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350-701 Implementing and Operating Cisco Security Core Technologies
| Exam code | 350-701 SCOR, version 2.0 |
| Certification | Cisco Certified Specialist - Security Core |
| Questions on the real exam | Not published; candidates report 90 to 110 |
| Time allowed | 120 minutes |
| Passing score | Not published by Cisco |
| Expected question formats | Multiple choice, drag and drop |
| Exam fee | US$400 (Cisco Learning Credits accepted) |
| Delivery | At a Pearson VUE test centre, or online |
| Retake policy | Wait five calendar days after a failed attempt |
| Certification validity | Three years, renewable by exam or Continuing Education credits |
| Languages | English, Japanese |
| Practice questions in our bank | 802 |
| Question bank updated | Oct 8, 2026 |
Cisco has replaced the topic list for 350-701, the exam known as SCOR, with version 2.0, its first major update since the exam launched in 2020.
Cisco advises candidates to study the changes carefully. One of the six topic areas, Content Security, has been replaced by Secure Service Edge, and Network Security now carries the most weight at 25%, so any 350-701 exam questions you use should follow version 2.0.
If your exam is already booked, start with the free questions below and note which topic areas slow you down. If you are still deciding, the sections on topic weightings and the certification path show what the exam covers and where it leads.
350-701 Exam Domains and Weightings
Cisco splits the exam into six domains and states how much of the exam each one is worth, which the bars below show. The descriptions are based on Cisco's official list of exam topics for version 2.0, which Cisco calls the exam blueprint.
Security Concepts
20%This domain covers the ideas the rest of the exam builds on, from common attacks and encryption to VPN designs and zero trust. Its questions usually describe a situation and ask you to identify what is happening, so you need to tell apart concepts that look alike. Version 2.0 adds attacks on AI models and post-quantum cryptography.
Network Security
25%Network Security carries 25% of the marks, more than any other domain, and expects hands-on knowledge of Cisco Secure Firewall. You may be asked to set up access rules or a VPN, or to work out why a VPN tunnel will not connect. It also covers switch security features such as DHCP snooping and which attack each one prevents.
Cloud Security
15%Most of this domain is about who is responsible for security once systems move to the cloud. Under the shared responsibility model, that split between you and the provider changes with the type of service, so the right answer for IaaS can be wrong for SaaS. It also includes one hands-on task, setting up Splunk to collect cloud logs.
Secure Service Edge
10%Secure Service Edge is new in version 2.0. It means security delivered from the cloud that protects users wherever they connect, and the exam tests it through Cisco Secure Access. At 10% it is the lightest domain, but most of it is practical, such as setting up safe internet access and access to private applications.
Endpoint Protection and Detection
15%Endpoints are the laptops, servers and phones people actually work on. This domain asks how protecting them differs from detecting and responding to attacks, and expects you to configure antimalware settings in Cisco Secure Endpoint and read its alerts to work out what happened. Email security is covered here too, through Cisco Email Threat Defense.
Network Access, Visibility, and Enforcement
15%This domain is about deciding who and what may join the network, and watching what happens once they have. Most of it runs through Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE), where you configure 802.1X and MAB, the usual ways a switch identifies a device before letting it on. The rest covers spotting data leaving the network and where Duo, Splunk and Cisco XDR fit.
350-701 Exam Blueprint Revisions
Version 2.0 replaced the Content Security domain with Secure Service Edge, raised Network Security to 25% and added new topics, including attacks on AI models, post-quantum cryptography and Splunk. The previous version could be taken until 26 August 2026.
Cisco released version 1.1, a minor update and the only change to the original topics before version 2.0.
The exam launched as the core exam for Cisco's newly restructured CCNP Security certification and the qualifying exam for CCIE Security.
Source: Cisco's 350-701 SCOR v2.0 exam topics, in effect since 27 August 2026. Our question bank is updated to match each revision and was last updated on Oct 8, 2026.
350-701 Exam Practice Questions
Try each question yourself before opening the answer, then use the Discuss button to see how other candidates approached it.
[Endpoint Protection and Detection]
An engineer must configure Cisco AMP for Endpoints so that it contains a list of files that should not be executed by users. These files must not be quarantined. Which action meets this configuration requirement?
create an application control blocked applications list. This option allows you to specify a list of files that you want to prevent from running on the endpoints that have the AMP connector installed. The files are identified by their SHA-256 hashes, and you can upload them individually or in a batch.The files are not quarantined, but they are blocked from execution and reported as events in the AMP console1.This option is different from the simple custom detection list, which is used to detect and quarantine specific files that are considered malicious2.The advanced custom detection list is also used to detect and quarantine files, but it allows you to specify more criteria such as file size, file name, and file path3.The IP block and allow lists are used to control the network traffic to and from the endpoints, not the file execution4.Reference:1:Configure Application Control on the AMP for Endpoints Portal2:Configure a Simple Custom Detection List on the AMP for Endpoints Portal3:
[Configure an Advanced Custom Detection List on the AMP for Endpoints Portal]4:
[Configure IP Block and Allow Lists on the AMP for Endpoints Portal]
[Secure Network Access, Visibility, and Enforcement]
Which RADIUS feature provides a mechanism to change the AAA attributes of a session after it is
authenticated?
