PCNSE Cheat Sheet

#	Domain	Weight	Questions	Practice
4.0	Troubleshoot	11%	81	Practice →
Total	11%	713

Domain

Weight

Questions

Practice

4.0

Troubleshoot

11%

Practice →

Total

11%

713

Domain Quick Reference

4.0Troubleshoot

Diagnose PAN-OS traffic, GlobalProtect, decryption, commit, and HA failures using CLI tools like show session all, test url, and less mp-log. Most important: read the specific log or counter that pinpoints the failing stage before changing config.

11%

Key concepts

✓Reading 'show session all filter' and 'test security-policy-match' output to trace dropped traffic
✓Using 'show system logdb-quota' and log forwarding to isolate logging pipeline failures
✓Diagnosing GlobalProtect tunnel failures via 'show global-protect-gateway statistics' and gateway logs
✓Interpreting HA state with 'show high-availability state' and resolving split-brain or suspended peers

Watch out for

⚠Assuming a commit succeeded without checking 'show jobs all' for partial or failed commits on managed firewalls
⚠Confusing flow ownership in active/active HA, so session lookups run on the wrong peer and show no data
⚠Blaming the firewall for app failures when the real cause is a decryption profile or SSL forward proxy exclusion

Exam Day Reminders

→Read every question stem fully — look for qualifiers like 'MOST likely,' 'BEST,' or 'EXCEPT.'

→Flag uncertain questions and come back — don't waste time on one question.

→Eliminate obviously wrong options first, then choose between remaining ones.

→Trust your first instinct unless you have a specific reason to change.

→For PCNSE, scenarios typically have one clearly best answer — look for the option that matches the specific constraints in the question.

#	Domain	Weight	Questions	Practice
4.0	Troubleshoot	11%	81	Practice →
Total	11%	713

Domain

Weight

Questions

Practice

4.0

Troubleshoot

11%

Practice →

Total

11%

713

Domain Quick Reference

4.0Troubleshoot

11%

Key concepts

✓Reading 'show session all filter' and 'test security-policy-match' output to trace dropped traffic
✓Using 'show system logdb-quota' and log forwarding to isolate logging pipeline failures
✓Diagnosing GlobalProtect tunnel failures via 'show global-protect-gateway statistics' and gateway logs
✓Interpreting HA state with 'show high-availability state' and resolving split-brain or suspended peers

Watch out for

⚠Assuming a commit succeeded without checking 'show jobs all' for partial or failed commits on managed firewalls
⚠Confusing flow ownership in active/active HA, so session lookups run on the wrong peer and show no data
⚠Blaming the firewall for app failures when the real cause is a decryption profile or SSL forward proxy exclusion

Exam Day Reminders

→Read every question stem fully — look for qualifiers like 'MOST likely,' 'BEST,' or 'EXCEPT.'

→Flag uncertain questions and come back — don't waste time on one question.

→Eliminate obviously wrong options first, then choose between remaining ones.

→Trust your first instinct unless you have a specific reason to change.

→For PCNSE, scenarios typically have one clearly best answer — look for the option that matches the specific constraints in the question.

PCNSE Exam Blueprint — At a Glance

Domain Quick Reference

4.0Troubleshoot

Exam Day Reminders

More PCNSE resources

PCNSE Cheat Sheet

PCNSE Exam Blueprint — At a Glance

Domain Quick Reference

4.0Troubleshoot

Exam Day Reminders

More PCNSE resources