for ISE 3.4 and 3.5, costs about $4,395 instructor-led or $900 on Cisco U., and CBT Nuggets has a v1.2 video course with virtual labs. INE and a 2020 Cisco Press guide round it out. The catch for self-study is the lab: ISE is a heavy virtual machine, although its 90-day evaluation licence unlocks every feature.
Is a course required for the 300-715 SISE?
Cisco requires no course for 300-715. You book through Pearson VUE, pay $300 or redeem Cisco Learning Credits, and sit the exam. Cisco lists the prerequisites for CCNP Security as none. To earn the full CCNP you also pass the 350-701 SCOR core within three years of your first CCNP Security exam, which is an exam requirement, not training. ISE experience helps a lot but is never checked.
Cheapest credible way to prepare:Use the free v1.2 topics, the Cisco Press SISE guide ($69.99 list) for theory, and ISE on its built-in 90-day evaluation licence in CML Personal ($199), with a free Windows Server evaluation for Active Directory: about $270 before the exam fee.
Three ways to prepare
Costs below are training only. The exam fee ($300) is the same whichever route you take.
Five instructor-led days on Cisco's SISE v5.0 courseware, rebuilt for ISE 3.4 and 3.5: personas and deployment, AD and certificate-based authentication, 802.1X and MAB, TEAP, guest and BYOD portals, profiling, posture, TACACS+ and TrustSec. Labs run in Cisco's hosted environment, the course earns 32 CE credits, and Cisco U. sells it self-paced for $900.
Best for:ISE engineers whose employer pays, and anyone without a lab that has AD, a switch, a wireless controller and test clients
Watch out:Five days is a fast pass over BYOD, posture and certificates, so budget review time. Partner prices vary; compare them in Cisco's Learning Locator.
A video course from Bob Salmans and Kelvin Tran mapped to the v1.2 topics and updated in January 2026, with virtual labs, quizzes and N2K practice exams in one subscription. It covers AD, LDAP, PKI and MFA identity stores, 802.1X, MAB, TrustSec, guest and sponsor portals, BYOD certificates, posture and TACACS+.
Best for:Self-starters who want a v1.2-aligned walkthrough and some hosted lab time without the class price
Watch out:Renews monthly ($599 a year) until cancelled, and posture and BYOD still reward building your own ISE lab.
The free v1.2 topics PDF as your checklist, the Cisco Press SISE Official Cert Guide for theory, and ISE 3.5 in CML Personal on its built-in 90-day evaluation licence, with a Windows Server evaluation for Active Directory and a switch and Windows client for 802.1X. The ISE administrator guide fills v1.2 gaps such as the Posture Work Center.
Best for:Engineers who run ISE at work and can rebuild a lab when the 90-day evaluation runs out
Watch out:ISE needs 16 vCPUs and 16 GB of RAM in CML, and the 2020 guide predates both v1.2 and ISE 3.4.
Every option on one price line
8 options for the 300-715 SISE, placed by list price. The numbered pins match the table.
- Official
- Third-party
- Free
Log scale: each step to the right costs several times more. List prices checked October 2026, training only (exam fee not included).
| # | Option | Type | List price | Format and what you get |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SISE v5.0 instructor-led courseFast Lane (Cisco Learning Partner) | Official | $4,395 or 44 CLCs | 5 days, virtual or classroom. Cisco courseware and hosted ISE labs, 32 CE credits; Cisco Learning Credits accepted |
| 2 | Cisco U. SISE learning path (v5.0)Cisco U. | Official | $900 or 9 CLCs | Self-paced, 180 days' access, about 32 h across 34 courses, updated Aug 2026. 19 hands-on labs, 20 assessments, 32 CE credits; Cisco maps it to both v1.1 and v1.2 |
| 3 | CCNP Security Identity Management SISE OCGCisco Press | Official | $69.99 list | Print book, published Dec 2020 (Aaron Woland, Katherine McNamara). Deep coverage of all seven domains; predates v1.2 and ISE 3.4, so check the changed objectives |
| 4 | Implementing and Configuring Cisco ISE (SISE) v1.2CBT Nuggets | Third-party | $59/mo (~3 mo) | On-demand video by Bob Salmans and Kelvin Tran, updated Jan 2026. Virtual labs, quizzes and N2K practice exams; access to the whole library; $599 a year option |
| 5 | Implementing & Configuring Cisco ISE (path)INE | Third-party | $799/yr (Premium) | About 16 h of video plus 15 h of activities, by Piotr Kaluzny. Four courses including TrustSec, 18 labs; INE's roadmap still lists its v1.2 update as upcoming |
| 6 | Cisco Modeling Labs PersonalCisco | Official | $199 or 2 CLCs | Network simulator on your own server, up to 20 Cisco nodes. ISE 3.5 on its own reference image ISO; ISE needs 16 vCPUs and 16 GB of RAM in CML |
| 7 | ISE 90-day evaluation licenceCisco | Free | Free (built in) | Activates automatically when you install ISE 3.0 or later. Every ISE feature for 90 days, up to 100 endpoints: enough for a full SISE lab |
| 8 | SISE v1.2 exam topics and Security communityCisco Learning Network | Free | Free | Official topics page and PDF plus a moderated study community. Seven weighted domains, Policy Enforcement largest at 25%, plus peer Q&A |
Whichever route you pick, test it
A course or a book only proves itself under exam conditions. ExamCert AI has exam-style 300-715 SISE questions with an explanation for every option. Do a mixed set before you pay for anything else.
