PCNSE Troubleshoot Practice Question
Which TWO CLI commands can be used to check whether a specific security policy rule is being matched by traffic? (Choose two.)
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often confuse 'show security-policy rule <rulename>' (which only shows configuration) with a command that shows rule usage, leading them to select option D instead of the correct rule-usage or session-filter commands.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
show security-policy rule-usage
The 'show security-policy rule-usage' command displays the hit count for each security policy rule, allowing you to verify if a specific rule has been matched by traffic. Option C is correct because 'show session all filter rule <rulename>' filters active sessions by the rule name, showing only sessions that matched that specific security policy rule, which directly confirms rule usage.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
show session limit
Why it's wrong here
This shows session limit configuration, not rule matches.
- ✓
show security-policy rule-usage
Why this is correct
This command displays the number of times each rule has been matched.
- ✓
show session all filter rule <rulename>
Why this is correct
This shows active sessions that matched the specified rule.
- ✗
show security-policy rule <rulename>
Why it's wrong here
This displays the configuration of a specific rule, not hit count.
- ✗
show running security-policy
Why it's wrong here
This shows the security policy configuration, not which rules are being matched.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This PCNSE practice question is part of Courseiva's free Palo Alto Networks certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the PCNSE exam.