Cisco · 2026 Edition
A complete preparation guide written by Cisco-certified engineers. Covers the exam format,all 33 blueprint domains, a week-by-week study plan, and proven tips for passing first time.
3–5 months
Prep time
Advanced
Difficulty
90
Exam questions
Variable
Pass mark
Exam code
300-410
Full name
Cisco CCNP ENARSI 300-410
Vendor
Cisco
Duration
120 minutes
Questions
90 items
Passing score
Variable
Domains covered
33 blueprint domains
Recommended experience
CCNA certification or equivalent hands-on routing experience; ENCOR (350-401) passed or in progress
Typical prep time
3–5 months
ENARSI is the most popular CCNP Enterprise concentration exam. It validates the advanced routing skills that distinguish senior network engineers from mid-level ones — OSPF, BGP, EIGRP, redistribution, and VPN overlay are all tested in depth.
Job roles this opens
Official Cisco blueprint weights — study time should roughly match these percentages.
Passing score: Cisco passing scores vary by exam version and are not always publicly listed. Check the official Cisco exam page before booking.
Weeks 1–4
Layer 3 Technologies: OSPF, EIGRP, BGP fundamentals
Tip: Build a multi-router lab in GNS3 or CML from day one. ENARSI questions are scenario-heavy — you need to have actually broken and fixed these protocols, not just read about them.
Weeks 5–8
Layer 3 Technologies: BGP attributes, path selection, redistribution, PBR, IP SLA
Tip: Redistribution between OSPF and EIGRP with mutual redistribution loops is a favourite exam trap. Practice the seed metric and distribute-list filtering until it is instinctive.
Weeks 9–11
VPN Technologies: DMVPN Phase 1/2/3, IPSec, FlexVPN
Tip: Know the difference between DMVPN phases by what they enable: Phase 1 hub-and-spoke only, Phase 2 direct spoke-to-spoke, Phase 3 NHRP shortcuts. Exam questions test this distinction directly.
Weeks 12–15
Infrastructure Security and Services: AAA, FHRP, DHCP, NTP, SNMP
Tip: HSRP vs VRRP vs GLBP preemption behaviour and timer defaults appear in troubleshooting questions. Know the default hello and hold timers for each protocol.
Final 2 weeks
Full timed practice exams and lab troubleshooting drills
Tip: ENARSI exam time is 90 minutes for ~55–65 questions. Allocate no more than 90 seconds per question in practice or you will run out of time on the harder BGP scenarios.
Layer 3 Technologies carries 35% of the exam — OSPF, EIGRP, and BGP together are the majority of your score. Master them completely before touching VPNs.
Route redistribution questions always include a return-path trap. When redistributing between two protocols, always ask: what does return traffic look like, and is there a loop?
BGP path selection order: Weight → Local Preference → Originated locally → AS path length → Origin code → MED → eBGP over iBGP → IGP metric. Know this list in sequence.
DMVPN Phase 3 uses NHRP redirect and shortcut — the hub sends an NHRP redirect to the source spoke, which then builds a direct tunnel to the destination spoke. This is the concept that separates Phase 2 from Phase 3.
AAA with TACACS+ vs RADIUS: TACACS+ encrypts the entire payload and separates authentication/authorisation/accounting — it is preferred for device administration. RADIUS encrypts only the password and bundles A/A/A — preferred for network access.
Apply everything in this guide with adaptive practice questions, detailed answer explanations, and domain analytics.