Free CCNP Practice Test 2026 — 400+ ENCOR & ENARSI Questions
The CCNP ENCOR has a ~35% first-attempt pass rate. Let's make sure you're in that 35%.
I spent $660 on CCNP study materials before realizing that what I actually needed was more practice questions, not more videos. The ENCOR 350-401 is one of those exams where knowing the concepts isn't enough—you need to apply them under pressure with deliberately tricky answer choices.
So I went hunting for quality free CCNP practice tests. Turns out, most "free" options give you 10-20 questions and then hit you with a paywall. Here's what actually delivers.
CCNP Enterprise: What You're Up Against
Before we talk about practice tests, let's be clear about what the CCNP Enterprise certification requires. It's not one exam—it's two.
| Exam | Code | Questions | Duration | Passing Score | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENCOR (Core) | 350-401 | 100-110 | 120 min | ~825/1000 | $400 |
| ENARSI (Concentration) | 300-410 | 55-65 | 90 min | ~825/1000 | $300 |
That's $700 in exam fees alone. And with that ~35% first-attempt pass rate for ENCOR, you really don't want to be paying twice. This is why practice tests aren't optional—they're the single best investment of your study time.
Free CCNP Practice Questions: Where to Find Them
ExamCert — 400+ Free Questions
I'm biased, but let me tell you why. ExamCert has 400+ CCNP-level practice questions covering both ENCOR and ENARSI domains. Every question has a detailed explanation—not just "the answer is B" but a full breakdown of why each option is correct or incorrect.
What you get free:
- 200+ ENCOR 350-401 questions across all 6 domains
- 200+ ENARSI 300-410 questions
- Full exam simulation mode (timed, randomized)
- Domain-specific practice for targeted weakness drilling
- Works on iOS, Android, and web
Start with the CCNA practice questions if you need to refresh fundamentals, then move to CCNP-level content.
Cisco Learning Network
Cisco's own community forum has a small set of sample questions for each exam. They're official and well-written but there aren't many—maybe 30-40 questions total. Good for familiarizing yourself with Cisco's question style, not enough for actual preparation.
Boson (Paid but Worth Mentioning)
Boson ExSim-Max is widely considered the gold standard for Cisco practice exams. At ~$99 per exam, it's not cheap. But the questions are genuinely harder than the real exam, which is a good thing—if you're scoring 80%+ on Boson, you're ready.
My recommendation: use ExamCert's free questions first, get your baseline, then consider Boson only if you want extra challenge.
ENCOR 350-401: Domain Breakdown & Practice Strategy
The ENCOR exam covers six domains. Here's what to focus on and how many practice questions to target per domain.
1. Architecture (15%)
SD-WAN, SD-Access, and Cisco DNA Center. This domain has the most "new" content compared to older CCNP exams.
Key focus:
- Cisco SD-WAN architecture components (vManage, vSmart, vBond, vEdge)
- SD-Access fabric roles (control plane, data plane, policy plane)
- LISP, VXLAN, and Cisco TrustSec basics
- QoS classification, marking, queuing models
Practice target: 30+ questions on this domain
2. Virtualization (10%)
The lightest domain but don't skip it. Free points.
Key focus:
- Type 1 vs Type 2 hypervisors
- VRF (Virtual Routing and Forwarding)
- GRE and IPsec tunnels
- Path virtualization technologies
Practice target: 20+ questions
3. Infrastructure (30%)
This is the big one—nearly a third of the exam. Classic networking: routing, switching, wireless.
Key focus:
- OSPF (single-area and multi-area), EIGRP, BGP
- Spanning Tree enhancements (RSTP, MST)
- First Hop Redundancy (HSRP, VRRP, GLBP)
- Wireless architecture (FlexConnect, autonomous, cloud-based)
- IP services (NTP, DHCP, NAT, SNMP, syslog)
Practice target: 60+ questions — this is where you win or lose the exam
💡 OSPF is Your Best Friend
OSPF appears in nearly every ENCOR practice exam I've taken. Understand LSA types, area types (stub, NSSA, totally stubby), DR/BDR election, and inter-area routing. If you can nail OSPF, you've locked in a huge chunk of the Infrastructure domain.
