Cisco has drawn a hard line through every CCNA bookshelf. February 2, 2027 is the final day to sit the 200-301 v1.1 exam, and v2.0 starts the next morning under the same exam code. The best CCNA books you can buy today were all written for v1.1, so the right purchase depends on something you already know, which is your test date. If it falls before that cutoff, the Odom and Lammle second editions cover the full v1.1 topic list. If it falls after, you are buying for a new topic list, and the only new major-publisher edition timed for it so far is a single preorder.
Eight CCNA 200-301 books made this list. Two are full study sets from Cisco Press and Sybex. The rest fill specific gaps: a bundle with practice tests, a final-month review guide, a question bank, a graded Packet Tracer lab book, a command reference and the first v2.0 title on preorder. For the wider study plan, see the CCNA 200-301 study roadmap.
Current as of October 2026.
Choose a CCNA Book by Test Date
For a test date on or before February 2, 2027, buy one primary study set and add the extras only when you need them. These are the picks we’d buy today:
- Best overall for v1.1: CCNA 200-301 Official Cert Guide Library, 2nd Edition (Odom)
- Best for beginners: CCNA Certification Study Guide Volume 1 and Volume 2 Set, 2nd Edition (Lammle)
- Best final-month review: 31 Days Before Your CCNA Exam, 2nd Edition
- Best question bank: CCNA Certification Practice Tests, 2nd Edition
- Best lab book: CCNA 200-301 Hands-on Mastery with Packet Tracer
- Timed for v2.0 test dates: CCNA 200-301 Official Cert Guide, Volume 1, 3rd Edition (preorder)
Two more picks fill narrower gaps. Lammle’s Practice Tests Kit bundles his set with the question bank for less than buying both, and the Portable Command Guide is a paper CLI reference for lab sessions. Neither replaces a primary set, so treat them as add-ons once you have chosen Odom or Lammle.
Check What Changes in CCNA v2.0
CCNA v2.0 keeps most of the networking you’d learn for v1.1 but reorganizes it into five domains and tests it through troubleshooting rather than recall. Cisco announced it in May 2026, and its v2.0 exam topics page lists the new weights. Both versions are 120-minute exams priced at $300, and both carry the 200-301 code, which is why so many listings blur them:
| v1.1 domain (until Feb 2, 2027) | Weight | v2.0 domain (from Feb 3, 2027) | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Network Fundamentals | 20% | Network Infrastructure and Connectivity | 25% |
| Network Access | 20% | Switching and Network Access | 25% |
| IP Connectivity | 25% | IP Routing | 20% |
| IP Services | 10% | Network Services and Security | 20% |
| Security Fundamentals | 15% | AI, and Network Operations and Management | 10% |
| Automation and Programmability | 10% | (no separate domain) |
The rows don’t map one to one. In v2.0, security topics such as AAA, ACLs and Layer 2 security sit inside Network Services and Security, while SNMP, syslog, Ansible and infrastructure as code move into the AI and operations domain. Reading the two topic lists side by side, v2.0 adds material the Odom and Lammle study sets don’t teach:
- OSPFv3 for IPv6 alongside single-area OSPFv2
- Storm control and RA guard in the Layer 2 security list
- SFTP and SCP for moving configs and software images
- Diagnosing DNS records (A, AAAA, CNAME, MX, NS and PTR)
- Agentic AI in network operations and choosing a prompt for a generative AI tool
- Running commands through Ansible, not only recognizing it
Several v1.1 topics are not on the v2.0 list at all, including QoS per-hop behavior, NTP, TFTP and FTP, REST API characteristics, JSON and Terraform. The verbs shift too. None of the 53 topics in the v1.1 PDF starts with troubleshoot or diagnose, while 8 of the 29 top-level v2.0 topics do, and configure stays just as common at 8. That matches Cisco’s own description of v2.0 as built around practical assessments. That shift matters more than the new topics, because a v1.1 book teaches the same OSPF and VLAN material but rarely drills you on finding a fault in someone else’s config.
So if you test after the cutoff, a v1.1 book still covers most of the networking core you’ll study, and the gap is the AI domain, a handful of new configuration topics and a lot more troubleshooting practice. Our CCNA exam topics breakdown walks through the v1.1 list item by item if you want to map a book’s chapters against it.
