The JN0-364 exam objectives cover 10 topic areas, from protocol-independent routing to high availability, tested in 65 multiple-choice questions in 90 minutes on Junos OS 25.2. Every one of the 10 areas has its own "configure, monitor, or troubleshoot" objective, so this is a lab exam in written form.
That is the main thing to plan around. Reading about OSPF, BGP and MPLS will get you through the "identify" half of each objective, but the other half asks what you would see or type on a real Junos device. This entry lays out the official objectives area by area, says what to build in a lab for each one, and turns it into a six-week plan. Every exam fact here was checked on Juniper's and Pearson VUE's own pages on 29 October 2026.
What is the JN0-364 exam?
JN0-364 is the exam for JNCIS-SP, the Service Provider Routing and Switching, Specialist certification. It sits in the middle of the service provider track: you need JNCIA-Junos first, and JNCIS-SP leads on to the professional level.
The key facts, from the official JNCIS-SP exam page on the Juniper Learning Portal:
- Exam code: JN0-364.
- Questions and time: 65 multiple-choice questions in 90 minutes, which is about 83 seconds per question.
- Software version: Junos OS 25.2.
- Prerequisite: the JNCIA-Junos certification.
- Language: English only.
- Result: pass or fail is shown as soon as you finish.
- Validity: three years.
- Passing score and topic weights: Juniper does not publish either one.
Juniper also says the questions are drawn from its recommended training, which is three courses: Junos Intermediate Routing, Junos Service Provider Switching and Junos MPLS Fundamentals. That list is a useful guide to depth. If something goes far beyond those three courses, it is unlikely to be on the exam.
What are the 10 JN0-364 exam objective areas?
There are 10 areas, and together they list 57 concepts you need to recognise. Here they are in Juniper's order, with the concepts each one names:
- Protocol-independent routing (5): static, aggregate and generated routes, Martian addresses, routing instances including RIB groups, load balancing, and filter-based forwarding.
- OSPF (7): the link-state database, packet types, router ID, adjacencies and neighbors, the designated router and backup, area and router types, and LSA types.
- IS-IS (7): the link-state database, PDUs, TLVs, adjacencies and neighbors, levels and areas, the designated intermediate system (DIS), and metrics.
- BGP (5): basic operation, message types, attributes, the route selection process, and how IBGP and EBGP work together.
- Layer 2 bridging or VLANs (8): service provider switching platforms, bridging terms, frame processing, virtual switches and provider bridging (Q-in-Q), then port modes, tagging and IRB.
- Spanning tree (5): STP, RSTP, MSTP and VSTP, port roles and states, BPDUs, convergence, and spanning-tree security.
- MPLS (8): terms, the packet header, end-to-end forwarding, labels and the label information base, MPLS and routing tables, RSVP, LDP, and segment routing with MPLS.
- IPv6 (3): static routes, dynamic routing with OSPFv3, IS-IS and BGP, and IPv6 over IPv4 tunneling.
- Tunnels (2): when to use a tunnel and what to consider, and GRE.
- High availability (7): LAGs, graceful restart, GRES, nonstop bridging, nonstop active routing, BFD and VRRP.
The numbers in brackets are my own count of the concepts Juniper lists. They are not weights. Juniper gives no percentage per area, so treat the count only as a rough sign of how much there is to learn.
Why does every area have a hands-on objective?
Juniper writes each area as a pair: one line to "identify" the concepts, and one line to "demonstrate knowledge of how to configure, monitor, or troubleshoot" them. Layer 2 has two identify lines, one for bridging and one for VLANs, so there are 21 objective lines in all, and 10 of them are hands-on.
In a multiple-choice exam, "hands-on" usually means you are shown something and asked what it means. Expect things like a short configuration block, the output of a show command, or a symptom such as a neighbor stuck in one state. You then pick the cause or the fix. You can't fake that by reading, because the details that decide the answer (a missing export policy, a wrong level, an interface left out of a protocol) only stick once you have broken and fixed them yourself.
What should you build in a lab for each area?
A small lab of four to six virtual Junos routers covers almost everything. Build it once and keep adding to it, area by area:
- Protocol-independent routing: add static, aggregate and generated routes and compare how each shows in the routing table. Create a routing instance and share routes with a RIB group. Send one traffic class down a different path with filter-based forwarding.
- OSPF: bring up a multi-area design with a stub area. Watch the adjacency states, find the DR and BDR on a broadcast link, and read the LSA types in the database.
- IS-IS: build the same network with Level 1 and Level 2 routers. Check which router is the DIS and change metrics to move traffic.
- BGP: run EBGP to a neighbor AS and IBGP inside your own. Break the IBGP next hop on purpose, then fix it with a next-hop-self export policy. Change local preference and watch the route selection.
- Layer 2: set up access and trunk ports, add IRB for routing between VLANs, and build a virtual switch and a Q-in-Q service.
- Spanning tree: compare RSTP and MSTP on a small loop, change the bridge priority to move the root, and turn on BPDU protection on an edge port.
