Cisco Certified Design Expert Specialist - On-Prem and Cloud Services exam price, length, validity and renewal
Cisco · Expert · $1600 · 480 min · valid 3 years
Exam facts
Checked Sep 25, 2026 on Cisco's page| Price | $1600 per attempt, US list priceUSD 1,600 per CCDE practical attempt; Cisco Learning Credits accepted |
|---|---|
| Length | 480 min |
| Format | Scenario-based practical exam (core plus On-Prem and Cloud Services elective) |
| Valid for | 3 years |
| Renewal | Recertify within three years by earning 120 Continuing Education credits or passing qualifying exams. |
| Prerequisites | Pass the 400-007 CCDE written exam within the previous three years |
| Level | Expert (Cisco calls it Expert specialist (CCDE practical elective)) |
| Delivery | In person at Cisco expert lab locations or mobile labs |
| Source | cisco.com/site/us/en/learn/training-certifications/certifications/design/ccde/exams-and-training.htmlLast checked Sep 25, 2026 |
Changes
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Track| Exam | Price | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Specialty | - | 240 min | 3 years | |
| Specialty | - | - | 3 years | |
| Specialty | $165 | - | - | |
| Specialty | $165 | - | - | |
 AWS Certified Advanced Networking - SpecialtyRetiringANS-C01 · Specialty · 170 min | Specialty | $300 | 170 min | 3 years |
| Professional | - | 120 min | 2 years | |
| Professional | - | 90 min | - | |
| Professional | - | 90 min | - |
About this exam
CCDE practical exam v3.1 with the On-Prem and Cloud Services elective: transport, layer 3 control plane, network virtualization, automation, and data center application, storage and compute design.
What the official page says
- Price: "Cost: $US1,600, or use Cisco Learning Credits"
- Duration: "Duration: 8 hours"
- Validity: "Your certification is valid for three years."
Most Cisco certifications stay active for three years and renew with Continuing Education credits, a retake of the exam, or a higher-level exam; CCST certifications earned on or after 2025-07-15 last five years.
After a failed written exam wait five calendar days (30 days after a failed expert lab or practical exam), and wait 180 days before retaking a passed exam with the same number.
Cisco policy