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Certification Exam Preparation Resources

A structured place to understand what each certification exam covers, which knowledge areas matter, and how to approach study with a realistic plan. Browse by category, search by exam code or topic, and follow a preparation method built on understanding rather than memorising.

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Exam library

Browse certification exams by category

Every exam below includes a short subject summary, four key knowledge areas and a study approach suited to that topic. Use the filters or the search field to narrow the list.

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Business Applications

2 exams in this category

AB-100 Microsoft

AB-100 Business Applications

Introduces business application concepts, data driven processes, platform roles, licensing awareness and how connected modules support sales, service and operational teams.

Key knowledge areas
  • Business apps
  • Process automation
  • Platform roles
  • Data flow
Study approach

Map each module to the business problem it solves, then explore a trial environment so the terminology connects to screens you have actually used.

AB-620 Microsoft

AB-620 Business Applications Specialist

Focuses on specialist level business application tasks, configuration choices, data management, automation of common processes and reporting for operational teams.

Key knowledge areas
  • Configuration
  • Automation
  • Data management
  • Reporting
Study approach

Configure a sample environment repeatedly, automate one process end to end, and compare your design against documented guidance for the same task.

Business and Management

13 exams in this category

L4M1 CIPS

Scope and Influence of Procurement

Explores the role of procurement and supply within organisations, stakeholder influence, added value, ethical sourcing principles and the structure of buying activity.

Key knowledge areas
  • Procurement role
  • Stakeholders
  • Added value
  • Ethical sourcing
Study approach

Learn definitions precisely, then explain each concept using an organisation you know well so written answers stay specific rather than abstract.

H19-308_V4.0 Huawei

Huawei Storage Solution Specialist

Focuses on storage solution positioning, product families, customer requirement analysis, competitive differentiation and the consultative conversation around enterprise storage investment.

Key knowledge areas
  • Storage solutions
  • Product families
  • Requirements
  • Solution selling
Study approach

Summarise each product family on a single card, then rehearse matching a customer requirement to a solution and justifying the choice briefly.

L5M5 CIPS

Managing Supply Chain Risk

Explores supply chain risk identification, assessment methods, mitigation planning, contingency arrangements, supplier resilience and governance of risk across sourcing activity.

Key knowledge areas
  • Risk assessment
  • Mitigation
  • Supplier resilience
  • Contingency
Study approach

Build a risk register for a familiar supply chain, score each item, then justify mitigation choices in short structured written answers.

TM12 Professional Body

TM12 Professional Certification

Assesses applied professional knowledge, structured working methods, documentation standards, stakeholder communication and the practical judgement expected in a specialist role.

Key knowledge areas
  • Applied knowledge
  • Working methods
  • Documentation
  • Communication
Study approach

Review the published syllabus closely, build summary notes for each topic area, and practise applied scenarios rather than memorising isolated definitions.

700-905 Cisco

Cisco Solutions Specialist

Covers solution positioning, customer requirement discovery, technology value conversations, deployment considerations and the matching of platform capabilities to stated business outcomes.

Key knowledge areas
  • Solution positioning
  • Requirements
  • Business value
  • Deployment
Study approach

Prepare short talk tracks for each solution area, practise linking a customer need to a capability, and review common objection responses.

APSCE Professional Body

APSCE Professional Certification

Assesses professional service delivery, customer engagement practices, process discipline, quality expectations and structured problem solving within a specialist professional environment.

Key knowledge areas
  • Service delivery
  • Customer engagement
  • Process discipline
  • Problem solving
Study approach

Study the official outline section by section, write short summaries in your own words, and test yourself with applied workplace scenarios.

Global-Economics-for-Managers Business School Body

Global Economics for Managers

Explores macroeconomic indicators, trade and exchange rates, monetary and fiscal policy, market structures and the economic context behind managerial decisions.

Key knowledge areas
  • Macroeconomics
  • Trade
  • Monetary policy
  • Market structure
Study approach

Follow current economic news weekly, explain each event using a model you studied, and practise short written analysis with clear reasoning.

C3E Professional Body

C3E Professional Certification

Assesses applied professional competence, structured analysis, ethical practice, documentation quality and the sound decision making expected from an experienced working practitioner.

Key knowledge areas
  • Professional practice
  • Analysis
  • Ethics
  • Decision making
Study approach

Work through the published outline methodically, build concise topic summaries, and rehearse scenario questions that require reasoning rather than recall.

Sales-Admn-202 Professional Body

Sales Administration

Covers sales operations support, order and account administration, reporting, pipeline data quality, customer communication and coordination between sales and delivery teams.

