Cisco certification practice
Practise Cisco SPCOR / CCNP Service Provider Core 350-501 practice test — original exam-style scenarios covering every exam domain, with detailed explanations, wrong-answer analysis, and common exam traps. Cisco exams often test practical networking judgement: reading command output, interpreting topologies, and choosing the right configuration or troubleshooting step. Courseiva focuses on original exam-style practice questions with explanations, not copied exam dumps.
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Covers all 6 domains · takes ~5 min · no account needed · shows your weak areas immediately
Key facts for the Cisco SPCOR / CCNP Service Provider Core 350-501 exam.
Exam cost
$400 USD / ~£320
Duration
120 minutes
Question count
90-110 questions
Passing score
825 / 1000
Validity
3 years
Delivered by
Pearson VUE
Online proctored
Yes — available
Retake policy
100% free — no account required
Everything on Courseiva for 350-501 is free — no subscription, no trial, no email wall.
Courseiva provides free Cisco SPCOR / CCNP Service Provider Core 350-501 (350-501) practice questions with original exam-style questions, detailed explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics. Courseiva is an independent platform and is not affiliated with Cisco.
5 calendar days between attempts (after 3rd attempt: 180-day wait)
Question formats
The Cisco CCNP Service Provider certification is designed for network engineers working within telecommunications and internet service provider environments. The core exam (SPCOR 350-501) covers service provider infrastructure including advanced routing with BGP and OSPF, MPLS architectures, segment routing, VPN services (L2VPN/L3VPN), Carrier Ethernet, quality of service, and service provider automation. This certification validates the ability to implement and operate large-scale SP networks and is a prerequisite stepping stone toward the CCIE Service Provider. It is highly valued among engineers at ISPs, telcos, and large carrier networks.
Official prerequisite
None formally required; CCNA recommended
Recommended experience
3-5 years of experience in service provider networking; solid understanding of BGP, MPLS, QoS, and segment routing; prior CCNA-level knowledge strongly advised
3-5 years of hands-on experience in a service provider or telco environment working with Cisco IOS XR or IOS XE at scale
Should you skip this exam?
Skip if you work exclusively in enterprise LAN/WAN environments; this cert is specifically targeted at ISP and telco network roles
Courseiva study tip
Deep understanding of BGP policy, MPLS label operations, and segment routing is essential. Lab heavily with Cisco IOS XR on CML or physical hardware; segment routing and QoS are common weak spots.
UK salary range
£55,000 – £90,000
US salary range
$95,000 – $150,000
Job roles that cite SPCOR 350-501
The exam costs $400 USD. It is administered through Pearson VUE at authorized test centres or via online proctoring.
The passing score is 825 out of 1000. Cisco uses scaled scoring, so the exact number of correct answers required may vary slightly between exam forms.
The exam covers advanced routing (BGP, OSPF, ISIS), MPLS (LDP, TE, FRR), segment routing, L2VPN and L3VPN services, Carrier Ethernet, QoS, multicast, network automation, and service provider infrastructure security.
The exam contains approximately 90-110 questions in multiple choice, drag and drop, and simulation formats, delivered over 120 minutes.
The certification is valid for 3 years from the date of passing. Recertification can be achieved through continuing education, passing another professional exam, or earning Cisco specialist credentials.
Yes, most candidates find CCNP Service Provider more difficult due to the depth of MPLS, segment routing, and BGP policy topics, plus the need for familiarity with IOS XR which is less commonly used in enterprise labs.
This certification is aimed at network engineers working at ISPs, telcos, and carrier networks who manage large-scale MPLS and BGP environments and want to advance toward architect or CCIE-level roles.
See how SPCOR 350-501 stacks up against related certifications.
Practice modes
Choose a mode that matches your current study phase. Use topic practice early on and mock exams closer to your exam date.
All 350-501 Questions
Browse the full question bank organised by domain and difficulty.
Practice Test
Start a session with detailed answer explanations after each question.
Mock Exam
Simulate the real exam with a timed, full-length question set.
Quick 10
A 10-question warm-up — ideal for a short daily study session.
Flashcards
Reinforce key terms, commands, and protocol facts with flashcards.
Domain Practice
Focus exclusively on one exam domain to target your weakest area.
50-Question Set
Mid-length practice set covering all domains.
Full-length Simulation
Full exam simulation matching the real question count.
Exam guide
Start with a short practice session, review each missed answer, then return to the topics that caused mistakes.
Cisco SPCOR / CCNP Service Provider Core 350-501 questions test whether you can apply the concept in context, not just recognise a definition.
How the topic appears in realistic exam-style scenarios.
Which detail in the question changes the correct answer.
How to eliminate plausible but wrong options.
How to connect the question back to the wider exam objective.
Related practice questions
Use these internal links to move from the exam guide into focused topic practice pages.
Practise 350-501 questions linked to Architecture.
Practise 350-501 questions linked to Networking.
Practise 350-501 questions linked to MPLS and Segment Routing.
Practise 350-501 questions linked to Automation and Quality of Service.
Practise 350-501 questions linked to Services.
Practise 350-501 questions linked to Automation and Assurance.
Practise 350-501 questions linked to 350-501 fundamentals.
Practise 350-501 questions linked to 350-501 scenario.
Practise 350-501 questions linked to 350-501 troubleshooting.