4. Network Assurance (10%)
Key focus:
- Network monitoring tools (SNMP, NetFlow, IP SLA)
- Cisco DNA Center Assurance
- Debugging and troubleshooting methodologies
Practice target: 20+ questions
5. Security (20%)
Security is heavily weighted. Don't make the mistake of treating this as a networking-only exam.
Key focus:
- 802.1X, MAB, WebAuth
- AAA with RADIUS and TACACS+
- Control plane policing (CoPP)
- VPN technologies (IPsec, DMVPN, FlexVPN)
- Wireless security (WPA3, EAP methods)
Practice target: 40+ questions
6. Automation (15%)
This domain scares traditional networkers, but it's actually very approachable.
Key focus:
- REST API concepts (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE)
- JSON and YANG data models
- Python scripting basics for network automation
- Cisco DNA Center APIs and automation tools
- Configuration management (Ansible, Puppet basics)
Practice target: 30+ questions
ENARSI 300-410: What to Expect
ENARSI (Enterprise Advanced Routing and Services Implementation) is the most popular concentration exam. It's basically CCNP routing on steroids.
The domains:
- Layer 3 Technologies (35%): OSPF, EIGRP, BGP deep dives, redistribution, VRF-Lite
- VPN Technologies (20%): DMVPN, IPsec, MPLS basics
- Infrastructure Security (20%): AAA, uRPF, CoPP, device hardening
- Infrastructure Services (25%): DHCP, DNS, NTP, SNMP, first-hop redundancy
ENARSI is more hands-on than ENCOR. Expect questions about specific CLI commands and troubleshooting output. If you see a show ip ospf neighbor output and can't immediately spot the problem, you need more practice.
Study Plan: CCNP in 6 Months
Here's a realistic timeline for working professionals:
Months 1-3: ENCOR 350-401
- Month 1: Architecture + Virtualization + Infrastructure (routing)
- Month 2: Infrastructure (switching/wireless) + Security + Automation
- Month 3: Full practice exams, weak area review, lab practice
Months 4-6: ENARSI 300-410
- Month 4: Layer 3 deep dives (OSPF multi-area, BGP, redistribution)
- Month 5: VPN + Security + Services
- Month 6: Practice exams and lab-heavy revision
Lab practice is non-negotiable for CCNP. Use Cisco Packet Tracer (free) or EVE-NG/GNS3 for more advanced topologies. You can't pass by reading alone—you need to configure things, break them, and fix them.
CCNP vs Cloud Certifications: Still Worth It?
I hear this question constantly: "Why bother with CCNP when everyone's going to the cloud?"
Short answer: because every cloud runs on a network.
Longer answer: CCNP professionals earn $100,000-$150,000+, and demand hasn't dropped. In fact, with SD-WAN, SASE, and hybrid cloud, networking expertise is arguably more valuable now than five years ago. The network is the foundation—cloud is the building on top.
That said, combining CCNP with a cloud cert is a killer combo. AWS, Azure, or GCP alongside CCNP makes you uniquely valuable in enterprise environments.
Some strong certification combos:
- CCNP + AWS Solutions Architect — for hybrid cloud architects
- CCNP + Azure AZ-104 — for Microsoft-heavy enterprises
- CCNP + CISSP — for network security leadership
- CCNP + Kubernetes CKA — for modern infrastructure roles
Common ENCOR Mistakes (Learn From Mine)
Underestimating Wireless
I barely studied wireless for my first attempt. Big mistake. ENCOR has significant wireless coverage—AP modes, controller architectures, roaming, and security. If you've never worked with wireless, budget extra time.
Skipping Automation
Traditional networkers often ignore the automation domain. But 15% of the exam is free points if you understand REST APIs and basic Python. You don't need to be a developer—just understand the concepts and be able to read simple code.
Not Doing Enough Practice Questions
I thought watching videos was enough. It's not. The ENCOR questions are designed to test applied knowledge, not recall. The only way to develop that application skill is through hundreds of practice questions.