CoA stands for Change of Authorization, which is a feature that allows a RADIUS server to adjust an active client session after it is authenticated. For example, CoA can be used to reauthenticate a client, terminate a client session, or change the VLAN or group policy of a client. CoA is supported by several RADIUS vendors, including Cisco ISE. CoA is defined in RFC 5176 and uses a pushed model, where the request originates from the RADIUS server and is sent to the network device that acts as a listener. CoA requests can have two possible response codes: CoA-ACK (acknowledgment) or CoA-NAK (non-acknowledgment).Reference:=
Some possible references are:
RADIUS Change of Authorization
Change of Authorization with RADIUS (CoA) on MR Access Points
Change of Authorization with RADIUS (CoA) on MS Switches
Technical Tip: Radius COA behavior
[Security Concepts]
A network administrator configures Dynamic ARP Inspection on a switch. After Dynamic ARP Inspection is applied, all users on that switch are unable to communicate with any destination. The network administrator checks the interface status of all interfaces, and there is no err-disabled interface. What is causing this problem?
Dynamic ARP inspection (DAI) is a security feature that validates ARP packets in a network. It intercepts, logs, and discards ARP packets with invalid IP-to-MAC address bindings. This capability protects the network from certain man-in-the-middle attacks. After enabling DAI, all ports become untrusted ports.
[Endpoint Protection and Detection]
Which security solution is used for posture assessment of the endpoints in a BYOD solution?
Cisco ISE is the security solution that is used for posture assessment of the endpoints in a BYOD solution. Posture assessment allows Cisco ISE to inspect the security health of the endpoints, such as their operating system, software applications, network settings, and security software. Cisco ISE can then enforce posture policies based on the compliance status of the endpoints and grant or deny them access to the network resources. Cisco ISE supports different types of posture agents, such as AnyConnect, AnyConnect Stealth, and Temporal Agent, to monitor and remediate the endpoints. Cisco ISE also supports agentless posture for devices that cannot run an agent, such as printers, cameras, and IoT devices. Cisco ISE integrates with various third-party vendors to provide posture assessment for different endpoint platforms, such as Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, and iOS.Reference:=
Some possible references are:
Cisco Identity Services Engine Administrator Guide, Release 3.0 - Compliance
Chapter 15. Device Posture Assessment - Cisco ISE for BYOD and Secure Unified Access
Implementing and Operating Cisco Security Core Technologies (SCOR) v1.0
[Securing the Cloud]
An engineer is configuring Dropbox integration with Cisco Cloudlock. Which action must be taken before granting API access in the Dropbox admin console?
Cisco AMP for Endpoints provides next-generation protection by leveraging an endpoint protection platform (EPP) and endpoint detection and response (EDR) capabilities. EPP is a set of multifaceted prevention techniques that stop threats from compromising endpoints, such as behavioral analytics, machine learning, and signature-based methods. EDR is a set of powerful features that reduce the attack surface and remediate faster, such as advanced threat hunting, endpoint isolation, and dynamic malware analysis. Cisco AMP for Endpoints also integrates with SecureX, a built-in platform that offers extended detection and response (XDR) capabilities across multiple control points, such as network, cloud, email, and web. By combining EPP, EDR, and XDR, Cisco AMP for Endpoints delivers a comprehensive and resilient endpoint security solution that can detect, respond, and recover from sophisticated attacks.Reference:
Cisco Secure Endpoint (Formerly AMP for Endpoints) - Cisco
Cisco Secure Endpoint (Formerly AMP for Endpoints) - Cisco
Cisco Secure Endpoint (Formerly AMP for Endpoints) - Cisco
What the 350-701 Exam Really Tests, and How
Within the six domains, a handful of topics carry much of the weight, such as firewall access rules, who is responsible for what in the cloud, 802.1X on ISE and reading Secure Endpoint alerts. Most questions on them are likely to be multiple choice built around a short scenario, and the skill that earns the marks is spotting which requirement in the scenario matters and which product meets it.