Key knowledge areas
  • Sales operations
  • Order handling
  • Reporting
  • Data quality
Study approach

Map a complete order process from enquiry to fulfilment, then study the reporting and data checks that keep each stage accurate.

Sales-101 Professional Body

Sales Fundamentals

Introduces selling fundamentals, prospecting, needs discovery, value communication, objection handling, negotiation basics and the work of managing a healthy opportunity pipeline.

Key knowledge areas
  • Prospecting
  • Needs discovery
  • Objection handling
  • Pipeline
Study approach

Practise discovery questions with a colleague, record short value statements, and review each stage of a real opportunity against the method.

C130 Professional Body

C130 Professional Certification

Assesses core professional knowledge, standard procedures, applied analysis, safety or quality awareness and the practical judgement needed in a specialist working role.

Key knowledge areas
  • Core knowledge
  • Procedures
  • Applied analysis
  • Judgement
Study approach

Study the official outline in order, create summary notes per topic, and test recall with applied questions instead of passive rereading.

MCE Professional Body

MCE Professional Certification

Assesses applied expertise, planning and delivery methods, stakeholder collaboration, quality standards and the structured decision making expected of experienced practitioners.

Key knowledge areas
  • Applied expertise
  • Planning
  • Collaboration
  • Quality standards
Study approach

Break the syllabus into weekly topics, summarise each in your own words, and rehearse scenario questions that mirror real responsibilities.

700-150 Cisco

Introduction to Cisco Sales

Introduces the technology portfolio, customer outcome conversations, basic solution awareness, buying roles and the positioning of products against the most common business requirements.

Key knowledge areas
  • Portfolio awareness
  • Customer outcomes
  • Solution basics
  • Positioning
Study approach

Learn the portfolio structure first, then rehearse one short outcome focused summary for every solution area until explanations feel natural.

Cloud Computing

3 exams in this category

Cloud-Digital-Leader Google Cloud

Cloud Digital Leader

Explains cloud value, digital transformation, core infrastructure, data services, artificial intelligence offerings and security concepts from a business and decision making perspective.

Key knowledge areas
  • Cloud basics
  • Digital strategy
  • Data services
  • Cloud security
Study approach

Learn the purpose of each service family rather than deep configuration, then connect every concept to a realistic business outcome or use case.

NCP-CN Nutanix

Certified Professional Cloud Native

Focuses on container platforms, Kubernetes operations, persistent storage for workloads, cluster lifecycle management and running cloud native applications on managed infrastructure.

Key knowledge areas
  • Kubernetes
  • Containers
  • Persistent storage
  • Cluster lifecycle
Study approach

Deploy sample workloads to a cluster, attach persistent storage, then practise upgrades and recovery tasks until the sequence is familiar.

Professional-Cloud-Developer Google Cloud

Professional Cloud Developer

Addresses designing, building and deploying cloud applications, managed services, containers, storage choices, observability and the secure integration between separate application components.

Key knowledge areas
  • Application design
  • Containers
  • Managed services
  • Observability
Study approach

Deploy one application using two different compute options, compare operational effort, then add logging, tracing and simple health checks.

Data and Artificial Intelligence

5 exams in this category

QREP Qlik

Qlik Replicate Certification

Focuses on data replication concepts, source and target endpoint configuration, change data capture behaviour, task monitoring and troubleshooting of replication pipelines.

Key knowledge areas
  • Change data capture
  • Endpoints
  • Task monitoring
  • Data pipelines
Study approach

Build small replication tasks between sample databases, observe change capture in action, then review logs and monitoring views until the behaviour feels predictable.

Databricks-Generative-AI-Engineer-Associate Databricks

Generative AI Engineer Associate

Focuses on building generative solutions, retrieval augmented pipelines, prompt design, model serving, evaluation methods and governance considerations within a unified data platform.

Key knowledge areas
  • Retrieval augmentation
  • Prompt design
  • Model serving
  • Evaluation
Study approach

Build one retrieval pipeline end to end, measure answer quality with simple metrics, and review how deployment and governance options change the design.

Agentforce-Specialist Salesforce

Agentforce Specialist

Covers configuring assistive agents, grounding responses in trusted data, defining actions and topics, testing agent behaviour and applying guardrails for safe deployment.

Key knowledge areas
  • Agent configuration
  • Data grounding
  • Actions
  • Guardrails
Study approach

Create a small agent, give it a narrow task, test unexpected prompts and refine instructions until the behaviour stays predictable and safe.

1Z0-1110-25 Oracle

OCI Data Science Professional

Covers data science workflows on cloud infrastructure, notebook sessions, model training and deployment, pipelines, model governance and monitoring of deployed models.

