The Cisco 350-401 ENCOR exam continues to be one of the most essential certifications in enterprise networking for 2025. Whether you aim to become a Network Engineer, System Administrator, or Infrastructure Specialist, passing the ENCOR is a key milestone.
But here’s the reality — Cisco’s blueprint updates in 2025 have made the exam more demanding, requiring not just theoretical knowledge but also hands-on experience with automation and AI-driven network operations.
What Is the Cisco 350-401 ENCOR Exam?
The 350-401 ENCOR (Implementing and Operating Cisco Enterprise Network Core Technologies) exam is the core requirement for both CCNP Enterprise and CCIE Enterprise Infrastructure certifications.
It assesses your ability to configure, troubleshoot, and automate complex enterprise networks using Cisco DNA Center, SD-Access, and automation frameworks.
2025 Cisco ENCOR Exam Overview
- Exam Code: 350-401 ENCOR
- Duration: 120 minutes
- Number of Questions: 90–110
- Languages: English & Japanese
- Question Types: Multiple-choice, simulation-based, drag-and-drop
- Delivery: Pearson VUE or Online Proctoring
Updated 350-401 Exam Domains (Effective from March 2025)
- Architecture – 15%
- Virtualization – 10%
- Infrastructure – 30%
- Network Assurance – 10%
- Security – 20%
- Automation – 15%
Cisco’s latest update now includes AI-assisted network assurance and sustainable IT infrastructure concepts, reflecting the industry’s shift toward intelligent operations.
Why 350-401 Certification Still Matters in 2025
With most enterprises transitioning to hybrid cloud and AI-driven networks, professionals with 350-401 ENCOR certification remain highly valued.
A survey from IT Skills Report 2025 shows that Cisco-certified engineers earn 18–25% higher salaries compared to non-certified peers. It’s not just a credential — it’s proof of your technical fluency in next-gen network solutions.
Key Skills Measured
The updated 2025 exam blueprint focuses on real-world capabilities, including:
- Implementing advanced Layer 3 routing (OSPF, EIGRP, BGP)
- Securing enterprise access with 802.1X and TrustSec
- Configuring SD-WAN, DNA Center, and telemetry
- Automating workflows with Python, RESTCONF, and NETCONF
New Trends: AI and Network Sustainability
Cisco’s 2025 strategy emphasizes AI-driven optimization and sustainable operations. Candidates are now expected to understand AI-based anomaly detection, energy-efficient routing, and smart telemetry features in the ENCOR framework.
These updates ensure the certification aligns with emerging enterprise network models.
Updates to CCNP Enterprise and CCIE Enterprise Wireless Certifications
Effective March 19, 2026, wireless content within CCNP Enterprise and CCIE Enterprise Wireless certifications will be realigned with the new Wireless certifications.
The 350-401 ENCOR exam will undergo a minor update with the removal of wireless content in version 1.2. First date to test is March 19, 2026. Last date to test using v1.1 is March 18, 2026.
Effective Preparation Path for 350-401 ENCOR Candidates
Here’s a recommended roadmap to maximize your success:
- Step 1: Study Cisco’s official ENCOR Cert Guide (2025 2nd Edition)
- Step 2: Join Cisco Learning Network’s discussion forums
- Step 3: Practice with Cisco Modeling Labs (CML)
- Step 4: Use verified exam dumps (e.g., from Leads4Pass) to simulate real test conditions
This balanced approach ensures both conceptual depth and practical accuracy.
How Updated 350-401 Dumps Help You Prepare Better
The latest Leads4Pass 350-401 dumps (November 2025 edition) include over 1400 verified questions, reflecting Cisco’s blueprint revisions.
Each question is reviewed by subject-matter experts, ensuring that you’re exposed to realistic test scenarios before the actual exam. Visit https://www.leads4pass.com/350-401.html to access the latest verified materials.
Why Updated 350-401 Dumps Are Critical
Cisco updates its exam syllabus every 18–24 months. Using outdated materials can result in focusing on deprecated topics (e.g., legacy IOS features).
Updated dumps align precisely with 2025’s automation, telemetry, and sustainability domains — saving time and improving exam accuracy.
Case Study: From Learner to Certified Engineer
Example:
Elena, a network analyst from Singapore, studied for eight weeks using the 2025 Leads4Pass 350-401 dumps alongside Cisco labs. She passed the exam on her first attempt with a score of 930/1000.
Her key advice? “Understand the logic behind each question — not just the answer. The Leads4Pass explanations helped me think like a Cisco engineer.”
Hands-On Practice Tips
- Use Packet Tracer or CML to configure virtual labs
- Automate repetitive tasks with Python scripts
- Review telemetry data using Cisco DNA Center dashboards
- Recreate “real exam” scenarios with timed mock tests
Best Practices for Exam Day
- Review all automation topics — they account for 15% of the score
- Don’t panic on simulations; use Cisco CLI logic
- Read each question carefully — some contain hidden logic traps
- Manage your time effectively (average 1.2 minutes per question)
Latest 350-401 ENCOR Practice Questions and Answers
| Number of exam questions | Compelet Study Materials |
| 15 (Free) | 1484 Q&A |
Q1:Which function is handled by vManage in the Cisco SD-WAN fabric?
