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Cisco CCIE Automation practical exam Exam Practice Test

The CCIE Automation practical exam centers on building and operating software-driven network workflows. The available practice bank samples practical skills in Git collaboration, Python data handling, API error responses, credential management, deployment validation, and job processing. These concepts support controlled changes to network services, from tracking code revisions to checking whether a deployment achieved its intended result.

Exam overview

Exam providerCisco
Exam codeCCIE Automation practical exam
CategoryIT Certifications

About the Cisco CCIE Automation practical exam Exam

Automation work requires more than sending configuration to devices: engineers must make changes traceable, safe to execute, and diagnosable when a workflow fails. Git branches and reviewed changes help separate proposed work from shared code, while explicit configuration precedence clarifies how defaults and device-specific values combine. Python’s CSV tools support data exchange with downstream systems; secure credential storage limits exposure and provides an audit trail. API clients must account for responses such as HTTP 429, typically by applying controlled retries rather than repeatedly sending requests. Deployment checks can verify service reachability, and staged workflows with recovery paths reduce the impact of partial failure. Useful operational decisions also include producing actionable logs and coordinating workers through queues that prevent duplicate job claims. These are practice-bank concepts, not a confirmed statement of official exam coverage.

Sample Practice Questions

Review a selection from this exam's published US Practice Tests practice bank.

Question 1

A team stores automation code in Git and wants to identify exactly which revision produced a deployed change. Which practice best supports traceability?

  1. ARecord the commit identifier with the deployment record
  2. BRename the script after each run and delete older copies
  3. CStore only the operator's username in the deployment record
  4. DUse an untracked local copy of the code for production runs
Show answerCorrect answer: A

A commit identifier points to a specific version of the source code, enabling review and reproduction of the code associated with a deployment. Recording it alongside the deployment provides useful audit context.

Question 2

In a Git-based automation repository, a contributor wants to propose a change for review without directly changing the shared main branch. What is the usual approach?

  1. AEdit the repository's Git object database manually
  2. BCreate a branch, commit the change, and open a pull request or merge request
  3. CCopy the repository to a shared folder and overwrite the main branch files
  4. DRebase the production device configuration onto the repository
Show answerCorrect answer: B

A branch isolates the proposed work, and a pull request or merge request provides a review and integration point before the change reaches the shared main branch.

Question 3

A network automation tool receives configuration values from multiple sources, such as defaults, group settings, and per-device settings. What should its design make explicit?

  1. AThe precedence rules used when values conflict
  2. BThe operating system's display theme
  3. CThe order in which unrelated log files are compressed
  4. DThe exact memory address of each configuration value
Show answerCorrect answer: A

Explicit precedence rules make configuration resolution predictable and debuggable when multiple sources define the same value. Without them, behavior can vary unexpectedly or be difficult to explain.

Question 4

A Python automation tool must convert a list of device records into a CSV file for a downstream system. Which standard-library module is designed for writing CSV data?

  1. Acsv
  2. Bjson
  3. Cpickle
  4. Dsqlite3
Show answerCorrect answer: A

Python’s csv module provides readers and writers for comma-separated tabular data. The other modules serve different serialization or storage purposes.

Question 5

An automation platform needs to store API credentials so that authorized jobs can retrieve them while access is restricted and auditable. Which solution is best suited to this purpose?

  1. AA secrets-management service with access controls and audit records
  2. BA shared text file on a team workstation
  3. CA comment in the deployment script
  4. DA public repository with an obscure filename
Show answerCorrect answer: A

Secrets-management services are designed to protect credentials, control which identities can retrieve them, and provide auditability. Obscurity or comments do not provide meaningful access control.

Question 6

A REST API returns HTTP status code 429 to an automation client. What is the most appropriate general response?

  1. ARetry immediately in a tight loop until the request succeeds
  2. BTreat the response as rate limiting and retry after an appropriate delay, honoring `Retry-After` when provided
  3. CAssume the requested resource does not exist and delete its local record
  4. DChange the request method from GET to DELETE
Show answerCorrect answer: B

HTTP 429 indicates that the client has sent too many requests. A client should back off and, when present, respect the server's `Retry-After` guidance rather than rapidly repeating the request.

Question 7

An automation pipeline needs to confirm that a newly deployed service is reachable before marking a change successful. Which check is most appropriate?

  1. AVerify a relevant service-level condition, such as a successful health endpoint response, after deployment
  2. BCheck only that the deployment command exited without printing text
  3. CAssume success whenever the configuration file exists locally
  4. DConfirm that the pipeline started, without checking the target service
Show answerCorrect answer: A

A post-deployment health check validates the resulting service behavior rather than only the execution of the deployment step. The specific condition should reflect the service's expected operation.

How to use this practice test

Access the practice questions for free. Each session presents up to 20 random questions from the available bank; after completing the session, review the results to identify concepts to revisit, such as API handling, deployment checks, or workflow recovery.

Preparation tips

  • Use a small Git repository to rehearse feature branches, reviewed changes, and revision identifiers that link a deployment to its source code.
  • Write a Python exercise that validates device records and exports them with the standard-library csv module; test missing and malformed values.
  • Sketch an API client response policy for HTTP 429, including bounded retries and a delay strategy that avoids overwhelming the service.
  • Design a deployment workflow with a reachability check, stage-specific logs, and a defined recovery action if a later step fails.
  • Compare queue-processing approaches that ensure only one worker claims a job, and note how job status and failure details remain observable.
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