Key knowledge areas
  • Notebook sessions
  • Model training
  • Deployment
  • Model governance
Study approach

Train and deploy one small model in the console, then repeat the workflow through the software development kit to reinforce each step.

H13-723_V2.0 Huawei

Big Data Certification

Focuses on distributed storage and processing, cluster components, data ingestion, query engines, resource scheduling and administration of big data platforms.

Key knowledge areas
  • Distributed storage
  • Cluster components
  • Data ingestion
  • Query engines
Study approach

Install a small cluster or use a sandbox, run ingestion and query jobs, then study how each component handles failure and scaling.

Databases

2 exams in this category

1Z0-908 Oracle

MySQL Database Administrator

Covers MySQL installation, configuration, user security, backup and recovery, replication topologies, performance tuning and the monitoring of busy production database instances.

Key knowledge areas
  • Backup recovery
  • Replication
  • Performance tuning
  • User security
Study approach

Install a local server, break and restore it from backup, configure replication between two instances and review slow query output carefully.

C100DBA MongoDB

MongoDB Database Administrator

Addresses document database administration, replica sets, sharding, indexing strategy, backup and restore procedures, security settings and ongoing performance monitoring of deployments.

Key knowledge areas
  • Replica sets
  • Sharding
  • Indexing
  • Backup restore
Study approach

Run a local replica set, force a failover, add an index to a slow query and measure the difference it makes.

Design and User Experience

2 exams in this category

IDFX CIDQ

Interior Design Fundamentals

Covers design fundamentals, building systems awareness, construction standards, human factors, codes and the technical knowledge supporting early interior design practice.

Key knowledge areas
  • Design principles
  • Building systems
  • Codes
  • Human factors
Study approach

Study drawings and codes together, sketch typical details from memory, and practise calculation questions with careful attention to units.

CPUX-F UXQB

Certified Usability Professional Foundation

Covers human centred design processes, context of use, usability requirements, prototyping, usability testing methods and core ergonomic principles for interactive systems.

Key knowledge areas
  • Human centred design
  • Usability testing
  • Prototyping
  • Context of use
Study approach

Learn the official definitions exactly, run one small usability test, and practise describing findings using the standard vocabulary.

Enterprise Platforms

8 exams in this category

PEGACPDC25V1 Pegasystems

Certified Pega Decisioning Consultant

Covers next best action strategy, decision logic, customer engagement design, arbitration concepts, simulation testing and measurement of decisioning outcomes in Pega applications.

Key knowledge areas
  • Next best action
  • Decision strategy
  • Arbitration
  • Simulation
Study approach

Build a simple decision strategy, run simulations and compare outcomes, then explain in writing why arbitration chose each proposed action.

1Z0-1055-25 Oracle

Financials Cloud Payables Implementation

Addresses payables implementation topics such as supplier setup, invoice processing, payment configuration, approval workflows, accounting entries and period close activities.

Key knowledge areas
  • Supplier setup
  • Invoice processing
  • Payments
  • Period close
Study approach

Follow the invoice to payment journey inside a trial environment, noting every setup that influenced the result, then repeat without the guide.

B2C-Solution-Architect Salesforce

B2C Solution Architect

Covers multi cloud solution design for consumer experiences, data modelling across clouds, identity resolution, integration patterns and governance of cross cloud implementations.

Key knowledge areas
  • Multi cloud design
  • Data modelling
  • Identity
  • Integration
Study approach

Sketch integration diagrams for sample retail scenarios, decide where each data object lives, and defend the trade offs you selected.

Energy-and-Utilities-Cloud Salesforce

Energy and Utilities Cloud

Covers industry specific data models, customer and asset management for utilities, service processes, contract handling and configuration of energy sector cloud capabilities.

Key knowledge areas
  • Industry data model
  • Asset management
  • Service processes
  • Contracts
Study approach

Study the industry data model first, then model a sample customer and asset relationship before exploring the processes built on top of it.

B2B-Solution-Architect Salesforce

B2B Solution Architect

Covers architecture for business to business revenue processes, quoting and ordering flows, data integration, governance and designing solutions across connected clouds.

Key knowledge areas
  • Revenue processes
  • Quote to cash
  • Integration
  • Architecture
Study approach

Trace a quote to cash flow across systems, document every handover point, and review integration patterns that keep data consistent.

N16599GC10 Oracle

N16599GC10 Technology Course Exam

Covers the applied platform knowledge delivered in the related training course, including configuration tasks, administration concepts and supported operational procedures.

Key knowledge areas
  • Configuration
  • Administration
  • Platform tasks
  • Operations
Study approach

Repeat the course exercises without instructions, note every step you forget, and review the related documentation sections for those gaps.