A. Establishes BFD sessions to test liveliness of links and nodes
B. Distributes policies that govern data forwarding
C. Performs remote software upgrades for WAN Edge. vSmart and vBond
D. Establishes IPsec tunnels with nodes.
Correct Answer: C
We can remote upgrades WAN Edge, vSmart and vBond in vManage.
Question 2:
Refer to the exhibit
The network administrator must be able to perform configuration changes when all the RADIUS servers are unreachable. Which configuration allows all commands to be authorized if the user has successfully authenticated?
A. aaa authorization exec default group radius none B. aaa authentication login default group radius local none
C. aaa authorization exec default group radius if-authenticated
D. aaa authorization exec default group radius
Correct Answer: C
Explanation:
The keyword”if-authenticated” sayings that if we are authenticated we will immediately be dropped into exec (enable) mode.
Q3: How would you correct this?
An engineer connects two switches together and notices that the connected interface on one of the switches is in an err-disabled state.
The engineer then notices that BPDUGuard is enabled on the interface.
A. Switch(config)# interface x/x Switch(config-if)# no spanning-tree bpduguard enable Switch(config-if)# shut Switch(config-if)# no shut
B. PlaceHolder
C. PlaceHolder
D. PlaceHolder
Correct Answer: A
Question 4:
Refer to the exhibit Which two commands are required on route?R1 to block FTP and allow all other traffic from the Branch 2 network? (Choose two)
A. access-list 101 deny tcp 10.0.2.0 0.0.0.255 host 10.0.101.3 eq ftp access-list 101 deny tcp 10.0.2.0 0.0.0.255 host 10.0.101.3 eq ftp-data access-list 101 permit ip any any
B. access-list 101 deny tcp 10.0.2.0 0.0.0.255 host 10.0.101.3 eq ftp-data access-list 101 permit ip any any
C. interface GigabitEthernet0/0 ip address 10.0.0.1 255.255.255.252 ip access-group 101 out
D. access-list 101 deny tcp 10.0.2.0 0.0.0.255 host 10.0.101.3 eq ftp access-list 101 permit ip any any
E. interface GigabitEthernet0/0 ip address 10.0.101.1 255.255.255.252 ip access-group 101 in
Correct Answer: AC
Q5: Which Quality of Service (QoS) mechanism allows the network administrator to control the maximum rate of traffic received or sent on a given interface?
A. Policing
B. Marking
C. Queueing
D. Classification
Correct Answer: A
Explanation:
Traffic Policing
In general, traffic policing allows you to control the maximum rate of traffic sent or received on an interface and to partition a network into multiple priority levels or class of service (CoS).
Q6: Which characteristic distinguishes Ansible from Chef?
A. Ansible lacs redundancy support for the master server. Chef runs two masters in an active/active mode.
B. Ansible uses Ruby to manage configurations. Chef uses YAML to manage configurations.
C. Ansible pushes the configuration to the client. Chef client pulls the configuration from the server.
D. The Ansible server can run on Linux, Unix or Windows. The Chef server must run on Linux or Unix.
Correct Answer: C
Explanation:
Ansible works by connecting to your nodes and pushing out small programs, called “Ansible modules” to them. These programs are written to be resource models of the desired state of the system. Ansible then executes these modules (over
SSH by default), and removes them when finished.
Chef is a much older, mature solution to configure management. Unlike Ansible, it does require an installation of an agent on each server, named chef-client. Also, unlike Ansible, it has a Chef server that each client pulls configuration from.
Q7: What is the result when a switch that is running PVST+ is added to this network?
Refer to the exhibit.
A. DSW2 operates in Rapid PVST+ and the new switch operates in PVST+
B. Both switches operate in the PVST+ mode
C. Spanning tree is disabled automatically on the network
D. Both switches operate in the Rapid PVST+ mode.
Correct Answer: A
Explanation:
From the output we see DSW2 is running in RSTP mode (in fact Rapid PVST+ mode as Cisco does not support RSTP alone). When a new switch running PVST+ mode is added to the topology, they keep running the old STP instances as RSTP (in fact Rapid PVST+) is compatible with PVST+.
Q8: Which situation has occurred?
“HTTP/1.1 204 No Content” is returned when the curl -i -X DELETE command is issued.
A. The object could not be located at the URI path.
B. The command succeeded in deleting the object.
C. The object was located at the URI, but it could not be deleted.
D. The URI was invalid.
Correct Answer: B
Explanation:
The HTTP 204 No Content success status response code indicates that a request has succeeded, but that the client doesn\’t need to navigate away from its current page.
Question 9:
Refer to the exhibit.
After running the code in the exhibit. Which step reduces the amount of data that NETCONF server returns to the NETCONF client, to only the interface\’s configuration?
