2027 Certification Changes: Confirmed Dates vs Rumors

Four certification changes are actually confirmed for 2027, and the biggest one is the CCNA. Cisco announced on May 20, 2026 that CCNA 200-301 moves to version 2.0 on February 3, 2027. Everything else circulating about next year, including the Security+ SY0-801 launch date and the CISSP domain refresh, is educated guessing built on vendor release cycles.

That distinction matters more than it sounds like it should. People delay exams for months over dates nobody ever published, and the delay costs them real time while the rumor turns out to be roughly right anyway. Here is what has a source behind it, what does not, and how to check the next one yourself.

Which 2027 Certification Dates Are Actually Confirmed?

Four, and each one sits on a vendor page or an official vendor blog rather than a forum thread.

Change	Date	Vendor	Where it was published
CCNA 200-301 v2.0 goes live	February 3, 2027	Cisco	Cisco learning blog, announced May 20, 2026
CCIE Data Center practice labs release	February 2027 (Cisco Live London)	Cisco	Cisco learning blog
CySA+ V3 retires in Japanese, Portuguese, and Spanish	March 23, 2027	CompTIA	CompTIA CySA+ V3 certification page
MS-900 stops counting toward Modern Work designation points	March 31, 2027	Microsoft	Microsoft partner designation guidance

Short list for a year that supposedly brings sweeping change. The English version of CySA+ V3 actually retires earlier, on December 22, 2026, with V4 already live, so the March date only affects candidates testing in three specific languages.

What Is Changing in the CCNA in 2027?

Troubleshooting moves to the front of the blueprint, security spreads across every domain instead of sitting in its own section, and new content covers the role of AI in network operations. The exam code stays 200-301, the same number it has carried since 2020.

Cisco published the v2.0 exam topics on the day it made the announcement and kept the current v1.1 exam live right through to the cutover, which gives candidates roughly eight and a half months of runway. On its own learning blog, Cisco told people already studying the current version that there is no reason to change gears. A vendor telling you to buy the older product is worth listening to.

Worth knowing if you are mapping out a longer path: the CCNA is not a prerequisite for CCNP, and it has not been since February 2020. Our CCNA to CCNP roadmap walks through how the two levels actually connect.

Is CompTIA Security+ SY0-801 Confirmed for 2027?

No. CompTIA has not published an SY0-801 exam code, a launch date, or a retirement date for the current version.

Search that code and you will find launch windows, objective breakdowns, comparison tables, and confident advice about whether to test now. Pull up CompTIA’s own Security+ certification page and you get exam version V7, series code SY0-701, launch date November 7, 2023, and retirement described as “usually three years after launch (estimated 2026).” The word estimated is CompTIA’s, not mine.

The 801 designation and the late 2026 launch window came out of training vendor previews and instructor channels. It will probably land close to accurate, because CompTIA has run a three year refresh cycle for a long time. Probably accurate and confirmed are different things though, and the gap between them is where people lose months.

One thing that removes most of the pressure: the exam version never appears on your credential. Somebody certified on SY0-601 and somebody certified on SY0-701 both hold CompTIA Security+, and CompTIA lists the DoD 8140 approved work roles against the certification itself rather than against a series code. If you are weighing the timing, our Security+ guide covers what the current exam actually tests.

Is the CISSP Exam Changing in 2027?

Nothing has been announced. ISC2 refreshed the CISSP exam outline on April 15, 2024, and has not scheduled a successor.

The 2027 prediction comes from cycle math. ISC2 runs its Job Task Analysis reviews on a roughly three year cadence, so April 2024 plus three years lands in 2027, and the posts write themselves from there. Reasonable arithmetic, but arithmetic.

What ISC2 has actually scheduled is a new Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP) exam outline effective August 1, 2026, published on the official CCSP exam outline page months in advance. When the CISSP refresh gets a date, expect it to show up the same way, in the same place, with similar lead time.

How Do You Tell a Confirmed Exam Date From a Rumor?

Check where the date lives. Confirmed changes appear on the vendor’s own certification page, exam page, or corporate blog, with a specific calendar date and usually a transition window attached.

What is circulating	What the vendor page actually says
Security+ SY0-801 launches around October 2026, SY0-701 retires mid 2027	CompTIA lists V7, code SY0-701, retirement “estimated 2026.” No 801 code published anywhere on the site.
CISSP domains change in 2027	ISC2 lists the April 15, 2024 outline as current. No successor date announced.
Network+ N10-010 arrives in 2027	CompTIA lists N10-009, launched June 20, 2024, retirement “estimated 2027.” No successor code published.
A+ is next on the chopping block	CompTIA lists Core 1 220-1201 and Core 2 220-1202, launched March 25, 2025, retirement estimated 2028.

Rumors have their own signature. They surface first on training vendor blogs, they cite instructor channels or internal previews, they carry exam codes the vendor has never printed, and eventually the repetition starts doing the job a source is supposed to do.

The single most useful tell is the word estimated. When a vendor prints that on its own page, it is telling you the decision has not been made. CompTIA does this on every current exam page, which is why anybody quoting you a firm N10-010 date is quoting somebody’s calendar math.

Should You Wait for the New Exam Version or Test Now?

Test now, in nearly every case.

Your certification clock runs three years from your pass date, not from the exam version, so a CCNA earned on February 2, 2027 expires the same day as one earned on February 4. Retiring an exam version does nothing to a credential somebody already holds. Study material for a mature version also beats material for a brand new one, because a fresh release ships with thin coverage, unreliable practice questions, and a pass rate dip while item writers work out what they actually asked. Every version change panic I have watched ends the same way, with somebody who could have been certified nine months ago still refreshing a blog and waiting on a launch date.

There is one real argument for waiting. If the new blueprint covers something your specific job requires and the current version skips it entirely, sitting tight makes sense. That is a narrow situation, and for most people reading this, it is not the situation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does my certification expire when the exam version retires?

No. Your certification runs on its own three year clock from the date you passed, independent of the exam version. A Security+ earned on SY0-701 in 2026 stays valid into 2029 even after that exam version is gone.

Does the exam version show up on my resume or certificate?

No. You hold CompTIA Security+ or the CCNA, not a version of it. Hiring managers verify the credential, and the series code does not appear in a way that affects hiring or DoD 8140 work role approval.

Is the CCNA exam code changing in 2027?

No. The code stays 200-301. Cisco increments the blueprint version underneath the code, so v1.1 becomes v2.0 on February 3, 2027 while the exam number holds steady.

When does CompTIA Network+ N10-009 retire?

CompTIA has not published a firm date. The Network+ page lists N10-009 as launching June 20, 2024 with retirement “usually three years after launch (estimated 2027).” Treat any specific date you see elsewhere as a projection.

Where should I check for official certification date changes?

Go straight to the vendor. Cisco posts changes on its learning blog and the Cisco Learning Network, CompTIA posts exam details on each certification page, and ISC2 publishes outline changes on the exam outline page for each credential. If a date is not in one of those places, it is not confirmed yet.