PEGACPSSA23V1 Pegasystems

Certified Senior System Architect

Addresses advanced application design, case management, data integration, security models, performance tuning and governance of enterprise applications built on Pega.

Key knowledge areas
  • Case management
  • Application design
  • Integration
  • Security model
Study approach

Build a multi stage case application, review guardrail warnings honestly, and study how reuse and inheritance shape maintainable designs.

CAD ServiceNow

Certified Application Developer

Covers scoped application development, data model design, forms and user interface configuration, scripting, access control and the wider application lifecycle management process.

Key knowledge areas
  • Scoped apps
  • Data model
  • Scripting
  • Access control
Study approach

Build a small scoped application end to end, apply access controls deliberately, and review scripting best practice against your own code.

Finance and Accounting

7 exams in this category

201CFA-Level-III CFA Program

CFA Level III Preparation

Centres on portfolio management, asset allocation, wealth planning, risk considerations and the application of investment theory to realistic client situations and constructed responses.

Key knowledge areas
  • Portfolio management
  • Asset allocation
  • Wealth planning
  • Risk analysis
Study approach

Practise written answers under timed conditions, justify every recommendation briefly, and review curriculum readings for the reasoning rather than isolated formulas.

CFA-001 GAQM

Certified Forensic Accountant

Covers forensic accounting methods, fraud indicators, investigative documentation, financial statement analysis, interviewing considerations and reporting findings for legal or internal review.

Key knowledge areas
  • Fraud detection
  • Financial analysis
  • Investigation
  • Reporting
Study approach

Study real case summaries, list the red flags that appeared first, and practise writing short structured findings that separate evidence from opinion.

Financial-Management Professional Body

Financial Management Certification

Covers financial planning, budgeting, capital structure, investment appraisal, working capital control and the interpretation of statements for management decision making.

Key knowledge areas
  • Budgeting
  • Investment appraisal
  • Working capital
  • Financial analysis
Study approach

Rework appraisal calculations until the method is automatic, then explain results as advice to a manager rather than as numbers alone.

2016-FRR GARP

Financial Risk and Regulation

Explores financial risk categories, regulatory frameworks, capital requirements, governance expectations and how institutions measure and report exposure to supervisory bodies.

Key knowledge areas
  • Risk categories
  • Regulation
  • Capital rules
  • Governance
Study approach

Summarise each regulation in one sentence, then connect it to the risk it controls so recall during questions stays quick and structured.

Accounting-for-Decision-Makers Professional Body

Accounting for Decision Makers

Explores management accounting for non specialists, cost behaviour, budgeting, variance analysis, statement interpretation and using financial information to support operational choices.

Key knowledge areas
  • Cost behaviour
  • Budgeting
  • Variance analysis
  • Decision support
Study approach

Practise reading statements aloud and stating what each figure means for a manager, then rework cost and variance examples until confident.

CPA-Regulation AICPA

CPA Regulation Section

Focuses on taxation of individuals and entities, business law, professional ethics, federal procedures and the responsibilities of practitioners in regulated financial work.

Key knowledge areas
  • Taxation
  • Business law
  • Ethics
  • Federal procedure
Study approach

Work tax computations repeatedly, keep a one page summary of thresholds and rules, and review ethics scenarios with careful reasoning.

CFE ACFE

Certified Fraud Examiner

Covers fraud prevention and deterrence, financial transaction schemes, investigation techniques, interviewing practice and the legal elements that surround professional fraud examination work.

Key knowledge areas
  • Fraud schemes
  • Investigation
  • Law
  • Prevention
Study approach

Study one section at a time, memorise scheme categories with examples, and practise applying legal principles to short investigative scenarios.

Governance and Privacy

1 exam in this category

DCPLA DSCI

Certified Privacy Lead Assessor

Focuses on privacy frameworks, assessment methodology, personal data handling, control evaluation, evidence gathering and reporting privacy maturity across an organisation.

Key knowledge areas
  • Privacy framework
  • Assessment method
  • Data protection
  • Controls
Study approach

Walk through a mock assessment, map controls to evidence you could realistically collect, and rehearse concise findings with clear recommendations.

Healthcare

4 exams in this category

RHIA AHIMA

Registered Health Information Administrator

Covers health data governance, clinical records management, privacy regulations, coding oversight, information systems and leadership duties within healthcare information departments.

Key knowledge areas
  • Health records
  • Data governance
  • Privacy rules
  • Health informatics
Study approach

Group study by domain, connect privacy rules to daily record handling, and use scenario questions to practise administrative judgement rather than recall alone.

Phlebotomy-Technician Healthcare Body

Phlebotomy Technician Certification

Covers venipuncture technique, specimen collection and labelling, patient identification, infection control, equipment handling and safety practices used in clinical laboratory settings.

