This exam was retired by the vendor on January 31, 2025.
PCNSA can no longer be scheduled. The practice material below remains available for reference and for learners studying the underlying skills. See Palo Alto Networks' current certification portfolio (Network Security Analyst/Generalist)
Palo Alto Networks certification practice
Practise Palo Alto Networks Certified Network Security Administrator PCNSA across all 6 official exam domains — Managing Objects, Policy Evaluation and Management, Securing Traffic, Device Management and Services, and more — with original exam-style questions, full explanations, and wrong-answer analysis. Courseiva helps you prepare with realistic practice questions, topic-based revision, explained answers and structured study routes.
Ways to study PCNSA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
New here? Start with this
Start with a 25-question practice test
Covers all 6 domains · takes ~5 min · no account needed · shows your weak areas immediately
Historical facts for the Palo Alto Networks Certified Network Security Administrator PCNSA exam, which the vendor has retired.
Exam cost (historical)
$175 USD / ~£140
Duration (historical)
80 minutes
Question count
60 questions
Passing score
70%
The Palo Alto Networks Certified Network Security Administrator (PCNSA) validates the knowledge and skills required to operate and manage Palo Alto Networks next-generation firewalls. Candidates demonstrate proficiency in configuring security and NAT policies, App-ID, Content-ID, User-ID, SSL decryption, VPN, and basic network troubleshooting using PAN-OS. The PCNSA is designed for network administrators and security engineers who work with Palo Alto Networks firewalls on a day-to-day basis. It is the recommended entry point into the Palo Alto Networks certification track before pursuing the advanced PCNSE.
Official prerequisite
No formal prerequisites; completion of Palo Alto Networks EDU-110 Firewall Essentials training is strongly recommended.
Recommended experience
1+ year of experience with firewalls and networking; CompTIA Network+ or equivalent knowledge.
6–18 months working with firewalls or network security, ideally with some exposure to Palo Alto Networks products.
Should you skip this exam?
Those who already have extensive Palo Alto Networks experience and should sit the PCNSE instead.
Courseiva study tip
Use Palo Alto Networks' free EDU-110 training and practice in the PANOS VM or a lab environment; focus on App-ID, Security Profiles, and policy logic.
UK salary range
£40,000–£65,000
US salary range
$65,000–$100,000
Job roles that cite PCNSA
What certification to take next
PCNSA was retired by the vendor and can no longer be scheduled or booked. See Palo Alto Networks' current certification portfolio (Network Security Analyst/Generalist) for the current path.
The PCNSA exam costs $175 USD per attempt through Pearson VUE, making it one of the more affordable vendor security certifications.
Candidates must achieve a score of 70% or higher to pass the PCNSA exam.
The exam contains 60 questions with an 80-minute time limit.
PCNSA covers PAN-OS fundamentals, security and NAT policy configuration, App-ID, User-ID, Content-ID, Security Profiles, SSL decryption, site-to-site and remote-access VPN, and basic troubleshooting.
It is moderately difficult. Candidates with hands-on firewall experience and who complete the official Firewall Essentials training typically pass with 4–6 weeks of dedicated study.
The PCNSA certification is valid for 2 years. Renewal requires re-passing the current PCNSA exam before expiry.
PCNSA is an administrator-level credential focused on day-to-day firewall operations. PCNSE is the advanced engineer-level certification covering design, deployment, optimization, and troubleshooting of complex Palo Alto Networks environments.
See how PCNSA stacks up against related certifications.
100% free — no account required
Everything on Courseiva for PCNSA is free — no subscription, no trial, no email wall.
Courseiva Exam Intelligence
Data confidence: BuildingDerived from Courseiva's continuously updated practice dataset: 516 exam-style questions. Updated 2 July 2026.
Question difficulty mix
Average time per question: 93s
8
Exam domains
official blueprint domains covered by the bank
516
Questions
exam-style questions in the PCNSA bank
Practice modes
Choose a mode that matches your current study phase. Use topic practice early on and mock exams closer to your exam date.
All PCNSA Questions
Browse the full question bank organised by domain and difficulty.
Practice Test
Start a 20-question session with a full explanation after each answer.
Mock Exam
Simulate the real exam with a timed, full-length question set.
Quick 25
A 25-question warm-up — ideal for a short daily study session.