Practise on ExamCert AIFree 300-715 SISE practice testWhat a course gives you, and the free substitute
The honest question is not "is the course good?" but "which part of it can I not get for free?" For the 300-715 SISE:
Pay or self-study? 3 questions
Answer in order. The first yes decides it.
A complete 300-715 SISE self-study kit
Everything a self-studier needs, at list price, totalled.
Finish the kit with exam-style practice
Work 300-715 SISE questions by domain, see which areas a course would actually have helped with, and spend money only there.
Practise on ExamCert AIFree 300-715 SISE practice testFAQ
Do I need to take the Cisco SISE course before the exam?
No. Cisco sets no training requirement for 300-715, and it lists the prerequisites for CCNP Security as none. You register with Pearson VUE, pay $300 or use Cisco Learning Credits, and sit the exam. The SISE course is recommended preparation, not a condition. For the full CCNP Security you also need the 350-701 SCOR core exam.
Which SISE course version should I buy?
SISE v5.0. Cisco's training update for the v1.2 outline is built on ISE 3.4 and 3.5, and Cisco lists it as preparing you for both v1.1 and v1.2. The older v4.1 Cisco U. learning path was retired on 26 August 2026. If a partner or reseller is still selling an earlier version, ask whether it maps to the v1.2 topics before you pay.
How much does the official SISE training cost?
Fast Lane's US list price for the five-day SISE class is $4,395 or 44 Cisco Learning Credits. The self-paced Cisco U. path is $900 or 9 CLCs for 180 days, with 19 labs, and Cisco U. All Access, which covers every professional-level path, is $6,000 a year. The class and the path each earn 32 CE credits toward recertification.
Can I build a free ISE lab for SISE?
Mostly. ISE 3.0 and later activate a 90-day evaluation licence on install that unlocks every feature for up to 100 endpoints. The image is the harder part: CML-Free has no ISE node, while Cisco's paid CML editions ship ISE 3.5, which needs 16 vCPUs and 16 GB of memory there. Add Active Directory, a switch that supports 802.1X and a Windows client.
What changed between SISE v1.1 and v1.2?
Not much; the seven domains and their weights are unchanged. v1.2 drops SAML IdP and REST ID from the identity-store list, adds 802.1X host modes and BYOD device lifecycle operations, moves posture onto the ISE Posture Work Center, and adds accounting to TACACS+ device administration. Cisco calls it a light refresh, so most v1.1 study material is still usable.
Sources
Figures on this page come from Cisco and the other primary sources below:
- Cisco: 300-715 SISE exam page
- Cisco Learning Network: 300-715 SISE v1.2 exam topics
- Cisco: 300-715 SISE v1.2 exam topics (PDF)
- Cisco Blogs: Cisco security certification updates, your questions answered
- Cisco: CCNP Security certification (prerequisites)
- Cisco: SISE training course
- Cisco U.: SISE v5.0 learning path
- Cisco U.: retired SISE v4.1 learning path
- Fast Lane: Implementing and Configuring Cisco Identity Services Engine (SISE)
- Cisco Press: CCNP Security Identity Management SISE 300-715 Official Cert Guide
- CBT Nuggets: Implementing and Configuring Cisco ISE (SISE 300-715) v1.2
- INE: Implementing and Configuring Cisco ISE (300-715 SISE) learning path
- INE: product roadmap
- Cisco: ISE 3.4 administrator guide, licensing
- Cisco DevNet: CML reference platforms and images
- Cisco: Cisco Modeling Labs editions
Checked October 15, 2026. Fees, outlines and eligibility rules change — confirm with Cisco before you book.