You can see it againUnder pressure people bring back shapes and positions long after the wording has gone.
Picture superiority · Shepard 1967, Standing 1973
CISCOCisco Certified Network Professional Service Provider
The Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) Service Provider certification validates your ability to configure, verify, and optimize next-generation service provider IP network infrastructures. This professional-level credential is designed for network engineers who architect and operate service provider networks, covering core architecture, services, automation, QoS, security, and network assurance. Earning it demonstrates the advanced skills needed to manage complex service provider environments and opens the path to expert-level CCIE certification.
Exam formatMultiple choice and multiple response
Duration120 minutes
DeliveryPearson VUE
Free questions869
Content last reviewed 30 July 2026 · Up to date
The certification
What 350-501 proves, and what it asks of you
What this certification covers, who it is written for, and what the exam itself looks like on the day.
5domains
33objectives
267concepts
US $400exam fee
What it is
What this certification is
What it validates, who it is written for, and the experience it assumes.
About this certification
The Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) Service Provider certification validates the skills required to configure, verify, and optimize next-generation service provider IP network infrastructures. It is a professional-level credential that demonstrates your ability to handle the core technologies that power service provider networks, including architecture, services, networking, automation, quality of service, security, and network assurance.
Earning the CCNP Service Provider requires passing the 350-501 SPCOR core exam and one concentration exam of your choice. The SPCOR exam also earns you the Cisco Certified Specialist – Service Provider Core certification and counts toward the CCIE Service Provider certification, making it a versatile step in your career progression. This certification is ideal for network engineers who design and operate service provider networks and want to validate their expertise at a professional level.
Who it’s for
This certification is for network engineers, network architects, and technical professionals who design, implement, and operate service provider IP network infrastructures. It is suited for those who work with service provider core technologies and need to validate their skills in routing, switching, automation, and network assurance. Candidates typically have several years of experience in networking and are familiar with service provider environments. They are comfortable working with Cisco IOS, IOS-XE, and NX-OS platforms, and have a solid understanding of routing protocols, MPLS, QoS, and network automation concepts.
Recommended experience
Cisco recommends that candidates have a good understanding of enterprise and service provider networking, including routing protocols, MPLS, QoS, and automation. While no formal prerequisites are required, hands-on experience with Cisco service provider technologies is strongly recommended. Understanding of IPv4 and IPv6 addressing and routing protocols such as OSPF, IS-IS, and BGP; Experience with MPLS, VPN technologies, and QoS mechanisms; Familiarity with network automation tools and programmability concepts; Knowledge of network security principles and best practices
The syllabus
What you’ll learn
Every domain and objective Cisco measures, with the weight they carry on the exam.
The official Cisco exam outline · checked 30 July 2026 · See the source
Architecture
- 1.1 Describe service provider architectures
- 1.2 Describe Cisco network software architecture
- 1.3 Describe service provider virtualization
- 1.4 Describe QoS architecture
- 1.5 Configure and verify control plan security
- 1.6 Describe management plane security
- 1.7 Implement data plane security
Networking
- 2.1 Implement IS-IS (IPv4 and IPv6)
- 2.2 Implement OSPF (v2 and v3)
- 2.3 Describe BGP path selection algorithm.
- 2.4 Implement BGP (v4 and v6 for IBGP and EBGP)
- 2.5 Implement routing policy language and route maps (BGP, OSPF, IS-IS)
- 2.6 Troubleshoot routing protocols
- 2.7 Describe IPv6 transition (NAT44, NAT64, CGNAT, MAP-T and DS Lite)
- 2.8 Implement high availability
MPLS and Segment Routing
- 3.1 Implement MPLS
- 3.2 Describe traffic engineering
- 3.3 Describe segment routing
Services
- 4.1 Describe VPN services
- 4.2 Configure L2VPN and Carrier Ethernet
- 4.3 Configure L3VPN
- 4.4 Implement multicast services
- 4.5 Implement QoS services
Automation and Assurance
- 5.1 Describe the programmable APIs used to include Cisco devices in network automation
- 5.2 Interpret an external script to configure a Cisco device using a REST API
- 5.3 Describe the role of Network Services Orchestration (NSO)
- 5.4 Describe the high-level principles and benefits of a data modeling language, such as YANG
- 5.5 Describe configuration management tools, such as Ansible and Terraform
- 5.6 Describe Secure ZTP
- 5.7 Configure dial-in/out, TCP, TLS and mTLS certificates using gRPC and gNMI
- 5.8 Configure and verify NetFlow/IPFIX
- 5.9 Configure and verify NETCONF and RESTCONF
- 5.10 Configure and verify SNMP (v2c/v3)
On the day
The exam itself
Everything Cisco publishes about sitting it, and nothing we inferred.
Prerequisites
No mandatory prerequisites — this certification has no required predecessor exam or credential.