VPN tunnels and the cryptography inside them
Tested via: expected to be scenario-based multiple-choice questionsVPN questions take their theory from Security Concepts and their hands-on side from Network Security. You need to know which VPN design fits which situation, for example DMVPN or FlexVPN to connect many branch offices, GETVPN across a private WAN, and Cisco Secure Client for staff working remotely. When a site-to-site tunnel on Secure Firewall will not connect, the cause is usually a setting that does not match at each end, such as the IKE proposal or the pre-shared key.
Enforcement at the firewall and the switch port
Tested via: expected to be multiple-choice and drag-and-drop questionsNetwork Security, the heaviest domain at 25%, expects you to match each switch security feature to the attack it prevents. DHCP snooping, for example, stops a rogue device from handing out network addresses, and Dynamic ARP Inspection uses the information DHCP snooping collects to block ARP spoofing. On the firewall, access rules, URL filtering, application control and intrusion prevention each catch different traffic, and questions often ask which one would have stopped the traffic described.
Deciding who secures what in the cloud
Tested via: expected to be multiple-choice questionsCloud Security, 15% of the exam, turns mostly on who looks after what. If you rent cloud servers (IaaS), patching the operating system is still your job. On a platform service (PaaS) the provider patches it, and with software you simply use (SaaS) you mainly look after users, data and settings. Questions describe a setup and ask who owns a control or which tool fits it, and DevSecOps adds security checks on code and containers before they go live.
Internet and private access through Cisco Secure Access
Tested via: expected to be scenario-based multiple-choice questionsAt 10%, Secure Service Edge is the lightest domain, and almost all of it is about using one product, Cisco Secure Access. Its Secure Internet Access feature protects users as they browse the web, while Secure Private Access lets them reach internal applications without joining the whole network, and questions often ask which of the two a requirement needs. Data loss prevention and AI guardrails belong to the internet side, and the Investigate tool scores web domains to show whether they can be trusted.
Malware on the endpoint, from prevention to investigation
Tested via: expected to be multiple-choice questionsEndpoint protection tries to stop a harmful file before it runs, while detection and response assumes something got through and helps you trace what it did. Understanding it is central to Endpoint Protection and Detection, a domain worth 15% of the exam. Cisco Secure Endpoint does both, so expect to configure its antimalware settings and to read one of its alerts closely enough to say which machine was affected and what happened next. Email threats are covered here too, through Cisco Email Threat Defense.
Admitting users and devices with ISE and Duo
Tested via: expected to be scenario-based multiple-choice questions802.1X is a three-way check between a device, the switch and ISE, in which the switch passes the request on and ISE makes the decision. Printers and other devices that cannot take part are identified by their hardware address instead, a method called MAB, and ISE can change a device's access after it has connected. Duo applies the same idea to applications, checking the user and the device before letting either in. Together these cover most of Network Access, Visibility, and Enforcement and its 15% share of the exam.
Where the 350-701 Exam Fits in the Cisco Certification Path
CCNP Security
CCNP Security takes two exams, 350-701 as the core exam plus one concentration exam in a specialist area you choose. The choices are now 300-710 SNCF, 300-715 SISE, 300-740 SSCA and 300-745 SDSI, because the VPN exam, 300-730 SVPN, retired on 26 August 2026 without a replacement.
CCIE Security
Passing 350-701 also qualifies you to attempt CCIE Security, Cisco's expert-level certification. The next step is an eight-hour hands-on lab exam, and Cisco has said the lab is not affected by the move to version 2.0.
Cisco Certified Specialist - Security Core
Passing 350-701 on its own earns you this certification, even before you take a concentration exam. It is valid for three years, and the exam can also be used to renew other Cisco certifications you already hold.
How to Pass the 350-701 Exam on Your First Attempt
If your exam date is close, put the time you have into whatever will raise your score. Failing costs another US$400 and a wait of at least five days before you can retake the exam, which is a good reason to practise first and read second.
Take a practice test first
Start by answering a full set of practice questions, before you read anything. Version 2.0 is new enough that even experienced engineers will find unfamiliar topics, especially in Secure Service Edge, and that first score shows where they are.
Check every miss in Cisco's documentation
For each question you get wrong, look the topic up in Cisco's configuration guides or product documentation and compare it with the answer you chose. Our questions do not come with written explanations, so this step is how you learn why an answer is right.
Divide your time by weighting
Network Security is worth 25% of the exam and deserves the most time, with Security Concepts next at 20%. Secure Service Edge is only 10%, but it is the domain most likely to be new to you, so give it extra time if it feels unfamiliar.
Finish with a timed test
A few days before the exam, take a full set of questions in 120 minutes without notes. The real exam gives you a little over a minute per question, and a timed run shows whether you can read each scenario and choose an answer at that pace.
