- Exam Identity and Logistics at a Glance
- Prerequisite, Retake and Renewal Rules
- What Is Not Published (and Why It Matters)
- Layer 2 Block: Switching, Spanning Tree and Security
- Routing Block: Protocol-Independent, OSPF, IS-IS and BGP
- Tunnels and High Availability
- Troubleshooting Tool Lists by Domain
- Version Traps: JN0-352 vs Older Material
- Sequencing Your Final Review
- Cheat Sheet FAQ
- JNCIS-ENT is exam JN0-352: 65 multiple-choice questions, 90 minutes, delivered through Pearson VUE, aligned to Junos 23.1.
- An active JNCIA-Junos certification is required; equivalent knowledge alone does not satisfy the prerequisite.
- The passing score is not publicly published; your score report states the threshold for your test.
- The outline has nine unweighted headings, so review every domain rather than guessing at percentages.
Exam Identity and Logistics at a Glance
This page condenses what you need to recall on exam day for the Juniper Networks Certified Specialist, Enterprise Routing and Switching (JNCIS-ENT) credential. It is a review aid, not a replacement for the issuer's objectives. If you are still deciding how to build your preparation, start with the JNCIS-ENT study guide and come back here for the final pass.
Program pages currently carry HPE Networking Certification (formerly Juniper Networks) and HPE Juniper Networking branding, but the credential you are preparing for is still the Enterprise Routing and Switching specialist exam, JN0-352. If you want a plain-language explanation of the name itself, see What Is JNCIS-ENT?
| Item | What to remember |
|---|---|
| Exam code | JN0-352 |
| Software version | Junos 23.1 |
| Questions | 65, multiple choice (no scored/unscored split is published on the exam page) |
| Time | 90 minutes, written exam |
| Delivery | Pearson VUE test center or OnVUE online proctoring, subject to availability |
| Language | English only |
| Prerequisite | Active JNCIA-Junos |
| Validity | Three years |
| Passing score | Not publicly published |
| Exam fee | Not verified here; confirm in the provider's voucher store |
Format and delivery details
The exam is a written, multiple-choice test. It is not a hands-on lab, and nothing in the published materials describes an adaptive format, so do not plan around one. Treat the 90 minutes as roughly 80 seconds per question and practice reading a scenario, spotting the protocol or Junos feature involved, and eliminating wrong options quickly.
If you choose OnVUE online proctoring, the program's requirements include a system check, an appropriate private testing environment, matching government-issued photo identification, and no books or notes. No blanket pre-approved allowances are listed, so do not assume a calculator or scratch aids are permitted. Run the system check well before exam day. For scheduling mechanics, see JNCIS-ENT exam dates and scheduling.
The exam page says pass/fail is available immediately, while program policy explains that written results are provisional pending security validation, with valid results posted to CertMetrics within three business days. Do not announce the credential until the result is confirmed.
Prerequisite, Retake and Renewal Rules
The prerequisite is a certification, not a knowledge level
The JNCIA-Junos certification is explicitly required, and it must be active to satisfy the prerequisite under the current recertification policy. Having equivalent knowledge does not substitute. The page describes experienced networking professionals as the target audience but does not publish a mandatory degree, a quantified experience-hour total, or a referee requirement. Details are collected in JNCIS-ENT requirements and eligibility.
The Junos Intermediate Routing and Junos Enterprise Switching courses are recommended preparation only. Attending them is not mandatory and does not guarantee a pass.
Retake and renewal rules
- After a first failed attempt: no waiting period.
- After a second or subsequent failure: wait 14 calendar days, beginning the following day.
- After passing: wait at least 18 months before taking the same exam again.
- Validity: three years.
- Renewal routes: an appropriate current-level exam, a higher-level certification in the same track, or the specified/higher-level course route in the same track.
- Expired certification: it cannot satisfy prerequisites or be renewed from its expired level, and the track must be re-earned from its beginning under the published policy.
These are written-exam policies, not lab-exam rules. The recertification page we reviewed does not expose a complete approved-course matrix or a numeric CPE/CEU requirement, so check the current Recertification Options page before planning a course-based renewal.
