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 NGINX - Configuration:Knowledge
The F5 Certified Administrator NGINX - Configuration: Knowledge certification validates your ability to perform day-to-day administration of NGINX Open Source as a web server, reverse proxy, and load balancer. It is designed for administrators who manage NGINX in production and need to prove their foundational skills. Earning this credential demonstrates you can install, configure, verify, and troubleshoot NGINX deployments with confidence.
Exam formatMultiple choice
Duration30 minutes
DeliveryPearson VUE, Certiverse
Passing score245
Free questions430
Content last reviewed 30 July 2026 · Up to date
The certification
What F5N2 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
23objectives
135concepts
US $50exam 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 NGINX Configuration: Knowledge exam (F5N2) is one of four exams required to achieve the F5 Certified Administrator, NGINX credential. It validates your understanding of NGINX Open Source Software, including its core concepts, architecture, and common use cases. The exam focuses on the practical skills needed to manage NGINX as a web server, HTTPS endpoint, and load balancer, as well as your ability to interpret logs, use variables, and verify proper operation.
This certification is ideal for administrators who work with NGINX in production environments and want to formalize their expertise. By earning this credential, you demonstrate that you can handle essential NGINX administration tasks without assistance, from installation to troubleshooting. The exam is part of a progressive certification program, and passing it brings you one step closer to the full F5 Certified Administrator, NGINX designation.
Who it’s for
This certification is for system administrators, DevOps engineers, and IT professionals who manage NGINX Open Source as a web server, reverse proxy, or load balancer. It is also suitable for those who support applications built on NGINX and need to ensure reliable, secure, and performant deployments. Candidates should be comfortable with the Linux command line and have foundational experience with NGINX functionalities. The exam is designed for individuals who are responsible for the day-to-day operation of NGINX and want to validate their skills in installation, configuration, and troubleshooting.
Recommended experience
Familiarity with the Linux command line and foundational experience with NGINX Open Source, including basic web server and proxy configuration. Experience installing software from official repositories on Linux; Basic understanding of NGINX configuration files and directives; Familiarity with HTTP/HTTPS concepts and web server administration; Ability to read and interpret log files
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
Configure NGINX as a load balancer
- Load Balancing Fundamentals
- Advanced NGINX Features
- Specialized Configurations
Configure NGINX as a content cache server
- Define a minimum retention policy
- Describe how to configure path regex routing
- Describe the why and how of caching in NGINX
- Define the cache in the http context
- Enable the cache
- Specify the content that should be cached
- Describe different types of caching
- Explain what is unique to NGINX as a cache server
Configure NGINX as a web server
- Demonstrate how to securely serve content (HTTP/HTTPS)
- Describe the difference between serving static content and dynamic content. (REGEX, and
- Describe how server and location work
- Explain what is unique to NGINX as a web server
Configure NGINX as a reverse proxy
- Explain how traffic routing is handled in NGINX as a reverse proxy
- Explain what is unique to NGINX as a reverse proxy
- Configure encryption
- Demonstrate how to manipulate headers
- Describe the difference between proxy_set_header and add_header
- Modify or tune a memory zone configuration
- Describe how to configure NGINX as socket reserve proxy
- Describe how open source NGINX handles health checks in different situations
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 codeF5N2
CertificationF5 Certified Administrator NGINX - Configuration: Knowledge
Exam formatMultiple choice
Duration30 minutes
Passing score245
DeliveryPearson VUE, Certiverse
LanguagesEnglish
PricingUS $50
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 NGINX - Configuration: Knowledge
Credential earnedF5 Certified Administrator NGINX - Configuration: Knowledge 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 NGINX exams required for the F5 Certified Administrator, NGINX credential?
The F5N2 exam is one of four NGINX exams required to achieve the F5 Certified Administrator, NGINX certification. The exams may be taken in any order.
Do I need to earn a lower-level F5 certification before taking this exam?
No. F5 lists no mandatory prerequisites for this exam. You can take it directly, regardless of other F5 certifications.
