SRA Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling

Why There Is No Single "SRA Exam Date"

Candidates searching for "SRA exam dates" often expect a calendar with one registration deadline and one test day. Nokia Service Routing Architect does not work that way. SRA is a multi-exam certification that sits above NRS I and NRS II, and it is built from several separately delivered assessments. Each one has its own scheduling, and the final practical lab is booked as its own event.

That structure shapes how you should think about dates. Rather than asking "when is the exam," ask three questions: which written exams do I still need, in what order will I take them, and when can I realistically sit the practical lab? If you are still orienting yourself on the credential itself, the explainer on what SRA certification is covers the basics before you start planning a calendar.

What You Actually Schedule: Five Written Exams and One Lab

Under the route effective September 8, 2026, you book five written exams and one practical assessment. Each written exam maps to a single content area, and the lab consolidates hands-on skills from across them. The table below summarizes what you need to put on your calendar.

Do not assume the written exams share a question count or duration. No single written-exam item count or time limit is established for the whole certification, so check each exam's listing when you register. For a deeper look at what each content area covers, the complete guide to all six SRA content areas breaks the material down topic by topic.

The September 8, 2026 Program Update and What It Changes

The most important date in the SRA calendar this year is not an exam date at all. Effective September 8, 2026, Nokia updated the SRA route. The current requirement is the five written exams listed above followed by the 7-hour ASRA4A0 practical lab. This matters for anyone who started studying under the older structure.

Several things were removed or clarified in the update:

• Separate IS-IS/OSPF, MPLS and Services Architecture exams are no longer required for the current route, although the knowledge they cover can still support your preparation.
• Multicast exam 4A0-108 is retired and is not a current SRA requirement.
• The lab content itself is described by the issuer as unchanged.

For the full eligibility picture, including how prerequisites are treated, see the breakdown of SRA requirements and how to qualify.

Lab Day Logistics: The 7-Hour ASRA4A0 Format

The practical lab is the date you should plan around most carefully, because it is the longest and most demanding single sitting. The ASRA4A0 lab consists of two independent 3.5-hour sections, with a 1-hour lunch that is not counted toward exam time. In practice that means a long day, and you should treat it like one: protect the day before and the day after.

What the lab asks of you

You design and implement live 7750 SR service networks, interoperate between components, diagnose performance problems and resolve faults. You may work in classic CLI or MD-CLI. Topics must be configured and verified, although not every topic necessarily appears on any given attempt. This is a practical assessment, not a multiple-choice item count, so there is no meaningful "number of questions" to plan around.

Because the two lab sections are independent, a rough first half does not mathematically doom the second. Even so, pacing and verification discipline matter. Many candidates find that hands-on speed, rather than conceptual knowledge, is the limiting factor. The difficulty guide for the SRA exam discusses where candidates typically feel the pressure.

Timing Strategy: The Optional 4A0-C02 Composite

The optional 4A0-C02 composite exam is the one real scheduling shortcut in the SRA path. It substitutes for four written exams: 4A0-102, 4A0-105, 4A0-106 and 4A0-107. It does not replace 4A0-115 (Ethernet VPN Services) and it does not replace the practical lab. If you take the composite, you still need to book 4A0-115 and the ASRA4A0 lab separately.

One caution on exam format: do not assume the composite shares the question count or duration of any individual written exam. Confirm its structure on the issuer's listing before you commit a date.

Transition Rules for Previously Eligible Candidates

If you were already lab-eligible before the September 8, 2026 update, the announced transition lets you keep that eligibility. This is relevant to dates because it means you are not forced to rush additional written exams solely because the route changed. If you completed prerequisites under the old structure, check the program update and your candidate record to confirm how your status carries forward.

If you are starting fresh, the current route applies in full. Do not assume you can skip any of the five written exams because an older guide listed a different set. Also do not carry changes announced for other Nokia certifications into your SRA plan. For example, NRS I changes announced for March 2027 should not be applied to the SRA scope described here.

Sequencing Your Bookings Around Domain Difficulty

This is the one place where study planning and scheduling intersect, so keep it practical and tied to the actual content. The goal is to book dates in an order that lets knowledge build and lets each exam reinforce the lab.

Build in a gap between written exams rather than stacking them back to back. A common mistake is to book a close cluster of dates, then discover that a retake pushes the lab beyond a deadline you set for yourself. For a fuller preparation framework, the SRA study guide lays out how to sequence the material, and the SRA cheat sheet is handy for last-week review.

How to Verify Dates, Fees and Availability Before You Commit

This article cannot give you a definitive list of available seats, because no fixed testing window, single overall exam fee or registration deadline is established here. The honest approach is to verify directly with Nokia, using the sources that govern the program:

1. The SRA certification page on Nokia's training site, for the current route and certification table.
2. The SRC 2026 program update, for the dated September 8, 2026 changes and transition language.
3. Each exam's listing, such as the lab and composite pages, for format, duration and any scheduling instructions.
4. Your candidate account, to confirm your current eligibility and any prerequisites that apply to you.

Training is not mandatory to attempt the examinations. Course prerequisites listed on the issuer's pages are preparation recommendations, not additional SRA exam requirements, so you do not need to wait for a course start date before booking an exam. If you want supplemental, original practice material while you wait for a slot, you can use the SRA practice tests to check readiness across the content areas. These are independent study materials, not issuer-endorsed, and they do not use actual exam questions or promise results.

Once you understand the calendar, it is worth stepping back to ask whether the investment of several exams and a lab day fits your goals. The analyses of whether the SRA certification is worth it and the SRA salary guide can help you decide how aggressively to schedule, and the page on SRA jobs shows the kinds of service-provider roles this credential supports. If you want to gauge your readiness first, try a set from the main practice test site.

Frequently Asked Questions

The takeaway for scheduling is simple: treat SRA as a sequence of dated milestones rather than a single test day. Confirm the current route, sequence your written exams so each supports the next, and book the ASRA4A0 lab last with enough buffer for serious hands-on rehearsal.