How much does Cisco CCNA cost?
CCNA is $300 for the exam and, unusually for a networking certification, close to $0 for lab practice. Cisco's own Packet Tracer simulator is free and covers every topology the exam asks about, so the racks of second-hand hardware people used to buy are no longer necessary.
Realistic total
$300 to $700
The low figure is the exam with Packet Tracer and the free exam topics. The high figure adds a paid course and one retake.
Voucher price from Cisco, exam pricing and registration ↗. Prices are the published US list price and change; the link is there so you can check.
Cost breakdown
| Item | Cost | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Exam voucher | $300 | The published US list price for one attempt at 200-301. |
| Retake | $300 | A second attempt costs the same as the first. |
| Lab practice | Varies | Free with Cisco Packet Tracer or GNS3. Used hardware is optional and rarely necessary for CCNA. |
| Cisco U. training | Varies | Optional subscription. Cisco publishes the exam topics for free, which is the part you must not skip. |
| Cisco Packet Tracer | $0 | Cisco's own network simulator. It runs every topology CCNA covers and is the reason lab practice for this exam is free. |
| Exam topics blueprint | $0 | Cisco publishes the full 200-301 topic list. It is the contract for what can be asked, and reading it line by line is free. |
| Physical lab hardware | $0 to $300 | Optional and, for CCNA specifically, usually unnecessary. Buy it if you enjoy it, not because you think the exam requires it. |
Exam pricing from Cisco, exam pricing and registration ↗.
Ways to bring the cost down
Do not buy hardware. This is the largest avoidable cost on CCNA and the one people still fall for. Packet Tracer is free, made by Cisco, and covers the blueprint. Second-hand switches teach you cabling and fan noise.
If you are studying through a Cisco Networking Academy programme at a school or college, completing the course qualifies you for a discounted exam voucher through the institution. That is the single biggest discount available on this exam.
Cisco exams are covered under DoD COOL and eligible for GI Bill reimbursement, which for a $300 exam covers the whole thing for those who qualify.
Cisco Networking Academy
Students who complete the Networking Academy CCNA course qualify for a discounted exam voucher through their institution.
Packet Tracer
Cisco's own network simulator is free and runs every topology CCNA asks about. It is the reason CCNA prep can cost nothing beyond the exam.
Military and veteran funding
Cisco exams are covered under DoD COOL and are eligible for GI Bill reimbursement.
What a retake costs
A retake is another $300, and Cisco requires a five calendar day wait after a failed attempt before you can sit the same exam again.
Cisco does not publish a passing score for CCNA, and the score report you get is less specific than CompTIA's or Microsoft's. That makes diagnosing a failure harder, so the five days are better spent re-testing yourself across the whole blueprint than guessing at one domain.
The simulations are where unprepared candidates lose the exam, and they are also the part you cannot cram. If you failed and you had been studying from video rather than from a terminal, that is the thing to change.
Retake pricing from Cisco, exam pricing and registration ↗.
What renewal costs across the full cycle
CCNA is valid for three years. Cisco gives you three renewal routes: earn 30 continuing education credits, pass CCNA again, or pass any higher Cisco exam.
The continuing education route is the one most working engineers use, because Cisco awards credits for training many of them are already doing. There is no separate maintenance fee of the kind CompTIA and ISC2 charge, so this route can genuinely cost nothing beyond time.
Passing a professional-level exam such as ENCOR renews CCNA at the same time, which is the normal path for anyone continuing up the Cisco track.
Typical preparation budget
Preparation for CCNA can genuinely cost nothing. The realistic range people spend is $0 to $400, and the top of that range buys convenience rather than a better chance of passing.
Our questions, explanations, and cheat sheets are free, and the explanation is never paywalled. That is the part of a paid practice set you are actually buying, so it is the part we do not charge for.
The cheapest way to avoid the $300 line on this page is to be ready before you book. Free CCNA practice questions with a full explanation on every answer.
Keep reading
CCNA practice questions
Free sample questions with the full explanation on every answer.
CCNA guide
Who it is for, study plans by experience level, and whether it is worth it.
CCNA vs Network+
Side by side on cost, difficulty, and which one to take first.
Practise CCNA for free while you decide
Original questions written from the published objectives, with the concept, the reasoning, and a note on every wrong option. No account needed to start.
Start free CCNA questions