200-901 renewal and retake rules
CCNA Automation, the certification earned by passing 200-901, is valid for three years. Cisco’s CCNA Automation page lists two ways to renew within that period: pass the current 200-901 exam or any higher-level Cisco certification exam, or earn 30 continuing education (CE) credits. After a failed attempt the wait is five calendar days; after a pass you must wait at least 180 days before retaking the same exam number. This page applies those rules to the automation track and to the holders who earned the credential under its former name, DevNet Associate.
If you passed as “DevNet Associate”: does anything change?
Cisco’s learning blog says DevNet certifications were renamed Cisco Automation certifications, moving to the CCNA, CCNP and CCIE naming on February 3, 2026, and calls the associate and expert changes “same test, new names”. The Cisco Learning Network, as summarised in search results (the page itself did not load for this guide), states that the last date to earn or recertify under the DevNet names was February 2, 2026. Third-party training sites report that active holders were migrated automatically without retesting; Cisco’s CCNA Automation page does not describe a migration, so treat the third-party claim as reported and check your own record in Cisco’s tracking system.
Practical consequences, based on what Cisco states:
- The exam number is still 200-901. No new test was needed to keep the credential.
- Validity is counted in the usual way: three years from the date of the qualifying event, not from the rename.
- The exam topics document is labelled v1.1, which Cisco’s release notes describe as a minor revision. Under Cisco’s CE policy, repeating a training earns credit again only after a major version change (v1.0 to v2.0), so a v1.1 refresh would not earn repeat credit.
Three ways to keep CCNA Automation alive
| Route | What it takes | Automation-specific angle |
|---|---|---|
| Retake 200-901 | The exam fee, currently US$300 or Cisco Learning Credits | Only possible 180 days or more after the previous pass |
| Pass a higher-level Cisco exam | For example 350-901 AUTOCOR (US$400) from CCNP Automation, per Cisco’s page | The CCNP Automation core exam also earns its own Specialist certification |
| 30 CE credits | Cisco training, webinars or approved courses | Credits from passing an exam are applied automatically |
Cisco’s CE policy adds that activities must be completed before the certification expires, credits are valid for three years from completion, are applied in the order earned and cannot be saved for later, and excess credits roll into the next cycle. Manual claims must be filed within 365 days of finishing the activity. There is no cap on credits from any category. Cisco’s pages checked for this guide did not state how many credits a given exam or course is worth, so verify against your own CertMetrics record. The full text is in Cisco’s continuing education policies.
Because 200-901 is itself an associate-level exam, a CCNA 200-301 pass is not described by Cisco as a “higher-level” exam for it. Whether a 200-301 pass counts toward CCNA Automation is not stated on the pages used here, so do not rely on it; the clear paths are 200-901 itself or a professional-level exam. The reverse question for the networking associate is covered in the CCNA 200-301 rules.
Retakes: the Cisco exam policy applied to 200-901
Cisco’s exam policies page sets the rules for all associate-level written exams:
- Failed attempt: wait five calendar days, starting the day after the attempt. Weekends count.
- Passed attempt: wait at least 180 days before taking the same exam number again.
- Attempt limit: the page states no maximum number of attempts for written exams.
- Fee: the page does not say a retake is discounted. Cisco’s CCNA Automation page offers Exam Safeguard Plus at US$450, which allows a second attempt if the first is not passed within 90 days, so buying it before the first try changes the retake cost.
- Voucher: the CCNA Automation page says exam vouchers are valid for 365 days from purchase.
- Results: typically online within 48 hours; a score report with a section-by-section breakdown is available, and Cisco does not publish passing scores.
- Appeals and accommodations: the policy page describes no formal appeal for written exams and does not mention accommodations. Ask Cisco or the test provider before booking if you need adjustments.
Letting CCNA Automation lapse: what 200-901 would cost again
Cisco’s policy says each successful recertification resets the deadline to three years from that event. It sends reminders to the email on file, but states that a missed notification is not grounds for an exception. If a certification becomes inactive, you must meet the full current certification requirements again, which for this track means passing 200-901 as it stands at that time. Compare the cost of an exam against the CE route in the certification costs overview, and watch the exam changes page for blueprint updates.
If you hold the badge and are planning your next move, the career page explains how CCNP Automation fits, and the exam format page covers the current version of the topics.