I just passed the Cisco DevNet DCAUTO (300-635) exam (Yay!). This is my 3rd Cisco exam on network automation after NPDESI in 2018 (replaced now by the DevNet program), and DevNet CORE (DEVCOR) in 2020.
But this time, I documented everything I read and studied, so I could report it here and build a good Cisco DCAUTO exam study resource list. And by doing this, I hope to help anyone who wants to study for this certification.
In addition, as I have already passed the DevNet CORE exam, I am now a Cisco-certified DevNet Professional.
My background before starting
I was not starting from scratch for this exam; I had already studied for the first two, and I also have good hands-on experience in data-center and network automation technologies. But, I must say, I was expecting an easier exam, especially after having already studied and passed DEVCOR. And in fact, it was not easy at all! This is a very difficult exam, going deep into the details of each topic of the blueprint. And the topics are many!
Topics already learned
Here are the topics I already knew or had worked on before I started studying for this certification:
- My path of study for NPDESI, which is more or less equivalent to a level between DEVASC and DEVCOR. I started by learning Git, then Python, then I did a lot of DevNet Learning Labs and videos. And later, I took the NPDESI 5-day instructor-led training, where I saw the network programmability fundamentals, all about REST, API, NETCONF, and the different data models. And then, how to interact with many different Cisco network controllers and devices.
- Two years later, I started my DEVCOR study journey, where I mostly used Nick Russo‘s DevNet exam study plans and courses on Pluralsight. And many personal lab experiments.
- And in parallel to this, I have solid experience with NX-OS, did quite a lot of tests with DCNM, as well as many workshops and labs on ACI.
Weakest topics
But, and this is an important point for this certification, I have very little experience with UCS: UCS Powertool, UCS Python SDK, UCS Director, and Intersight. I did a few DevNet Learning Labs on that when I was studying for the DEVCOR, but not more. These were the subjects that I struggled with on my first attempt at the exam. And I had to review them in depth to pass the exam the second time.
Exam topics and related Cisco DCAUTO exam study resources
You can find the Cisco DCAUTO exam topics here: https://learningnetwork.cisco.com/s/dcauto-exam-topics.
And the Cisco DevNet site has a list of links to study materials for each topic. Some of the listed resources are the same as below, but I find their list incomplete.
Because of this, I have created below a list of the exam topics (from Jan. 2022), to which I have added links and descriptions to the study resources I used.
Labbing resources
Because one of the keys to mastering the material is to practice and do experiments while you study. It’s also important to list the labbing resources I used. And I chose to list in priority free resources:
Here it is, I hope these Cisco DCAUTO exam study resources are useful.
And if you have any other suggestions to add to this list, feel free to leave a comment below.
Happy studying!