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 Administrator, BIG-IP
The F5 BIG-IP Administration Support and Troubleshooting exam (F5CAB5) validates your ability to perform day-to-day operations, basic deployment, management, security, and support of BIG-IP in various application environments. It is designed for administrators who can determine resource utilization, identify network-level performance issues, and diagnose load balancing, virtual server, or pool problems. Earning this exam brings you one step closer to the F5 Certified Administrator, BIG-IP credential.
Exam formatMultiple choice
Duration30 minutes
DeliveryPearson VUE, Certiverse
Passing score245
Free questions417
Content last reviewed 30 July 2026 · Up to date
The certification
What F5CAB5 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.
7domains
23objectives
114concepts
US$50 (Online); US$65 (Test Center)exam 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 BIG-IP Administration Support and Troubleshooting exam (F5CAB5) is one of five exams required to achieve the F5 Certified Administrator, BIG-IP credential. It tests your knowledge, skills, and abilities in performing day-to-day operations and basic deployment, management, security, and support of BIG-IP in various application environments after it has been installed, configured, and implemented. The exam also demonstrates your understanding of BIG-IP Administration for Data Plane and Control Plane.
The minimally qualified candidate (MQC) has a basic understanding of how to install, configure, and upgrade BIG-IP. The MQC can, without assistance, determine resource utilization, identify network-level performance issues, identify the reason load balancing, a virtual server, or a pool is not working as expected, and given a scenario, review basic stats to confirm functionality and interpret traffic flow. These exams are not designed to test version-specific BIG-IP features, but rather assess knowledge and understanding of F5 technology solutions.
Who it’s for
This certification is for BIG-IP administrators who are responsible for the day-to-day operations, deployment, management, security, and support of BIG-IP systems in various application environments. It is ideal for professionals who have a basic understanding of how to install, configure, and upgrade BIG-IP and who can troubleshoot common issues independently. Candidates should be comfortable working with BIG-IP data plane and control plane concepts, and be able to interpret traffic flow and basic statistics to confirm functionality. This exam is a key step for those pursuing the F5 Certified Administrator, BIG-IP credential.
Recommended experience
F5 recommends completing the Administering BIG-IP and Troubleshooting BIG-IP training courses, as well as the F5 Certified! BIG-IP Administrator Accelerator, to prepare for this exam. Administering BIG-IP course (Self-Directed or Instructor-Led); Troubleshooting BIG-IP course (Instructor-Led); F5 Certified! BIG-IP Administrator Accelerator
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
Determine resource utilization
- Distinguish between control plane and data plane resources
- Identify CPU statistics per virtual server
- Interpret Statistics for interfaces
- Determine Disk utilization and Memory utilization
Identify network level performance issues
- Identify when a packet capture is needed within the context of a performance issue
- Interpret availability status of interfaces
- Identify when drops are occurring
- Identify Speed and Duplex
- Distinguish TCP profiles (optimized profiles)
Identify the reason load balancing is not working as expected
- Consider persistence, priority group activation, rate/connection limits
- Identify misconfigurations (incorrect health checks, action on service down, etc.)
- Identify current availability status
Identify the reason a virtual server is not working as expected
- Identify the current availability status of the virtual server
- Identify conflicting/misconfigured profiles
- Identify misconfigured IP address and/or Port
Identify the reason a pool is not working as expected
- Identify the reason a pool member has been marked down by health monitors
- Identify a pool member not in the active priority group
- Identify the current configured state of the pool/pool member
- Identify the current availability status of the pool/pool member
Given a scenario, review basic stats to confirm functionality
- Interpret traffic object statistics
- Interpret network configuration statistics
Given a scenario, interpret traffic flow
- Explain application client-server communication
- Interpret traffic graphs (Interpret SNMP results)
On the day
The exam itself
Everything F5 publishes about sitting it, and nothing we inferred.
Prerequisites
No mandatory prerequisites — this certification has no required predecessor exam or credential.