Key knowledge areas
  • Venipuncture
  • Specimen handling
  • Infection control
  • Patient safety
Study approach

Rehearse the full collection sequence out loud, memorise order of draw with colour cues, and review safety procedures until each step is automatic.

CHA Healthcare Body

Certified Healthcare Administrator

Addresses healthcare administration topics such as operations, regulatory compliance, quality of care, financial stewardship, staffing and patient focused service management.

Key knowledge areas
  • Operations
  • Compliance
  • Quality of care
  • Staff management
Study approach

Study by functional area, link each regulation to its practical effect on daily operations, and practise judgement based scenario questions regularly.

PT-AM-CPE Professional Body

PT-AM-CPE Professional Examination

Covers applied clinical and professional knowledge, patient centred practice, documentation standards, ethical duties and the continuing competence expectations placed on working practitioners.

Key knowledge areas
  • Clinical practice
  • Patient care
  • Documentation
  • Professional ethics
Study approach

Revisit core clinical concepts, review case based questions in short sessions, and track which topic areas repeatedly cause mistakes.

IT Operations and Systems

1 exam in this category

LCP-001 GAQM

Linux Certified Professional

Covers everyday Linux administration topics such as shell usage, file permissions, package handling, process control, networking basics and routine system maintenance tasks.

Key knowledge areas
  • Shell commands
  • File permissions
  • Package management
  • System services
Study approach

Work inside a real or virtual Linux machine daily, repeat core commands from memory, read manual pages and keep a personal command notebook.

IT Service Management

4 exams in this category

CIS-SAM ServiceNow

Software Asset Management

Addresses software asset lifecycle, licence models, entitlement management, reconciliation, compliance reporting and the data quality needed for reliable asset decisions.

Key knowledge areas
  • Licence models
  • Entitlements
  • Reconciliation
  • Compliance
Study approach

Follow one licence from purchase to reclamation inside a developer instance, noting which records and imports support each stage.

CIS-EM ServiceNow

Event Management

Covers event ingestion, alert correlation, service health monitoring, connector configuration, remediation actions and the reduction of alert noise across monitored infrastructure.

Key knowledge areas
  • Event ingestion
  • Alert correlation
  • Service health
  • Remediation
Study approach

Generate sample events in a developer instance, tune correlation rules, and observe how alert noise falls as grouping improves.

SD0-401 SDI

Service Desk Analyst

Covers service desk operations, incident logging, customer communication skills, prioritisation, escalation practice and the service quality measures used in busy support environments.

Key knowledge areas
  • Incident handling
  • Customer service
  • Prioritisation
  • Escalation
Study approach

Rehearse call handling language, practise prioritising mixed incident queues, and review how published service measures change everyday support behaviour.

ITIL-4-BRM PeopleCert

ITIL 4 Business Relationship Management

Covers relationship management practice, stakeholder engagement, value co creation, demand understanding, service communication and aligning service delivery with business expectations.

Key knowledge areas
  • Stakeholder engagement
  • Value co creation
  • Demand
  • Service alignment
Study approach

Study the practice guidance alongside a real stakeholder relationship you know, then rehearse how value and demand would be discussed.

Networking and Security

19 exams in this category

HPE6-A78 HPE Aruba

Aruba Certified Network Security Associate

Addresses network security foundations for Aruba environments, including access control, authentication services, secure wireless design, monitoring and common threat mitigation methods.

Key knowledge areas
  • Access control
  • Authentication
  • Secure wireless
  • Threat defence
Study approach

Study authentication flows step by step, diagram how a client joins a secured network, and practise policy configuration in a lab or simulator.

F5CAB4 F5

F5 Certified Administrator

Examines BIG-IP administration topics including traffic management objects, virtual servers, pools, health monitors, profiles and everyday troubleshooting of application delivery.

Key knowledge areas
  • Traffic management
  • Virtual servers
  • Health monitors
  • Troubleshooting
Study approach

Trace a request through virtual servers, pools and monitors until the path is clear, then rebuild the same configuration from scratch in a lab.

GCFR GIAC

GIAC Cloud Forensics Responder

Addresses cloud incident response, log acquisition across major providers, identity artefacts, evidence preservation and analysis techniques for investigations in distributed environments.

Key knowledge areas
  • Cloud forensics
  • Log analysis
  • Incident response
  • Evidence handling
Study approach

Collect sample cloud logs, build an indexed reference of artefact locations, and practise timeline reconstruction so searching stays fast during the exam.

1Y0-241 Citrix

Citrix ADC Application Delivery

Covers application delivery and load balancing concepts, traffic policies, secure access configuration, certificate handling and troubleshooting of published application traffic.

