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Key Facts: F5-301A Exam

245 scaled

Passing Score

Exam Questions

90 minutes

80-120 hrs

Study Time

Recommended

$180

Exam Fee

2 years

Certification Valid

Valid F5-CA

Prerequisite

F5 publishes 80 questions, 90 minutes, a scaled passing score of 245, a US$180 fee, and Pearson VUE test-center delivery for 301A. Its blueprint has two sections—architect/deploy applications and set up/administer/secure LTM devices—but does not publish a 60/40 percentage split. A valid F5-CA, BIG-IP certification is required. Passing 301A makes a candidate eligible for 301B; it does not by itself award the LTM Specialist certification. The 112 questions here are independent practice.

Sample F5-301A Practice Questions

Try these sample questions to review concepts for the F5-301A exam. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 112+ question experience with AI tutoring.

1A standard virtual server on BIG-IP LTM is configured without SNAT. Backend pool members reside on a different VLAN than the virtual server, and the LTM is NOT the default gateway for the pool members. What is the most likely result?

A.Traffic is load balanced normally because successful ingress processing guarantees the server reply will traverse the same BIG-IP virtual server

B.Return traffic from pool members bypasses the LTM and clients see asymmetric or broken connections

C.The virtual server fails to come up

D.The LTM auto-enables SNAT Automap

Explanation: When pool members are on a different subnet and the LTM is not their default gateway, return traffic takes a different path back to the client, bypassing the LTM. The client sees responses from the pool member's real IP rather than the virtual server's IP, breaking the TCP session. The fix is to enable SNAT (Automap or a SNAT pool) or make the LTM the pool member's default gateway.

2Which SNAT option causes the BIG-IP to translate the client source address to a self-IP on the egress VLAN toward the pool member?

A.SNAT None

B.SNAT Automap

C.Source Address Translation: SNAT Pool

D.Source Address Translation: Source Port Preserved

Explanation: SNAT Automap automatically selects an appropriate self-IP (preferring a floating self-IP over a non-floating one) on the egress VLAN as the translated source. This is the simplest SNAT option and is commonly used when the LTM is not the pool members' default gateway.

3An application must sustain 80,000 simultaneous connections to the same pool-member IP and service port through source address translation. Which SNAT design is MOST appropriate to reduce the risk of port exhaustion?

A.SNAT Automap using one floating self IP address

B.A SNAT pool with multiple translation addresses

C.SNAT None with BIG-IP as the server default gateway

D.Disable connection mirroring

Explanation: Each SNAT translation address has a finite source-port space for connections to a given destination tuple. A sufficiently large simultaneous connection count can exhaust that space and prevent new translations. A SNAT pool spreads translations across multiple addresses, expanding the available port space for this high-concurrency design.

4What is the minimum profile combination required for a standard HTTPS virtual server that terminates SSL at the BIG-IP and inspects HTTP headers?

A.TCP, HTTP, Client SSL

B.TCP, HTTP, Client SSL, Server SSL

C.TCP only

D.FastL4 and Client SSL

Explanation: For SSL termination at the BIG-IP with HTTP inspection, the minimum profiles are a TCP profile, an HTTP profile, and a Client SSL profile. A Server SSL profile is only required for SSL re-encryption (SSL bridging) to the backend. FastL4 cannot be combined with HTTP or Client SSL profiles.

5A virtual server is configured with type Performance (Layer 4). Which profile combination is supported on this virtual server type?

A.TCP and HTTP

B.FastL4

C.TCP, HTTP, and Client SSL

D.UDP and HTTP

Explanation: A Performance (Layer 4) virtual server uses the FastL4 profile, which provides accelerated Layer 4 forwarding (often hardware-assisted on appliances). It does not support Layer 7 profiles such as HTTP, Client SSL, or OneConnect. Use a Standard virtual server when you need L7 features.

6Which load-balancing method combines each pool member's active-connection count with its configured ratio weight?

A.Round Robin

B.Ratio (member), based only on static ratio weights

C.Ratio Least Connections (member)

D.Dynamic Ratio (node)

Explanation: Ratio Least Connections (member) uses both active-connection counts and the ratio weights configured on pool members. Standard Least Connections ignores ratio weights, while Ratio alone follows static weights without incorporating the current active-connection count.

7Which load-balancing method is generally MOST appropriate when pool members have similar capacity and connections are short-lived (HTTP requests)?

A.Round Robin

B.Least Sessions

C.Predictive (member)

D.Dynamic Ratio

Explanation: For short-lived, equal-cost connections (typical HTTP), Round Robin distributes load evenly with minimal overhead. Least Connections shows little benefit when connection lifetime is short. Predictive and Dynamic Ratio require monitor-driven performance feedback that is often unnecessary for homogeneous web pools.

8A web application stores session state in server memory and does not share session data between servers. Which persistence method is MOST appropriate when clients may share a single source IP (NAT)?

A.Source Address Affinity persistence

B.Cookie persistence

C.SSL session ID persistence

D.Destination Address Affinity persistence

Explanation: When many clients share a source IP behind a NAT (corporate proxy, mobile carrier), source-address persistence sends them all to the same server, defeating load balancing. Cookie persistence operates per browser session and works correctly regardless of source-IP sharing. It requires HTTP processing on the virtual server.