Exam codeF5CAB5
CertificationF5 Certified Administrator, BIG-IP
Exam formatMultiple choice
Duration30 minutes
Questions30 questions
Passing score245
DeliveryPearson VUE, Certiverse
LanguagesEnglish
PricingUS$50 (Online); US$65 (Test Center)
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 Administrator, BIG-IP
Credential earnedF5 Certified Administrator, BIG-IP 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, Certiverse, 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 this exam relate to the other BIG-IP Administration exams?
The F5CAB5 exam is one of five exams required for the F5 Certified Administrator, BIG-IP credential. The exams can be taken in any order, and each covers a different domain: Install/Initial Configuration/Upgrade, Data Plane Concepts, Data Plane Configuration, Control Plane Administration, and Support and Troubleshooting.
Do I need to pass the other BIG-IP Administration exams before taking F5CAB5?
No, the exams can be taken in any order. However, you must pass all five exams to earn the F5 Certified Administrator, BIG-IP credential.
What is the retake policy if I fail the exam?
After the first failed attempt, you must wait 15 days. The second failure requires a 30-day wait, the third a 45-day wait, the fourth a one-year wait, and the fifth or more a 90-day wait. Your retake count resets only when you pass the exam.
Can I reschedule or cancel my exam appointment?
Yes, you can reschedule or cancel your exam, but you must do so at least 48 hours before your appointment. Rescheduling under 48 hours incurs a fee. You must modify your appointment yourself; F5 Support, Pearson VUE, or Certiverse cannot process these requests.
What are the online proctoring requirements?
Online exams are delivered via Certiverse and require a camera. You must have a valid, signed government-issued ID, and the name on your ID must match the name on your F5 Certified account. If it does not match, you must email F5 Certified! at support@mail.education.f5.com.
What job roles does the F5 Certified Administrator, BIG-IP credential map to?
This credential is designed for BIG-IP administrators who perform day-to-day operations, deployment, management, security, and support of BIG-IP in various application environments.
Is there a hands-on or lab component in this exam?
The official material does not mention a hands-on or lab component for this exam. It is a knowledge-based exam with 30 questions.
Information freshness · Content last reviewed on 2026-07-30 Up to date
Practice free questions 417 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.
7domains
23objectives
114concepts
93free 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
1Determine resource utilization84 questions
2Identify network level performance issues81 questions
Identify when a packet capture is needed within the context of a performance issue5 concepts · 3 pagesOpen →Interpret availability status of interfaces3 concepts · 4 pagesOpen →Identify when drops are occurring6 concepts · 5 pagesOpen →Identify Speed and Duplex5 concepts · 4 pagesOpen →Distinguish TCP profiles (optimized profiles)5 concepts · 3 pagesOpen →
3Identify the reason load balancing is not working as expected52 questions
4Identify the reason a virtual server is not working as expected63 questions
5Identify the reason a pool is not working as expected57 questions
Identify the reason a pool member has been marked down by health monitors7 concepts · 5 pagesOpen →Identify a pool member not in the active priority group4 concepts · 2 pagesOpen →Identify the current configured state of the pool/pool member4 concepts · 2 pagesOpen →Identify the current availability status of the pool/pool member6 concepts · 4 pagesOpen →
6Given a scenario, review basic stats to confirm functionality35 questions
7Given a scenario, interpret traffic flow45 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.
Distinguish between control plane and data plane resources5 pagesOpen →
Free in front of it
25 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
417 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.
417questions
93pages
23objectives
Freealways
Browse by domain
Every objective, and every page range, is a link — so you can pick up exactly where you left off.
1Determine resource utilization84 questions
2Identify network level performance issues81 questions
3Identify the reason load balancing is not working as expected52 questions
4Identify the reason a virtual server is not working as expected63 questions
5Identify the reason a pool is not working as expected57 questions
6Given a scenario, review basic stats to confirm functionality35 questions
7Given a scenario, interpret traffic flow45 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.
114concepts
417free 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.
4official links
114concepts 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 — 23 objectives, 114 concepts written under them, and free questions against every one. When F5 changes the outline, this page changes with it.
23objectives on the outline→114concepts written→417free 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.