Cisco DCAUTO 300-635

It tests data center automation across four equally weighted domains: automation and programmability fundamentals, Nexus Dashboard and network management automation, infrastructure as code with Ansible/Terraform/CI-CD, and ACI plus NX-OS automation using APIs and scripting. Expect configuration and code reasoning rather than pure trivia.

Cisco's public exam page is the authoritative source for the current question count and time limit, and those values are not reproduced here. Check the official 300-635 DCNAUTO page and your CertMetrics scheduling confirmation before exam day, since Cisco revises exam logistics periodically.

Passing scores are scaled and set by Cisco, and pricing varies by region and currency. Neither is stated in the source used for this page, so confirm both on Cisco's official exam page and in the CertMetrics scheduling flow, where the exact fee for your location appears before payment.

It rewards hands-on familiarity rather than memorization. Candidates who have genuinely called ACI and NX-OS APIs, written Ansible playbooks against Nexus devices, and run a Terraform plan generally find it manageable. Those who only read documentation usually struggle with the tooling and API-behavior questions.

Start with domain 1 fundamentals, because authentication, data models, and API mechanics underpin the other three domains. Then move to NX-OS and ACI API work, since those skills transfer into the Nexus Dashboard and Ansible/Terraform domains. Leave CI/CD pipeline design for last, once you can already automate a single device reliably.

You should be comfortable reading and modifying Python and JSON, and understand how YAML structures Ansible playbooks and Terraform configuration. You do not need to be a software developer, but you must be able to trace what a script or template will produce against a device.

Weak API fundamentals, such as confusing authentication from authorization or misreading JSON payload structure; treating Ansible and Terraform as interchangeable; and neglecting CI/CD concepts entirely. Another frequent problem is knowing product features only at marketing level rather than how they are configured and automated.

Build a lab with Nexus switches or a simulator, then automate the same task four ways: raw REST calls, an Ansible playbook, a Terraform configuration, and a pipeline job. Reading Cisco's product documentation alongside each attempt closes the gap between what the tool does and what the exam expects.

Cisco's certification policies and your CertMetrics account are the authoritative sources for retake waiting periods, fees, and recertification credit requirements. Those policies change, and they are not stated in the source used here, so verify them directly with Cisco before relying on them.