You can see it againUnder pressure people bring back shapes and positions long after the wording has gone.
Picture superiority · Shepard 1967, Standing 1973
F5F5 Certified Solution Expert, Security
The F5 Certified Solution Expert, Security certification validates your expertise in designing, maintaining, and troubleshooting security solutions built on F5 technology. It is for experienced engineers who can translate business and technical requirements into secure architectures using BIG-IP LTM, DNS, ASM, APM, AFM, and BIG-IQ. Earning this credential proves you can architect and articulate comprehensive security solutions across the entire application stack.
Exam formatProctored exam delivered at a test center
Duration105 minutes
DeliveryPearson VUE
Passing score245
Free questions401
Content last reviewed 30 July 2026 · Up to date
The certification
What 401 proves, and what it asks of you
What this certification covers, who it is written for, and what the exam itself looks like on the day.
4domains
17objectives
101concepts
US $180exam fee
What it is
What this certification is
What it validates, who it is written for, and the experience it assumes.
About this certification
The F5 Certified Solution Expert, Security (F5-CSE, Security) certification is the highest level of F5's security track. It validates that you have completed the entire Security track and have demonstrated 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 your designs and aligning those designs with technical, security, and other requirements.
This certification is for experienced professionals who can define security requirements based on technical and business needs, apply and modify security architectures utilizing F5 technology, and articulate the value of the solution. It also validates your ability to identify, analyze, and mitigate security incidents leveraging F5 technology as appropriate. Achieving this certification demonstrates that you can architect technical solutions to meet given business requirements and perform multi-module troubleshooting, possibly leveraging third-party tools.
Who it’s for
This certification is for experienced security engineers, network architects, and solution experts who design, maintain, and troubleshoot F5-based security solutions. The minimally qualified candidate has experience defining security requirements based on technical and business needs, applying and modifying security architectures utilizing F5 technology, and articulating the value of the solution. You are comfortable identifying security threats and interpreting their potential business impact, designing solutions to mitigate those threats, analyzing anomalous data to recognize security incidents, and performing multi-module troubleshooting, possibly leveraging third-party tools. You have a strong working knowledge of IT security principles and field experience with F5 technology.
Recommended experience
Field experience with F5 technology is essential, along with a strong working knowledge of IT security principles. Experience designing, maintaining, and troubleshooting F5 security solutions; Strong working knowledge of IT security principles; Familiarity with BIG-IP LTM, DNS, ASM, APM, AFM, BIG-IQ, IP Intelligence, WebSafe, and MobileSafe; Ability to identify security threats and design mitigation solutions
The syllabus
What you’ll learn
Every domain and objective F5 measures, with the weight they carry on the exam.
The official F5 exam outline · checked 30 July 2026 · See the source
THREAT ANALYSIS
- 1.01 Analyze external threat research to determine the potential impact to an organization
- 1.02 Analyze threat modeling data to determine risk profiles of the infrastructure and applications
ARCHITECT SOLUTIONS
- 2.01 Determine the correct solution to mitigate a given threat
- 2.02 Determine the correct control to address a compliance or business requirement
- 2.03 Determine the appropriate security framework for an application
- 2.04 Explain the justification for a proposed solution
- 2.05 Determine when BIG-IQ is required for centralized management and visibility
OPERATION AND IMPLEMENTATION
- 3.01 Apply procedural concepts required to configure F5 technology to provide network layer DOS protection
- 3.02 Determine the appropriate protection against known bad actors
- 3.03 Determine the appropriate settings to mitigate web fraud
- 3.04 Articulate architectural requirements for outbound SSL visibility
- 3.05 Apply procedural concepts to configure network firewall protection
- 3.06 Troubleshoot F5 technology to address functionality or performance issues
- 3.07 Verify a configuration is functioning as intended to mitigate a vulnerability
SECURITY RESPONSE
- 4.01 Analyze logs or other data sources for security incidents
- 4.02 Determine the appropriate proactive security response plan
- 4.03 Determine the appropriate incident response plan given specific attack details
On the day
The exam itself
Everything F5 publishes about sitting it, and nothing we inferred.
