CCNP DC · 350-601 DCCOR + Concentration
CCNP Data Center is Cisco's professional-level credential for engineers who design, deploy, and operate modern data center fabrics — Nexus switching, ACI, UCS compute, and SAN storage. It takes two exams to earn it: the 350-601 DCCOR core plus one concentration exam. Each attempt costs hundreds of dollars and carries a mandatory retake wait, so a failed sitting is real money and weeks of lost momentum. This page breaks down exactly what's tested, how the exams are delivered, and how to clear both the first time.
Pay Only After You Pass
No upfront fee — you settle only after your verified passing score. We advertise guaranteed results — 100% pass guaranteed or money back.
How the CCNP Data Center certification is built — at a glance
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120 minutes covering Network, Compute, Storage Network, Automation, and Security. This one exam is shared with the CCIE Data Center track, so passing it counts toward both.
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One ~90-minute exam of your choice — DCID, DCIT, DCACI, DCSAN, or DCNAUTO — letting you specialize in design, troubleshooting, ACI, storage, or automation.
CCNP
Pass both exams in any order and Cisco awards CCNP Data Center automatically. No separate application, lab, or written component is required.
The DCCOR core runs 120 minutes; concentration exams run about 90 minutes. Item counts are not fixed and typically land in the 90–110 range, mixing multiple-choice, multiple-response, drag-and-drop, and scenario items. You cannot go back to a question once you submit it, so pacing and first-pass accuracy matter.
Cisco reports a scaled score on a 300–1000 range rather than a simple percentage, with harder items weighted more heavily. Cisco does not publish a fixed cut score for every exam, so treat the goal as comfortably clearing the blueprint rather than aiming at one magic number. You see a provisional pass/fail at the test center the moment you finish.
The five DCCOR core domains — bars show each domain's share of the 350-601 blueprint
Nexus switching, OTV, VXLAN/EVPN overlays, Layer 2/3 fabric, port channels, and ACI fabric design and policy — the backbone of a modern data center.
Cisco UCS B-series and C-series, service profiles, templates, UCS Manager and Intersight, and integration of compute into the fabric.
Fibre Channel, FCoE, zoning, VSANs, NPIV/NPV, and MDS storage fabric configuration and troubleshooting.
Python basics, REST APIs, Ansible, JSON/XML, NX-OS and UCS programmability, and intent-based automation across the data center.
AAA, RBAC, ACLs, key chains, first-hop security, and segmentation across Nexus, ACI, and UCS to harden the fabric.
A separate blueprint for the path you pick — DCACI (ACI), DCSAN (storage), DCNAUTO (automation), DCID (design), or DCIT (troubleshooting).
Weights shown are for the 350-601 DCCOR v1.x blueprint. Because Network and Compute together make up half the core exam, a candidate strong in routing but light on UCS often stalls here — and the concentration exam adds an entirely separate body of knowledge on top. Always check the current official exam topics on the Cisco Learning Network before you schedule.
Two ways to sit each exam — and what to expect on test day
You sit the exam in a quiet, monitored Pearson VUE testing room. Staff verify your government-issued ID, store your belongings in a locker, and watch the room throughout. You get an erasable noteboard and you see your provisional result on screen seconds after you finish.
You take the exam from a private room at home through Pearson VUE OnVUE, monitored by AI plus a live proctor. You run a system check, a 360° webcam room scan, and an ID capture beforehand. The OnVUE app locks down your machine — no second monitor, no notes, no phone, and no leaving the camera frame.
A valid, unexpired government photo ID whose name matches your Cisco/Pearson VUE profile exactly. The proctor captures your photo before the exam unlocks.
A clear desk, no second monitor, no phone within reach, and a full webcam scan of the room. No one else may enter the room during the exam.
Stay in frame and on camera the whole time. OnVUE exams have no scheduled break — talking aloud, leaving your seat, or losing connection can flag or void the session.
CCNP Data Center is built for hands-on data center engineers
No formal requirement — but the bar is genuinely high
Difficulty: CCNP Data Center is widely considered one of the harder professional tracks because it spans network, compute, storage, and automation in a single core blueprint — then layers a specialized concentration on top. Most candidates invest several months and significant lab time across two exams, and that doubled exposure is exactly the pressure point our help is designed to remove.
Two demanding, OnVUE-proctored exams stand between you and CCNP Data Center — and at roughly $400 plus $300 per attempt, a failed sitting is real money. Exam Assist pairs you with a vetted Cisco data center specialist and works on a pay-after-you-pass model, so the risk sits with us, not you. No upfront fee, guaranteed results: Exam Assist handles the sitting end to end, and you settle only after the verified result.
Tell us which exams you need (DCCOR core, your chosen concentration, or both), your delivery method, and your target date. Takes a couple of minutes over WhatsApp, Telegram, or Discord.
We review your timeline and concentration choice and tell you plainly whether it's realistic — before any money is discussed. If it isn't a fit, we say so.
Exam Assist handles the sitting end to end. You're matched with a specialist who maps the work around the DCCOR domains, your concentration blueprint, and the OnVUE environment — discreetly and confidentially.
You only pay once your passing score is confirmed on your official Cisco record. No verified result, nothing owed.
See the full pay-after-you-pass Cisco service, how matching works, and the honest feasibility check.
Straight answers about CCNP Data Center
Service, guide, and sibling Cisco certifications
Pair with a vetted Cisco specialist for DCCOR and your concentration on a results-first arrangement. No upfront fee — settle only after a verified passing score.
Explore the service GuideNew to the Cisco track? Start with the CCNA foundations that the data center professional path builds on.
Read the guide CCNACisco's associate-level credential covering networking fundamentals — the natural prerequisite knowledge for any CCNP track.
View exam CCNP ENTThe enterprise-networking sibling — same core-plus-concentration structure, focused on campus, WAN, and SD-WAN.
View exam CCNP SECThe security-focused CCNP track for engineers protecting networks, firewalls, and secure access at professional level.
View exam CCNP SPThe carrier and ISP-focused CCNP track — core plus concentration for engineers building large-scale provider networks.
View examGet expert help across the DCCOR core and your concentration with no upfront fee — you settle only after your verified passing score. Honest feasibility answer first, results-first arrangement always.