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CCT Routing & Switching
CCT Routing & Switching: Exam Status, Skills, and the Right Preparation Path
CCT Routing & Switching was Cisco’s technician-level certification for onsite support and maintenance of Cisco routers, switches, and operating environments. Its associated 100-490 RSTECH exam is now retired, so a new candidate cannot schedule it. This guide helps former-certification holders understand the status of their credential and helps current applicants decide whether to prepare for Cisco’s replacement, the 800-150 FLDTEC exam, rather than studying an unavailable test.
Can you still take the CCT Routing & Switching exam?
No. Cisco’s former CCT Routing & Switching certification was tied to the Supporting Cisco Routing and Switching Network Devices v3.0 exam, 100-490 RSTECH. The final date to take that exam was February 9, 2025. Cisco states that retired exams are no longer available for certifying or recertifying.
This changes the preparation decision immediately. Do not purchase a course, book a test appointment, or build a study plan around 100-490 RSTECH if your goal is to earn a current Cisco technician certification. The relevant current route is Cisco Certified Field Technician, which uses the 800-150 FLDTEC exam.
What happens to an existing certification?
A retired exam cannot be used for new certification or recertification, but Cisco says certifications based on retired exams remain valid until each holder’s individual expiration date. Check the certification record associated with your Cisco account if you already earned CCT Routing & Switching.
A current credential and a retired exam are separate questions. Your existing certification may remain valid for its individual validity period, while another candidate cannot use the former RSTECH exam to earn the same certification today.
What replaced CCT Routing & Switching?
Cisco states that CCT Field Technician replaced the former CCT Collaboration, CCT Data Center, and CCT Routing & Switching certifications. Cisco made the 800-150 FLDTEC exam available starting February 10, 2025, and requires passing it to earn CCT Field Technician.
The replacement is broader than the former routing-and-switching focus. Cisco describes the current FLDTEC exam as covering onsite replacement across routing, switching, data center, UCS, and collaboration platforms. That broader scope should determine what you study and whether the credential matches your intended technician role.
Should a routing-and-switching candidate choose FLDTEC?
Choose FLDTEC when you want the current Cisco technician certification and are prepared to study beyond routers and switches. Its scope includes the routing and switching areas associated with the former credential, but it also reaches other Cisco platform families.
If your job target is narrowly focused on Cisco routing and switching, compare the current exam scope with the tasks your employer expects. The old certification’s name no longer identifies a schedulable exam. Use Cisco’s current technician pages and FLDTEC information as the authority for the present route.
What did 100-490 RSTECH validate?
The former exam validated practical technician knowledge rather than an advanced design or architecture role. Cisco said candidates needed to identify router and switch models, accessories, cabling, and interfaces; understand Cisco IOS operating modes; and use the Cisco command-line interface to connect to and service products.
The former certification focused on onsite support and maintenance of Cisco routers, switches, and operating environments. A useful way to interpret that scope is as a field-service workflow: recognize the hardware, connect correctly, understand the device’s operating context, and carry out service activity through the CLI.
Hardware recognition was part of the job
Preparation for the former scope needed to connect product recognition with service decisions. A technician was expected to distinguish router and switch models, recognize relevant accessories, identify cabling, and understand interfaces. Memorizing isolated product names would be less useful than learning what each physical component is for.
Create a personal identification sheet for each device family you study. Record the visible model information, likely interface types, accessory relationships, and the cable or connection needed for a service task. Treat this as a recognition-and-action exercise, not a catalogue to memorize without context.
IOS modes and CLI work mattered
Cisco specifically included Cisco IOS operating modes and the CLI in the former topic description. Your study should therefore connect a command with the mode in which it is used and with the service outcome it supports.
A practical sequence is to learn how to reach the device, identify the current operating context, move between relevant modes, and verify the result of a service action. Avoid treating command syntax as a flash-card-only subject. The technician objective was to connect to and service products, so each command should have a reason and a verification step.
What are the official RSTECH delivery details?
Cisco described 100-490 RSTECH as a closed-book exam that prohibited outside reference materials. It was listed as 90 minutes long with 60–70 questions. Those details describe the former exam only; they do not apply automatically to the current 800-150 FLDTEC exam.
Because RSTECH is retired, these facts are useful for understanding the historical certification and for interpreting old training material, not for scheduling. Do not use an older RSTECH page to infer the current exam’s question count, timing, or rules.
How long was the former RSTECH course?
Cisco’s former RSTECH course overview listed e-learning duration as equivalent to 6–7 classroom hours and listed no prerequisite for the course. That is a course-duration statement, not a promise about the time an individual candidate needs to become capable.
Use the course duration as a rough indication of the former learning product’s size, not as a complete preparation plan. A candidate without hands-on experience would still need time to practise device identification, interfaces, IOS modes, and CLI workflows.
What are the current FLDTEC exam facts?
