A brief update, but the title says it all. The current blueprint (CCIE Collab v2) will become obsolete on Feb 23 2020. Version 3 comes into effect from Feb 24 2020.
Written Exam changes
As with all other CCIE Written exams, the CCIE Collab Written is no longer! To qualify for the Practical/Lab exam candidates will need to pass Implementing and Operating Cisco Collaboration Core Technologies (CLCOR 300-801) which is used as part of the CCNP Collab certification.
Lab exam changes
The v3.0 software/equipment list can be found here. In a nutshell the appliances have migrated from 12.0 to 12.5.
The exam topics have not changed too much and can be found here. We fully expect there to be more emphasis on automation and programmability throughout the journey.
The biggest change is the format of the exam. The current format of TS-DIAG-CONFIG has been replaced with a new format. There will be two modules.
Module 1 is the DESIGN module and is not hands-on. The candidate will have scenarios much like the diagnostic section in the current blueprint and will be expected to choose an answer (multi-choice) based on provided network designs, traces and other documentation. This module lasts 3 hours.
Module 2 is more in line with the current configuration section. There are a set of tasks that need to be completed with hands-on access to devices. This module lasts 5 hours.
As we get nearer to the time we will provide more updates of our plans and roadmap. For now our advice is if you have started preparation, try and complete CCIE Collabv2 this year (2019) before the changes. Obviously we will be creating preparation materials for CCIE Collab v3 but this will take a little time. The topics are not drastically different but nonetheless we will need to go back to the drawing board and have a new plan of attack.