F5 offers four certification tracks covering different job roles—Administration, Sales, Product Specialization, and Solutions Engineering. Choose the path that suits your needs and the depth of expertise required for your career or industry.
Certified Administrator (CA) Certified Technical Professional (CTP) Certified Technical Specialist (CTS) Certified Solution Expert (CSE)
SALES
202
CTP
BIG-IP
201
CA
NGINX
F5N
BIG-IP APM
304
BIG-IP ASM
303
BIG-IP DNS
302
BIG-IP LTM
A+B
301
CTS
CLOUD
402
SECURITY
401
CSE
101
EXAM 301A
PREQ: Valid passing score on Exam 101 or valid F5-CTP, Sales Certification
Successful completion of the NGINX exam series acknowledges the skills and understanding necessary for day-to-day management of the NGINX web server platform, as well as a familiarity with Linux commands. This certification is based on NGINX Open-Source Software (OSS). • NGINX Management • NGINX Configuration: Knowledge • NGINX Configuration: Demonstrate • NGINX Troubleshooting
EXAMS F5N1, F5N2, F5N3, F5N4
NGINX Administration
Register for the F5 Certified! NGINX Administrator Study Guide >
View study materials on AskF5 >
Every certification track begins here. Passing Exam 101—Application Delivery Fundamentals ensures that candidates have the skills and understanding necessary for day-to-day management of Application Delivery Networks (ADNs) and verifies the candidate has the necessary foundation to pursue all further certification tracks.
EXAM 101
Application Delivery Fundamentals
This is the second and final exam that must be completed successfully by candidates wishing to achieve F5 Certified! Administrator, BIG-IP status. Passing this exam shows independence in performing day-to-day operations and basic troubleshooting of TMOS-based devices in various application environments after it has been installed, configured, and implemented. Individuals may choose to complete their certification journey here or move on to pursue the Technical Professional, Technical Specialist, Cloud or Security Solutions certification tracks.
EXAM 201
TMOS Administration
This is the second and final exam required to be certified as an F5 Certified! Technical Professional in Sales. Passing this exam means completion of the Technical Professional Certification track. Candidates who pass the 202 Pre-Sales Fundamentals exam have demonstrated that they possess the skills and understanding to sell F5 products to a technical audience, while also displaying the ability to align F5 solution recommendations to client needs on a case-by-case basis, and in a manner that is sensitive to the specific requirements of a potential clients’ applications.
EXAM 202
Pre-Sales Fundamentals
PREQ: Valid passing score on Exam 101, or valid F5-CA, BIG-IP Certification
Prerequisites: Valid F5-CA, BIG-IP Certification
The F5 Certified! Technology Specialist, BIG-IP LTM certification consists of two exams, the first being Exam 301a - BIG-IP LTM Specialist: Architect, Setup, and Deploy. This exam serves as a prerequisite to Exam 301b. Candidates who pass this exam possess an understanding of underlying principles—from SSL-based VPN implementation to symmetric and asymmetric acceleration—and can draw on that insight to integrate BIG-IP LTM into existing networks as well as new implementations. Receiving the F5-CTS, BIG-IP LTM certification is a prerequisite for both the Cloud and Security Solutions Expert certification tracks.
BIG-IP LTM Specialist: Architect, Set up, and Deploy
Exam 301b - BIG-IP LTM Specialist: Maintain and Troubleshoot is the second exam candidates are required to pass in order to receive the F5 Certified! Technology Specialist, BIG-IP LTM certification. Passing this exam validates their ability to design, implement, maintain, and troubleshoot advanced F5 product features to enhance the effectiveness of an Application Delivery Network. In addition, it shows that a candidate understands underlying principles—from SSL-based VPN implementation to symmetric and asymmetric acceleration—and can draw on that insight to integrate BIG-IP LTM into existing networks as well as new implementations. Receiving the F5-CTS, BIG-IP LTM certification is a prerequisite for both the Cloud and Security Solutions Expert certification tracks.
EXAM 301B
BIG-IP LTM Specialist: Maintain and Troubleshoot
Prerequisites: Valid F5-CA, BIG-IP Certification, valid passing score on Exam 301a
The F5-CTS, BIG-IP LTM certification consists of two exams. Exam 301a serves as a prerequisite to Exam 301b. Candidates who pass understand the underlying principles—from SSL-based VPN implementation to symmetric / asymmetric acceleration—and can use that to integrate BIG-IP LTM into existing networks and new implementations. Receiving this certification is a prerequisite for the Cloud and Security Solutions Expert certifications.
