The CCIE lab has kept the same shape since Cisco rebuilt the expert tracks in 2020: eight hours, two modules, three hours of Design followed by five hours of Deploy, Operate and Optimize. That shape is changing. At Cisco Live 2026 in Las Vegas, Cisco announced a new CCIE AI Deploy, Operate and Optimize Module that takes an hour out of the Design module and hands it to a section built around working alongside an AI assistant.
If you are mid way through a CCIE track, the practical question is whether your study plan is now out of date and whether you should book before the cutover. The short answer: the CCIE lab changes are staged through late 2026 and into 2027 and no track has flipped yet, but two dated changes have already landed or are already scheduled, and one of them took effect this week.
This post covers the confirmed CCIE exam changes, the exact dates Cisco has published, and what to do about each one.
What Cisco Actually Announced About the CCIE Lab
The headline change is a fourth element in the expert-level practical exam. Cisco is introducing the CCIE AI Deploy, Operate and Optimize Module, a one hour section that includes an AI assistant for configuration, troubleshooting and code creation.
The total exam stays at eight hours. The hour comes out of Design.
| Module | Current lab | Lab with the AI module |
|---|---|---|
| Design | 3 hours | 2 hours |
| Deploy, Operate and Optimize | 5 hours | 5 hours |
| AI Deploy, Operate and Optimize | Not present | 1 hour |
| Total | 8 hours | 8 hours |
That is a meaningful shift in what the exam rewards. Design has always been the module candidates underestimate, because it is written scenario work rather than configuration, and it now carries a third less time. The new AI module is not a theory section about artificial intelligence. Cisco describes it as hands-on work with an AI assistant in the exam environment, which means the skill being tested is whether you can direct a tool, sanity check what it produces, and act on it under time pressure.
Exam Tip: Practise reviewing configuration you did not write. The AI module rewards the ability to spot a wrong answer quickly, which is a different muscle from generating a correct one from scratch.
When the AI Module Lands, Track by Track
Cisco has published a staged rollout rather than a single cutover date. The Data Center track goes first.
| Milestone | Timing | Event |
|---|---|---|
| CCIE Data Center exam topics published | November 2026 | Cisco Live Melbourne |
| Practice labs available | February 2027 | Cisco Live London |
| Live exam with the AI module | 2027 | Cisco Live US |
Nothing has changed in a live CCIE lab yet. If you are booked for a CCIE lab in the next few months, you are sitting the current format.
The useful date for planning is November 2026. That is when the first set of exam topics becomes public, and exam topics are the only document worth building a study plan around. Anything published before then about what the AI module contains is inference.
SCOR 350-701 v2.0 Went Live on 27 August 2026
This one has already happened and it affects the CCIE Security qualifying exam.
The CCNP and CCIE Security core exam, 350-701 SCOR, moved to v2.0 on 27 August 2026. The last day to test on v1.1 was 26 August 2026. Cisco calls it the first major revision of that blueprint in six years, with new coverage of AI and large language model security including prompt injection and data poisoning, Zero Trust, SSE and SASE, Splunk integration and post-quantum cryptography.
Three concentration exams retired alongside it, with 26 August 2026 as their final test date:
- 300-720 SESA, Securing Email with Cisco Email Security Appliance
- 300-725 SWSA, Securing Web with Cisco Secure Web Appliance
- 300-730 SVPN, Implementing Secure Solutions with Virtual Private Networks
There is no direct replacement concentration for VPN. Meanwhile 300-740 SCAZT has been renamed SSCA and moved to v2.0 on the same date, 300-710 SNCF received a minor update, and 300-745 SDSI is unchanged.
The point that matters for CCIE candidates: Cisco has stated there is no direct impact on the CCIE Security practical exam from the SCOR v2.0 update. Your lab preparation is unaffected. What changed is the written qualifying exam you have to pass first, and any SCOR study material bought before late August now describes a retired blueprint. We covered the core exam revision in more detail in our post on CCNP Security 350-701 v1.1 vs v2.0.
CCIE Automation v1.2 Arrives on 23 March 2027
CCIE Automation is the one expert track with a hard, published cutover date. The last day to test on v1.1 is 22 March 2027. Version 1.2 takes effect on 23 March 2027.
