Cisco 700-245 ESPB Environmental Sustainability Practice-Building Practice Exam
Build the partner knowledge this exam tests — standing up an environmental sustainability practice, framing sustainability value for customers, and positioning Cisco’s role in it — with objective-mapped questions, immediate feedback in Learn mode, and full timed simulation in Exam mode.
Start 24-hour free trial →700-245 / 700-246 exam at a glance
- Vendor
- Cisco
- Current exam code
- 700-246 (CESPB)
- Superseded code
- 700-245 (ESPB) — the earlier code for this exam
- Full name
- Cisco Environmental Sustainability Practice-Building – Stage 2
- Track
- Cisco sales / specialist exam (partner enablement, not a CCNA–CCNP tier)
- Stage
- Stage 2 of two — Stage 1 is Environmental Sustainability Fundamentals (700-242 CESF)
- Earns
- Counts toward the Cisco Environmental Sustainability Specialization
- Duration
- 60 minutes
- Question count
- Cisco does not publish an official question count
- Exam sections & weights
- Cisco does not publish per-section percentage weights for this exam
- Passing score
- Cisco does not publish a fixed public cut score
- Language
- English
- Official course
- Stage 2: Partner Environmental Sustainability Fundamentals (Cisco Partner content)
Sources: Cisco — Environmental Sustainability Practice-Building Stage 2 (700-246 CESPB) · Cisco — Environmental Sustainability Fundamentals Stage 1 (700-242 CESF). Verify the current exam code and details with Cisco before scheduling.
About the Cisco environmental sustainability practice-building exam
This exam tests, in Cisco’s own framing, a candidate’s knowledge of building an environmental sustainability practice. It is a partner-enablement exam: the audience is people at Cisco partners who need to turn sustainability from a talking point into a repeatable business offering — with services, customer conversations, and measurable outcomes behind it. For how certification exams work generally, see the certification study guides in our Learning Hub.
It is the second of two stages. Stage 1 covers environmental sustainability fundamentals; Stage 2 — this exam — is about building the practice itself. Both count toward the Cisco Environmental Sustainability Specialization. PowerKram’s companion page for the Stage 1 overview exam is Environmental Sustainability Overview (700-240). If you are new to Cisco’s sales track generally, Introduction to Cisco Sales (700-150) is the foundational exam beneath all of these.
Every PowerKram practice question maps to a topic area the exam covers and links to Cisco’s own exam material, so a weak spot becomes a specific study step rather than a guess.
What this exam covers
An important note on weights: Cisco does not publish per-section percentage weights for this exam, nor an official question count or cut score, and the detailed exam-topics document sits behind Cisco Partner access rather than on the public web. This page therefore presents topic areas drawn from Cisco’s own description of the exam and the scope of the named official course — treat them as a study map, not as an official weighted blueprint. Third-party sites that publish precise topic counts or weightings for this exam are inferring them.
The business case for sustainability
Why customers are investing — regulation and reporting pressure, energy cost, corporate commitments, and stakeholder expectations — and how to articulate that case commercially.
Building the practice
Standing up a repeatable sustainability offering: defining the services, skills, and roles required, and moving from ad-hoc conversations to a structured practice.
Customer engagement on sustainability
Running the sustainability conversation — identifying the right stakeholders, discovering goals and reporting obligations, and handling scepticism about greenwashing.
Measurement and outcomes
Why measurable baselines matter, how energy and efficiency improvements are evidenced, and how outcomes are reported back to the customer.
Cisco’s role and portfolio fit
Where Cisco technology and services support a customer’s sustainability goals, and how to position that credibly without overstating it.
Specialization & programme context
How Stage 1 and Stage 2 fit together, and how the Cisco Environmental Sustainability Specialization sits within the partner programme.
Source: Cisco — Environmental Sustainability Practice-Building Stage 2 (700-246 CESPB). Cisco publishes the duration, language, and specialization for this exam but no weighted section breakdown; confirm current details before scheduling.
Who this exam is for
This is a partner and commercial exam rather than an engineering one:
- Cisco partner staff building a sustainability practice — practice leads, business development, and portfolio owners.
- Account managers and sales specialists who need to run credible sustainability conversations with customers.
- Pre-sales and consulting staff adding sustainability framing to existing solution conversations.
- Anyone pursuing the Cisco Environmental Sustainability Specialization, for which this is the Stage 2 exam.
Start with the Stage 1 companion, Environmental Sustainability Overview (700-240); build the underlying sales foundation with Introduction to Cisco Sales (700-150); or look at the midmarket motion in Small Business Sales (700-250). For adjacent customer-facing career paths, see the solution-architect track in our Career Hub.
