Implementing Cisco Collaboration Core Technologies CLCOR 350-801: Everything You Need to Know to Prepare and Pass the Exam

In this article, I am going to cover every bit of detail that you need to get started, to prepare and pass the Cisco Collaboration Core Technologies or the CLCOR 350-801 exam. If you are already up to speed on what this exam is all about, you can go ahead and download my 110-hour CLCOR learning plan by submitting the form shown below.

Introduction

The Implementing and Operating Cisco Collaboration Core Technologies or the CLCOR 350-801 exam is one of the many new exams that Cisco announced in June 2019 as part of their most sweeping career certification program update since inception (all the way back to 1993!). Not only did Cisco announce newer exams, they also revised rules for recertification as well as introduced the brand new Cisco DevNet certification. All exam and rule changes went into effect on February 24 2020.

The Cisco Enterprise Core Technologies or CLCOR 350-801 is both a CCIE and a CCNP level exam, this is the exam that you need to pass if you are planning to sit for the Cisco Enterprise Lab or gearing up for your CCNP Collaboration certification. For CCNP, it is one of the two exams that you need to pass, the other exam can be one of the five Collaboration concentration exams. Last but not least, there is no CCNA  Collaboration exam in the newer program format, i.e. the Collaboration specialization now start at the CCNP level.

Retired Exams

Cisco CLCOR 350-801 exam (along with the 300 series concentration) replaces the following older CCNP Collaboration exams.

Older CCNP Collaboration Exams

• CIPTV1
• CIPTV2
• CTCOLLAB
• CAPPS

Older CCIE Collaboration Exam

Cisco CLCOR 350-801 exam replaces the following CCIE Collaboration exam. You can consider the CLCOR as the new Collaboration “written exam”.

• Collaboration Written 400-051 Exam

CLCOR Exam Topics or Objectives

The Cisco CLCOR 350-801 exam topics include five sections. Based on my analysis of the official CLCOR exam blueprint, 50% of the exam topics covered within the official CLCOR exam blueprint contain theoretical topics whereas the other 50% of the topics necessitate some level of hands-on activity.

1. Infrastructure and Design
2. Protocols, Codecs, and Endpoints
3. Cisco IOS XE Gateway and Media Resources
4. Call Control
5. QoS
6. Collaboration Applications

Let’s now cover each of the exam sections as defined in the official Cisco CLCOR exam blueprint.

Infrastructure and Design

This section includes topics such as the key design elements of enterprise collaboration architecture, Cisco UBE, and networking protocols. About 60% of the content in this section is about theory, whereas 40% requires hands-on.

Protocols, Codecs, and Endpoints

This section comprises of topics such as the protocols, codecs, and SIP endpoints. About 20% of the content in this section is about theory, whereas 80% requires hands-on.

Cisco IOS XE Gateway and Media Resources

This section consists of network core related topics such as the voice gateway elements, ISDN PRI/BRI, MGCP, and media resources. About 20% of the content in this section is about theory, whereas the other 80% requires hands-on.

Call Control

This section comprises of topics such as the CUCM, toll fraud prevention, globalized call routing, and MRA. About 50% of the content in this section is about theory, whereas the other 50% requires hands-on.

QoS

This section is about topics such as voice/video quality issues, QoS class models, DiffServ, QoS boundaries, CAC, and LLQ. About 85% of the content in this section is about theory, whereas the other 15% requires hands-on.

Collaboration Applications

This section is about topics such as the Cisco unity, SIP integration, connection call handlers and IM&P protocols and deployment and Cisco Jabber. About 40% of the content in this section is about theory, whereas 60% requires hands-on.

If you compare the CLCOR exam with the older now obsolete Collaboration written exam, you’ll notice that it does not map nicely section to section since the new CLCOR exam is massively different from its predecessor.

CCNP Collaboration Concentration Exams

In the newer exam format, to get CCNP Collaboration certified, you need to pass CLCOR as well as one of the following four Collaboration concentration exams. All concentration exams carry 300 series, i.e. CLAUTO exam is numbered as the 300-535.

1. CLICA
2. CLACCM
3. CLCEI
4. CLAUTO

CLCOR Exam and Job Task Analysis (JTA)

JTA is about the exam alignment with the actual role that you’re required to perform as a Collaboration engineer. So, what are the actual roles that are out there that you can work in Collaboration space today.

1. Collaboration Infrastructure Engineer
   1. On-premise
   2. Cloud
2. Collaboration Application Engineer
   1. On-premise
   2. Cloud

Now, based on those four roles, we can easily see that the CLCOR exam maps nicely to the all of the Collaboration expert roles. It obviously only scratches the surface for each of those roles and mastery requires passing some of the Collaboration concentration exams.

CLCOR and Concentration Exam Costs or Fees

Each attempt at CLCOR exam costs $400, like it does for all 350 series exams. Likewise, fee for each attempt at the concentration exams happens to be $300, again like it is for all 300 (and 200) series exams.

CCNP and CCIE Collaboration Certification and Recertification Costs or Fees

Given that you need to pass CLCOR and one 300 series concentration exams, CCNP Collaboration certification would cost you $700. For CCIE, it obviously goes up as you need to pass both the CLCOR theory (or written) exam as well as the Collaboration Lab or the hands-on exam, so we’re talking about $400 + $1600 or $2000 total.

For recertification, things get more interesting, since you’ve multiple options. For CCNP Collaboration recertification, you’ve got the following four options.

1. Pass CLCOR exam again ($400)
2. Pass any 2x concentration exams ($600)
3. Pass any CCIE Lab exam ($1600)
4. Use Cisco Learning Credits >=80

For the CCIE Collaboration recertification, you’ve got the following four options.

1. Pass CLCOR exam and 1x Concentration exam again ($700)
2. Pass any 3x concentration exams ($900)
3. Pass any CCIE Lab exam ($1600)
4. Use Cisco Learning Credits >=120

It is worth noting that in the newer Cisco certification program format, all certification cycles last three years.

CLCOR Exam Preparation

It is perhaps the toughest Core exam out there, so your background matters a lot.

If you look at the older 400-051 Collaboration written exam, you can notice that all topics belong to one of the three areas and infrastructure related topics are about half of the exam.

1. Applications
2. Protocols
3. Infrastructure

Now, in the CLCOR, infrastructure remains the largest exam area however some of the applications and protocols topics are carried over. So, regardless of your background, CCNA or CCNP or CCIE, you will find a lot of newer topics in the CLCOR exam.

CLCOR 110-Hour Learning and Study Plan

Now, to help you get started, I have put together a comprehensive 120-hour learning plan that you can follow to guide your CLCOR exam prep. Watch the video below where I cover the CLCOR learning plan in detail.

CLCOR Practice Test

CLAUTO Exam (Concentration)

Cisco Collaboration Sandboxes

Currently Cisco offers Communication Manager, UCCX, PCCE, UCCE, WebEx, IM and Presence, Jabber related learning labs. You can get started by checking out the Cisco’s Collaboration sandboxes.