Practice Questions
Question 1
In OSPF, what is the purpose of the designated router (DR) in a multi-access network?
The DR and BDR reduce OSPF overhead on multi-access networks by centralizing LSA distribution. Instead of each router forming full adjacencies with all others (n(n-1)/2), routers only form full adjacencies with the DR and BDR, significantly reducing LSAs.
Question 2
Which BGP attribute is used first in the BGP path selection process?
BGP path selection follows this order: 1) Weight (Cisco-proprietary, highest preferred), 2) Local Preference, 3) Locally originated routes, 4) AS Path, 5) Origin, 6) MED. Weight is evaluated first and only locally significant.
Question 3
What is the default hello interval for EIGRP on Ethernet interfaces?
EIGRP sends hello packets every 5 seconds on high-bandwidth interfaces (>1.544 Mbps, including Ethernet) and every 60 seconds on low-bandwidth interfaces. The hold time is 3x the hello interval (15 seconds for Ethernet).
Question 4
A network engineer needs to redistribute routes from OSPF into BGP. Which metric attribute should be configured to influence path selection in remote AS?
MED is used to suggest to external peers which path to prefer when entering your AS. It's advertised to eBGP peers (unlike Weight and Local Preference which are locally significant). AS Path prepending also influences remote AS but makes the path look longer, while MED provides a metric.
Question 5
Which OSPF network type does NOT require a DR/BDR election?
Point-to-point networks (like serial links) do not require DR/BDR because there are only two routers. DR/BDR election is used on multi-access networks (broadcast, non-broadcast, point-to-multipoint) to reduce adjacencies.
Question 6
What is the administrative distance of an eBGP learned route?
eBGP (external BGP) has an AD of 20, which is more trusted than most IGPs (OSPF=110, RIP=120). iBGP (internal BGP) has an AD of 200, making it less trusted than IGPs to prevent routing loops.
Question 7
A network engineer configures HSRP on two routers. Router A has priority 110, Router B has priority 100, and both have default settings. After Router A fails and recovers, which router will be active?
By default, HSRP does NOT preempt. Even though Router A has higher priority, Router B remains active until it fails. To enable automatic takeover, configure 'standby preempt' on Router A.
Question 8
Which command displays the EIGRP topology table including all learned routes, even those not in the routing table?
'show ip eigrp topology' displays all routes in the topology table, including successors (best paths in routing table) and feasible successors (backup paths). 'show ip route eigrp' only shows routes actually installed in the routing table.
Question 9
A network uses VRF-Lite to segment traffic. Which technology allows route leaking between VRFs for controlled communication?
Route targets (RT) with import/export statements control which routes are shared between VRFs. A VRF exports routes with an RT tag, and another VRF imports routes matching specific RTs, enabling controlled inter-VRF communication.
Question 10
What is the default encapsulation for MPLS VPNs on Cisco routers?
MPLS uses label switching (not encapsulation in the traditional sense) where labels are added to packets for forwarding. MPLS labels operate between Layer 2 and Layer 3, allowing VPN traffic segregation through label stacks and VPNv4 routes.
FAQ — Free CCNP Practice Tests
Is there a free CCNP practice test available online?
Yes. ExamCert offers 400+ free CCNP practice questions covering both ENCOR 350-401 and ENARSI 300-410 with detailed explanations and exam simulation.
How many questions are on the CCNP ENCOR exam?
100-110 questions in 120 minutes. Passing score is approximately 825/1000. Questions include multiple choice, drag-and-drop, and potentially simlets (scenario-based labs).
Do I need CCNA before CCNP?
Not technically—Cisco removed the prerequisite. But CCNA knowledge is assumed. You'll struggle with ENCOR if you can't subnet quickly or don't understand CCNA-level routing and switching.
How long does it take to prepare for CCNP?
3-6 months per exam with CCNA background. Plan 6-12 months for both ENCOR + concentration exam. Daily study of 1-2 hours plus weekend labs.
Is CCNP still worth it in 2026?
Yes. CCNP holders earn $100,000-$150,000+ and the certification is highly valued in enterprise networking and hybrid cloud environments. It complements cloud certs beautifully.
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