How We Picked These Books
We run a full CCNA 200-301 series on this site, with GNS3 labs, free question banks and configuration guides for each topic, so these books are judged as companions to lab time rather than replacements for it. Every edition, page count, publication date and ISBN was checked against the Cisco Press and Wiley catalogs, and every price and stock state against Amazon’s live catalog in October 2026. We read the Cisco Press table of contents for the lab and review books instead of trusting the back cover. Each pick names the reader it suits and the one who should buy something else.
Compare the CCNA Books Side by Side
Seven of the eight books target v1.1, and only the third-edition Volume 1 is timed for the v2.0 topic list. Prices below are what Amazon showed when we checked:
| Book | Edition, published | Blueprint | Pages | Best for | Price when we checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Official Cert Guide Library (Odom) | 2nd, Jul 2024 | v1.1 | Two volumes | Deep, official coverage | $62.91 |
| Study Guide Vol 1 and 2 Set (Lammle) | 2nd, Nov 2024 | v1.1 | Two volumes | First-time learners | $42.89 |
| Study Guide and Practice Tests Kit (Lammle) | 2nd, Nov 2024 | v1.1 | Three books | Set plus questions in one order | $55.39 |
| 31 Days Before Your CCNA Exam (Johnson) | 2nd, Nov 2024 | v1.1 | 512 | The last month | $36.06 |
| CCNA Certification Practice Tests (Buhagiar) | 2nd, Nov 2024 | v1.1 | 448 | 1,200 extra questions | $30.43 |
| Hands-on Mastery with Packet Tracer (Sequeira, Wong) | 1st, Nov 2024 | v1.1 | 496 | Graded labs | $45.14 |
| Portable Command Guide (Empson) | 6th, Mar 2026 | v1.1 | 368 | Desk CLI reference | $34.57 |
| Official Cert Guide, Volume 1 (Odom) | 3rd, due Dec 2026 | v2.0 timing | 944 | Testing after Feb 2, 2027 | $59.99 preorder |
1. CCNA 200-301 Official Cert Guide Library, 2nd Edition
Wendell Odom’s two-volume set, written with David Hucaby and Jason Gooley, is the most detailed CCNA study material of the picks here. Cisco Press published the second edition in July 2024 and describes it as the only self-study resource Cisco approves.
The books are only half of what you pay for. The companion website carries more than 800 practice questions in the Pearson Test Prep engine and the CCNA Network Simulator Lite for both volumes. Flash cards and more than 8 hours of video from Odom round it out, which makes this a self-contained course. Odom explains why a network behaves the way it does before he shows the command, so the chapters run longer than the blueprint strictly needs. That depth is what makes the subnetting and OSPF material stick once you’re certified, long after the quick-review books are forgotten.
Buy it if you plan a multi-month study run and want the official treatment. If dense, textbook-style chapters put you to sleep, Lammle covers the same ground in a lighter voice. It was $62.91 when we checked (list $79.99), sold by Amazon. Check the current price on Amazon.
2. CCNA Certification Study Guide Volume 1 and Volume 2 Set, 2nd Edition
The latest edition of Todd Lammle’s CCNA study guide is this second edition, written with Donald Robb and published by Sybex in November 2024 for 200-301 v1.1. When we checked, Amazon’s catalog listed no v2.0 edition of it, so this is the Lammle set to buy.
Lammle writes conversationally and builds every concept from zero, which is why readers who bounce off Odom often finish this set. The two volumes cover the full v1.1 topic list, including the AI and machine learning topic and the refreshed automation chapters, and registering the books opens Wiley’s online practice exams, flashcards and glossary. It is also the cheaper of the two primary sets by about $20 when we checked.
It suits first-time candidates and anyone without networking experience. If you already configure switches at work, the gradual pace will feel slow, and Odom rewards what you already know. It was $42.89 when we checked (list $75), sold by Amazon. Check the current price on Amazon.
3. CCNA Certification Study Guide Volume 1, Volume 2, and Practice Tests Kit, 2nd Edition
This Sybex kit puts the Lammle set from pick 2 and Jon Buhagiar’s practice test book from pick 5 in one box. If you already know you want both, the kit is the cheaper way to get them.