The v1.2 domain weightings are:
| Domain | Weighting |
|---|---|
| Infrastructure as Code | 30% |
| Network Programmability and Automation | 25% |
| Software Design, Development and Deployment | 20% |
| Security | 15% |
| Containers | 10% |
The additions tell you where Cisco thinks automation engineering is going. The blueprint brings in AI for agentic capabilities, conversational interfaces and data processing, Model Context Protocol servers that let large language models talk to network automation systems, OpenTofu alongside Terraform, Cisco Network as Code for ACI and SD-WAN, Splunk Enterprise and Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center.
Four technologies come out: Kubernetes, Network Services Orchestrator, Cisco AppDynamics and Cisco ThousandEyes.
Dropping Kubernetes while keeping Containers at 10% is the change most likely to catch people out. Container work stays on the exam, but the orchestration layer people spent months on for v1.1 does not.
Should You Sit Your Current Version First?
The honest answer differs by track.
CCIE Automation. If you are studying now and can realistically sit before 22 March 2027, do it. You have roughly seven months, your material matches the exam, and v1.2 adds MCP servers and agentic AI patterns that most candidates have no production exposure to. If you cannot make that date, start folding OpenTofu and MCP into your lab time now rather than finishing v1.1 preparation and then retrofitting.
CCIE Security. Nothing about your lab preparation changes. If you have not yet passed the qualifying exam, you are sitting SCOR v2.0 and you need material published from September 2026 onward.
CCIE Data Center. Wait for the exam topics in November 2026 before committing to a booking in 2027. That is a five-week gap between the topics being published and the practice labs appearing in February 2027, and the topics are the document that tells you whether your existing plan survives.
Every other track. Carry on. The AI module has not been scheduled for Enterprise Infrastructure, Wireless, Collaboration or Service Provider, and Cisco is rolling out by track rather than all at once.
Exam Tip: Your qualifying exam pass is valid for three years. If that clock is close to running out, the version change is a secondary problem compared with having to resit the core exam before you can book the lab at all.
The Wider Cisco Refresh This Sits Inside
The CCIE changes are one part of a portfolio-wide revision. CCNA is getting its first major blueprint update since 2019: exam topics were published on 20 May 2026 and the refreshed exam goes live on 3 February 2027, built around network infrastructure, troubleshooting, a security-first approach and the role of AI in network operations. We covered that in Cisco CCNA Is Changing on 3 February 2027.
At professional level, the CCNP ENCOR 350-401 v1.2 blueprint is current for CCIE Enterprise Infrastructure candidates, and CyberOps has become CCNA Cybersecurity.
The consistent thread across all of it is that Cisco is testing AI-assisted operations as a practical skill rather than a knowledge domain. On the CCIE lab that is literal: an hour of the exam is now spent working with a tool rather than working around one.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does the CCIE lab exam cost?
The CCIE lab costs 1,600 US dollars per attempt for the standard booking, or 1,900 US dollars for a Cisco-provided mobile lab. That is on top of the qualifying core exam, which is 400 US dollars. Neither figure changes with the AI module.
Is the CCIE exam difficult?
It is the hardest tier Cisco offers, and the difficulty is as much about endurance as knowledge. You are configuring and troubleshooting live equipment for eight hours against a clock, with no partial credit for an explanation of what you intended to do. The Design module in particular catches candidates who have only practised configuration.
What is the pass rate for the CCIE exam?
Cisco does not publish CCIE pass rates. Any specific percentage you see quoted online is an estimate from a training provider rather than an official figure, so treat it accordingly.
Do I need to pass a written exam before the CCIE lab?
Yes. Each CCIE track requires you to pass the matching technology core exam first, for example 350-401 ENCOR for Enterprise Infrastructure or 350-701 SCOR for Security. That pass is valid for three years, and if you have not passed the lab within that window you have to sit the core exam again.
Does the SCOR v2.0 update change the CCIE Security lab?
No. Cisco has confirmed there is no direct impact on the CCIE Security practical exam from the 350-701 v2.0 revision. The change applies to the written qualifying exam, which moved to v2.0 on 27 August 2026.
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