What is the starting point for F5 BIG-IP certification?

F5 Certified Administrator, BIG-IP is the starting point for the BIG-IP ladder.

How does the 2025 BIG-IP administrator refresh work?

F5 split the credential into five short exams that can be taken in any order, plus a separate renewal exam.

Can candidates still take Exam 101 or 201?

101 is retired. 201 remains available only to candidates who passed 101 before May 1, 2025.

How do I renew F5-CA, BIG-IP?

Use F5CABR, the BIG-IP recertification exam, or follow the current five-exam administrator refresh path if you are eligible.

How are F5 exams delivered?

BIG-IP specialist exams are typically Pearson VUE proctored, while the refreshed administrator and NGINX paths use Certiverse online proctoring where the exam page says so.

Which certifications feed into the Security and Cloud tracks?

F5 Certified Technology Specialist, BIG-IP LTM is the common bridge; DNS feeds Cloud, while ASM and APM feed Security.

Is F5 Certified Administrator, NGINX separate from BIG-IP?

Yes. NGINX is a separate administrator branch and is not part of the BIG-IP track.

What is F5 Certified Technical Professional, Sales?

It is F5's sales credential, and the learning path shows Pre-Sales Fundamentals (202) as the required exam.

How long are F5 certifications valid?

F5 certifications are valid for two years from the date of achievement.

F5 Practice Tests 2026

F5 Exam Catalog

12 Available Exams

101

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F5 Certification Pathway

A clear progression from beginner to expert.

Administrator

The starting point for BIG-IP and the separate NGINX administrator branch.

F5 Certified Administrator, BIG-IP

F5-CA, BIG-IP

Current BIG-IP administrator credential; the 2025 refresh uses five short exams and a separate renewal exam, with legacy 101/201 access only for eligible candidates.

F5 Certified Administrator, NGINX

F5-CA, NGINX

Separate NGINX administrator credential built around four online exams.

Specialist

BIG-IP specialist credentials that feed the expert branches.

F5 Certified Technology Specialist, BIG-IP LTM

F5-CTS, BIG-IP LTM

Core specialist credential that feeds the Security and Cloud solution expert branches.

F5 Certified Technology Specialist, BIG-IP DNS

F5-CTS, BIG-IP DNS

Specialist credential that feeds the Cloud solution expert branch.

F5 Certified Technology Specialist, BIG-IP ASM

F5-CTS, BIG-IP ASM

Specialist credential that feeds the Security solution expert branch.

F5 Certified Technology Specialist, BIG-IP APM

F5-CTS, BIG-IP APM

Specialist credential that feeds the Security solution expert branch.

Solution Expert

Security and Cloud branches built on the specialist ladder.

F5 Certified Solution Expert, Security

F5-CSE, SEC

Final Security credential in the BIG-IP ladder.

F5 Certified Solution Expert, Cloud

F5-CSE, CLD

Final Cloud credential in the BIG-IP ladder.

Sales

The technical sales credential that sits alongside the engineering ladder.

F5 Certified Technical Professional, Sales

F5-CTP, Sales

Official sales credential; the learning path shows Pre-Sales Fundamentals (202) as the required exam.

Recent Changes

December 2024

Education Services Portal launch: F5 launched the Education Services Portal as the new home for c...

March 2025

BIG-IP renewal exam added: F5 introduced F5CABR as the renewal exam for inactive or expired F5-CA...

April 16, 2025

BIG-IP admin refresh: F5 announced the BIG-IP administrator refresh: five short exams taken in an...

May 1, 2025

101 retired, 201 limited: Exam 101 was retired and Exam 201 became available only to candidates w...

March 2, 2026

301b no longer required in LTM recertification

March 10, 2026

BIG-IP LTM certification shifts to six beta specialist exams

F5 Certification Ladder

flowchart TD P["F5 Certification Ladder"] A["F5-CA, BIG-IP"] N["F5-CA, NGINX"] T["F5-CTP, Sales"] L["F5-CTS, BIG-IP LTM"] D["F5-CTS, BIG-IP DNS"] X["F5-CTS, BIG-IP ASM"] M["F5-CTS, BIG-IP APM"] SE["F5-CSE, Security"] CL["F5-CSE, Cloud"] R["F5CABR renewal"] P --> A P --> N P --> T A --> L A --> D A --> X A --> M L --> SE L --> CL D --> CL X --> SE M --> SE R -. refreshes .-> A

The perfect Fit for all professionals

Network and application delivery administrators.

Professionals focused on network and application delivery administrators. within this certification portfolio.

BIG-IP operators and support engineers.

Professionals focused on big-ip operators and support engineers. within this certification portfolio.

Security engineers working with BIG-IP ASM or APM.

Professionals focused on security engineers working with big-ip asm or apm. within this certification portfolio.

Cloud architects and implementation engineers.

Professionals focused on cloud architects and implementation engineers. within this certification portfolio.

Pre-sales engineers and technical sellers.

Professionals focused on pre-sales engineers and technical sellers. within this certification portfolio.

Existing F5-CA holders renewing credentials.

Professionals focused on existing f5-ca holders renewing credentials. within this certification portfolio.

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F5 Exam Catalog

Application Delivery Fundamentals

Tmos Administration

Pre-Sales Fundamentals

BIG-IP DNS Specialist

BIG-IP ASM Specialist

BIG-IP APM Specialist

Security Solutions (401 - Security Solution Expert)

Cloud Solutions (402 - Cloud Solution Expert)

F5 Certified Administrator, NGINX Recertification Exam

NGINX Configuration: Knowledge

NGINX Configuration: Demonstrate

NGINX Troubleshoot