At $55.39 when we checked, the kit cost about $18 less than the $73.32 for the set and the practice tests bought separately. The catch is the seller. The kit’s buy box belonged to a third-party bookseller with two copies left, while both separate books shipped from Amazon itself.
Buy the kit while it’s in stock from a seller you’re happy with. Once it sells out, buy pick 2 first and add the practice tests only if the questions bundled with the set run out, because many candidates never need a second question bank. Check the current price and seller on Amazon.
4. 31 Days Before Your CCNA Exam, 2nd Edition
Allan Johnson’s review guide solves the last-month problem: you have covered everything once and need a schedule more than new material. Cisco Press published the second edition in November 2024 for v1.1.
Each day condenses one topic into a short summary, from the OSI model on Day 31 through switch configuration, IPv4 and IPv6 addressing and STP. Every day also points back to the Odom library and the Networking Academy companion guides for deeper reading. You review the whole blueprint exactly once in 512 pages and never have to decide what to study tonight. It pairs well with a daily block of free CCNA practice questions, since the book itself is summary, not drills.
Buy it about five weeks out. Before you’ve finished a primary set it is the wrong book, because it assumes you have already learned the material once. Watch the edition at checkout, since the 2020 first edition still sells new. It was $36.06 when we checked (list $39.99), with Amazon showing limited stock. Check the current price on Amazon.
5. CCNA Certification Practice Tests: Exam 200-301 v1.1, 2nd Edition
Jon Buhagiar’s Sybex question bank exists for volume: 1,200 practice questions organized domain by domain, plus one year of free access to the same bank online through Wiley.
The domain-by-domain layout is the useful part. When a practice run keeps exposing the same weak area, you drill only that domain instead of grinding mixed exams, which is a faster way to close a gap in IP services or security. It was written to complement the Lammle guides but works fine next to Odom, since both follow the same Cisco topic list.
Buy it once the questions bundled with your study set are used up. Before that, work through the set’s own bank and our free domain practice tests, because between them many candidates never need a paid bank. It was $30.43 when we checked (list $45), sold by Amazon. Check the current price on Amazon.
6. CCNA 200-301 Hands-on Mastery with Packet Tracer
Anthony Sequeira and Ronald Wong wrote the one book on this list built around configuration practice instead of reading. Cisco Press published it in November 2024, and every chapter ends in a Packet Tracer lab that grades your work.
The table of contents follows the v1.1 topic list: a pretest, a short theory overview, numbered labs and a graded chapter-review lab for VLANs, trunking, EtherChannel, static routes, single-area OSPFv2, NAT and the rest of the configurable topics. Graded labs tell you whether your config is right without an instructor, which is the feedback a reading-only study plan never gives you. That habit of configuring, verifying and fixing is also what v2.0 leans on, so this book ages better than most v1.1 titles.
Buy it alongside a primary set, not instead of one, because its theory sections are deliberately brief. If you would rather build labs in GNS3 with real IOS images, our free CCNA labs cover the same ground. The Amazon offer was $45.14 from a third-party seller that ships in six to seven days, while Cisco Press listed the print book at $39.99 and usually ships in 24 hours. Check the current price on Amazon.
7. CCNA 200-301 Portable Command Guide, 6th Edition
Scott Empson’s pocket reference condenses every CCNA-level IOS command, with its keywords, arguments and short configuration examples, into 368 pages. Cisco Press published the sixth edition in March 2026.
Empson’s sixth edition replaced a 2019 book that predated the 2024 v1.1 topics, and it adds the automation, programmability and security-driven design material. It’s also the one v1.1-era book here that already covers OSPFv3 configuration, which v2.0 adds to the routing domain. Keep it next to the keyboard while you work through labs, because flipping to the right page beats switching to a browser tab mid-config.
Buy it if you lab on paper notes and like a physical reference. It does not teach concepts, so it’s useless as a first book, and our CCNA command cheat sheet covers the most common commands for free. It was $34.57 when we checked (list $39.99), sold by Amazon. Make sure the listing says 6th edition, because the 5th still sells new. Check the current price on Amazon.
