Cisco 350-501 Certification Exam Syllabus

Cisco 350-501 certification syllabus and exam preparation guidePreparing for the Cisco Certified Specialist Service Provider Core (SPCOR) exam starts with knowing exactly what is assessed. This NWExam syllabus guide brings together the Cisco 350-501 exam details, syllabus topics, recommended training resources, and preparation references in one place, organized around the knowledge areas the certification tests, so you can plan your study with confidence.

A syllabus shows you what to study; effective preparation confirms you can understand and apply those topics when answering certification-style questions. Begin with the official Cisco objectives, documentation, and study materials, then use structured self-assessment and hands-on practice to identify knowledge gaps, reinforce weaker areas, and improve your readiness before attempting the Cisco 350-501 exam.

Cisco 350-501 Exam Summary and Key Details

Exam Name Implementing and Operating Cisco Service Provider Network Core Technologies
Exam Number 350-501 SPCOR
Exam Price $400 USD
Duration 120 minutes
Number of Questions 90-110
Passing Score Variable (750-850 / 1000 Approx.)
Recommended Training Implementing and Operating Cisco Service Provider Network Core Technologies | SPCOR
Implementing and Operating Cisco Service Provider Network Core Technologies 1.2
Exam Registration Pearson VUE
Sample Questions Cisco 350-501 Sample Questions
Practice Exam Cisco 350-501 Practice Exam

Cisco 350-501 Exam Syllabus Topics

Section Weight Objectives
Architecture 15% - Describe service provider architectures
  • Core architectures (Metro Ethernet, MPLS, unified MPLS, SR, SRTE, SRv6)
  • Transport technologies (xDSL, DWDM, DOCSIS, TDM, and xPON)
  • Mobility (packet core, RAN xhaul transport for 5G vRAN and ORAN transport)
  • Routed optical network

- Describe Cisco network software architecture

  • IOS
  • IOS XE
  • IOS XR

- Describe service provider virtualization

  • NFV infrastructure
  • VNF workloads
  • Containers
  • Application hosting

- Describe QoS architecture

  • MPLS QOS models (Pipe, Short Pipe, and Uniform)
  • MPLS TE QoS (MAM, RDM, CBTS, PBTS, and DS-TE)
  • DiffServ and IntServ QoS models
  • Trust boundaries between enterprise and SP environments
  • IPv6 flow label

- Configure and verify control plan security

  • Control plane protection techniques (LPTS and CoPP)
  • BGP-TTL security and protocol authentication
  • BGP prefix suppression
  • LDP security (authentication and label allocation filtering)
  • BGP sec
  • BGP flowspec

- Describe management plane security

  • Traceback
  • AAA and TACACS
  • RestAPI security
  • DDoS

- Implement data plane security

  • uRPF
  • ACLs
  • RTBH
  • MACsec
Networking 30% - Implement IS-IS (IPv4 and IPv6)
  • Route advertisement
  • Area addressing
  • Single/Multitopology
  • Metrics

- Implement OSPF (v2 and v3)

  • Neighbor adjacency
  • Route advertisement
  • Multiarea (addressing and types)
  • Metrics

- Describe BGP path selection algorithm.
- Implement BGP (v4 and v6 for IBGP and EBGP)

  • Neighbors
  • Prefix advertisement
  • Address family
  • Path selection
  • Attributes
  • Redistribution
  • Additional Paths
  • PIC

- Implement routing policy language and route maps (BGP, OSPF, IS-IS)
- Troubleshoot routing protocols

  • Neighbor adjacency (BGP, OSPF, IS-IS)
  • Route advertisement (BGP, OSPF, IS-IS)

- Describe IPv6 transition (NAT44, NAT64, CGNAT, MAP-T and DS Lite)
- Implement high availability

  • NSF / graceful restart
  • NSR
  • BFD
  • Link aggregation
MPLS and Segment Routing 20% - Implement MPLS
  • LDP sync
  • LDP session protection
  • LDP neighbors
  • Unified MPLS
  • MPLS OAM

- Describe traffic engineering

  • IS-IS and OSPF extensions
  • RSVP functionality
  • FRR

- Describe segment routing

  • Segment types
  • SR control plane (BGP, OSPF, IS-IS)
  • Segment routing traffic engineering
  • TI-LFa
  • PCE-PCC architectures
  • Flexible algorithm
  • SRv6 (locator, micro-segment, encapsulation, interworking gateway)
Services 20% - Describe VPN services
  • EVPN
  • Inter-AS VPN
  • CSC
  • mVPN

- Configure L2VPN and Carrier Ethernet

  • Ethernet services (E-Line, E-Tree, E-Access, E-LAN)
  • IEEE 802.1ad, IEEE 802.1ah, and ITU G.8032
  • Ethernet OAM
  • VLAN tag manipulation

- Configure L3VPN

  • Intra-AS VPN
  • Shared services (extranet and Internet)

- Implement multicast services

  • PIM (PIM-SM, PIM-SSM, and PIM-BIDIR, PIMv6)
  • IGMP v1/v2/v3 and MLD

- Implement QoS services

  • Classification and marking
  • Congestion avoidance, traffic policing, and shaping
Automation and Assurance 15% - Describe the programmable APIs used to include Cisco devices in network automation
- Interpret an external script to configure a Cisco device using a REST API
- Describe the role of Network Services Orchestration (NSO)
- Describe the high-level principles and benefits of a data modeling language, such as YANG
- Describe configuration management tools, such as Ansible and Terraform
- Describe Secure ZTP
- Configure dial-in/out, TCP, TLS and mTLS certificates using gRPC and gNMI
- Configure and verify NetFlow/IPFIX
- Configure and verify NETCONF and RESTCONF
- Configure and verify SNMP (v2c/v3)

Understanding the Cisco SPCOR Certification Exam

Implementing and Operating Cisco Service Provider Network Core Technologies v1.1 (SPCOR 350-501) is a 120-minute exam associated with the CCNP and CCIE Service Provider Certifications. This exam tests a candidate's knowledge of implementing core service provider network technologies including core architecture, services, networking, automation, quality of services, security, and network assurance. The course, Implementing and Operating Cisco Service Provider Network Core Technologies, helps candidates to prepare for this exam.

Use the syllabus objectives as the foundation of your study plan. Official Cisco training and documentation will help you build the required knowledge, while hands-on experience reinforces practical understanding. Once the core topics are covered, structured practice lets you evaluate your readiness, recognize areas that need further review, and become more comfortable working through exam-oriented questions in a timed environment. Practice exams should complement, not replace, official training, documentation, and hands-on learning.

For additional exam and preparation information, review the Cisco 350-501 certification FAQs. When you are ready to move from syllabus review to repeated timed practice, you can access the Premium Cisco 350-501 practice exam. For the latest certification requirements, policies, pricing, and vendor updates, always refer to the official Cisco 350-501 exam page.

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