9What is the default cookie persistence method in BIG-IP LTM?

A.Cookie Hash

B.Cookie Insert

C.Cookie Rewrite

D.Cookie Passive

Explanation: Cookie Insert is the default cookie persistence method. The BIG-IP inserts an HTTP cookie containing the encoded pool member identity into responses; on subsequent requests it reads the cookie to direct the client to the same member. Cookie Rewrite, Hash, and Passive are alternative methods used in specific scenarios.

10Which persistence method should be used when an application uses SSL but no HTTP layer (such as a custom binary protocol over TLS) and you need clients to return to the same pool member?

A.Cookie persistence

B.Source Address persistence

C.SSL session ID persistence

D.Universal persistence keyed on HTTP header

Explanation: SSL session ID persistence keys on the client's TLS session ID and works for any SSL-encrypted protocol regardless of upper-layer content. Cookie persistence requires HTTP. Source-address persistence breaks behind NAT. Universal persistence keyed on HTTP requires HTTP processing.

About the F5-301A Exam

The 301A is the first specialist exam in the F5 Certified! Technology Specialist - BIG-IP LTM track. It validates the candidate's ability to architect, set up, and deploy applications on BIG-IP LTM, including SNAT decisions, profile selection, virtual server design, iRules, application-specific monitors, persistence, SSL offload, sync-failover HA, and core network setup. A valid F5-CA, BIG-IP certification is the prerequisite.

Exam sponsor: F5 / Pearson VUE. The requirements and fees below concern the certification or admission exam, separate from our free practice resources.

Questions

80 questions

Time Limit

90 minutes

Passing Score

245 on F5's 100-350 scaled-score range

Exam / Certification Fees

$180

Exam sponsor website

Fees, eligibility, and exam policies can change. Confirm them with the exam sponsor before applying or paying.

Official sources

Our practice resources: topics covered

We aim to reflect publicly available exam outlines and topic information in our study resources. Coverage, format, and difficulty may differ from the actual exam, and we cannot guarantee that every detail is accurate or current. Confirm exam requirements, fees, and policies with the official exam sponsor.

Official blueprint Section 1; no percentage published

Architect and Deploy Applications

SNAT, virtual server types, profiles, iRules, iApps, monitors, persistence, SSL offload, load-balancing methods

Official blueprint Section 2; no percentage published

Set-up, Administer, and Secure LTM Devices

VLANs, self-IPs, trunks, routes, sync-failover device groups, traffic groups, partitions, route domains, certificates, logging

Preparing for the F5-301A Exam

What You Need to Know

Passing score: 245 on F5's 100-350 scaled-score range
Exam length: 80 questions
Time limit: 90 minutes
Exam / certification fees: $180 Official sources

Using Our Practice Resources

Work through all 112 available questions
Review every answer and explanation
Track weak areas and revisit them
Use our AI tutor for tough concepts

F5-301A: Suggested Study Strategy

1Build a BIG-IP VE lab and practice creating virtual servers, pools, monitors, and SNAT pools by hand

2Master the four SNAT modes (None, Automap, SNAT pool, Source Address Translation) and when each is required

3Know the minimum profile set for HTTP, HTTPS, TCP, UDP, and FastL4 virtual servers

4Study persistence types (cookie, source-address, SSL session ID, universal, hash) and which apps need each

5Understand sync-failover device groups, traffic groups, floating self-IPs, and the failover order

6Use our AI tutor to walk through iRule events (CLIENT_ACCEPTED, HTTP_REQUEST, LB_SELECTED, etc.) and common commands

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the F5 301A exam?

The F5 301A is the Architect, Setup & Deploy exam in the F5 Certified! Technology Specialist - BIG-IP LTM track. F5 publishes 80 questions in 90 minutes, a scaled passing score of 245, a US$180 fee, and Pearson VUE test-center delivery.

What are the prerequisites for F5 301A?

Candidates need a valid F5 Certified Administrator, BIG-IP (F5-CA) certification. The legacy 101 exam retired in 2025; new candidates earn F5-CA through the current five-exam administrator track, while candidates who already hold a valid F5-CA satisfy the 301A prerequisite.

How hard is the F5 301A exam?

The official blueprint expects applied design decisions: which SNAT mode to deploy, the minimum profiles and objects an application needs, when LTM can satisfy requirements, and how to design persistence, monitors, SSL and high availability. F5 does not publish a required study-hour figure; the 80-120-hour plan on this page is an independent recommendation.

Does passing 301A award the LTM Specialist certification?

No. F5 describes 301A as the first of two exams and a prerequisite to 301B. Passing 301A alone awards no credential; candidates complete the applicable LTM Specialist requirements to earn the certification.

What is the difference between F5 301A and 301B?

301A (Architect, Set-up & Deploy) tests your ability to design and build LTM configurations. 301B (Maintain & Troubleshoot) tests your ability to operate, monitor, and troubleshoot existing LTM deployments using TMSH, tcpdump, qkview, and iRules debugging. Both exams must be passed to earn the F5 Certified! Technology Specialist - BIG-IP LTM credential.

Free Practice Questions for F5-301A

F5 Certified! Technology Specialist — BIG-IP LTM (Exam 301A)

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