Cisco 700-246 Exam FAQs & Preparation Guide
This FAQ answers the questions candidates ask most about the Cisco 700-246 exam — what the certification is, who it is for, how the exam is structured, how difficult it is, what it takes to pass, and how to prepare efficiently. Each answer is written to be useful to someone actually planning their study: it explains the exam’s format and domain weighting, flags the topics that most often trip candidates up, and suggests where to spend limited study time for the best return. Every answer is grounded in Cisco’s official exam information, and the page is reviewed and revised whenever Cisco updates the exam, so the guidance here stays aligned with the current version rather than an older one.
Cisco 700-246 — Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
SECTION A: Cisco 700-246 Certification Overview
Q1. What is the Cisco 700-246 exam?
The Cisco 700-246 exam, called Cisco Environmental Sustainability Practice-Building Stage 2 (CESPB), is a 60-minute partner specialization exam on building a sustainability sales practice around Cisco's offerings. It is Stage 2 of the Cisco Environmental Sustainability Specialization, following the Stage 1 Fundamentals exam. Passing it helps Cisco partner sales and account teams position sustainability through areas such as Making a Difference and Cisco Solutions that Support Sustainability.
Q2. Who should take the Cisco 700-246 exam?
The Cisco 700-246 exam is intended for Cisco partner sales and account personnel who are building an environmental sustainability practice. Cisco frames the audience as partner teams ready for Stage 2 Practice-Building after the Stage 1 Fundamentals, who need to position sustainability offerings with customers. It suits roles that research priorities and handle the Talking to Customers about Sustainability work rather than technical engineers.
Q3. What skills does the Cisco 700-246 exam measure?
The Cisco 700-246 exam measures a partner seller's grasp of Cisco's sustainability story across five weighted areas: Building a Sustainability Practice (25%), Making a Difference (35%), Cisco Solutions that Support Sustainability (25%), Talking to Customers about Sustainability (10%), and Sustainability Within Industries (5%). It checks whether you can explain Cisco's circular offerings, position its sustainability solutions, and start customer conversations.
SECTION B: Cisco 700-246 Exam Format & Structure
Q4. How many questions are on the Cisco 700-246 exam?
Cisco does not publish a fixed number of questions for the 700-246 exam. The official exam page and v1.0 exam topics state the duration — 60 minutes — and the five weighted areas (Building a Sustainability Practice, Making a Difference, Cisco Solutions that Support Sustainability, Talking to Customers about Sustainability, and Sustainability Within Industries) but give no item count. Plan around the 60-minute limit and the published weightings.
Q5. How long is the Cisco 700-246 exam?
The Cisco 700-246 exam lasts 60 minutes. Cisco's v1.0 exam topics and the exam page both describe it as a 60-minute exam, and like Cisco's other online 700-series exams it is timed. That hour covers the five weighted areas, from Building a Sustainability Practice to Sustainability Within Industries.
Q6. What types of questions appear on the Cisco 700-246 exam?
Cisco does not publish the question formats used on the 700-246 exam. As an online, unproctored 700-series exam it presents knowledge-based questions you answer on screen rather than hands-on tasks. Expect items that ask you to explain and position sustainability topics such as Cisco's circular offerings and the Making a Difference area; check the official exam page for any format details Cisco adds.
Q7. Can I take the Cisco 700-246 exam online or at a test center?
You take the Cisco 700-246 exam online and unproctored, not at a test center. Cisco classifies its 700-series Sales Readiness exams as online, unproctored exams scheduled through the Cisco certification system. There is no in-person testing requirement, so partner staff can sit it remotely while studying areas like Cisco Solutions that Support Sustainability.
Q8. What score do I need to pass the Cisco 700-246 exam?
Cisco does not publish a passing score for the 700-246 exam. Cisco leaves the scoring threshold and question count undisclosed for this sustainability exam, as it does across the 700-series, publishing only the 60-minute duration. Prepare to answer confidently across all five weighted areas, from Building a Sustainability Practice to Sustainability Within Industries, and check the official exam page for any scoring details Cisco publishes.
SECTION C: Cisco 700-246 Difficulty & Readiness
Q9. How difficult is the Cisco 700-246 exam?
The Cisco 700-246 exam is a Foundation-level partner enablement exam, so it is introductory rather than technically deep. It rewards familiarity with Cisco's sustainability narrative across Building a Sustainability Practice, Making a Difference, Cisco Solutions that Support Sustainability, Talking to Customers about Sustainability, and Sustainability Within Industries, not configuration or troubleshooting. Difficulty comes from recalling Cisco's specific circular offerings and messaging, not from complex problem-solving.
Q10. What makes the Cisco 700-246 exam challenging?
The main challenge of the Cisco 700-246 exam is keeping Cisco's specific sustainability offerings and messaging straight. You must distinguish the circular offerings — Product Takeback and Reuse, customer recycling, Cisco Refresh, and Cisco Green Pay — and connect solutions like AI-ready data centers and future-proofed workplaces to customer goals. Precise Cisco program names, and how they map to the Making a Difference and Cisco Solutions that Support Sustainability areas, are what trip candidates up, not general ESG theory.
SECTION D: Cisco 700-246 Preparation Strategy
Q11. How should I start preparing for the Cisco 700-246 exam?
