- What the JN0-364 Blueprint Actually Is
- Exam Mechanics That Shape How You Study
- Domains 1-4: Routing Foundations and Protocols
- Domains 5-6: Bridging, VLANs and Spanning Tree
- Domains 7-9: MPLS, IPv6 and Tunnels
- Domain 10: High Availability
- Identify Versus Configure: Reading the Objective Wording
- Sequencing the Ten Domains Over Your Prep
- Before You Book: Prerequisite, Fee and Renewal
- Frequently Asked Questions
- The JN0-364 blueprint (Junos OS 25.2) lists exactly 10 objective headings, and Juniper does not publish percentage weights for any of them.
- The exam is 65 multiple-choice questions in 90 minutes, delivered through Pearson VUE at a test center or via OnVUE.
- An active JNCIA-Junos is required before the credential can be earned; the published exam fee is $300 plus applicable taxes.
- Each domain separates "identify concepts" from "demonstrate configuration, monitoring or troubleshooting," so study both depths.
What the JN0-364 Blueprint Actually Is
The Juniper Networks Certified Specialist, Service Provider Routing and Switching (JNCIS-SP) credential is built on the JN0-364 exam, aligned to Junos OS 25.2. It targets networking professionals with beginner-to-intermediate Junos routing and switching knowledge. The official exam objectives are organized under ten headings, and those ten headings are what this guide walks through. If you want the broader credential picture first, see What Is JNCIS-SP? and the overview at JNCIS-SP Certification.
One important caveat: Juniper publishes the objective headings and their subtopics, but it does not publish how many questions come from each domain. Any site that claims "Domain 4 is 20% of the exam" is inventing a number. Treat all ten domains as fair game and let your own practice results, not a rumored weighting, tell you where to spend extra hours.
Exam Mechanics That Shape How You Study
The exam is a written, English-language, multiple-choice test of 65 questions with a 90-minute limit. That works out to a little under a minute and a half per question on average, which is comfortable for recall items but tight if you linger on configuration-output interpretation. The passing score is statistically set for the individual examination and reported to the candidate afterward; Juniper does not publish a simple fixed percentage, so avoid study guides that quote one. For more on this, read JNCIS-SP Passing Score 2026.
| Item | JN0-364 Detail |
|---|---|
| Questions | 65, multiple choice |
| Time | 90 minutes |
| Delivery | Pearson VUE test center or OnVUE online, subject to local availability and technical checks |
| Software version | Junos OS 25.2 |
| Result | Pass/fail shown immediately, subject to exam-security validation |
| Domain weights | Not published |
Because the format is multiple choice rather than a live lab, the exam tests whether you can recognize correct behavior, read command output and spot the right configuration statement. It does not replace hands-on skill, but hands-on practice with Junos makes the questions far easier to parse. To gauge overall difficulty, see How Hard Is the JNCIS-SP Exam?
Domains 1-4: Routing Foundations and Protocols
Domain 1: Protocol-Independent Routing
This domain covers routing behavior that does not depend on a specific routing protocol. Candidates identify concepts and operation, then demonstrate configuration, monitoring or troubleshooting for a narrower set.
- Concepts: static, aggregate and generated routes; Martian addresses; routing instances, including RIB/routing-table groups; load balancing; filter-based forwarding
- Configuration, monitoring and troubleshooting: static, aggregate and generated routes, load balancing and filter-based forwarding
- Notice that Martian addresses and routing instances are listed at the concept level only
Domain 2: Open Shortest Path First (OSPF)
OSPF questions blend protocol theory with Junos operational commands.
- Concepts: link-state database, OSPF packet types, router ID, adjacencies/neighbors, designated and backup designated routers, area and router types, LSA packet types
- Configuration, monitoring and troubleshooting: interfaces and neighbors, routing-policy application, and troubleshooting tools
Domain 3: Intermediate System to Intermediate System (IS-IS)
IS-IS mirrors OSPF in structure but uses its own vocabulary, and many candidates from enterprise backgrounds find it the less familiar of the two.
- Concepts: link-state database, PDUs, type/length/value (TLV) fields, adjacencies/neighbors, levels and areas, the designated intermediate system (DIS), metrics
- Configuration, monitoring and troubleshooting: interfaces and adjacencies, routing-policy application, and troubleshooting tools
Domain 4: Border Gateway Protocol (BGP)
The BGP objective is deliberately basic in scope but touches both internal and external peering.
