You can see it againUnder pressure people bring back shapes and positions long after the wording has gone.
Picture superiority · Shepard 1967, Standing 1973
PALO ALTO NETWORKSPalo Alto Networks Certified Network Security Analyst
The Palo Alto Networks Certified Network Security Analyst certification validates the skills required to configure firewalls and subscriptions, create policies, and manage network security centrally using Strata Cloud Manager. It is designed for analysts and administrators who operate in network security environments. Earning this credential demonstrates your ability to manage and operate Palo Alto Networks network security solutions effectively.
DeliveryPearson VUE
Free questions430
Content last reviewed 30 July 2026 · Up to date
The certification
What Palo Alto Networks Certified Network Security Analyst 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
21objectives
132concepts
What it is
What this certification is
What it validates, who it is written for, and the experience it assumes.
About this certification
The Palo Alto Networks Certified Network Security Analyst certification validates the knowledge and skills required of analysts and administrators in the areas of object configuration, policy creation, and centralized management using Strata Cloud Manager (SCM). This role-based certification is part of the Palo Alto Networks Specialist tier, confirming your ability to manage and operate network security environments with Palo Alto Networks solutions.
Earning this certification demonstrates your technical proficiency in configuring firewalls and subscriptions, as well as in management and operations within a network security environment. It is ideal for individuals who want to validate their hands-on skills in day-to-day network security management, ensuring they are prepared to support their organization's security posture effectively.
Who it’s for
This certification is for analysts and administrators who are responsible for object configuration, policy creation, and centralized management using Strata Cloud Manager. It is designed for individuals who want to demonstrate technical knowledge and skills in the configuration of firewalls and subscriptions, as well as in management and operations in a network security environment. If you are involved in the day-to-day management of Palo Alto Networks network security solutions and want to validate your expertise, this certification is for you.
Recommended experience
Palo Alto Networks recommends that candidates have hands-on experience with Palo Alto Networks firewall configuration and centralized management using Strata Cloud Manager. Experience configuring and managing Palo Alto Networks firewalls; Familiarity with Strata Cloud Manager for centralized management; Understanding of network security concepts and best practices
The syllabus
What you’ll learn
Every domain and objective Palo Alto Networks measures, with the weight they carry on the exam.
The official Palo Alto Networks exam outline · checked 30 July 2026 · See the source
Object Configuration Creation and Application
- 1.1 Create and apply security profiles and security profile groups
- 1.2 Create and apply decryption profiles
- 1.3 Create and apply external dynamic lists
- 1.4 Create and apply custom objects (e.g., URL categories, signatures, data patterns)
- 1.5 Create and apply Log Forwarding profile
- 1.6 Create and apply data security profiles
- 1.7 Create and apply internet of things (IoT) security profiles
- 1.8 Create and apply DoS protection profiles
- 1.9 Create and apply SD-WAN profiles and templates
Policy Creation and Application
- 2.1 Create and apply Security policies (i.e., App-ID, User-ID, Content-ID)
- 2.2 Create and apply NAT policies
- 2.3 Create and apply decryption policies
- 2.4 Create and apply application override policies
- 2.5 Create and apply Policy Based Forwarding (PBF) policies
- 2.6 Create and apply SD-WAN routing and service-level agreement (SLA) policies
Management and Operations
- 3.1 Use centralized management system
- 3.2 Use Command Center, Activity Insights, and Policy Optimizer to improve security posture
- 3.3 Use Log Viewer and the Incidents and Alerts page to remediate incidents and alerts
Troubleshooting
- 4.1 Troubleshoot misconfigurations across all management and on-box options
- 4.2 Troubleshoot runtime and commit / push errors
- 4.3 Troubleshoot device usage and health
On the day
The exam itself
Everything Palo Alto Networks publishes about sitting it, and nothing we inferred.
Prerequisites
No mandatory prerequisites — this certification has no required predecessor exam or credential.
CertificationPalo Alto Networks Certified Network Security Analyst
DeliveryPearson VUE
After you pass
Where this credential goes next
The path Palo Alto Networks lays out, how the credential is kept, and where to book.