How do I schedule, reschedule, or cancel my exam appointment?
You must schedule, reschedule, or cancel your exam through the F5 Education Services Portal. Rescheduling or cancellation must be initiated at least 48 hours before your appointment to avoid a fee.
What are the identification requirements for the online and test center delivery options?
For test center exams, you must bring two forms of valid, signed ID, one of which must be government-issued and include a photo. For online exams, you must have a valid, signed government-issued ID, and the name on it must match your F5 Certified account.
What is the retake policy if I fail the exam?
After failing the exam, you must wait 15 days for the first retake, 30 days for the second, 45 days for the third, one year for the fourth, and 90 days for the fifth or subsequent attempts. Your retake count resets only when you pass.
Is there a hands-on or lab component in this exam?
No. The F5N2 exam is a knowledge-based exam that tests your understanding of NGINX concepts and administration tasks. It does not include a hands-on lab component.
How soon will I receive my exam results?
F5 does not publish specific information about when results are available. You will receive an email when you are eligible to schedule a retake if you fail, but the timing of score reports is not specified.
What job roles does this certification map to?
This certification is relevant for system administrators, DevOps engineers, and IT professionals who manage NGINX Open Source as a web server, reverse proxy, or load balancer in production environments.
Can I recertify by passing a different F5 exam?
F5 does not publish a renewal policy for this certification, so it is unclear whether passing another exam would renew it. Check the F5 certification website for the latest information.
Information freshness · Content last reviewed on 2026-07-30 Up to date
Practice free questions 430 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
23objectives
135concepts
94free 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
1Configure NGINX as a load balancer68 questions
2Configure NGINX as a content cache server127 questions
Define a minimum retention policy3 concepts · 1 pagesOpen →Describe how to configure path regex routing6 concepts · 3 pagesOpen →Describe the why and how of caching in NGINX5 concepts · 5 pagesOpen →Define the cache in the http context5 concepts · 4 pagesOpen →Enable the cache5 concepts · 3 pagesOpen →Specify the content that should be cached4 concepts · 2 pagesOpen →Describe different types of caching5 concepts · 5 pagesOpen →Explain what is unique to NGINX as a cache server7 concepts · 6 pagesOpen →
3Configure NGINX as a web server91 questions
Demonstrate how to securely serve content (HTTP/HTTPS)7 concepts · 4 pagesOpen →Describe the difference between serving static content and dynamic content. (REGEX, and4 concepts · 4 pagesOpen →Describe how server and location work6 concepts · 5 pagesOpen →Explain what is unique to NGINX as a web server6 concepts · 6 pagesOpen →
4Configure NGINX as a reverse proxy144 questions
Explain how traffic routing is handled in NGINX as a reverse proxy6 concepts · 4 pagesOpen →Explain what is unique to NGINX as a reverse proxy6 concepts · 6 pagesOpen →Configure encryption7 concepts · 3 pagesOpen →Demonstrate how to manipulate headers7 concepts · 4 pagesOpen →Describe the difference between proxy_set_header and add_header6 concepts · 4 pagesOpen →Modify or tune a memory zone configuration6 concepts · 3 pagesOpen →Describe how to configure NGINX as socket reserve proxy7 concepts · 4 pagesOpen →Describe how open source NGINX handles health checks in different situations5 concepts · 3 pagesOpen →
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.
Load Balancing Fundamentals6 pagesOpen →
Free in front of it
27 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
430 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.
430questions
94pages
23objectives
Freealways
Browse by domain
Every objective, and every page range, is a link — so you can pick up exactly where you left off.
1Configure NGINX as a load balancer68 questions
2Configure NGINX as a content cache server127 questions
3Configure NGINX as a web server91 questions
4Configure NGINX as a reverse proxy144 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.
135concepts
430free 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
135concepts 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, 135 concepts written under them, and free questions against every one. When F5 changes the outline, this page changes with it.
23objectives on the outline→135concepts written→430free 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.