What this practice exam delivers
Learn mode
Get the correct answer, the explanation, and a direct link to Cisco’s exam material — immediately after each question. Useful where several answers sound plausibly “green” but only one reflects a real practice-building step.
Exam mode
Timed, full-length simulation at the real 60-minute pace — shorter than most Cisco exams, so pacing practice matters.
Source-linked explanations
Every answer links to Cisco’s own exam material, so you can verify the exam’s current code, stage, and scope against the source.
Score by topic area
Because Cisco publishes no weighted sections, results break down by the topic areas above — so you can see whether the business case or the practice mechanics is the weaker half.
Sample practice questions
Ten free questions across the topic areas this exam covers, with full explanations and source links to Cisco’s exam material. The complete bank is available with the 24-hour trial.
Under Cisco’s current numbering, which code identifies the Environmental Sustainability Practice-Building Stage 2 exam?
- 700-246 CESPB
- 350-701 SCOR
- 200-301 CCNA
- 300-710 SNCF
Show answer & explanation
Correct: A. Cisco now publishes this exam as Environmental Sustainability Practice-Building – Stage 2 (700-246 CESPB), superseding the earlier 700-245 ESPB code. Registering under the current code matters when you book.
Why not the others: SCOR (B), CCNA (C), and SNCF (D) are technical career-certification exams in entirely different tracks — none is the sustainability practice-building exam.
Source: Cisco — Practice-Building Stage 2 (700-246 CESPB) → Further reading: PowerKram — Sustainability Overview (700-240) →How do the two Cisco environmental sustainability exams relate to each other?
- They are alternative versions of the same exam in different languages
- Stage 1 covers fundamentals and Stage 2 covers building the practice
- Stage 2 must be taken before Stage 1
- They belong to unrelated certification tracks
Show answer & explanation
Correct: B. Cisco structures the specialization in two stages: Stage 1 is Environmental Sustainability Fundamentals, and Stage 2 is Practice-Building. Both count toward the Cisco Environmental Sustainability Specialization.
Why not the others: they are distinct exams with different scope rather than language variants (A), the stage numbering indicates the intended order (C), and both sit inside the same specialization rather than unrelated tracks (D).
Source: Cisco — Sustainability Fundamentals Stage 1 (700-242 CESF) →A customer asks why they should invest in sustainability beyond good intentions. Which response best frames the business case?
- “It looks good in marketing material.”
- “Everyone else is doing it.”
- “It reduces energy cost, addresses reporting and regulatory obligations, and meets stakeholder expectations.”
- “It has no measurable business effect.”
Show answer & explanation
Correct: C. The credible case ties sustainability to concrete drivers — operating cost, compliance and reporting obligations, and stakeholder or customer expectations — which is exactly the framing a practice-building exam expects.
Why not the others: marketing appearance (A) and peer pressure (B) are not business cases and invite greenwashing accusations, and claiming no measurable effect (D) contradicts the premise of the practice.
Source: Cisco — Practice-Building Stage 2 (700-246 CESPB) → Further reading: PowerKram — Introduction to Cisco Sales (700-150) →What most distinguishes a genuine sustainability practice from occasional sustainability conversations?
- A repeatable offering with defined services, skills, and roles behind it
- Mentioning sustainability in every email signature
- A single enthusiastic employee
- A one-off customer webinar
Show answer & explanation
Correct: A. Practice-building means turning intent into something repeatable — defined services, the skills and roles to deliver them, and a way to take the same offering to the next customer. That structural shift is the subject of this exam.
Why not the others: email signatures (B), one motivated individual (C), and a single webinar (D) are gestures or one-offs that do not survive staff changes or scale to repeat business.
Source: Cisco — Practice-Building Stage 2 (700-246 CESPB) →Why should a sustainability engagement establish a measurable baseline before changes are made?
- Baselines are only needed for financial audits
- To delay the project
- Because Cisco requires it for licensing
- Without a starting measurement there is no way to evidence improvement afterwards
Show answer & explanation
Correct: D. A baseline is what makes the outcome provable — improvement claims are only credible against a measured starting point, which also protects the engagement from greenwashing criticism.
Why not the others: baselines are not limited to financial audit (A), the purpose is evidence rather than delay (B), and this is a measurement principle rather than a licensing requirement (C).
Source: Cisco — Practice-Building Stage 2 (700-246 CESPB) →Which stakeholder is increasingly central to enterprise sustainability purchasing decisions?
- The office cleaning contractor
- The executive accountable for sustainability or ESG reporting
- The building receptionist
- A temporary intern
Show answer & explanation
Correct: B. As reporting obligations have grown, an executive owner for sustainability or ESG reporting has become a real decision-influencer alongside IT — identifying and engaging that person early is a practice-building skill.