- MPLS: signal LSPs with RSVP, then with LDP, and then try segment routing with MPLS. Follow a packet through push, swap and pop, and look at the label tables.
- IPv6: add IPv6 static routes, run OSPFv3, and carry IPv6 over an IPv4-only core.
- Tunnels: build a GRE tunnel and route traffic through it.
- High availability: bundle two links into a LAG, run VRRP between two routers, and add BFD to speed up failure detection. Read up on GR, GRES, NSB and NSR, which are hard to test in a small virtual lab.
For every task, note the one or two show commands that prove it is working. That list becomes your final-week revision sheet.
What does a six-week JN0-364 study plan look like?
Plan for about 48 hours over six weeks, roughly eight hours a week, with most of each week spent in the lab rather than reading. The order follows the way the protocols build on each other:
- Week 1: protocol-independent routing, then OSPF. Get the lab built and the routing table basics clear.
- Week 2: IS-IS. Compare it point by point with OSPF, since the exam lists them side by side.
- Week 3: BGP. Spend most of the week on IBGP and EBGP interaction and on route selection.
- Week 4: Layer 2 bridging, VLANs and spanning tree.
- Week 5: MPLS: RSVP, LDP and segment routing.
- Week 6: IPv6, tunnels and high availability. Finish with a timed set of practice questions at about 83 seconds each.
At the end of each week, rebuild that week's work from an empty configuration without notes. Anything you had to look up goes to the top of the next week.
For another way to split hours, see the weight-based plan this blog wrote for the NetApp NS0-901 AI Expert exam. It works best when a vendor publishes topic weights, which Juniper does not do for JN0-364.
What mistakes do JNCIS-SP candidates often make?
Most lost marks come from reading the protocols but never running them. Watch for these:
- Skipping the lab. Ten of the 21 objective lines are hands-on, one in every area.
- Treating IS-IS as OSPF with new names. Levels, the DIS, TLVs and metrics behave differently. The exam lists IS-IS as a full area of its own.
- Forgetting the Layer 2 area. Candidates from a routing background often skim virtual switches, Q-in-Q and IRB, yet this area lists eight concepts, as many as MPLS.
- Mixing up the high availability features. GR, GRES, NSB and NSR protect different things. Learn what each one keeps running when a Routing Engine fails.
- Running out of time. At about 83 seconds a question, there is little room to read a long output twice. Practise spotting the one line that decides the answer.
What does a JN0-364-style question look like?
Here is one practice question, written for this entry in the style of the BGP objectives. It is not taken from the exam.
Question: Router R1 learns a route from an EBGP peer and passes it to R2 over IBGP. R2 shows the route as hidden, and nothing reaches the destination. R2 has no route to the EBGP peer's address. What is the most likely fix?
- A. Raise the local preference of the route on R2.
- B. On R1, apply an export policy to the IBGP group that sets the next hop to R1 itself.
- C. Change the IBGP session on R2 to EBGP.
- D. Add a static route on R2 to the destination prefix.
Answer: B. IBGP keeps the EBGP next hop unchanged by default. R2 can't resolve that next hop, so it hides the route. A next-hop-self policy on R1 makes R2 send the traffic to R1, which it can reach. Answer A changes preference, not reachability. Answer D works around the problem instead of fixing it.
Watch: a short video on the JNCIS-SP exam
This short video from NWExam's YouTube channel covers the JNCIS-SP exam. It was made for JN0-363, the earlier version, so use it for an overview of the track, and check the topic list against today's JN0-364 objectives above.
How much does JN0-364 cost, and where do you take it?
A JNCIS-level exam voucher costs US$300 in Pearson VUE's Juniper voucher store. The same store lists the associate level at US$200 and the professional level at US$400.
That voucher price is the same for every JNCIS-level exam, so it does not change if you later move from the service provider track to another Juniper specialist exam. Budget for a retake as well if you want a safety margin, since the price is per attempt.
You book and take the exam through Pearson VUE, either at a test centre or online. The Pearson VUE page for Juniper Networks exams also notes that the Juniper Networks Certification Program has been renamed the HPE Networking Certification Program. So you may see the HPE name on booking pages while the exam code stays JN0-364.
Frequently asked questions
1. How many questions are on the JN0-364 exam?
The JN0-364 exam has 65 multiple-choice questions, and you get 90 minutes, which is about 83 seconds per question.
2. What is the passing score for JN0-364?
Juniper does not publish a passing score or topic weights for JN0-364. Its exam page says you see your pass or fail result as soon as you finish.
3. Do I need JNCIA-Junos before JN0-364?
Yes. Juniper lists the JNCIA-Junos certification as the prerequisite for JNCIS-SP.
4. Which Junos version is JN0-364 based on?
The exam is based on Junos OS 25.2, and it is offered in English only.
5. How long is the JNCIS-SP certification valid?
Juniper certifications are valid for three years. A JNCIS-level exam voucher costs US$300 at Pearson VUE's Juniper voucher store.