What to Look for in 350-701 Practice Questions
Each attempt at 350-701 costs US$400, and if you fail you must wait at least five days before trying again, so the practice material you choose matters. Because version 2.0 replaced the previous topic list, the first thing to check is whether a question set was written for the version you will actually take.
Written for version 2.0
Version 2.0 changed SCOR more than anything in the six years before it, adding a Secure Service Edge domain and changing the weightings. A question set that still gives 15% of its questions to Content Security, as the old version did, is preparing you for an exam you can no longer book.
Ours: we review the bank against Cisco's exam topics on a regular schedule, as well as whenever Cisco publishes a new version.
A demo you can judge before paying
The quickest way to tell whether a question bank suits you is to work through some of it. A few questions show whether the scenarios read like Cisco's and whether the wrong options are close enough to make you think.
Ours: you can open the PDF demo and run the practice test demo at no cost, then decide.
Formats that fit how you study
Some candidates like to read questions on the way to work, while others want to practise under exam conditions at a desk. With two hours on the clock in the real exam, it helps to be able to do both.
Ours: one purchase covers the PDF and the practice test, which runs browser-based or as a Windows desktop version.
Coverage that follows the weightings
A practice set that leans on the topics easiest to write questions for leaves gaps where the exam is heaviest. Check that Network Security, at 25%, gets the largest share, and that the newer Secure Service Edge objectives appear at all.
Ours: 802 350-701 questions across the exam's six domains.
A price judged against a retake
Compare the price of any practice material with the US$400 you would pay to take 350-701 again. Anything that improves your chance of passing first time is worth weighing against that figure.
Ours: At $69, our prep costs a fraction of the $400 you'd pay to retake 350-701, anything that improves your odds of passing first time is worth weighing against that figure.
350-701 Exam Discussion: What Recent Candidates Say
Candidates preparing for 350-701, and those who have just taken it, share study tips and exam-day experiences to help the next person go in better prepared. If you have already sat version 2.0, a few lines on what you would do differently would help others.
Frequently Asked Questions About the 350-701 Exam
How many questions are on the 350-701 exam, and how long do you get?
Cisco does not publish a question count for 350-701, though candidates commonly report between 90 and 110. You get 120 minutes, which works out at a little over a minute per question, so pacing matters almost as much as knowing the material.
What is the passing score for the 350-701 exam?
Cisco does not publish a passing score for 350-701 or for any of its exams. Its policy is that passing scores are set by statistical analysis and can change without notice, so aim to pass full practice sets with room to spare rather than chase a particular number.
What changed in SCOR 350-701 version 2.0?
Version 2.0, which replaced the previous version on 27 August 2026, is the first major update to SCOR since the exam launched in 2020. The Content Security domain was replaced by Secure Service Edge, Network Security became the largest domain at 25%, and new topics were added, including attacks on AI models, post-quantum cryptography and Splunk.
Can I still take the 350-701 v1.1 exam?
No, version 1.1 of 350-701 could be taken until 26 August 2026 and has been replaced by version 2.0. Anyone booking now sits version 2.0, so every book, course and question bank you use should follow the version 2.0 exam topics Cisco publishes.
How much does the 350-701 exam cost?
The 350-701 exam costs US$400, and Cisco also accepts Cisco Learning Credits as payment. You book and pay through Pearson VUE, which offers the exam at test centres and as an online exam you can take at home or in the office.
How long do I have to wait to retake the 350-701 exam?
After a failed attempt at 350-701 you must wait five calendar days, counted from the day after the attempt, before you can sit it again. Once you have passed, Cisco requires a gap of at least 180 days before you can take the same exam number again.
Can I take Implementing and Operating Cisco Security Core Technologies online?
Yes, Implementing and Operating Cisco Security Core Technologies (350-701) can be taken online as well as at a Pearson VUE test centre. It is offered in English and Japanese, and the online route needs a quiet room and a computer that passes Pearson VUE's system check.
What experience do I need before taking 350-701?
Cisco sets no formal prerequisites for 350-701. The exam is written at professional level, though, and several exam topics ask you to configure or troubleshoot Secure Firewall, ISE, Secure Endpoint and Secure Access, so time spent working with those products makes the scenarios far easier to read.
How long is a certification earned with 350-701 valid?
Any certification earned through 350-701 lasts three years, counted from the day Cisco awards it. The Security Core specialist certification renews with 40 Continuing Education credits and CCNP Security with 80, and retaking the exam or moving up a level renews them too.
Which Cisco documents should I use alongside 350-701 practice questions?
Start with Cisco's version 2.0 exam topics for 350-701, which list every topic Cisco can test, then the configuration guides for Secure Firewall, ISE, Secure Endpoint and Secure Access. Checking each practice answer against those guides is the quickest way to see why an option is right and the others are not.