Prerequisites
F5 Certified BIG-IP Administrator (F5-CA)
Exam code401
CertificationF5 Certified Solution Expert, Security
Exam formatProctored exam delivered at a test center
Duration105 minutes
Passing score245
DeliveryPearson VUE
LanguagesEnglish
PricingUS $180
Certification levelExpert
After you pass
Where this credential goes next
The path F5 lays out, how the credential is kept, and where to book.
Step-by-step path to F5 Certified Solution Expert, Security
PrerequisiteF5 Certified BIG-IP Administrator (F5-CA)
Credential earnedF5 Certified Solution Expert, Security Expert level certification Lifecycle status
This certification is currently active and available. F5 maintains this certification to validate current skills and industry relevance.
Exam status: ActiveMaintained by F5
Exam registration
Register for the exam through Pearson VUE, F5’s authorized testing partner.
Schedule your examVisit the official F5 certification page for exam policies and requirements.
View the official pageYour coach
And when you are serious, your coach Pip takes over
Your coach in the app reads what you have answered with the book closed and tells you one thing to do tonight. It will not count an answer you gave with the page open, and it will tell you when you are not ready.
See how the coach worksBefore you book
Questions people ask
How does Exam 401 relate to the F5-CTS certifications?
Exam 401 is the capstone of the F5 Security track. You must first earn the F5-CA, F5-CTS LTM, F5-CTS ASM, and F5-CTS APM certifications before you can attempt Exam 401.
What is the retake policy if I fail Exam 401?
After the first failed attempt, you must wait 15 days. The second failure requires a 30-day wait, the third a 45-day wait, and the fourth a one-year wait. For the fifth failure or more, you must wait 90 days. Your retake count resets only when you pass the exam.
Can I reschedule or cancel my exam appointment?
Yes, but you must do so at least 48 hours before your scheduled appointment. Rescheduling within 48 hours incurs a fee. You must make changes yourself; F5 Support, Pearson VUE, and Certiverse cannot process them for you.
What identification do I need to bring to the test center?
You must bring two forms of valid, signed ID, one of which must be government-issued and include a photo. The name on your ID must match the name on your F5 Certified account.
Is there a hands-on or lab component in Exam 401?
The official exam page does not mention a hands-on or lab component. The exam is delivered as a proctored test at a Pearson VUE testing center.
What job roles does the F5-CSE Security certification map to?
This certification is designed for security engineers, network architects, and solution experts who design, maintain, and troubleshoot F5-based security solutions.
Can I recertify by passing a different F5 exam?
F5 does not publish a renewal model for this certification. The official page does not specify recertification options.
Are there any regional restrictions for taking Exam 401?
The exam is delivered at Pearson VUE testing centers worldwide. No regional restrictions are mentioned on the official page.
Information freshness · Content last reviewed on 2026-07-30 Up to date
Practice free questions 401 questions, free, no account needed.
The curriculum
The whole exam, mapped and written
Every domain, every objective, and every concept F5 measures — each one written out.
4domains
17objectives
101concepts
87free pages
The domains, and what sits inside them
Every objective below is a page you can open and practise now, without an account.
The official F5 exam outline · checked 30 July 2026 · See the source
1THREAT ANALYSIS44 questions
2ARCHITECT SOLUTIONS111 questions
2.01 Determine the correct solution to mitigate a given threat4 concepts · 3 pagesOpen →2.02 Determine the correct control to address a compliance or business requirement4 concepts · 4 pagesOpen →2.03 Determine the appropriate security framework for an application7 concepts · 6 pagesOpen →2.04 Explain the justification for a proposed solution6 concepts · 5 pagesOpen →2.05 Determine when BIG-IQ is required for centralized management and visibility5 concepts · 5 pagesOpen →
3OPERATION AND IMPLEMENTATION151 questions
3.01 Apply procedural concepts required to configure F5 technology to provide network layer DOS protection7 concepts · 5 pagesOpen →3.02 Determine the appropriate protection against known bad actors3 concepts · 2 pagesOpen →3.03 Determine the appropriate settings to mitigate web fraud5 concepts · 6 pagesOpen →3.04 Articulate architectural requirements for outbound SSL visibility1 concepts · 3 pagesOpen →3.05 Apply procedural concepts to configure network firewall protection6 concepts · 4 pagesOpen →3.06 Troubleshoot F5 technology to address functionality or performance issues15 concepts · 9 pagesOpen →3.07 Verify a configuration is functioning as intended to mitigate a vulnerability6 concepts · 5 pagesOpen →
4SECURITY RESPONSE95 questions
Not a table of contents
Every line on this map already opens
In front of every objective the practice pages are already there, free and without an account. This is one objective, opened.