8. CCNA 200-301 Official Cert Guide, Volume 1, 3rd Edition
This is the only new major-publisher CCNA edition timed for v2.0 so far, and it is only on preorder. Cisco Press lists Odom’s third edition of Volume 1 at 944 pages with an estimated release of December 23, 2026, about six weeks before v2.0 testing starts, while Amazon showed a January 2, 2027 release.
The Cisco Press listing carries no description or table of contents yet, so we can’t tell you what it covers. What we can say is that its release lands six weeks before v2.0, and Cisco Press says it publishes a new edition when an exam changes enough, so the link to v2.0 is our inference from timing, not a stated fact. When we checked, neither Cisco Press nor Amazon listed a third-edition Volume 2, so a v2.0 candidate may start with only half of the official library.
Preorder it only if your test date is after February 2, 2027 and you want Odom’s treatment. If you test before then, it is not out in time and covers a topic list you won’t sit. Amazon showed $59.99 with the title not yet released. Check the preorder price on Amazon.
Avoid These Older CCNA Editions
Most picks above have an older edition still selling new on Amazon, often at a similar or higher price and with a near-identical cover. These predate the 2024 v1.1 exam topics and miss its AI, cloud management and refreshed automation topics:
- CCNA 200-301 Official Cert Guide Library, 1st edition (2020)
- Cisco CCNA Certification 2 Volume Set by Lammle, 1st edition (2020)
- CCNA Certification Study Guide and Practice Tests Kit, 1st edition (2020)
- 31 Days Before Your CCNA Exam, 1st edition (2020)
- CCNA 200-301 Portable Command Guide, 5th edition (2019)
Check the edition number and “v1.1” on the cover before checkout. The other trap is newer: since Cisco announced v2.0, Amazon has filled with self-published CCNA titles, some branded v2.0 or 2027, several of them released in the last two months at under 250 pages. None comes from a publisher with a technical review process, and the v2.0 topic list was only five months old when we checked, so we left them all out.
Pick Odom or Lammle
This is the decision that actually matters, and it comes down to how you learn rather than which set is better:
| Your situation | Choose |
|---|---|
| Want deep technical detail you’ll use at work | Odom (Official Cert Guide Library) |
| Prefer conversational, gradual explanations | Lammle (Study Guide set) |
| Already work with networks | Odom, since it rewards existing knowledge |
| Completely new to networking | Lammle, since it assumes nothing |
| Want Cisco’s simulator and video bundled | Odom, whose companion site includes both |
| Want the most practice questions | Lammle set plus Buhagiar’s practice tests, or the kit if a seller you trust has it |
Buy one set, not both. They cover the same topic list, so the second set adds shelf weight and very little knowledge. If you are still deciding between CCNA and CompTIA’s equivalent, our CCNA vs Network+ comparison helps, and the Network+ book picks cover the other side.
Buy the Books in This Order
Spreading the purchases out keeps you from paying for books you never open. This is the order we’d follow for a v1.1 test date:
- One primary set, Odom or Lammle, at the start. The 90-day CCNA study plan shows where it fits each week.
- The Packet Tracer lab book once you reach VLANs and routing, if you are not building GNS3 labs yourself.
- The Buhagiar practice tests when your set’s bundled questions run out.
- 31 Days Before Your CCNA Exam about five weeks before your test date.
- The Portable Command Guide at any point, if you want a paper reference.
For a v2.0 date, keep the same order but start from a v1.1 set and Cisco’s v2.0 topic list, then add the third-edition Volume 1 when it ships. Books alone will not pass this certification for you either way. The candidates who clear it comfortably read one set and then spend at least as many hours configuring routers and switches, whether that’s in Packet Tracer, GNS3 on a lab mini PC, or real hardware.
I heard that ccna is having a change in syllabus to 2.0
Yes. Cisco announced CCNA v2.0 on May 20, 2026, and it goes live February 3, 2027. The exam code stays 200-301; only the blueprint version moves from v1.1 to v2.0. v2.0 adds an AI section and shifts more weight onto troubleshooting. v1.1 stays valid right up to the February 2027 cutover, so books and study aimed at the current exam this year are still current.