Am I Ready for 350-701 SCOR? Exam Readiness 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$400 on a booking.
- Not publishedQuestions
- 120 minTime
- Not publishedPass mark
- US$400Fee
- Pearson VUEDelivery
Table of Contents
SCOR is the core exam for CCNP Security and the qualifying exam for the CCIE Security lab, and a pass on its own earns the Cisco Certified Specialist - Security Core certification. It is the broadest exam in the track: threats and cryptography, Secure Firewall (FTD), cloud and workload security, Cisco Secure Access, endpoint protection, ISE and Duo, plus some Splunk and Python.
Version 2.0 has been the only version since 27 August 2026, so ready means ready for v2.0, not the v1.1 material that still fills forums and question banks. The blueprint mixes describe-level breadth with configure and troubleshoot objectives on FTD, ISE, Secure Endpoint and Secure Access, and Cisco exams can include lab-style 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 tomorrow without notes.
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 350-701 SCOR readiness checklist
25 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. ExamCert AI has 700+ exam-style 350-701 SCOR questions with an explanation for every option. Do a mixed set and see whether the domains you ticked hold up.
Practise on ExamCert AIFree 350-701 SCOR practice testRed flags: don't book yet if...
Any one of these on the 350-701 SCOR is a better predictor of a fail than a low tick count.
Your course, book or question bank still has a Content Security domain
That is the v1.1 blueprint, which could not be booked after 26 August 2026. Version 2.0 removed Content Security as a domain, added Secure Service Edge and moved VPN configuration onto Secure Firewall, so v1.1 material both wastes time and leaves gaps.
Fix:Check every resource against the official v2.0 exam topics PDF. Keep v1.1 content only where the objective survived, such as 802.1X, CoA, switch security and cryptography basics.
You have never configured Secure Firewall (FTD)
Network Security is now the largest domain at 25%, and its configure and troubleshoot objectives centre on FTD: access control, URL filtering, intrusion and malware policy, and site-to-site and remote-access VPN.
Fix:Get time on an FTD and its manager through a lab, Cisco dCloud or work, and build one access control policy and one Secure Client remote-access VPN from start to finish.
Secure Access and Splunk are only product names to you
Secure Service Edge is a full 10% domain with configure objectives for internet and private access, DLP and AI guardrails, and Cloud Security asks you to configure Splunk ingestion. Reading a datasheet will not cover those items.
Fix:Use a trial or demo environment to build one internet access rule and one private access rule, then send a product's logs into Splunk and find the events yourself.
ISE is theory only
Network Access, Visibility, and Enforcement (15%) asks you to configure 802.1X, MAB and Change of Authorization with ISE. Exhibits show policy sets and live-log failures, which are hard to reason about if you have never seen one.
Fix:Build one wired 802.1X port with MAB fallback against ISE, break it with a wrong certificate or a missing authorization rule, and fix it from the live logs.
You only score well in your day-job lane
SCOR spans six domains, from LLM threats to email security. A firewall engineer who aces Network Security can still sink on Endpoint, SSE and Cloud items, and Cisco exams do not let you go back to earlier questions.
Fix:Track practice scores per domain rather than overall, and do not book while any one domain sits well below the others.
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. The sets must be written for v2.0, and scoring well on questions you have never seen shows understanding rather than memory.
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 room for any lab-style items.
A rule of thumb. Doing both from a clean starting point, without a guide, covers the configure objectives that carry the two heaviest hands-on domains.
A rule of thumb for a breadth exam. Your overall practice score hides a weak domain; with six domains and no going back, one blind spot can decide the result.
Booking and ID checklist
The logistics that trip people up are specific to the 350-701 SCOR 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 350-701 v2.0
Pick a Pearson VUE test centre or OnVUE online proctoring, in English or Japanese. The exam lasts 120 minutes; confirm the booking screen shows the v2.0 exam title.
Pay US$400 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 350-701. Use the section breakdown on your score report to pick the domains to rebuild first.
Exam-week countdown: T-7 to T-0
Sit your last full timed v2.0 mock under exam conditions: 120 minutes, no notes, no going back. Note your two weakest domains and spend the week labbing or reading only those. Confirm the appointment time and time zone in Pearson VUE.
Rebuild one FTD access policy and one 802.1X port from scratch, and reread the SSE and AI/LLM objectives. Stop opening new topics. If you are testing on OnVUE, rerun the system test on the exam machine and network.
Light review only: VPN types, the shared responsibility split, SSE versus SASE, EPP versus EDR and the 802.1X/MAB/CoA flow. 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 keep time in reserve for any simulation items.
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.
Specialist badge and the CCNP path
A pass earns Cisco Certified Specialist - Security Core, with a digital badge you claim from a Credly email. Add one CCNP Security concentration exam within three years to complete CCNP Security, or use 350-701 to qualify for the CCIE Security lab.
Three-year clock
The certification stays active for three years. Recertify with Continuing Education credits (40 for a Specialist, 80 for CCNP), by passing qualifying exams again, or by moving up a level before it lapses.
The 350-701 SCOR at a glance
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Time | 120 minutes |
| Fee | US$400, 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 CE credits (40 for Specialist, 80 for CCNP), by retaking qualifying exams or by moving up a level |
Turn the amber rows green
Work 350-701 SCOR questions by domain, starting with whatever the board marked HOLD or NO-GO, then tick again.
Practise on ExamCert AIFree 350-701 SCOR practice testFAQ
Is SCOR v1.1 still available?
No. Cisco's last day to test on SCOR v1.1 was 26 August 2026, and v2.0 has been the only version since 27 August 2026. A v1.1 pass still counts: Cisco says it combines with any CCNP Security concentration exam, including one taken after the change, to award CCNP Security, as long as you pass the second exam within three years of the first.
How many questions are on 350-701 and what score do I need?
Cisco does not publish an item count or a passing score for 350-701. 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 v2.0 domain weights to judge where the marks are.
What changed most between SCOR v1.1 and v2.0?
Content Security is gone as a domain, and Secure Service Edge arrived at 10%, covering Cisco Secure Access internet and private access, DLP and AI guardrails. Network Security grew to 25% and now includes site-to-site and remote-access VPN configuration on FTD. New topics include AI/LLM vulnerabilities, post-quantum cryptography, QUIC and MASQUE, eBPF, Splunk and Email Threat Defense.
Can I take SCOR online or in Japanese?
Yes to both. 350-701 is offered in English and Japanese, either at a Pearson VUE test centre or through OnVUE online proctoring in most countries. OnVUE requires a private room, a clear desk, one monitor, a webcam and microphone, and a system test passed on the same device and network you will use on the day.
How much hands-on practice do I need for SCOR?
Enough to configure, not just recognise. The v2.0 topics ask you to configure or troubleshoot FTD policies and VPNs, switch security features, AAA, ISE 802.1X, MAB and CoA, Secure Endpoint, Email Threat Defense, Secure Access and Splunk ingestion. A sensible rule of thumb is to have built each of those yourself at least once before you book.
Sources
Figures on this page come from Cisco and the other primary sources below:
- Cisco: 350-701 SCOR exam topics v2.0 (PDF)
- Cisco: 350-701 SCOR exam page
- Cisco Blogs: Cisco security certification updates, your questions answered
- 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.