Key knowledge areas
  • Load balancing
  • Traffic policies
  • Secure access
  • Certificates
Study approach

Configure load balancing and policies in a lab, break one setting at a time, then diagnose the fault to build real troubleshooting instinct.

NetSec-Analyst Palo Alto Networks

Network Security Analyst

Addresses security policy analysis, threat prevention features, traffic inspection, logging and reporting, and the daily analytical work of monitoring a protected network.

Key knowledge areas
  • Security policy
  • Threat prevention
  • Traffic inspection
  • Log review
Study approach

Review sample traffic logs regularly, write short incident summaries, and relate every detection feature to the attack behaviour it is meant to catch.

300-540 Cisco

Designing and Implementing Cisco SD-WAN

Addresses software defined wide area network design, overlay routing, policy configuration, security integration and operational troubleshooting of distributed branch connectivity.

Key knowledge areas
  • SD-WAN design
  • Overlay routing
  • Policies
  • Troubleshooting
Study approach

Draw the control and data plane relationships from memory, then build overlay policies in a simulator and verify the resulting traffic paths.

300-445 Cisco

Designing and Implementing Network Assurance

Covers network assurance concepts, telemetry collection, flow and packet analysis, monitoring design, baselines and data driven troubleshooting of enterprise networks.

Key knowledge areas
  • Telemetry
  • Flow analysis
  • Monitoring design
  • Baselines
Study approach

Capture telemetry from a lab network, build a baseline, then introduce a fault and practise locating it using collected data only.

200-201 Cisco

Understanding Cisco Cybersecurity Operations

Covers security monitoring concepts, host and network analysis, intrusion detection, incident handling procedures and the daily work performed inside a security operations centre.

Key knowledge areas
  • Security monitoring
  • Network analysis
  • Intrusion detection
  • Incident handling
Study approach

Analyse sample packet captures and alerts, learn the attack terminology precisely, and rehearse the incident handling stages in order.

300-635 Cisco

Automating Cisco Data Center Solutions

Covers data centre automation, programmability concepts, application programming interfaces, scripting with Python, configuration management tools and the design of automated operational workflows.

Key knowledge areas
  • Automation
  • APIs
  • Python scripting
  • Programmability
Study approach

Write small scripts that query device interfaces, then extend them into a repeatable task so automation concepts become practical rather than theoretical.

H35-481_V2.0 Huawei

5G Radio Access Network

Addresses mobile radio access principles, 5G architecture, air interface concepts, network planning, parameter configuration and the optimisation of live radio performance.

Key knowledge areas
  • 5G architecture
  • Radio access
  • Network planning
  • Optimisation
Study approach

Learn the architecture diagram thoroughly, then study each optimisation parameter together with the performance symptom it is meant to improve.

PSE-SASE Palo Alto Networks

Systems Engineer SASE

Covers secure access service edge concepts, cloud delivered security, secure remote connectivity, policy consistency and designing protection for distributed users and branches.

Key knowledge areas
  • SASE concepts
  • Cloud security
  • Remote access
  • Policy design
Study approach

Diagram how a remote user reaches an application through each security service, then explain which control applies at every stage.

ZDTA Zscaler

Zscaler Digital Transformation Administrator

Focuses on zero trust access concepts, secure internet and private application access, policy configuration, traffic forwarding methods and administration of cloud security services.

Key knowledge areas
  • Zero trust
  • Access policy
  • Traffic forwarding
  • Administration
Study approach

Study traffic forwarding options side by side, build access policies for sample user groups, and review logs to confirm policy results.

300-430 Cisco

Implementing Cisco Enterprise Wireless Networks

Addresses wireless network implementation, controller configuration, radio frequency design, client connectivity, secure authentication and the troubleshooting of large enterprise wireless deployments.

Key knowledge areas
  • Wireless design
  • Controllers
  • RF concepts
  • Client troubleshooting
Study approach

Study radio frequency behaviour before configuration, then practise controller settings and client troubleshooting using a lab or simulator.

H35-210_V2.5 Huawei

Access Network Certification

Focuses on fixed access network technologies, optical access architecture, equipment configuration, service provisioning and the maintenance of subscriber access network infrastructure.

Key knowledge areas
  • Optical access
  • Architecture
  • Provisioning
  • Maintenance
Study approach

Learn the access architecture diagram first, then study provisioning steps and common faults together so troubleshooting questions feel familiar.

PAM-SEN CyberArk

Privileged Access Management Sentry

Covers privileged access deployment, vault components, session management, credential rotation, high availability considerations and the secure daily administration of privileged accounts.

