About This Study Plan

This 90 days study plan breaks the ENCOR (ENCOR) exam preparation into 3 focused study sessions with a total of 7 actionable tasks. The plan covers all 6 exam domains — Architecture, Virtualization, Infrastructure, Network Assurance, Security, Automation — ensuring complete coverage of the exam blueprint. Comprehensive 90-day study plan with deep lab work for each domain.

3Study Days

7Total Tasks

6Domains Covered

Prerequisites

CCNA certification
Lab environment (GNS3, CML, or EVE-NG)
1.5–2 hours per day

Study Schedule

Month 1Architecture, Virtualization & Infrastructure Basics

Weeks 1–2: Enterprise architecture, SD-WAN, SD-Access, wireless
Weeks 3–4: VRF, tunneling, STP/RSTP, EtherChannel, FHRP + labs

Month 2Routing Protocols & Network Services

Weeks 5–6: Multi-area OSPF — all area types, LSAs, summarization + labs
Weeks 7–8: EIGRP + BGP + multicast + QoS deep dives with labs

Month 3Security, Automation & Exam Prep

Week 9: Security — AAA, 802.1X, MACsec, CoPP, TrustSec
Week 10: Automation — Python, APIs, NETCONF/RESTCONF, Ansible
Weeks 11–12: Full practice exams, weak area focus, flashcard review

Study Tips

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Lab everything — ENCOR is a hands-on exam.

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Use Cisco CML (formerly VIRL) for realistic lab environments.

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Read the Cisco ENCOR Official Cert Guide alongside this study plan.

Recommended Cisco Study Resources

Supplement this study plan with Cisco's official cert guides (published by Cisco Press) and free Packet Tracer labs. The Cisco Learning Network community forums are valuable for discussing exam topics with other candidates and CCIEs. Allocate at least 30% of your study time to hands-on lab practice — configuring, troubleshooting, and verifying are skills that can only be built through repetition.