Exam code350-501
CertificationCisco Certified Network Professional Service Provider
Exam formatMultiple choice and multiple response
Duration120 minutes
DeliveryPearson VUE
LanguagesEnglish
PricingUS $400
Certification levelProfessional
After you pass
Where this credential goes next
The path Cisco lays out, how the credential is kept, and where to book.
Step-by-step path to Cisco Certified Network Professional Service Provider
Credential earnedCisco Certified Network Professional Service Provider Professional level certification Renewal and maintenance
Cisco certifications are valid for three years. To recertify, you can pass another certification exam or earn Continuing Education (CE) credits. The 350-501 SPCOR exam can be used toward recertification. Stay current with the latest technologies and maintain your certification.
Learn more about renewal requirements Lifecycle status
This certification is currently active and available. Cisco maintains this certification to validate current skills and industry relevance.
Exam status: ActiveMaintained by Cisco
Exam registration
Register for the exam through Pearson VUE, Cisco’s authorized testing partner.
Schedule your examVisit the official Cisco certification page for exam policies and requirements.
View the official pageYour coach
And when you are serious, your coach Pip takes over
Your coach in the app reads what you have answered with the book closed and tells you one thing to do tonight. It will not count an answer you gave with the page open, and it will tell you when you are not ready.
See how the coach worksBefore you book
Questions people ask
How does the 350-501 SPCOR exam relate to the CCNP Service Provider and CCIE Service Provider certifications?
Passing the 350-501 SPCOR exam satisfies the core exam requirement for both the CCNP Service Provider and CCIE Service Provider certifications. It also earns you the Cisco Certified Specialist – Service Provider Core certification.
Do I need to earn a lower-level Cisco certification before taking the 350-501 SPCOR exam?
No, Cisco does not require any formal prerequisites for the 350-501 SPCOR exam. However, a strong understanding of service provider networking concepts is recommended.
Can I take the 350-501 SPCOR exam online?
Yes, the 350-501 SPCOR exam is offered both online and at test centers. Online proctoring is available through Pearson VUE.
What is the retake policy for the 350-501 SPCOR exam?
If you fail the exam, you must wait 5 calendar days from the day after your attempt before retaking it. There is no limit on the number of attempts, but each attempt requires a new exam fee.
Are there any hands-on labs or practical components in the 350-501 SPCOR exam?
No, the 350-501 SPCOR exam is a written exam that tests your knowledge through multiple-choice and multiple-response questions. It does not include a hands-on lab component.
How soon will I receive my score report after taking the 350-501 SPCOR exam?
You will receive a score report immediately after completing the exam. The report includes a score for each exam section and the passing score for the exam.
What job roles does the CCNP Service Provider certification map to?
The CCNP Service Provider certification is designed for network engineers, network architects, and technical professionals who design, implement, and operate service provider IP network infrastructures.
Can I recertify my CCNP Service Provider by passing a different Cisco exam?
Yes, you can recertify by passing any other Cisco certification exam at the Professional level or higher, or by earning Continuing Education (CE) credits.
Information freshness · Content last reviewed on 2026-07-30 Up to date
Practice free questions 869 questions, free, no account needed.
The curriculum
The whole exam, mapped and written
Every domain, every objective, and every concept Cisco measures — each one written out.
5domains
33objectives
267concepts
186free pages
The domains, and what sits inside them
Every objective below is a page you can open and practise now, without an account.
The official Cisco exam outline · checked 30 July 2026 · See the source
1Architecture243 questions
1.1 Describe service provider architectures15 concepts · 9 pagesOpen →1.2 Describe Cisco network software architecture4 concepts · 7 pagesOpen →1.3 Describe service provider virtualization8 concepts · 8 pagesOpen →1.4 Describe QoS architecture12 concepts · 7 pagesOpen →1.5 Configure and verify control plan security6 concepts · 6 pagesOpen →1.6 Describe management plane security4 concepts · 7 pagesOpen →1.7 Implement data plane security8 concepts · 7 pagesOpen →
2Networking169 questions
2.1 Implement IS-IS (IPv4 and IPv6)7 concepts · 6 pagesOpen →2.2 Implement OSPF (v2 and v3)13 concepts · 7 pagesOpen →2.3 Describe BGP path selection algorithm.11 concepts · 6 pagesOpen →2.4 Implement BGP (v4 and v6 for IBGP and EBGP)9 concepts · 4 pagesOpen →2.5 Implement routing policy language and route maps (BGP, OSPF, IS-IS)6 concepts · 3 pagesOpen →2.6 Troubleshoot routing protocols6 concepts · 2 pagesOpen →2.7 Describe IPv6 transition (NAT44, NAT64, CGNAT, MAP-T and DS Lite)5 concepts · 5 pagesOpen →2.8 Implement high availability5 concepts · 5 pagesOpen →
3MPLS and Segment Routing83 questions
4Services126 questions
5Automation and Assurance248 questions
5.1 Describe the programmable APIs used to include Cisco devices in network automation10 concepts · 7 pagesOpen →5.2 Interpret an external script to configure a Cisco device using a REST API7 concepts · 4 pagesOpen →5.3 Describe the role of Network Services Orchestration (NSO)5 concepts · 6 pagesOpen →5.4 Describe the high-level principles and benefits of a data modeling language, such as YANG4 concepts · 5 pagesOpen →5.5 Describe configuration management tools, such as Ansible and Terraform8 concepts · 5 pagesOpen →5.6 Describe Secure ZTP8 concepts · 5 pagesOpen →5.7 Configure dial-in/out, TCP, TLS and mTLS certificates using gRPC and gNMI6 concepts · 5 pagesOpen →5.8 Configure and verify NetFlow/IPFIX6 concepts · 5 pagesOpen →5.9 Configure and verify NETCONF and RESTCONF10 concepts · 6 pagesOpen →5.10 Configure and verify SNMP (v2c/v3)8 concepts · 5 pagesOpen →
Not a table of contents
Every line on this map already opens
In front of every objective the practice pages are already there, free and without an account. This is one objective, opened.
