The Wendell Odom CCNA 200‑301 Official Cert Guide is still the most complete CCNA study resource you can buy, and in September 2026 it also comes with an expiration date. The current books cover blueprint v1.1. The exam changes to v2.0 on February 3, 2027, and new third edition books are due in early 2027.
So the review question is no longer just whether the books are good. It is whether you should buy these books, this month, given your test date. Short version: if you are sitting the exam before February 2, 2027, buy them now. If you are testing after that, wait for the new editions and use free material in the meantime.
What Do You Actually Get With the Official Cert Guide?
Two books, not one. Volume 1 covers roughly the first half of the blueprint, Volume 2 the rest, and you need both to cover the exam. The current set is the second edition, published in 2024 for the v1.1 blueprint, with Odom on Volume 1 and co-authors working alongside him on Volume 2.
Most buyers get the Library, which is the two books boxed together and priced below buying them separately. Inside each book:
- Do I Know This Already quizzes at the start of every chapter
- Key Topic tables that mark what has to be memorized rather than understood
- Pearson Test Prep practice questions on the companion website
- Network Simulator Lite, a cut down simulator with a set of guided labs
- Online practice exercises, flash cards, and video content
The Premium Edition eBook, bought directly from the publisher rather than from Amazon or Barnes and Noble, is the version most people should want. You get the EPUB and a PDF, which matters for note taking, plus additional practice questions beyond the print version. In the second edition, the Premium Library carried over 300 extra questions, and each question links back to the relevant section of the PDF.
Is the Odom Cert Guide Still the Best CCNA Book in 2026?
Yes, for depth and for exam alignment. Nothing else maps chapter by chapter to the blueprint with this much detail, and the explanations of subnetting, OSPF, and IP routing are better than anything free.
Where it falls down is pace. These are dense books. Volume 1 alone runs past 700 pages, and a candidate reading an hour a night will spend two months in the first volume before touching a single Volume 2 topic. That is where most people quit. The finish rate on Volume 2 is the quiet problem with this resource, and it is not the author’s fault, it is a function of asking a beginner to read well over a thousand pages before their first practice exam.
Two more honest limitations. The books are not a lab platform, and Network Simulator Lite is a sample, not a substitute for Packet Tracer or Cisco Modeling Labs. And the Do I Know This Already quizzes get used backwards constantly: they exist so you can skip chapters you already know, and almost everyone answers them after reading the chapter instead.
How Does It Compare to Video Courses?
| Resource | Format | Strength | Weakness |
|---|---|---|---|
| Odom Official Cert Guide | Two print or digital books | Depth, blueprint alignment, reference value after the exam | Slow, heavy, easy to abandon in Volume 2 |
| Jeremy’s IT Lab | Free video course with labs | Clear teaching, Packet Tracer labs, costs nothing | Long runtime, no printed reference to search later |
| CBT Nuggets | Subscription video | Production quality, structured paths | Shallower on hard topics, ongoing cost |
The pairing that works for most candidates is a video course for first exposure and the Official Cert Guide for the topics that did not land. Reading Odom cold, as a first contact with routing protocols, is a hard way to learn. Reading the OSPF chapter after watching someone configure OSPF is a different experience entirely. Our reviews of Jeremy’s IT Lab and CBT Nuggets go deeper on both.
Should You Buy the Current Edition or Wait for the CCNA v2.0 Books?
This is the decision that matters right now, and it comes down to one date on your calendar.
Testing before February 2, 2027: buy the second edition now. It matches the exam you will sit. Waiting gains you nothing and costs you study weeks.
Testing after February 3, 2027: you will sit v2.0, and the second edition will be missing new topics including Ansible, the expanded AI topics, DNS diagnosis, and a large shift toward troubleshooting. Odom confirmed that the changes were too extensive to patch with online updates, so Cisco Press is producing third editions of both volumes.
His published timeline, with the caveat that he called the dates guesses when he wrote them in May 2026, runs roughly like this: books orderable in the fourth quarter of 2026, Volume 1 in stock in the United States around early January 2027, Volume 2 in February 2027, and the Library in March 2027. He also promised a firmer update post around November 1, 2026, which as of mid September has not landed yet. Jason Gooley is taking the lead on Volume 2 for the new edition.
The awkward window is right now. If your test date is March 2027 and you want to start studying today, the honest answer is to start with a video course, lab constantly, and buy the third edition when it ships. Buying a second edition in September 2026 to study for a March 2027 exam means paying for a book you will replace.
Who Should Skip This Book Entirely?
Three groups.
Career changers with no networking exposure at all. Start with video and labs, then come back to the book once the vocabulary is familiar. The first five chapters of Volume 1 assume more comfort than a complete beginner has.
People studying in short sessions on a phone during a commute. This is not phone material. If that is your only study window, a video course and a question bank fit your life better.
Anyone who already passed a networking exam recently and needs a gap check rather than a curriculum. Buy a practice exam engine, find your weak domains, and read only what fails.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need both Volume 1 and Volume 2?
Yes. Each covers about half the blueprint. The Library bundle exists because almost nobody needs only one.
Is the Official Cert Guide enough to pass the CCNA on its own?
It can be, for someone with networking experience who labs alongside the reading. For a beginner, the books plus a lab environment plus a practice exam engine is the realistic package.
What is the difference between the second edition and the third edition?
The second edition covers blueprint v1.1, which retires February 2, 2027. The third edition covers v2.0, which starts February 3, 2027, and adds the new topics while removing what Cisco dropped.
Is the Premium Edition eBook worth the extra cost?
If you want a PDF for annotation and more practice questions, yes. If you prefer paper, buy print and skip it.
Does the book include practice exams?
It includes Pearson Test Prep questions through the companion website. They are written to teach rather than to simulate exam pressure, which is why most candidates add a second question bank. Our practice exam ranking compares the options.
Where do I check which edition I am buying?
Look for the blueprint version on the cover and in the product description rather than trusting a marketplace listing. Odom maintains a page comparing the editions, and his product page links to current listings.
If you are buying this month, check your exam date first and the edition second. A second edition bought for a January 2027 exam is a fine purchase. The same book bought for a June 2027 exam is a paperweight with good intentions.
Network Engineer | CCNA | CCNP Enterprise
Regina Martinelli is a CCNP-certified network engineer who covers IT training programs, certification paths, and Cisco industry news. She started writing about the CCNA from the inside as a candidate, and that ground-level perspective still shapes how she evaluates training resources and helps others navigate the path she has already walked.