- Concepts: basic operation, message types, attributes, route and path selection, IBGP versus EBGP functionality and interaction
- Configuration, monitoring and troubleshooting: groups and peers, additional basic options, and routing-policy application
Domains 2 through 4 share a pattern: a theory half (database structure, packet or PDU types, roles) and an operational half (interfaces, neighbors or peers, policy). Service-provider employers lean on exactly these skills, which is why they feature in many JNCIS-SP jobs descriptions. A good approach is to build the same small topology three times, once per IGP and once with BGP, and compare the show-command output side by side.
Domains 5-6: Bridging, VLANs and Spanning Tree
Domain 5: Layer 2 Bridging or VLANs
This is the broadest Layer 2 domain, and it is framed around Junos service-provider switching platforms rather than generic campus switching.
- Bridging concepts: bridging elements and terminology, frame processing, virtual switches, provider bridging and Q-in-Q
- VLAN concepts: benefits and functionality, port modes, tagging, Integrated Routing and Bridging (IRB)
- Configuration, monitoring and troubleshooting: interfaces and ports, VLANs, IRB and provider bridging
Domain 6: Spanning-Tree Protocols
Four spanning-tree variants are in scope, and the objective asks for configuration-level knowledge of all four.
- Concepts: STP, RSTP, MSTP and VSTP; port roles and states; BPDUs; convergence and reconvergence; spanning-tree security
- Configuration, monitoring and troubleshooting: all four variants plus BPDU protection, loop protection and root protection
A frequent trap is blending the variants together. Keep a one-line distinction for each, and be ready to explain why a protection feature such as root protection is applied on a given port. Q-in-Q and virtual switches are the Junos-specific ideas most likely to feel new if your background is purely enterprise access switching.
Domains 7-9: MPLS, IPv6 and Tunnels
Domain 7: Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS)
MPLS is the signature service-provider topic. The concept list is long, and the configuration list is narrower.
- Concepts: MPLS CoS processing on Junos devices, terminology, packet header, end-to-end packet flow and forwarding, labels and the label information base, MPLS and routing tables, RSVP, LDP, and segment routing with MPLS
- Configuration, monitoring and troubleshooting: MPLS forwarding, RSVP-signaled LSPs, LDP-signaled LSPs and shortest-path segment-routing LSPs
Domain 8: IPv6
IPv6 is treated as an extension of the routing knowledge you already built in earlier domains.
- Concepts: static routes, dynamic routing with OSPFv3, IS-IS and BGP, and IPv6-over-IPv4 tunneling
- Configuration, monitoring and troubleshooting: IPv6 configuration in general
Domain 9: Tunnels
The tunnels domain is compact and centers on one named technology.
- Concepts: IP tunneling requirements, functionality, applications and considerations; GRE
- Configuration, monitoring and troubleshooting: IP tunnels, specifically GRE
IPv6 and tunnels reward candidates who study them alongside the earlier domains. Revisit your OSPF, IS-IS and BGP labs with IPv6 addressing, and note how the IPv6-over-IPv4 tunneling concept connects to the GRE material.
Domain 10: High Availability
Domain 10: High Availability
This closing domain collects the resilience features a service-provider network depends on. Candidates must understand concepts, benefits, applications and requirements, then show operational knowledge.
- Concepts: link aggregation groups (LAGs), graceful restart (GR), graceful Routing Engine switchover (GRES), nonstop bridging (NSB), nonstop active routing (NSR), Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD), VRRP
- Configuration, monitoring and troubleshooting: LAGs, GR/GRES/NSB/NSR, BFD and VRRP
The acronyms are the hazard here. GR, GRES, NSB and NSR sound alike but protect different layers of the control and forwarding planes. Build a short comparison grid of what each preserves and what it requires, and you will avoid the most common mix-ups.