PREQ: Valid F5-CA, BIG-IP Certification
View Exam 301B >
Passing Exam 301b validates a candidate’s ability to implement, maintain, and troubleshoot advanced F5 features to enhance Application Delivery Network effectiveness. It shows they grasp the underlying principles and can use them to integrate BIG-IP LTM into existing networks and new implementations. Receiving this certification is a prerequisite for the Cloud and Security Solutions Expert certifications.
PREQ: Valid F5-CA, BIG-IP Certification, and valid passing score on Exam 301a
View Exam 301A >
Candidates that pass Exam 302 will receive the F5 Certified! Technology Specialist, BIG-IP DNS certification. People with this certification have the fundamental knowledge necessary to be app delivery architects and engineers working with BIG-IP DNS, including the ability to understand the basic operation of the DNS protocol, deploy and test configurations, and troubleshoot and remedy common misconfigurations. These individuals can explain the capabilities of DNS services to deploy applications globally. Receiving the F5-CTS, BIG-IP DNS certification is a prerequisite for the Cloud Solutions Expert certification tracks.
EXAM 302
BIG-IP DNS Specialist
Upon passing Exam 303, candidates receive their F5 Certified! Technology Specialist, BIG-IP ASM certification. This certification verifies that a candidate is fully qualified to design, implement, and maintain BIG-IP ASM, integrating BIG-IP ASM with other platforms and products in a manner that is application-specific and appropriate to organizational policies, needs, and requirements. Receiving the F5-CTS, BIG-IP ASM certification is a prerequisite for the Security Solutions Expert certification track.
EXAM 303
BIG-IP ASM Specialist
In passing Exam 304, candidates receive the F5 Certified! Technology Specialist, Access Policy Manager certification. Individuals who receive this certification have demonstrated that they have the skills and understanding necessary for day-to-day management of Application Delivery Networks that incorporate technologies based on the TMOS operating system, and to implement, troubleshoot, and maintain BIG-IP APM in a variety of application environments, with special emphasis on different types of authentication, authorization, and accounting resources. Receiving the BIG-IP APM Specialist certification is a prerequisite for the Security Solutions Expert certification track.
EXAM 304
BIG-IP APM Specialist
Once passed, candidates receive the F5 Certified! Technology Specialist, APM certification. Individuals who receive this certification have demonstrated that they have the skills and understanding necessary for day-to-day management of Application Delivery Networks that incorporate technologies based on the TMOS operating system, and to implement, troubleshoot, and maintain BIG-IP APM in a variety of app environments, with an emphasis on different types of authentication, authorization, and accounting resources. The BIG-IP APM Specialist certification is a prerequisite for the Security Solutions Expert track.
Prerequisites: Valid F5-CA, BIG-IP; F5-CTS, BIG-IP LTM; F5-CTS, BIG-IP DNS; F5-CTS, BIG-IP ASM; and F5-CTS, BIG-IP APM Certifications
Individuals who pass Exam 401 receive the F5 Certified! Solutions Expert, Security certification. These individuals have completed the entire Security track, and, in doing so have demonstrated their expertise not only in designing security solutions leveraging BIG-IP LTM, BIG-IP DNS, BIG-IP ASM, BIG-IP APM, BIG-IP Application Firewall Manager (AFM), BIG-IQ modules, IP Intelligence Services, WebSafe, and MobileSafe, but also in articulating the logic behind their designs, and aligning those designs with technical, security, and other requirements.
EXAM 401
Security Solutions
PREQ: Valid F5-CA, BIG-IP; F5-CTS, BIG-IP LTM; F5-CTS, F5-CTS, BIG-IP ASM; and F5-CTS, BIG-IP APM Certifications
Prerequisites: Valid F5-CA, BIG-IP; F5-CTS, BIG-IP LTM; and F5-CTS, BIG-IP DNS Certifications
Candidates who pass Exam 402 receive the F5 Certified! Solutions Expert, Cloud certification. These individuals have completed the entire Cloud track, and, in doing so have demonstrated that they possess the skills and understanding to identify business requirements for cloud solutions and translate those business needs into technical requirements. F5 Certified! Cloud Solution Experts also have the ability to develop and communicate the value of a solution that meets these technical requirements, integrating across multiple components to create an optimized cloud solution.