A. Use the txml library to parse the data returned by the NETCONF server for the interface\’s configuration.
B. Create an XML filter as a string and pass it to get_config() method as an argument.
C. Create a JSON filter as a string and pass it to the get_config() method as an argument.
D. Use the JSON library to parse the data returned by the NFTCONF server for the interface\’s configuration.
Correct Answer: B
Explanation:
“using the Pythonic approach with ncclient and its get_config() method, has a filter argument where you simply specify the filter type, in this case subtree, along with the XML RPC that you want to get a configuration rpc-reply.” https://yang-prog-lab.ciscolive.com/pod/0/ncclient/get_config
Question 10:
DRAG DROP
Drag and drop the characteristics from the left onto the QoS components they describe on the right.
Select and Place:
Correct Answer:
Marking = applied on traffic to convey Information to a downstream device Classification = distinguish traffic types Trust = Permits traffic to pass through the device while retaining DSCP/COS values shaping = process used to buffer traffic that exceeds a predefined rate
Q11: Which configuration forces the traffic to fake a path of R1-R3-R4?
Refer to the exhibit.
An engineer is reaching network 172.16.10.0/24 via the R1-R2-R4 path.
A. R1(config)#route-map RM_LOCAL_PREF permit 10 R1(config-route-map)#set local-preference 101 R1(config-route-map)#exit R1(config)#router bgp 100 R1(config-router)#neighbor 13.13.13.3 route-map RM_LOCAL_PREF in R1(config-router)#end R1#clear ip bgp 13.13.13.3 soft in
B. R1(config)#route-map RM_AS_PATH_PREPEND R1(config-route-map)#set as-path prepend 200 200 R1(config-route-map)#exit R1(config)#router bgp 100 R1(config-router)#neighbor 12.12.12.2 route-map RM_AS_PATH_PREPEND in R1(config-router)#end R1#clear ip bgp 12.12.12.2 soft in
C. R1(config)#router bgp 100 R1(config-router)#neighbor 13.13.13.3 weight 1 R1(config-router)#end
D. R2(config)#route-map RM_MED permit 10 R2(config-route-map)#set metric 1 R2(config-route-map)#exit R2(config)#router bgp 200 R2(config-router)#neighbor 12.12.12.1 route-map RM_MED out R2(config-router)#end R2#clear ip bgp 12.12.12.1 soft out
Correct Answer: A
Q12: Which VXLAN component is used to encapsulate and decapsulate Ethernet frames?
A. VNI
B. GRE
C. VTEP
D. EVPN
Correct Answer: C
VTEP (Virtual Tunnel Endpoint) – This is the device that does the encapsulation and de-encapsulation.
Question 13:
DRAG DROP
Drag and drop the snippets onto the blanks within the code to construct a script that changes the routing from gateway 1 to gateway 2 from 11:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. (2300 to 2400) only, daily. Not all options are used, and some options may be used twice.
Select and Place:
Correct Answer:
Q14: What action resolves this issue?
Refer to the exhibit.
An engineer is investigating why guest users are able to access other guest user devices when the users are connected to the customer guest WLAN.
A. implement MFP client protection
B. implement split tunneling
C. implement P2P blocking
D. implement Wi-Fi direct policy
Correct Answer: C
Explanation:
Reference: 2.3 Ensure `Peer-to-Peer Blocking Action` is set to `Drop\’ for All `Wireless LAN Identifiers\’ (Scored)
Description:
This control determines whether the Wireless LAN Controller is configured to prevent clients connected to the same Wireless Local Area Controller from communicating with each other. Wireless Client Isolation prevents wireless clients from
communicating with each other over the RF. Packets that arrive on the wireless interface are forwarded only out the wired interface of an Access Point. One wireless client could potentially compromise another client sharing the same wireless
network.
Question 15:
DRAG DROP
Drag and drop the characteristics from the left to the table types on the right.
Select and Place:
Correct Answer:
…
Conclusion
The Cisco 350-401 ENCOR certification remains one of the most respected and career-boosting credentials in enterprise networking.
By combining official study resources with verified Leads4Pass dumps, you can achieve the perfect balance of theory and practice — and confidently pass the exam in 2025.
FAQs
Q1: What’s new in the 2025 350-401 ENCOR exam?
A1: Cisco added topics related to AI-driven assurance, network sustainability, and API-based automation.
Q2: Are Leads4Pass 350-401 dumps verified for 2025?
A2: Yes, they were updated in November 2025 with over 1400 verified questions.
Q3: How long should I prepare for the ENCOR exam?
A3: Most candidates spend 8–10 weeks, dedicating at least 2 hours per day.
Q4: Can I rely solely on dumps to pass?
A4: Yes. If you’re just aiming for the certificate, it can definitely help you succeed, but I strongly recommend using the question bank in conjunction with Cisco Labs and the official guide for best results.
Q5: Is 350-401 ENCOR mandatory for CCNP Enterprise certification?
A5: Yes, it’s the required core exam before any concentration exam.