Flashcards
Reinforce key terms, commands, and protocol facts with flashcards.
Domain Practice
Focus exclusively on one exam domain to target your weakest area.
50-Question Set
Mid-length practice set covering all domains.
Exam guide
Start with a short practice session, review each missed answer, then return to the topics that caused mistakes.
Palo Alto Networks Certified Network Security Administrator PCNSA spans 6 official exam domains (Managing Objects, Policy Evaluation and Management, Securing Traffic, and more). Questions test whether you can apply each objective in a realistic scenario, not just recall a definition.
Related practice questions
Use these internal links to move from the exam guide into focused topic practice pages.
Practise PCNSA questions linked to Managing Objects.
Practise PCNSA questions linked to Policy Evaluation and Management.
Practise PCNSA questions linked to Securing Traffic.
Practise PCNSA questions linked to Device Management and Services.
Practise PCNSA questions linked to App-ID and Content-ID.
Practise PCNSA questions linked to Decryption and Monitoring.
Practise PCNSA questions linked to PCNSA fundamentals.
Practise PCNSA questions linked to PCNSA scenario.
Practise PCNSA questions linked to PCNSA troubleshooting.
Practice directory
Every practice set is a unique selection of questions — numbered tests, domain-focused sessions, and topic-specific quizzes.
Showing 8 of 37 tests. See all 37 PCNSA practice tests →
Official blueprint
Target weak areas by practising questions from a single domain. Each domain page shows all questions, difficulty breakdown, and a focused practice session.
Practise PCNSA questions in this domain →
Practise PCNSA questions in this domain →
Practise PCNSA questions in this domain →
Practise PCNSA questions in this domain →
Practise PCNSA questions in this domain →
Practise PCNSA questions in this domain →
Deep-dive questions
The most-searched PCNSA questions — each with a detailed explanation, worked example, and full answer breakdown.
Learn the concepts
15 book-style chapters cover every PCNSA objective in plain English. Read the theory here, then test it with practice questions.
Chapter 1
Introduction to Palo Alto Networks Firewalls and the PCNSA Exam
12 min read
Chapter 2
Managing Objects: Addresses, Address Groups, and Regions
12 min read
Chapter 3
Managing Objects: Services, Service Groups, and Application Objects
12 min read
Chapter 4
Managing Objects: Tags, External Dynamic Lists, and Custom URL Categories
12 min read
Chapter 5
App-ID: Concepts, Identification, and Usage in Policies
12 min read
Chapter 6
Content-ID: URL Filtering, Threat Prevention, and File Blocking
12 min read
Chapter 7
Device Management: Interfaces, Zones, and Virtual Routers
12 min read
Chapter 8
Device Management: Panorama Integration and Log Forwarding
12 min read
Free study guide
The Courseiva PCNSA study guide covers exam format, the official domain blueprint with weights, a structured study plan, and domain-specific tips for each section. Use it alongside practice questions to build both conceptual depth and exam confidence.
Sample questions
Original exam-style questions — not copied from any exam or dump site. Open a question for the full answer breakdown.
An administrator wants to block upload of files with extension .exe to the application 'box-net'. Which security policy component is most appropriate?
A network administrator wants to allow HTTP and HTTPS traffic from untrust zone to DMZ zone for a web server, but block all other traffic. What is the most efficient way to achieve…
A company uses SSL Forward Proxy decryption. After implementing, they notice that some internal applications that use client certificate authentication are failing. What is the mos…
Refer to the exhibit. A security rule is configured with destination address group 'internal-servers'. A packet with destination IP 10.10.20.5 arrives. Will the rule match?
An administrator wants to require users in the Internal zone to authenticate via User-ID before accessing the Internet. Which policy configuration is necessary to enforce this requ…
An administrator is reviewing the rulebase and finds a rule with a hit count of 0 over the past 30 days. What action should the administrator consider?
Related certifications
Studying for PCNSA? These related Palo Alto Networks certifications share concepts and are common next steps.
All Palo Alto Networks certifications →Courseiva provides free Palo Alto Networks Certified Network Security Administrator PCNSA (PCNSA) practice questions with original exam-style questions, detailed explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics. Courseiva is an independent platform and is not affiliated with Palo Alto Networks.