I am seeing topics like Frame Relay or old spanning-tree concepts in some older study guides. Are these still on the 350-401, or should I completely ignore them? I want to make sure I am only learning what is actually on the current version of the exam.
Candidates should focus on modern switching, routing, and automation protocols defined in the official Cisco ENCOR blueprint while disregarding legacy WAN technologies like Frame Relay.
7 answers
Focus your energy on the current exam blueprint by following these priorities:
- Discard legacy WAN technologies like Frame Relay as they have been fully deprecated.
- Prioritize modern spanning-tree protocols and rapid convergence mechanisms.
- Concentrate on programmable infrastructure and SDN concepts which define the 350-401.
You should prioritize the current Cisco exam blueprints over outdated study materials. Frame Relay has been effectively retired from the core curriculum, and while spanning-tree remains relevant, you should focus on modern variants like MST and PVST+ rather than legacy iterations.
I remember sitting for a legacy exam back in the day where I wasted two weeks memorizing ATM cells and Frame Relay PVC mappings only to see exactly zero questions on them.
You are spinning your wheels if you go deep into that obsolete tech. Keep your eyes on the current blueprint because real-world networks moved on from that stuff a decade ago and so has the certification.
You are essentially choosing between investing time in dead protocols versus mastering contemporary architecture. Studying Frame Relay is a poor allocation of resources if your goal is the 350-401, whereas understanding spanning-tree fundamentals remains necessary because modern loop prevention is built on those same logical foundations.
Ignore the legacy fluff. If it is not on the current Cisco exam blueprint, do not waste a single minute studying it. The industry has moved on to software defined access and automation, so that is where you need to be spending your time instead of reading about obsolete WAN serial links that have no place in a modern datacenter.
You need to be ruthless with your study time because the ENCOR exam is already bloated enough without adding historical trivia to the mix. The exam focuses heavily on LISP, VXLAN, and automation, leaving very little room for ancient WAN concepts that haven't been relevant in enterprise routing for years.
Spanning-tree is still technically present in the curriculum, but the focus has shifted entirely toward how it interacts with modern features like port channels and hardware-based switching, rather than the old-school manual tuning that study guides from ten years ago might emphasize.
If you find yourself reading about Frame Relay or older ATM technologies, you are holding a book written for the previous decade's certification path. You need to cross-reference every topic you study against the official Cisco learning portal. If it is not on the current version of the blueprint, skip it entirely. Your time is a finite resource, and it should be spent building a solid foundation in the modern networking stack, which covers everything from API-based management to advanced security integration. Do not let yourself get bogged down by technical debt from obsolete materials, as it will only confuse you during the actual exam when you are faced with questions about modern SDN deployments and complex overlay networks that bear no resemblance to the legacy infrastructure you are currently worried about.
Why would you study technologies that aren't on the official blueprint? Cisco publishes exactly what you are tested on, so if Frame Relay is not on that list, ignore it and focus on the current requirements.
- Verify the current blueprint version on the Cisco Learning Network.
- Drop all materials that cover deprecated WAN protocols.
- Focus on automation and modern overlay concepts instead.