1.1 Describe service provider architectures9 pagesOpen →
Free in front of it
42 questions on this objective, five to a page. Every range above is a real page, open now, with no account.
Reading the map is not the same as knowing the ground
The curriculum tells you what is on the exam. Proving you know it is a different job — and it is the one the closed-book run does.
Free questions
869 questions. No account, no card.
The whole bank is open. 5 questions to a page, every answer explained, and a discussion thread on each one.
869questions
186pages
33objectives
Freealways
Browse by domain
Every objective, and every page range, is a link — so you can pick up exactly where you left off.
1Architecture243 questions
2Networking169 questions
3MPLS and Segment Routing83 questions
4Services126 questions
5Automation and Assurance248 questions
What a practice page gives you
1Five to a page
Short enough to finish, long enough to matter.
2Every answer explained
Not only which one is right — why the others are wrong.
3A discussion on each
Ask, answer, and vote. Every question has its own thread.
A question, and the idea behind it
Every question comes from a concept
These are not trivia. Each one is written against a concept in the book, so when you get one wrong there is somewhere to go and find out why.
The visual book
See it once. Carry it into the exam.
The pages shown here come from our AI-900 book — an example of how each concept is written in plain language and, where the idea needs one, drawn as a full page you can take in at a glance.
267concepts
869free questions
Why a picture, and not another paragraph
Three reasons, and each one is a real finding rather than a slogan.
You can see it againThe whole idea at onceWhere it starts, what happens in the middle, what comes out, and the mistake to avoid.
Multimedia principle · MayerThe look-alikes sit togetherThe pairs the exam tests are drawn side by side, so the difference is seen, not told.
Dual coding · PaivioWhat one page is made of
You are never asked to read a poster here — only to see how one is built. After that, every other page is legible at a glance.
1A numbered strip on top
The idea as a sequence, followed with a finger before a word is read.
2Panels for the parts
What it is, how the machine learns it, when it is the right tool.
3The trap, framed
The distinction the exam tests, given its own box instead of buried in prose.
4One line at the bottom
The sentence to carry into the exam room.
Open book, on purpose
Answer it with the picture beside you
This is the part that teaches. The illustration and the written explanation stay where they are while you work, so a scenario stops being a memory test and becomes something you can simply look at.
It teaches · it does not count
A smartphone uses AI to unlock when the owner looks at the camera. Which AI capability is being used?
AImage classification
BFacial recognition
COptical character recognition
DObject detection
Look at the five steps. Detect finds a face, align straightens it, encode turns it into numbers, search compares it with a stored face, and decide answers one question: is this the same person? Classification would only say “a face”. Detection would only draw a box. Neither decides whose.
Then the page shuts, and it starts counting
The same questions come back with the book closed — that run is the one that counts. After it, your coach picks one thing for tonight, sized to the time you have, and brings pages back before you lose them.
Testing effect · Roediger & Karpicke 2006 · spacing effect · Cepeda et al. 2006
Official resources
Straight from Cisco
Where the exam is defined, scheduled and scored.
2official links
267concepts mapped
The source
Cisco’s own pages
We link to them rather than repeat them, so nothing here goes stale behind them.
Checked against the source
Every objective on the official Cisco outline already has questions here
We build from the official skills outline, not from a summary of it — 33 objectives, 267 concepts written under them, and free questions against every one. When Cisco changes the outline, this page changes with it.
33objectives on the outline→267concepts written→869free questions
An official page tells you what will be asked. It cannot tell you what you will get right.
That is the only question worth answering the night before, and no link answers it. You answer it by taking the questions with the book closed, and seeing what comes back.