Why not the others: a cleaning contractor (A), receptionist (C), and intern (D) are not accountable for sustainability strategy or budget.
Source: Cisco — Practice-Building Stage 2 (700-246 CESPB) →A prospect suspects sustainability claims are just marketing. What is the strongest way to answer that objection?
- Repeat the marketing claims more forcefully
- Avoid the topic entirely
- Offer a discount instead
- Show measured baselines and reported outcomes from comparable engagements
Show answer & explanation
Correct: D. Scepticism about greenwashing is answered with evidence, not enthusiasm — measured baselines and reported outcomes turn a claim into something the customer can verify.
Why not the others: restating claims louder (A) reinforces the suspicion, avoiding the topic (B) concedes it, and discounting (C) answers a price objection rather than a credibility one.
Source: Cisco — Practice-Building Stage 2 (700-246 CESPB) → Further reading: PowerKram — Small Business Sales (700-250) →How should a partner position Cisco technology within a customer’s sustainability goals?
- As a guarantee that all environmental targets will be met
- As irrelevant to sustainability outcomes
- As one contributor — supporting efficiency and measurement — within the customer’s wider programme
- As a replacement for the customer’s own sustainability strategy
Show answer & explanation
Correct: C. Credible positioning is proportionate: technology supports efficiency and measurement but sits inside a broader customer programme. Overclaiming is precisely what triggers greenwashing scepticism.
Why not the others: guaranteeing all targets (A) and replacing the customer’s strategy (D) overstate the vendor’s role, while calling it irrelevant (B) understates a genuine contribution.
Source: Cisco — Practice-Building Stage 2 (700-246 CESPB) →How long is the Environmental Sustainability Practice-Building Stage 2 exam?
- 5 minutes
- 60 minutes
- 8 hours
- 2 days
Show answer & explanation
Correct: B. Cisco states the exam runs 60 minutes — shorter than most Cisco exams, so pacing matters. Note that Cisco publishes no official question count or fixed cut score for it.
Why not the others: 5 minutes (A) is far too short, and 8 hours (C) and 2 days (D) describe lab-format exams, which this is not.
Source: Cisco — Practice-Building Stage 2 (700-246 CESPB) →What is the official Cisco course aligned to this Stage 2 exam?
- Implementing Cisco Enterprise Network Core Technologies
- Cisco Certified Network Associate
- Stage 2: Partner Environmental Sustainability Fundamentals
- Securing Networks with Cisco Firewalls
Show answer & explanation
Correct: C. Cisco names “Stage 2: Partner Environmental Sustainability Fundamentals” as the official course for this exam; partners access the training content through Cisco’s partner channels.
Why not the others: ENCOR (A), CCNA (B), and SNCF (D) are technical networking and security courses unrelated to sustainability practice-building.
Source: Cisco — Practice-Building Stage 2 (700-246 CESPB) →Keep going: Learning & Career resources
This exam is Stage 2 of Cisco’s environmental sustainability specialization. Two PowerKram hubs back it.
Deep dive: the code change, the two stages, and how to prepare
The code change explained
If you have seen this exam referred to as 700-245 ESPB, that is the earlier code. Cisco now publishes it as 700-246 CESPB — Environmental Sustainability Practice-Building, Stage 2, and Cisco’s old exam URL redirects to the new page. The companion overview exam moved in the same renumbering, from 700-240 CESO to 700-242 CESF (Stage 1 Fundamentals). The subject matter did not change, so existing preparation still applies — but register under the current code. See the Stage 1 companion (700-240) →
Two stages, one specialization
Stage 1 establishes environmental sustainability fundamentals; Stage 2 is about building a practice around them. Both are 60-minute, English-language exams and both count toward the Cisco Environmental Sustainability Specialization. The progression mirrors how partners actually adopt sustainability — understand it first, then productise it. See Introduction to Cisco Sales (700-150) →
Preparing without a published blueprint
Cisco publishes no weighted section breakdown, no question count, and no cut score for this exam, and the detailed topic list is partner-gated. That changes how you prepare: rather than optimising against percentages, cover the breadth — the business case, the mechanics of building a repeatable offering, the customer conversation, measurement, and Cisco’s proportionate role. The official Stage 2 partner course is the natural starting point, and scenario practice is the best proxy for the exam’s judgement-style questions. Finish with a timed run at the 60-minute pace. See Small Business Sales (700-250) →
Frequently asked questions
Is this exam 700-245 or 700-246?
What does the exam cover?
What are the exam sections and weights?
How long is the exam, and how does it relate to Stage 1?
Is this a technical exam?
Start your free 24-hour practice trial
Full access to the question bank, both study modes, source-linked explanations, and score-by-topic-area across the full breadth of this exam. No credit card required.
Start free trial →