Key knowledge areas
  • Privileged access
  • Vault components
  • Session management
  • Credential rotation
Study approach

Study the component architecture carefully, then walk through a deployment checklist and explain the purpose of every service involved.

100-101 Cisco

Entry Level Networking

Covers networking fundamentals, addressing, switching and routing basics, common protocols, cabling, and the simple configuration and verification tasks used on small networks.

Key knowledge areas
  • Networking basics
  • Addressing
  • Routing
  • Verification
Study approach

Build small topologies in a simulator, verify connectivity with basic commands, and redraw addressing schemes until subnetting feels automatic.

NSE5_FWB_AD-8.0 Fortinet

FortiWeb Administrator

Covers web application firewall deployment, protection profiles, signature and anomaly detection, machine assisted learning features, logging and tuning of false positives.

Key knowledge areas
  • Web application firewall
  • Protection profiles
  • Detection
  • Tuning
Study approach

Deploy a protection profile against a sample application, review blocked traffic, and tune rules until legitimate requests pass cleanly.

PSE-Endpoint-Associate Palo Alto Networks

Systems Engineer Endpoint Associate

Focuses on endpoint protection concepts, agent deployment, prevention policies, threat detection and response actions, and investigation of endpoint security events.

Key knowledge areas
  • Endpoint protection
  • Agent deployment
  • Prevention policy
  • Investigation
Study approach

Install an agent in a lab, trigger safe test detections, then review the resulting events and practise the response workflow.

250-586 Broadcom Symantec

Endpoint Security Complete Implementation

Covers endpoint security implementation planning, architecture design, deployment phases, policy configuration, client management and the operational handover of fully protected environments.

Key knowledge areas
  • Implementation planning
  • Architecture
  • Policy configuration
  • Client management
Study approach

Follow the implementation phases in order, document design decisions for a sample customer, and review policy options against stated requirements.

Quality and Process Improvement

2 exams in this category

ICBB IASSC

Lean Six Sigma Black Belt

Focuses on the define, measure, analyse, improve and control cycle, statistical analysis, process capability, variation reduction and leading structured improvement projects.

Key knowledge areas
  • DMAIC
  • Statistical analysis
  • Process capability
  • Project leadership
Study approach

Apply each phase to a small real process, calculate statistics by hand once, then interpret the results in plain language before trusting software.

CSSBB ASQ

Certified Six Sigma Black Belt

Addresses advanced improvement methodology, statistical tools, design of experiments, measurement systems analysis, team leadership and sustaining control of improved processes.

Key knowledge areas
  • Design of experiments
  • Measurement systems
  • Control plans
  • Team leadership
Study approach

Practise calculations with small data sets, interpret every chart in words, and lead or shadow one improvement project while studying theory.

Software Development

7 exams in this category

GH-900 GitHub

GitHub Foundations

Introduces version control fundamentals, repositories, branches, pull requests, issues, project boards and the collaboration features teams rely on inside the GitHub platform.

Key knowledge areas
  • Repositories
  • Branching
  • Pull requests
  • Collaboration
Study approach

Create a practice repository, branch and merge regularly, open pull requests on your own work and explore issues and actions to learn the workflow.

ASTQB ASTQB

Software Tester Certification

Covers testing fundamentals, test design techniques, static testing, defect management, test levels, tool support and the role of testing across the development lifecycle.

Key knowledge areas
  • Test design
  • Defect management
  • Test levels
  • Static testing
Study approach

Apply equivalence partitioning and boundary analysis to real features, write clear defect reports, and learn the glossary terms precisely.

S90.19 Arcitura

Advanced SOA Security

Covers service oriented security patterns, identity propagation, message protection, trust boundaries, policy enforcement and designing secure interactions between distributed services.

Key knowledge areas
  • Security patterns
  • Identity
  • Message protection
  • Trust boundaries
Study approach

Study each security pattern with a diagram, then apply two patterns to a sample service design and explain the threats they remove.

AD0-E706 Adobe

Adobe Commerce Cloud Developer

Focuses on commerce cloud architecture, deployment pipelines, environment configuration, caching behaviour, performance considerations and practical troubleshooting of hosted commerce storefront applications.

Key knowledge areas
  • Cloud architecture
  • Deployment
  • Caching
  • Performance
Study approach

Deploy a sample project through its pipeline, review configuration files line by line, and practise diagnosing failures from build and deploy logs.

OMG-OCSMP-MBI300 OMG

Systems Modeling Professional

Addresses model based systems engineering, SysML diagrams, requirements traceability, behaviour and structure modelling, and building consistent models of complex systems.

Key knowledge areas
  • SysML diagrams
  • Requirements
  • Behaviour modelling
  • Traceability
Study approach

Rebuild example models yourself, check diagram rules carefully, and practise reading unfamiliar models quickly to answer interpretation questions.

