Palo Alto Networks, Inc.
Next-generation firewall and cloud security certifications spanning PAN-OS administration, Prisma Cloud and Cortex detection and response.
Palo Alto Networks organises certification around its product families: PAN-OS firewalls, Prisma for cloud security, and Cortex for detection and response. Each has an administrator-level and an engineer-level credential.
PCNSE is the flagship. It goes well beyond configuration into troubleshooting, high availability design and Panorama-managed deployments, and it is the credential most often named in firewall engineering job specifications.
Exams are relatively short — most run around 80 minutes — but question density is high and several items describe a packet flow you need to trace mentally through the PAN-OS processing order. Certifications are valid for two years.
Foundational1
Entry-level credentials that validate core concepts and vocabulary.
Associate4
Role-based credentials for practitioners with hands-on experience.
Professional11
Advanced credentials covering design, scale and trade-off decisions.
Filter by practice availability, category, level or exam code. Retired exams are hidden by default.
16 exams
The engineer-level PAN-OS exam: designing and deploying firewalls, Panorama-managed estates, high availability, advanced policy and decryption, and deep troubleshooting.
Day-to-day firewall administration on PAN-OS: security and NAT policy, App-ID, User-ID and Content-ID, security profiles, and monitoring traffic through the device.
Palo Alto Networks Certified Network Security Professional validates security administration, analysis and incident response. This practice bank contains 62 source-complete questions.
Palo Alto Networks XSIAM Engineer validates security administration, analysis and incident response. This practice bank contains 62 source-complete questions.
Cloud security posture and workload protection with Prisma Cloud: onboarding cloud accounts, policy and compliance, container and serverless defence, and integrating with CI/CD.
Palo Alto Networks Security Service Edge Engineer validates security administration, analysis and incident response. This practice bank contains 56 source-complete questions.
Palo Alto Networks Security Operations Professional validates security administration, analysis and incident response. This practice bank contains 35 source-complete questions.
Palo Alto Networks Network Security Architect validates security administration, analysis and incident response. This practice bank contains 24 source-complete questions.
Detection and response with Cortex XDR: threat prevention and detection concepts, investigating alerts and incidents, remediation actions, and tuning the platform to reduce noise.
Palo Alto Networks Certified Network Security Analyst validates security administration, analysis and incident response. This practice bank contains 21 source-complete questions.
Palo Alto Networks Certified XSIAM Analyst validates security administration, analysis and incident response. This practice bank contains 22 source-complete questions.
Palo Alto Networks SD-WAN Engineer validates security administration, analysis and incident response. This practice bank contains 19 source-complete questions.
Palo Alto Networks XSOAR Engineer validates security administration, analysis and incident response. This practice bank contains 13 source-complete questions.
An entry-level, largely vendor-neutral security exam: the threat landscape, network security fundamentals, cloud and SaaS security concepts, and security operations principles.
Engineering-level work on PAN-OS next-generation firewalls: deployment and interfaces, security and NAT policy, decryption, threat prevention, and management at scale with Panorama.
Deploying Palo Alto software firewalls in virtual and containerised environments: VM-Series and CN-Series design, cloud deployment, automation and licensing models.
How the Palo Alto Networks ladder is structured, from entry point to the top tier.
Entry-level credentials that validate core concepts and vocabulary.
Role-based credentials for practitioners with hands-on experience.
Advanced credentials covering design, scale and trade-off decisions.
Palo Alto Networks exams with an available question bank, shown with answer-support coverage.
Categories and topics that run through the Palo Alto Networks catalog.
Questions, answered
Clear answers about the exam, the study experience, and what to expect before you begin.
This directory currently lists 16 Palo Alto Networks exams across 3 levels (Foundational, Associate and Professional). Palo Alto Networks adds and retires exams regularly, so treat this as a working map rather than a permanent one.
Palo Alto Networks Certified Network Security Administrator is the usual starting point — it is the most widely taken associate-level exam in the Palo Alto Networks programme. Day-to-day firewall administration on PAN-OS: security and NAT policy, App-ID, User-ID and Content-ID, security profiles, and monitoring traffic through the device.
The best-known active options in this directory include Palo Alto Networks Certified Network Security Engineer, Palo Alto Networks Certified Network Security Administrator and Prisma Certified Cloud Security Engineer. Compare their levels, syllabus domains and role focus before choosing one.
Yes — 16 Palo Alto Networks exams have 2,023 practice questions in total. 943 questions currently carry an explanation.
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