EXAM 402
Cloud Solutions
PREQ: Valid F5-CA, BIG-IP; F5-CTS, BIG-IP LTM; and F5-CTS, BIG-IP DNS Certifications
The F5 Certified! Administrator (F5-CA) designation is applied to individuals who possess knowledge and understanding of the concepts and technology-standards applicable to the day-to-day operations of F5 products in diverse environments. Designed for operational roles, these individuals have a basic understanding of the fundamental concepts, configurations, and processes necessary to maintain a healthy installation, identify aberrant behavior, and provide basic fault isolation to assist senior engineers in correcting malfunctions. The F5-CA is available in a specialization for F5 BIG-IP devices. Exams required for BIG-IP track: 101, 201
Administrator Tracks
This certification level demonstrates that candidates have the expertise to handle day-to-day management of an F5 system and serves as the foundation for further technical certifications.
CERTIFIED ADMINISTRATOR (F5-CA)
This certification demonstrates that candidates can handle day-to-day management of F5 systems and serves as the foundation for further technical certifications.
The F5-CA designation is applied to candidates that understand the concepts and technology applicable to running F5 products. Designed for operational roles, these individuals have a basic understanding of the concepts, configurations, and processes necessary to maintain a healthy installation, identify issues, and provide basic fault isolation to assist others in correcting malfunctions5 BIG-IP devices.
Exams required for Sales track: 101, 202
The F5 Certified! Technical Professional (F5-CTP) designation is applied to individuals who have mastered skills ancillary to the F5 product portfolio. The F5-CTP was designed to validate job roles supporting the F5 ecosystem extending beyond specific products or solutions. The F5-CTP is available in a specialization for technical sales. Exams required for Sales track: 101, 202
Technical Professional Tracks
This certification track allows candidates to develop their technical expertise, making it easier for them to match F5 products to potential clients’ needs.
CERTIFIED TECHNICAL PROFESSIONAL (F5-CTP)
The F5 Certified! Technical Professional (F5-CTP) designation is applied to individuals who have mastered skills ancillary to the F5 product portfolio. The F5-CTP was designed to validate job roles supporting the F5 ecosystem extending beyond specific products or solutions. The F5-CTP is available in a specialization for technical sales.
The F5 Certified! Technical Specialist (F5-CTS) designation is applied to individuals qualified to design, implement, maintain, and troubleshoot advanced F5 product features enhancing the effectiveness of an application delivery network. They also deeply understand the underlying principles and technologies sufficient to integrate with other platforms and products, compromising a complete enterprise application delivery solution. The F5-CTS is available with specializations for BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM), BIG-IP DNS, BIG-IP Application Security Manager (ASM), and BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM). Exams required for BIG-IP LTM track: 101, 201, 301a, 301b Exams required for BIG-IP DNS track: 101, 201, 302 Exams required for BIG-IP ASM track: 101, 201, 303 Exams required for BIG-IP APM track: 101, 201, 304
Technical Specialist Tracks
Most F5 certification candidates choose to pursue the rank of F5 Certified! Technical Specialist. At this level, candidates can opt for one or more of the following areas of specialization: BIG-IP LTM, BIG-IP DNS, BIG-IP ASM, and BIG-IP APM.
CERTIFIED TECHNICAL SPECIALIST (F5-CTS)
Most F5 certification candidates choose to pursue the rank of F5 Certified! Technical Specialist.
The F5-CTS designation is for individuals qualified to implement, maintain, and troubleshoot advanced F5 product features. They also understand the technologies sufficient to integrate with other platforms/products, creating a complete enterprise application delivery solution. Candidates can specialize in BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM), BIG-IP DNS, BIG-IP Application Security Manager (ASM), and BIG-IP Access Policy Manager (APM).
The F5 Certified! Solutions Expert (F5-CSE) designation is applied to individuals qualified to architect large-scale solutions, engaging in multiple job functions with sufficient levels of knowledge across a range of products and solutions focusing on the integration of multiple components into optimal solutions. An F5-CSE demonstrates the competence to architect, design, and troubleshoot complex solutions incorporating both F5 and non-F5 products to achieve business and technical requirements. The F5-CSE certification is available with specializations for Security and Cloud. Exams required for Security track: 101, 201, 301a, 301b, 302, 303, 304, 401 Exams required for Cloud track: 101, 201, 301a, 301b, 302, 402
Solution Expert Tracks
The Certified Solution Expert is the highest level of certification currently offered via the F5 Certification Program. Candidates pursuing this level of certification can choose between two tracks—Cloud and Security.
CERTIFIED SOLUTION EXPERT (F5-CSE)
The Certified Solution Expert is the highest level of certification currently offered.
The F5-CSE designation is applied to individuals qualified to architect large-scale solutions, engaging in multiple job functions with knowledge across a range of products and solutions focusing on the integration of multiple components into optimal solutions. An F5-CSE can architect, design, and troubleshoot complex solutions incorporating both F5 and non-F5 products. The F5-CSE certification is available with specializations for Security and Cloud.