Practice directory
Every practice set is a unique selection of questions — numbered tests, domain-focused sessions, and topic-specific quizzes.
Showing 30 of 36 tests. See all 36 350-501 practice tests →
Timed mode
Official blueprint
Target weak areas by practising questions from a single domain. Each domain page shows all questions, difficulty breakdown, and a focused practice session.
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Free study guide
The Courseiva 350-501 study guide covers exam format, the official domain blueprint with weights, a structured study plan, and domain-specific tips for each section. Use it alongside practice questions to build both conceptual depth and exam confidence.
Sample questions
Select your answer before revealing the explanation. These questions are original exam-style — not copied from any exam or dump site.
Trap 1: GRE tunneling
GRE tunneling is not required; MPLS encapsulation is used.
Trap 2: OSPF
Any IGP (OSPF, IS-IS) can be used; not specifically required.
VRFs on PE routers
VRFs provide per-customer routing separation.
GRE tunneling
Why wrong: GRE tunneling is not required; MPLS encapsulation is used.
OSPF
Why wrong: Any IGP (OSPF, IS-IS) can be used; not specifically required.
LDP
LDP distributes labels for MPLS forwarding.
MP-BGP with VPNv4 address family
MP-BGP carries VPN routes between PEs.
Trap 1: MPLS label stacking
Label stacking is used for tunneling and traffic engineering, not for per-VPN routing tables.
Trap 2: VLAN tagging on the customer-facing interfaces
VLAN provides Layer 2 separation but not separate routing tables.
Trap 3: BGP route reflectors
Route reflectors help scale BGP but do not provide per-VPN routing tables.
MPLS label stacking
Why wrong: Label stacking is used for tunneling and traffic engineering, not for per-VPN routing tables.
VRF (Virtual Routing and Forwarding)
VRF creates separate routing tables per VPN instance, enabling isolation.
VLAN tagging on the customer-facing interfaces
Why wrong: VLAN provides Layer 2 separation but not separate routing tables.
BGP route reflectors
Why wrong: Route reflectors help scale BGP but do not provide per-VPN routing tables.
Trap 1: Local Preference
Local Preference is used for outbound path selection within an AS.
Trap 2: AS-path prepend
AS-path prepend makes a path less preferred for outbound selection.
Trap 3: Weight
Weight is a Cisco proprietary attribute that affects path selection for routes from the same router.
MED
MED is used to influence inbound traffic by advertising different metrics to different peers.
Local Preference
Why wrong: Local Preference is used for outbound path selection within an AS.
AS-path prepend
Why wrong: AS-path prepend makes a path less preferred for outbound selection.
Weight
Why wrong: Weight is a Cisco proprietary attribute that affects path selection for routes from the same router.
Trap 1: LSA throttling prevents exchanges
LSA throttling controls LSA generation, not adjacency formation.
Trap 2: Mismatched OSPF router-id
Mismatched router-id leads to adjacency failure in ExStart state.
Trap 3: Mismatched area IDs
Area ID mismatch causes adjacency to stall in ExStart/Exchange.
LSA throttling prevents exchanges
Why wrong: LSA throttling controls LSA generation, not adjacency formation.
Mismatched OSPF router-id
Why wrong: Mismatched router-id leads to adjacency failure in ExStart state.
Mismatched area IDs
Why wrong: Area ID mismatch causes adjacency to stall in ExStart/Exchange.
Missing 'ipv6 ospf' interface command on one side
OSPFv3 requires explicit interface configuration to activate adjacency.
Trap 1: Distributes labels for BGP routes
LDP does not distribute labels for BGP routes unless specifically configured.
Trap 2: Requires an IGP like OSPF for session reachability
LDP session can be established over any reachable IP, not solely IGP.
Trap 3: TCP for both discovery and session
LDP uses UDP for discovery.
Distributes labels for BGP routes
Why wrong: LDP does not distribute labels for BGP routes unless specifically configured.
Label distribution based on IP routing table
By default, LDP distributes labels for all IGP routes.
Requires an IGP like OSPF for session reachability
Why wrong: LDP session can be established over any reachable IP, not solely IGP.
UDP for discovery, TCP for session
LDP uses UDP hellos and TCP for session establishment.
TCP for both discovery and session
Why wrong: LDP uses UDP for discovery.
Trap 1: Use 'show mpls lsp' to verify the LSP to the CE's PE.
LSP status is for the MPLS path, but the issue may be VRF-related.
Trap 2: Examine the 'show mpls forwarding vrf CUSTOMER' output to see label…
This shows label operations but does not isolate VRF route import issues.
Trap 3: Review the 'show bgp vpnv4 unicast all' output to verify route…
The issue is with MPLS forwarding, not BGP advertisement.
Check 'show ip route vrf CUSTOMER' and 'show bgp vpnv4 unicast vrf CUSTOMER' to confirm the VRF routes.
This verifies that the VRF has the correct routes and that BGP VPNv4 routes are properly imported.
Use 'show mpls lsp' to verify the LSP to the CE's PE.
Why wrong: LSP status is for the MPLS path, but the issue may be VRF-related.
Examine the 'show mpls forwarding vrf CUSTOMER' output to see label operations.
Why wrong: This shows label operations but does not isolate VRF route import issues.
Review the 'show bgp vpnv4 unicast all' output to verify route advertisement.
Why wrong: The issue is with MPLS forwarding, not BGP advertisement.
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