1.01 Analyze external threat research to determine the potential impact to an organization5 pagesOpen →
Free in front of it
22 questions on this objective, five to a page. Every range above is a real page, open now, with no account.
Reading the map is not the same as knowing the ground
The curriculum tells you what is on the exam. Proving you know it is a different job — and it is the one the closed-book run does.
Free questions
401 questions. No account, no card.
The whole bank is open. 5 questions to a page, every answer explained, and a discussion thread on each one.
401questions
87pages
17objectives
Freealways
Start anywhere1.01 Analyze external threat research to determine the potential impact to an organization 22 questions · 5 pages
Browse by domain
Every objective, and every page range, is a link — so you can pick up exactly where you left off.
1THREAT ANALYSIS44 questions
2ARCHITECT SOLUTIONS111 questions
3OPERATION AND IMPLEMENTATION151 questions
What a practice page gives you
1Five to a page
Short enough to finish, long enough to matter.
2Every answer explained
Not only which one is right — why the others are wrong.
3A discussion on each
Ask, answer, and vote. Every question has its own thread.
A question, and the idea behind it
Every question comes from a concept
These are not trivia. Each one is written against a concept in the book, so when you get one wrong there is somewhere to go and find out why.
The visual book
See it once. Carry it into the exam.
The pages shown here come from our AI-900 book — an example of how each concept is written in plain language and, where the idea needs one, drawn as a full page you can take in at a glance.
101concepts
401free questions
Why a picture, and not another paragraph
Three reasons, and each one is a real finding rather than a slogan.
You can see it againThe whole idea at onceWhere it starts, what happens in the middle, what comes out, and the mistake to avoid.
Multimedia principle · MayerThe look-alikes sit togetherThe pairs the exam tests are drawn side by side, so the difference is seen, not told.
Dual coding · PaivioWhat one page is made of
You are never asked to read a poster here — only to see how one is built. After that, every other page is legible at a glance.
1A numbered strip on top
The idea as a sequence, followed with a finger before a word is read.
2Panels for the parts
What it is, how the machine learns it, when it is the right tool.
3The trap, framed
The distinction the exam tests, given its own box instead of buried in prose.
4One line at the bottom
The sentence to carry into the exam room.
Open book, on purpose
Answer it with the picture beside you
This is the part that teaches. The illustration and the written explanation stay where they are while you work, so a scenario stops being a memory test and becomes something you can simply look at.
It teaches · it does not count
A smartphone uses AI to unlock when the owner looks at the camera. Which AI capability is being used?
AImage classification
BFacial recognition
COptical character recognition
DObject detection
Look at the five steps. Detect finds a face, align straightens it, encode turns it into numbers, search compares it with a stored face, and decide answers one question: is this the same person? Classification would only say “a face”. Detection would only draw a box. Neither decides whose.
Then the page shuts, and it starts counting
The same questions come back with the book closed — that run is the one that counts. After it, your coach picks one thing for tonight, sized to the time you have, and brings pages back before you lose them.
Testing effect · Roediger & Karpicke 2006 · spacing effect · Cepeda et al. 2006
Official resources
Straight from F5
Where the exam is defined, scheduled and scored.
3official links
101concepts mapped
The source
F5’s own pages
We link to them rather than repeat them, so nothing here goes stale behind them.
Checked against the source
Every objective on the official F5 outline already has questions here
We build from the official skills outline, not from a summary of it — 17 objectives, 101 concepts written under them, and free questions against every one. When F5 changes the outline, this page changes with it.
17objectives on the outline→101concepts written→401free questions
An official page tells you what will be asked. It cannot tell you what you will get right.
That is the only question worth answering the night before, and no link answers it. You answer it by taking the questions with the book closed, and seeing what comes back.