Copado-Robotic-Testing Copado

Copado Robotic Testing

Focuses on automated functional testing, robot based test authoring, test suites, continuous integration execution, result analysis and maintaining reliable automated checks.

Key knowledge areas
  • Test automation
  • Test suites
  • Continuous integration
  • Result analysis
Study approach

Automate one user journey, run it repeatedly against changes, then reduce flakiness by improving selectors and waiting strategies.

SAFe-DevOps Scaled Agile

SAFe DevOps Practitioner

Explores continuous delivery pipelines, value stream mapping, collaboration between development and operations, release practices and measuring flow across delivery teams.

Key knowledge areas
  • Continuous delivery
  • Value stream
  • Release practice
  • Flow metrics
Study approach

Map a real delivery pipeline, identify the slowest handover, and plan one measurable improvement using the practices you studied.

Virtualization and Infrastructure

4 exams in this category

5V0-22.23 VMware

VMware vSAN Specialist

Deals with software defined storage design, vSAN cluster configuration, storage policies, capacity planning, resilience settings and routine operational maintenance of clusters.

Key knowledge areas
  • vSAN clusters
  • Storage policies
  • Capacity planning
  • Cluster operations
Study approach

Build a nested lab cluster, change storage policies deliberately and watch how resynchronisation and capacity behave before memorising any configuration maximums.

D-PST-OE-23 Dell Technologies

PowerStore Operate

Focuses on daily storage array operations, provisioning, data protection features, monitoring, performance review and maintenance workflows for PowerStore based environments.

Key knowledge areas
  • Provisioning
  • Data protection
  • Monitoring
  • Maintenance
Study approach

Practise provisioning and snapshot tasks in order, then build a short operational checklist that mirrors how the platform is managed in production.

2V0-41.24 VMware

VMware NSX Administrator

Covers network virtualisation, logical switching and routing, distributed firewall configuration, security policies and the operational monitoring of modern virtual network environments.

Key knowledge areas
  • Logical switching
  • Distributed firewall
  • Routing
  • Monitoring
Study approach

Build logical segments and firewall rules in a lab, then trace traffic between workloads to confirm each rule behaves as expected.

5V0-21.21 VMware

VMware HCI Master Specialist

Covers hyperconverged infrastructure design, cluster sizing, storage policy behaviour, availability planning, upgrade paths and the operational troubleshooting of converged infrastructure platforms.

Key knowledge areas
  • HCI design
  • Cluster sizing
  • Availability
  • Upgrades
Study approach

Size a sample cluster on paper, justify every assumption, then validate the design against documented limits and failure scenarios.

Study method

Preparation guide

A practical sequence that works across vendors and subjects, from the first reading of the objectives through to the final week before your exam date.

Start with the published objectives

Download the official outline and turn every bullet into a checklist item. Rate your confidence per item and let the low scores decide where your study hours go.

Build a schedule you can keep

Short, frequent sessions beat long weekend marathons. Reserve named topics for each session, protect the slot in your calendar and keep the final week for revision.

Understand concepts before memorising

If you can explain a topic in plain language to someone else, you understand it. Memorised facts without context collapse as soon as a question is reworded.

Treat official documentation as the source of truth

Vendor documentation reflects current behaviour and the exact terminology used in questions. Verify anything you learned from a secondary source against it.

Practise hands on wherever possible

Labs, trial environments and sandboxes turn theory into memory. Configure, break and repair a feature and you will recognise it instantly under exam pressure.

Use practice questions responsibly

Questions are for diagnosis, not for shortcuts. Review the reasoning behind every answer, including the ones you got right, and never rely on memorised answer keys.

Work on weak areas deliberately

Keep a mistake log with the topic and the cause. Review it weekly, rebuild the topic from source material, then retest after a short gap to confirm the fix.

Run timed sessions

Full length timed practice builds pacing and stamina. Track how long each question type takes you and learn when to flag an item and move on.

Track progress honestly

Record scores, topics covered and confidence ratings. Visible progress keeps motivation steady and shows clearly when you are ready rather than merely hopeful.

Revisit hard topics on a cycle

Difficult subjects need several passes spaced days apart. Each return should be shorter than the last, ending with a quick summary written entirely from memory.

Plan the final preparation week

Consolidate notes, review the outline one last time, complete a timed session early in the week, confirm exam logistics and rest properly the night before.

Keep expectations realistic

No resource can promise a result. Steady preparation, genuine understanding and honest self assessment are what make exam day predictable and manageable.

Common questions

Frequently asked questions

Short answers to the questions candidates ask most often while planning their preparation.