Identify Versus Configure: Reading the Objective Wording
The published objectives consistently split into two verbs: "identify" concepts, operation or functionality, and "demonstrate" knowledge of configuration, monitoring or troubleshooting. These are different depths, and in several domains the second list is shorter than the first. Domain 1 is a good example, where Martian addresses and routing instances are concept-only while static routes, load balancing and filter-based forwarding extend into configuration.
| Domain | Concept-Level Emphasis | Operational Emphasis |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Protocol-Independent Routing | Martian addresses, routing instances, RIB groups | Static/aggregate/generated routes, load balancing, filter-based forwarding |
| 2. OSPF | LSDB, packet and LSA types, DR/BDR | Interfaces, neighbors, policy, troubleshooting tools |
| 3. IS-IS | PDUs, TLVs, levels, DIS | Interfaces, adjacencies, policy, troubleshooting tools |
| 4. BGP | Message types, attributes, path selection | Groups, peers, basic options, policy |
| 7. MPLS | CoS processing, labels, LIB, RSVP, LDP | MPLS forwarding, RSVP and LDP LSPs, shortest-path SR LSPs |
Use this split to organize your notes: one page of "what it is and why it exists," and a second page of "the commands and configuration hierarchy that prove it works." The JNCIS-SP cheat sheet is a useful companion for that second page.
Sequencing the Ten Domains Over Your Prep
Because no official weights exist, sequence the domains by dependency rather than by rumored importance. Routing fundamentals feed everything else, and MPLS leans on your IGP knowledge. A sensible order follows below; adjust the pacing to your own schedule and prior Junos experience.
Routing base and IGPs
- Domain 1 first, since policy and instances recur everywhere
- Domain 2 (OSPF), then Domain 3 (IS-IS) while the link-state comparison is fresh
BGP and IPv6
- Domain 4 with emphasis on path selection and policy application
- Domain 8 immediately after, reusing the same topologies with IPv6
Layer 2 block
- Domain 5 (bridging, VLANs, IRB, Q-in-Q)
- Domain 6 (all four spanning-tree variants and protection features)
MPLS, tunnels and resilience
- Domain 7, which depends on your IGP knowledge
- Domain 9 (GRE), then Domain 10 (LAG, GR, GRES, NSB, NSR, BFD, VRRP)
Finish with a full review pass and timed practice sets. For a fuller plan, including resources, see the JNCIS-SP study guide, and try the JNCIS-SP practice tests to see which domains need another look. Independently written practice questions support knowledge preparation only; they are not recalled exam items.
Before You Book: Prerequisite, Fee and Renewal
The domains are only half the picture. A few program rules affect your planning:
- Prerequisite: An active JNCIA-Junos is required. Written exams may be taken in any order, but every prerequisite requirement must still be met and none is waived. Details are in JNCIS-SP requirements.
- Fee: The published examination fee is $300 per exam plus applicable taxes. Final regional checkout totals and any voucher discounts vary, so confirm at registration. See JNCIS-SP certification cost.
- Identification: Your legal name must match your government-issued photo ID and your CertMetrics and Pearson VUE accounts.
- Retakes: A repeat attempt after a first failure has no waiting period; after a second or later failure you wait 14 calendar days, starting the day after the failed attempt. After passing, wait at least 18 months before retaking the same exam.
- Validity and renewal: The credential is valid for three years. Renew by completing an eligible current exam or qualifying course before expiry, or by earning a higher-level credential in the same track. An expired credential means restarting the track.
Key Takeaway
Do not confuse the separate Open Learning voucher assessment, with its own time limit and 70% threshold, or the practice-test page threshold, with the live JN0-364 exam. The live passing score is set statistically and reported to you, not fixed at 70%.
Once you know the scope, you can weigh the credential against your goals using Is the JNCIS-SP certification worth it? and the JNCIS-SP salary guide. For a broader look at how the ten areas map to a candidate's workload, the companion piece JNCIS-SP exam domains guide is a helpful reference.
Frequently Asked Questions
The official JN0-364 objectives list 10 headings: Protocol-Independent Routing, OSPF, IS-IS, BGP, Layer 2 Bridging or VLANs, Spanning-Tree Protocols, MPLS, IPv6, Tunnels and High Availability.
That cannot be determined. Juniper does not publish percentage weights for the ten headings, so claims about the largest domain are unsupported. Prepare for all ten.
Only at an introductory level. The MPLS objective includes segment routing with MPLS as a concept and shortest-path segment-routing LSPs for configuration, monitoring and troubleshooting.
It is a written, English-language, multiple-choice exam with 65 questions and a 90-minute time limit, delivered through Pearson VUE at a test center or through OnVUE online delivery where available.
Yes. An active JNCIA-Junos is the stated prerequisite. No additional mandatory training hours, employment experience or references are listed on the credential overview, and recommended courses are not required.