JNCIS-SP Certification

What the JNCIS-SP Actually Certifies

The Juniper Networks Certified Specialist, Service Provider Routing and Switching (JNCIS-SP) credential sits in Juniper's service provider track, now presented under HPE Juniper Networking branding. It is aimed at networking professionals who already have beginner-to-intermediate Junos routing and switching knowledge and want to prove they can handle the protocols that carry traffic inside carrier and large-network environments. If you want the plain-language definition first, our explainer on what JNCIS-SP certification is covers the basics, and the breakdown of what JNCIS-SP stands for unpacks the acronym.

The credential is a specialist-level written certification. There is no lab, oral defense or portfolio requirement in the published overview, which means everything you are assessed on is delivered through multiple-choice questions. That has a practical consequence: the exam rewards candidates who can recognize correct protocol behavior, read configuration and operational output, and reason about troubleshooting scenarios, rather than candidates who can only type commands from memory.

The JN0-364 Exam at a Glance

The current exam code is JN0-364, aligned to Junos OS 25.2. The overview does not carry a separately dated blueprint year, so the software release is the most reliable way to confirm you are studying current material. Older resources that reference JN0-360, JN0-362 or JN0-363 may include enterprise content or outdated feature coverage, so treat them with caution.

That passing-score line trips people up. You will see 70% quoted around the web, but that figure belongs to a separate practice assessment and a separate voucher-eligibility assessment, not to the live exam. Our page on the JNCIS-SP passing score goes deeper on why you should not plan around a magic percentage. Likewise, no official pass rate has been verified, so be skeptical of any site that states one; the JNCIS-SP pass rate discussion explains what can and cannot be said responsibly.

Pass or fail is displayed immediately after you finish, though a passing result remains provisional pending exam-security validation. Under published policy, valid results appear in CertMetrics within three business days.

The Ten Exam Objective Headings

Juniper's overview lists ten objective headings. Each one pairs a "identify concepts, operation or functionality" requirement with, for most headings, a "demonstrate configuration, monitoring or troubleshooting knowledge" requirement. Study both layers separately: knowing what a designated router does is a different skill from reading show ospf neighbor output and diagnosing why an adjacency is stuck.

1. Protocol-Independent Routing
2. Open Shortest Path First (OSPF)
3. Intermediate System to Intermediate System (IS-IS)
4. Border Gateway Protocol (BGP)
5. Layer 2 Bridging or VLANs
6. Spanning-Tree Protocols
7. Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS)
8. IPv6
9. Tunnels
10. High Availability

Routing Core: Protocol-Independent, OSPF, IS-IS and BGP

Note the asymmetry: routing instances and Martian addresses are listed under the concepts requirement, while the hands-on requirement names static/aggregate/generated routes, load balancing and filter-based forwarding. Know the difference between an aggregate route (summarizing contributing routes) and a generated route (created when a contributing route exists, with a configurable next hop), because the distinction is a classic scenario-question target.

Public technical write-ups such as community IS-IS study-note series can help build intuition, but they are not a complete current blueprint, so always reconcile what you read against the official objective list. For OSPF versus IS-IS, build a side-by-side table yourself: packet/PDU types, how the designated router or DIS is chosen, how areas or levels are drawn, and how each protocol advertises information.

Routing policy shows up under OSPF, IS-IS and BGP alike, so the Junos policy framework (terms, match conditions, actions, import versus export) is a cross-cutting skill worth mastering early.

Switching, Spanning Tree and MPLS

One source quirk is worth knowing: the published configuration bullet for RSVP-signaled LSPs appears truncated in the overview. Study RSVP-signaled LSP concepts and configuration fully rather than assuming a narrower scope. Also keep this heading separate from professional-level VPN material; the specialist exam is about labels, signaling and forwarding fundamentals. See the JNCIS-SP training overview for course options that map to this content.

IPv6, Tunnels and High Availability

Registration, Fees and Policies

Exams are booked through Pearson VUE, where you can choose a test center or OnVUE online proctoring, subject to local availability, technical checks and identification requirements. The published examination fee is $300 USD plus applicable taxes. The final amount at checkout can vary by region and tax treatment, and any voucher discount is candidate-specific, so confirm your total at booking. Do not confuse the exam fee with the cost of training courses; our JNCIS-SP certification cost breakdown separates those categories, and the exam dates and scheduling page explains how booking works in practice.

Several policy details deserve attention before exam day:

• Name matching: your legal name must match your government-issued photo and signature ID, and your CertMetrics and Pearson VUE accounts.
• Retakes: after a first failure, you may retake without a waiting period. After a second or later failure, you must wait 14 calendar days, counted from the day after the failed attempt.
• Passing then retaking: after passing, you must wait at least 18 months before taking the same exam again.
• Provisional results: a passing score is subject to security validation.

Prerequisite, Validity and Renewal

The only stated prerequisite is an active JNCIA-Junos. There are no mandatory training hours, work-experience hours or references on the credential overview, and recommended courses are optional. Juniper's program FAQ allows written exams to be taken in any order, but every prerequisite requirement must still be fulfilled before the credential is granted, so exam order is not the same as eligibility. Our JNCIS-SP requirements guide walks through the eligibility details.

The credential is valid for three years. To renew, complete an eligible current exam or specified qualifying course before expiry, or earn a higher-level credential in the same track. A higher-level renewal also renews active lower-level credentials in that track, plus active associate credentials. No universal CEU or CPE quota is published on the recertification page. If the credential expires, you restart the track.

Sequencing Your Study Across the Ten Headings

Because official weights are unpublished, a sensible plan is built around dependencies rather than guessed exam share. Foundations first, then the protocols that build on them, then the features that protect them.

For a fuller method, read our JNCIS-SP study guide, and keep the one-page cheat sheet handy for last-week review. Official recommended courses include Junos Intermediate Routing, Junos Service Provider Switching and Junos MPLS Fundamentals; they are recommended, not mandatory, and their durations are not exam timers. Whatever you use, independent practice questions test knowledge only and are not actual exam questions; you can try our JNCIS-SP practice tests to check readiness across all ten headings.

Who Values This Credential

The skills tested map to roles in carrier networks, internet service providers, managed network services and large enterprise or data network backbones that run Junos devices: network engineer, NOC and operations engineer, and support engineer positions that touch OSPF, IS-IS, BGP and MPLS daily. Job listings often mention JNCIS credentials generally rather than isolating this one, so browse our JNCIS-SP jobs overview with that in mind.

On compensation, be cautious. Salary aggregator searches tend to group all JNCIS roles together, and no exact JNCIS-SP salary or credential-caused uplift has been verified. For a measured view of the trade-offs, see the JNCIS-SP salary guide and the ROI analysis.

If you are weighing JNCIS-SP against the enterprise specialist track (JNCIS-ENT), the deciding factor is the environment you work in or want to work in. The service provider track emphasizes IS-IS, MPLS and provider bridging; the enterprise track leans toward campus and enterprise switching and routing. Choose based on your target employer's network, not on perceived difficulty; our difficulty guide discusses what makes this exam demanding.

Frequently Asked Questions