Start preparing for the Cisco 700-246 exam with Cisco's recommended course 'Stage 2: Partner Environmental Sustainability Fundamentals' and the v1.0 exam topics document, which lists every objective. Begin with the largest area, Making a Difference at 35 percent, then cover building a practice, Cisco solutions, customer conversations, and industries. Selling experience helps but is not required, since the exam tests knowledge and positioning rather than configuration.
Q12. Which skills should I focus on to pass the Cisco 700-246 exam?
Focus your 700-246 preparation on knowing Cisco's sustainability offerings and how to position them across the five weighted areas. For Building a Sustainability Practice, understand the circular economy and adapting business practices; for Making a Difference, the circular offerings (Product Takeback and Reuse, customer recycling, Cisco Refresh, Cisco Green Pay); for Cisco Solutions that Support Sustainability, AI-ready data centers and future-proofed workplaces; and for Talking to Customers about Sustainability and Sustainability Within Industries, researching priorities and industry journeys.
Q13. How long should I prepare for the Cisco 700-246 exam?
Most partner staff prepare for the Cisco 700-246 exam in one to two weeks, depending on their familiarity with Cisco's sustainability story. Because it is a 60-minute Foundation-level enablement exam rather than a technical one, study effort goes into learning Cisco's circular offerings and messaging rather than practice labs. Cisco recommends the course 'Stage 2: Partner Environmental Sustainability Fundamentals' as preparation.
Q14. How should I use practice exams to prepare for the Cisco 700-246 exam?
Use practice exams for the Cisco 700-246 in timed sets, then review every missed item against Cisco's exam topics. Give the most time to Making a Difference, the largest area at 35 percent, and proportionally less to the 10 percent and 5 percent areas. After each attempt, note the offerings or messages you missed and re-test only those until recall is automatic within the 60-minute window.
SECTION E: Cisco 700-246 Practice Exams & Preparation Tools
Q15. Do practice tests help when preparing for the Cisco 700-246 exam?
Yes, practice tests help for the Cisco 700-246 exam because they reveal gaps in recalling Cisco's specific offerings and messaging under time pressure. Since the exam rewards recognizing the right Cisco program — Cisco Refresh, Cisco Green Pay, or a solution in the Cisco Solutions that Support Sustainability area — repeated retrieval practice beats re-reading. Use practice questions to confirm you can answer across all five weighted areas within 60 minutes.
Q16. Should I take practice exams or read study guides to prepare for the Cisco 700-246 exam?
Use both practice exams and study guides for the Cisco 700-246 exam, because they do different jobs. Study guides and Cisco's exam topics build the knowledge — the circular offerings and the solutions in Cisco Solutions that Support Sustainability — while practice questions test whether you can recall and apply it quickly. Reading alone leaves program names feeling familiar but hard to retrieve; alternating reading with practice fixes that.
Q17. What should I look for in study resources for the Cisco 700-246 exam?
Good study resources for the Cisco 700-246 exam map directly to Cisco's v1.0 exam topics and name current Cisco programs accurately. Look for material that covers all five weighted areas and gets the circular offerings right — Product Takeback and Reuse, customer recycling, Cisco Refresh, and Cisco Green Pay — rather than generic ESG content. Combine a topic-aligned guide with original practice questions so you both learn and test the Making a Difference material.
SECTION F: Cisco 700-246 Career & Certification Value
Q18. Is the credential earned by passing the Cisco 700-246 exam worth it?
For Cisco partner sales and account teams, the 700-246 specialization is worth it because it is how Cisco validates that you can build and sell an environmental sustainability practice. Cisco aims the exam at partner staff advancing through its Environmental Sustainability Specialization, and it signals you can position offerings in the Making a Difference area. Whether it matters for a given role depends on your employer's Cisco partnership and sustainability focus.
Q19. Does the credential earned by passing the Cisco 700-246 exam expire?
No, Cisco publishes no recertification or renewal requirement for the credential earned by passing 700-246. Cisco's continuing-education renewal rules apply only to its career certifications from Associate to Expert; the 700-series Sales Readiness exams, including this sustainability specialization, are not covered. Because Cisco's offerings in the Making a Difference area evolve, confirm current requirements on the official exam page.
Q20. How does the Cisco 700-246 exam relate to other Cisco exams and credentials?
The Cisco 700-246 exam is Stage 2 of the Cisco Environmental Sustainability Specialization, building on the Stage 1 Fundamentals exam (700-242 CESF). Stage 1 introduces sustainability fundamentals, while Stage 2 focuses on practice-building — Making a Difference and Cisco Solutions that Support Sustainability. Both are Cisco partner Sales Readiness exams in the 700-series, separate from the CCNA and CCNP career-certification track.
Ready to move from reading to practice? The fastest way to turn this overview into real exam readiness is deliberate, timed practice: work through structured Cisco 700-246 practice tests that mirror the real exam’s format and domain weighting, then use your results to see exactly where you stand. Track your score by domain rather than by overall percentage, revisit every question you miss — including the ones you only guessed correctly — and keep practising a topic until you can answer it confidently without hesitation. Repeating that cycle in the weeks before test day is what builds the speed, accuracy, and confidence the Cisco 700-246 exam rewards.
Official Cisco references: Official Cisco 700-246 exam page · Official 700-246 exam topics (v1.0)
This FAQ is a study aid based on Cisco’s publicly available exam information. For current eligibility, policies, pricing, and scheduling, always confirm with Cisco’s official exam page.
