About the PCNA Exam

Pakedge Certified Network Administrators set themselves apart by committing to excellence and demonstrating expertise. The exam is thorough and technical. The exam has two parts: a multiple-choice knowledge assessment and a practical hands-on portion that requires the trainee to implement a scenario using the gear from the PCNA study kit. The details and resources provided below help PCNA trainees to prepare for the exam.

Study Guide

The PCNA Process:

Schedule an exam appointment. Trainees can schedule their exam after they complete the sixth PCNA course. The exam must be scheduled at least 72 hours in advance, unless the trainee opts to expedite the exam appointment (for a fee).
The certification exam is proctored. A 3rd-party online proctoring service verifies the trainee’s identity and conducts the exam. The service records the trainee (screen and camera) to prevent cheating, such as using notes or Google searches. Proctoring ensures fairness, authenticity and credibility for the PCNA certification.
The exam consists of two parts and takes about 2.5 hours to complete. In Part 1 you answer 80 multiple choice questions. Part 2 assigns a real-world scenario for which you must design and implement a network using your PCNA kit equipment.
You must score at least an 80% on each part to pass the exam. You must pass Part 1, the multiple choice section, to proceed to Part 2, the practical, hands-on section, of the exam. Failure to get at least 80% on Part 1 concludes the exam. You may take the exam as many times as needed.
The purchase of the PCNA curriculum includes your first certification attempt. There is no additional cost for your first attempt on the exam. Each subsequent attempt costs about $30 USD. Control4 encourages trainees to prepare thoroughly--using the study guide, practice exam and equipment from the PCNA kit--so only one attempt is necessary.
Schedule the exam at least a week before the rebate period expires. To qualify for the rebate, a trainee must pass the exam during the rebate period. You can still certify after the rebate period lapses, but the rebate is forfeited. There are no exceptions. We recommend you schedule your first attempt well before the period lapses in case you need to take the exam a second time.

What's on the Exam and How To Prepare:

The exam is comprehensive. It covers content from all six courses. Trainees can go back and review any of the PCNA training material as often as they like.
Use the study guide. Pakedge provides trainees a PCNA Study Guide for the exam. The guide lays out exactly which concepts the exam covers from the PCNA curriculum.
Use the equipment. Practice various scenarios similar to those shown in PCNA hands-on activities from each course. The exam poses you with a scenario that you must implement. At the end of the Part 2, you prove your practical abilities by uploading configuration files from your PCNA kit equipment.
Complete the practice exam. Before you can schedule the certification exam, you must complete a short practice exam. The practice exam demonstrates the nature of the questions on the certification exam. The practice exam consists of 5 example questions that come from the certification exam’s bank of questions. One or more could show up in the actual exam.
Prepare for a two-part certification exam. Part 1 consists of 80 multiple choice questions, similar to those on the practice exam. In Part 2, you are assigned a real-world scenario that you must design and implement using your PCNA kit equipment.
Ready your network equipment before the exam. Follow the instructions provided in the curriculum (after completing Course 6) for factory-resetting your PCNA devices and BakPak study account. Your exam proctor verifies your equipment before you start the exam. If your equipment is not properly prepared, you must re-schedule.