What Is Not Published (and Why It Matters)
Several numbers that candidates ask about simply are not public, and a good cheat sheet says so rather than filling the gap.
- Passing score: not publicly published, per the current Certification Program Policies. Your individual score report includes its threshold, and thresholds can differ between tests. Read more at the JNCIS-ENT passing score page.
- Pass rate: no verified cohort pass rate was found. An unpublished threshold is not a pass-rate claim. See what the data does and does not show.
- Domain weights: the nine headings carry no published percentages. Our counts of 20 parent objective groups and 88 associated bullet entries are audit counts from reading the outline, not official weighting.
- Salary premium: no verified JNCIS-ENT-specific figure exists. For a qualitative discussion, see the salary guide and the ROI analysis.
Key Takeaway
Do not let a missing percentage tempt you to skip a domain. With nine unweighted headings, the safe strategy is breadth first, then depth where your own practice results show gaps.
One more distinction: the issuer's Open Learning course advertises a 70% voucher-assessment threshold. That figure belongs to the course assessment, not to the certification exam, so never use it as your expected passing score.
Layer 2 Block: Switching, Spanning Tree and Security
The first three domains cover the switching foundation. The outline lists both conceptual knowledge and configuration, monitoring and troubleshooting knowledge for each. For a deeper walk-through of all nine areas, see the complete domains guide.
Domain 1: Layer 2 Switching or VLANs
Know how Junos bridges frames and how VLANs segment a network.
- Bridging components and frame processing in Junos OS
- VLAN ports, tagging, native VLANs and voice VLANs
- Inter-VLAN routing concepts
- Configuration, monitoring and troubleshooting of interfaces and ports, VLANs, and inter-VLAN routing
Domain 2: Spanning Tree
Both STP and RSTP appear in concepts and in configuration/monitoring/troubleshooting.
- STP and Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol (RSTP) concepts
- Port roles and states
- Bridge Protocol Data Units (BPDUs)
- Convergence and reconvergence
Domain 3: Layer 2 Security
This domain is broad, and every listed example is fair game.
- BPDU, loop or root protection
- Port security: MAC limiting, DHCP snooping, Dynamic ARP inspection (DAI) or IP source guard
- MACsec
- Storm control
- Layer 2 firewall filters: filter types, processing order, match criteria and actions, plus configuration and application
A common mistake is to study only the port-security trio and skip MACsec. The outline names it explicitly, so give it its own review slot.
Routing Block: Protocol-Independent, OSPF, IS-IS and BGP
Domain 4: Protocol Independent Routing
The foundation that the dynamic protocols build on.
- Static, aggregate and generated routes
- Martian addresses
- Routing instances, including routing information base (RIB) groups
- Load balancing and filter-based forwarding
Note that the configuration/monitoring/troubleshooting list covers static/aggregate/generated routes, load balancing and filter-based forwarding. Martian addresses and RIB groups appear on the conceptual side.
Domain 5: OSPF
- Link-state database, packet types, router ID
- Adjacencies and neighbors; DR and BDR
- Area and router types
- Realms (a published topic, so do not skip it)
- LSA packet types
- Configuration: areas, interfaces and neighbors, additional basic options, routing policy application
Domain 6: IS-IS
- Link-state database, IS-IS PDUs, TLVs
- Adjacencies and neighbors
- Levels and areas
- Designated intermediate system (DIS)
- Metrics
- Configuration: levels, interfaces and adjacencies, additional basic options, routing policy application
Domain 7: BGP
- Basic operation and message types
- Attributes and the route/path selection process
- IBGP and EBGP functionality and interaction
- Configuration: groups and peers, additional basic options, routing policy application
For IS-IS in particular, many free tutorials predate the current exam code and are shared across other Juniper tracks. They are useful for the underlying concepts, but check anything you read against the JN0-352 outline.
Tunnels and High Availability
Domain 8: Tunnels
- Tunneling applications and considerations
- Generic Routing Encapsulation (GRE)
- IP-IP
- Configuration, monitoring and troubleshooting of GRE and IP-IP tunnels
Domain 9: High Availability
The longest concept list in the outline, so build a one-line definition for each item.