Step-by-step path to Palo Alto Networks Certified Network Security Analyst
Credential earnedPalo Alto Networks Certified Network Security Analyst Certification Lifecycle status
This certification is currently active and available. Palo Alto Networks maintains this certification to validate current skills and industry relevance.
Exam status: ActiveMaintained by Palo Alto Networks
Exam registration
Register for the exam through Pearson VUE, Palo Alto Networks’s authorized testing partner.
Schedule your examVisit the official Palo Alto Networks 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
Is the Network Security Analyst certification part of a larger certification path?
The Network Security Analyst certification is a Specialist-level credential within the Palo Alto Networks certification program. It is part of the Network Security track, which also includes Professional and Architect level certifications.
What job roles does the Network Security Analyst certification align with?
This certification is designed for analysts and administrators who configure firewalls and subscriptions, and who manage and operate network security environments using Strata Cloud Manager.
Can I take the Network Security Analyst exam online?
Yes, Palo Alto Networks exams are delivered through Pearson VUE and are available both online proctored and at test centers.
Are there any recommended training courses for this certification?
Palo Alto Networks offers instructor-led training and digital learning options that can help you prepare for the certification exams. It is recommended to review the official certification page for specific course recommendations.
How does the Network Security Analyst certification relate to the Network Security Professional certification?
The Network Security Professional certification is a Professional-level credential that validates broader knowledge of Palo Alto Networks network security solutions, while the Network Security Analyst is a Specialist-level certification focused on specific analyst and administrator tasks. They are separate certifications within the same track.
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 Palo Alto Networks measures — each one written out.
4domains
21objectives
132concepts
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 Palo Alto Networks exam outline · checked 30 July 2026 · See the source
1Object Configuration Creation and Application170 questions
1.1 Create and apply security profiles and security profile groups7 concepts · 5 pagesOpen →1.2 Create and apply decryption profiles8 concepts · 5 pagesOpen →1.3 Create and apply external dynamic lists6 concepts · 4 pagesOpen →1.4 Create and apply custom objects (e.g., URL categories, signatures, data patterns)6 concepts · 3 pagesOpen →1.5 Create and apply Log Forwarding profile6 concepts · 4 pagesOpen →1.6 Create and apply data security profiles6 concepts · 3 pagesOpen →1.7 Create and apply internet of things (IoT) security profiles5 concepts · 5 pagesOpen →1.8 Create and apply DoS protection profiles5 concepts · 4 pagesOpen →1.9 Create and apply SD-WAN profiles and templates5 concepts · 4 pagesOpen →
2Policy Creation and Application98 questions
2.1 Create and apply Security policies (i.e., App-ID, User-ID, Content-ID)6 concepts · 3 pagesOpen →2.2 Create and apply NAT policies7 concepts · 5 pagesOpen →2.3 Create and apply decryption policies5 concepts · 4 pagesOpen →2.4 Create and apply application override policies5 concepts · 4 pagesOpen →2.5 Create and apply Policy Based Forwarding (PBF) policies4 concepts · 3 pagesOpen →2.6 Create and apply SD-WAN routing and service-level agreement (SLA) policies4 concepts · 3 pagesOpen →
3Management and Operations97 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.
1.1 Create and apply security profiles and security profile groups5 pagesOpen →
Free in front of it
23 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
21objectives
Freealways
Start anywhere1.1 Create and apply security profiles and security profile groups 23 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.
1Object Configuration Creation and Application170 questions
2Policy Creation and Application98 questions
3Management and Operations97 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.
132concepts
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 Palo Alto Networks
Where the exam is defined, scheduled and scored.
1official link
132concepts mapped
The source
Palo Alto Networks’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 Palo Alto Networks outline already has questions here
We build from the official skills outline, not from a summary of it — 21 objectives, 132 concepts written under them, and free questions against every one. When Palo Alto Networks changes the outline, this page changes with it.
21objectives on the outline→132concepts 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.