Cisco lists the current 800-150 FLDTEC exam at US$200, with a 120-minute duration. Cisco also says current CCT exams are proctored in a secure environment online or at testing centers, graded pass/fail, and results are usually available online within 48 hours.
These are current FLDTEC details, not revised RSTECH details. Confirm the official Cisco page before booking because exam policies and scheduling information can change. The practical decision is to verify the current exam code, price, duration, delivery choice, and eligibility information immediately before registration.
What does the delivery format mean for preparation?
The current exam’s secure online or testing-center delivery means your preparation should include both knowledge recall and controlled execution under exam conditions. Cisco reports pass/fail results and says results are usually available online within 48 hours, but preparation should not depend on receiving rapid results as a substitute for readiness.
For an online appointment, check the current provider’s technical and identification requirements before choosing that option. For a testing center, plan travel and arrival around the provider’s instructions. These are practical recommendations; Cisco’s official page remains the source for the rules that apply to your appointment.
Which study materials should you use now?
Start with Cisco’s current FLDTEC exam and certification information, not archived RSTECH summaries. Use the former RSTECH topics to understand the routing-and-switching foundation only after confirming that your study plan also covers the broader current FLDTEC scope.
A sensible resource hierarchy is: current Cisco exam information first, Cisco topic guidance where available, structured training for unfamiliar technologies, and hands-on practice for operational tasks. Third-party notes can help explain a concept, but they should not override Cisco’s current exam definition or imply access to live questions.
How should you handle old RSTECH material?
Retain old RSTECH material only for the concepts that remain relevant to technician work: hardware identification, interfaces, cabling, IOS operating modes, CLI access, and service workflows. Label every item as historical or current so that obsolete exam information does not quietly become part of your FLDTEC plan.
Remove or quarantine material that presents 100-490 as schedulable, repeats its former timing, or claims to describe the current exam without a current Cisco source. The danger is not merely wasted study time; it is preparing for a certification that Cisco no longer offers.
What should you avoid?
Avoid exam dumps, leaked-question claims, and memorization products presented as a substitute for learning. They cannot establish that you can identify equipment, choose an appropriate connection, interpret an IOS context, or perform a service workflow. They also provide no reliable basis for the current FLDTEC scope.
Avoid assuming that a general networking course covers technician work. General theory may explain protocols, but the former CCT Routing & Switching objectives explicitly included physical equipment, accessories, cabling, interfaces, IOS modes, and CLI service activity. Map every resource to an observable task.
How should you build a practical FLDTEC study plan?
Build the plan in two layers: first establish the routing-and-switching technician foundation, then add the broader FLDTEC platform scope. This prevents the familiar former syllabus from consuming all your preparation time while still preserving the hands-on skills that motivated many candidates to consider CCT Routing & Switching.
Use a readiness checklist rather than an arbitrary calendar. Move forward when you can explain a task, perform it in a controlled practice environment, and verify the result without relying on an answer key.
Stage one: confirm the target
Before studying, write down the credential and exam code you intend to pursue. If the target is the current Cisco technician certification, the official route is CCT Field Technician through 800-150 FLDTEC. If you are researching a historical qualification or checking an existing certificate, identify that distinction explicitly.
Open the current Cisco certification and exam pages and record the scope that applies to your attempt. Do not copy old RSTECH timing or question information into a FLDTEC checklist. This first step prevents an administrative error from becoming weeks of misdirected study.
Stage two: establish device fundamentals
Begin with physical recognition and connectivity. Study router and switch model identification, accessories, cabling, and interfaces as related decisions: what is present, how it connects, and what a technician must inspect before servicing it.
Practise by turning each device or diagram into a short work order. Identify the equipment, list the interface or cable involved, state the connection you would make, and note what you would verify before proceeding. If you cannot justify the connection, return to the hardware reference rather than guessing.
Stage three: practise IOS navigation
Next, work through Cisco IOS operating modes and CLI access. The goal is not to recite mode names in isolation; it is to recognize where you are, enter the context needed for the task, use an appropriate command, and confirm the outcome.
Keep a lab log with four fields: starting state, action, expected result, and observed result. When a command fails, record whether the problem was the wrong mode, an incorrect interface or cable assumption, a syntax issue, or a misunderstanding of the service objective. This develops troubleshooting discipline without relying on confidential exam content.
Stage four: broaden to current FLDTEC coverage
Once the routing-and-switching foundation is stable, add the current FLDTEC areas that Cisco identifies: onsite replacement across routing, switching, data center, UCS, and collaboration platforms. The breadth means your plan must include recognition and replacement concepts beyond the former RSTECH syllabus.
Divide the additional scope into platform families, then apply the same technician questions to each: What equipment or component is involved? How is it identified? What connection or replacement action is relevant? What must be checked before and after the work? Use current Cisco guidance to fill in the platform-specific details.
Stage five: rehearse decisions under constraints
Finish with mixed practice that forces you to switch between physical identification, connectivity, IOS context, and platform replacement decisions. The former RSTECH exam was closed book and prohibited outside reference materials, while current FLDTEC rules should be confirmed from Cisco before your appointment.