- Link aggregation groups (LAG) and redundant trunk groups (RTG)
- Virtual chassis
- Graceful restart, GRES, NSR and NSB
- Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD)
- Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP)
- Unified In-Service Software Upgrade (ISSU)
Troubleshooting Tool Lists by Domain
The outline lists specific troubleshooting tools under each routing-style domain, and the lists are not identical. This is an easy place to lose a point by over-generalizing.
| Domain | Listed troubleshooting tools |
|---|---|
| OSPF | ping, traceroute, traceoptions, show commands, logging |
| IS-IS | ping, traceroute, traceoptions, show commands, logging |
| BGP | ping, traceroute, traceoptions, show commands, logging |
| Tunnels | ping, traceroute, traceoptions, show commands, logging |
| High Availability | traceoptions, show commands, logging (ping and traceroute are not in that published list) |
Practice reading show-command output for each protocol: neighbor or adjacency state, database contents, learned routes, and tunnel interface status. The written exam tests whether you can interpret that output and identify the likely cause, not whether you can type commands from memory in a live device.
Key Takeaway
Answering knowledge questions correctly shows you understand the material; it is not an assessment of hands-on competence. Pair written practice with lab time if your job requires real configuration skill.
Version Traps: JN0-352 vs Older Material
The current exam is JN0-352 on Junos 23.1. Plenty of study material in circulation is labeled with older codes such as JN0-351, and some commercial courses still carry those labels. Networking fundamentals do not expire, but a prior-code label does not establish that the content matches the current outline.
- Check the code: a title that adds a recent year to older content does not make it JN0-352 material.
- Check the track: JNCIS-ENT is not JNCIS-SP or JNCIS-DC, and associate-level or professional-level objectives are different exams. Do not blend their topic lists.
- Check the software version: the issuer's free Open Learning course references software versions that differ from the exam's Junos 23.1, so use it with that gap in mind.
- Check the vendor claims: third-party practice offerings may state alignment with the current code, but you cannot assume every question is accurate or reflects the real exam.
Independent practice questions, including ours at the main practice test site, are original knowledge-preparation material. They are not actual exam questions, not an official mock exam, and not a pass guarantee.
Sequencing Your Final Review
Generic scheduling advice is less useful than ordering the topics by dependency. Because the domains are unweighted, this plan simply follows how the concepts build on one another.
Layer 2 foundations
- Domain 1 (bridging, VLANs, native and voice VLANs, inter-VLAN routing)
- Domain 2 (RSTP port roles and states, BPDUs, reconvergence)
- Domain 3 (all port-security examples, MACsec, storm control, firewall-filter processing order)
Routing fundamentals and link-state
- Domain 4 (route types, RIB groups, filter-based forwarding)
- Domain 5 (LSAs, DR/BDR, area types, Realms)
- Domain 6 (levels, DIS, TLVs, metrics)
BGP, tunnels and resilience
- Domain 7 (attributes, path selection, IBGP versus EBGP)
- Domain 8 (GRE and IP-IP)
- Domain 9 (one-line definitions for every HA feature, including BFD)
Timed practice and gap closing
- Take timed sets at about 80 seconds per question
- Revisit the domains where you missed the most
- Re-read the troubleshooting-tool table above
If you are weighing how much time to allow, the difficulty guide discusses what tends to challenge candidates. The routing domains reward candidates with prior hands-on experience, while the High Availability list rewards careful vocabulary work.
Cheat Sheet FAQ
The exam is JN0-352, aligned to Junos 23.1. It replaces earlier codes such as JN0-351, so older course labels do not by themselves confirm coverage of the current outline.
The written exam has 65 multiple-choice questions and a 90-minute time limit. The exam page does not publish a scored versus unscored split.
The passing score is not publicly published. According to the current Certification Program Policies, your individual score report includes its threshold, and thresholds can differ between tests.
Yes. An active JNCIA-Junos certification is explicitly required to satisfy the prerequisite, and equivalent knowledge alone does not substitute. An expired certification cannot be used.
It is valid for three years. After a first failed attempt there is no waiting period; after a second or later failure you wait 14 calendar days. For a broader explanation of the credential, see the JNCIS-ENT certification overview.