A useful rehearsal is to hide your notes, read a short service scenario, state the likely device or component, describe the connection or service action, and name the verification step. Review notes only after committing to an answer. This tests reasoning and recall without pretending to reproduce exam questions.
What mistakes commonly derail preparation?
The most damaging mistake is preparing for the retired exam as though it were still available. Other problems include studying only abstract networking theory, ignoring physical interfaces, treating CLI syntax as memorization, and failing to expand into the current FLDTEC platform coverage.
Correct these problems by making each study session produce an observable result. Identify something, connect something, navigate a device context, explain a replacement decision, or verify a service outcome. A session that produces only more highlighted text is harder to evaluate.
Mistake: treating the old title as the current target
Search results and older course pages may still use the CCT Routing & Switching name. That does not make 100-490 RSTECH schedulable. Check the exam code and status on Cisco’s official pages before trusting a study recommendation.
The corrective action is simple: place the retirement fact at the top of your notes, then link your current plan to 800-150 FLDTEC if CCT Field Technician is your goal. Keep historical RSTECH material in a separate reference section.
Mistake: memorizing commands without service context
A command list does not demonstrate that you know how to connect to a product, recognize the relevant operating mode, or confirm that a service action succeeded. The former topic description joined CLI use with connecting to and servicing products for a reason.
For every command or command family, write the operational question it answers and the result you expect to see. Practise moving from a physical or service symptom to the appropriate context and verification step.
Mistake: ignoring the physical layer
Candidates who focus only on IOS may overlook the former certification’s explicit emphasis on models, accessories, cabling, and interfaces. A field technician must make correct physical decisions before a CLI session can be useful.
Use labelled diagrams, equipment photographs from legitimate training material, and a lab or simulation where available. If a resource does not help you identify a component or explain its connection, it may be supplementary rather than central to this preparation.
Mistake: assuming the replacement has the old scope
FLDTEC is not simply a renamed RSTECH exam. Cisco identifies onsite replacement coverage across routing, switching, data center, UCS, and collaboration platforms. Studying only the former routing-and-switching topics leaves a clear scope gap.
Review your plan by platform family. If one family has no notes, practice task, or verification checklist, it is not yet covered. Use Cisco’s current information to decide the depth and terminology required for each area.
How can you judge readiness before scheduling?
Schedule only after you can demonstrate the target skills without depending on prompts. For the former routing-and-switching foundation, that means identifying relevant equipment and connection elements, explaining IOS operating contexts, using the CLI appropriately, and describing how you would service or verify a product.
For the current FLDTEC path, add evidence that you have studied the broader replacement coverage. Readiness is not a particular number of practice questions. It is the ability to make and explain technician decisions across the official scope.
Use a task-based readiness check
Create a checklist with separate entries for hardware identification, accessories, cabling, interfaces, IOS modes, CLI access, service verification, and each current FLDTEC platform family. Mark an item complete only when you can explain the decision and perform or demonstrate the associated workflow.
Repeat the checklist after a gap of several days. Immediate recall can hide weak understanding. A second attempt also reveals whether you learned a transferable process or simply remembered the order of a recent exercise.
Use practice questions carefully
Practice questions can expose vocabulary gaps and help you practise selecting an answer under time pressure, but they are not proof that the live exam will contain the same material. Treat explanations as study prompts and validate disputed information against Cisco’s current documentation.
Do not seek or use leaked questions. No question bank can replace the ability to recognize equipment, understand the IOS context, and perform a service-oriented workflow.
What should you do before booking?
First decide whether you are preserving an existing retired certification or pursuing the current CCT Field Technician credential. Then verify the current 800-150 FLDTEC scope and booking information on Cisco’s official site. Only after that should you choose training, set a target date, and arrange an online or testing-center appointment.
Keep a versioned record of the page you used and the date you checked it. This is a practical safeguard against relying on old RSTECH information, especially when third-party pages still describe the former exam as if it were current.
A final action list
Confirm that 100-490 RSTECH is retired and no longer your scheduling target. Identify whether your existing CCT Routing & Switching certification remains within its individual validity period. If you need a current technician credential, review 800-150 FLDTEC and its broader platform scope.
Build the study plan in this order: physical recognition, interfaces and cabling, IOS modes, CLI workflows, service verification, then current FLDTEC coverage across the platform families Cisco lists. Use practical exercises, review weak decisions, and check delivery and booking details immediately before registration.
Conclusion
CCT Routing & Switching remains useful as a description of a technician skill foundation, but its 100-490 RSTECH exam is no longer available. Candidates seeking a current Cisco technician credential should redirect their planning to CCT Field Technician and 800-150 FLDTEC, while recognizing that the replacement covers more than routing and switching. Begin with Cisco’s current exam information, preserve the former hands-on fundamentals, broaden the plan to the current scope, and schedule only after your task-based readiness check is complete.