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100+ Free Pure Cloud Specialist Practice Questions

Pass your Everpure Certified Cloud Specialist (CS, formerly CBSS) exam on the first try — instant access, no signup required.

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Question 1
Score: 0/0

Which Purity//FA construct lets you snapshot multiple volumes consistently, replicate them together, and set retention?

A
B
C
D
to track
2026 Statistics

Key Facts: Pure Cloud Specialist Exam

60

Exam Questions

Multiple-choice format

120 min

Time Limit

Online proctored via ExamStudio

$300

Exam Fee

Per attempt, USD

AWS + Azure

Supported Clouds

PSC Dedicated deployment targets

CBSS to CS

Renamed in 2024

Cloud Block Store rebranded to PSC Dedicated

Online

Test Delivery

Pure Academy / ExamStudio

The Everpure Certified Cloud Specialist (CS) — renamed from Cloud Block Store Specialist (CBSS) when Cloud Block Store was rebranded to Pure Storage Cloud Dedicated (PSC Dedicated) — is a 60-question, 120-minute online-proctored exam delivered through ExamStudio for $300 USD. The exam validates the ability to deploy, operate, and design with PSC Dedicated on AWS and Azure, including Pure1 management, Evergreen//One subscription billing, Marketplace billing, multi-AZ HA, encryption, ActiveDR / CloudSnap, and VMware Cloud / AVS integrations. Pure Storage does not publicly disclose the passing score; community guidance points to the industry-typical ~70% range. The credential targets cloud architects, FlashArray admins extending into cloud, and partners selling and implementing PSC Dedicated.

Sample Pure Cloud Specialist Practice Questions

Try these sample questions to test your Pure Cloud Specialist exam readiness. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 100+ question experience with AI tutoring.

1What is Pure Storage Cloud Dedicated (PSC Dedicated) the rebranded name of?
A.Pure1 Manage
B.Cloud Block Store (CBS)
C.Purity//FA on-premises
D.Portworx Enterprise
Explanation: Pure Storage Cloud Dedicated (PSC Dedicated) is the rebranded name for Cloud Block Store (CBS) — the same software-defined Purity//FA running in AWS and Azure that customers previously knew as Cloud Block Store. The certification was renamed CBSS to CS to reflect this change.
2Which cloud public clouds does Pure Storage Cloud Dedicated officially support for production deployment?
A.AWS only
B.AWS and Microsoft Azure
C.Google Cloud Platform only
D.AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud
Explanation: Pure Storage Cloud Dedicated (formerly Cloud Block Store) is generally available on AWS and Microsoft Azure. Google Cloud is not a supported deployment target for PSC Dedicated.
3Which Pure Storage SaaS plane is used to monitor PSC Dedicated arrays alongside on-premises FlashArrays from a single dashboard?
A.Pure1
B.Purity//FA Console
C.vRealize Operations
D.AWS CloudWatch
Explanation: Pure1 is Pure Storage's cloud-based SaaS management and analytics plane. Both physical FlashArrays and PSC Dedicated cloud instances phone home to Pure1, where administrators see fleet-wide capacity, performance, alerts, and recommendations.
4An administrator wants to give a teammate the ability to view performance and capacity in Pure1 but not change any settings. Which built-in Pure1 role should be assigned?
A.Storage Admin
B.Pure1 Admin
C.Read-Only
D.Support
Explanation: Pure1 includes a Read-Only role that grants visibility into capacity, performance, alerts, and reports without permission to change configuration or invite users. It is the correct choice for view-only stakeholders such as auditors or NOC staff.
5What is the primary subscription model under which PSC Dedicated capacity is sold?
A.Perpetual license tied to the AWS account
B.Evergreen//One subscription
C.Per-IOPS metered AWS Marketplace billing only
D.Free with a Pure FlashArray purchase
Explanation: PSC Dedicated capacity is consumed under Pure's Evergreen//One storage-as-a-service subscription. Customers commit to an effective capacity and SLA, and Pure operates the service, including upgrades and support, with usage billed against that commitment.
6When deploying PSC Dedicated on AWS, what is the recommended Infrastructure-as-Code artifact used to provision the controllers and supporting resources?
A.A Helm chart
B.An AWS CloudFormation template
C.A Kubernetes Operator
D.A Terraform module installed from the Pure GitHub Marketplace UI
Explanation: PSC Dedicated on AWS is deployed using a Pure-supplied AWS CloudFormation template, typically launched from the AWS Marketplace. The template provisions the controller EC2 instances, EBS volumes, security groups, IAM roles, and supporting resources.
7What is the equivalent deployment artifact used for PSC Dedicated on Azure?
A.ARM (Azure Resource Manager) template
B.AWS CloudFormation template
C.Bicep file imported into AWS Outposts
D.Helm chart
Explanation: On Azure, PSC Dedicated is deployed via an Azure Resource Manager (ARM) template, typically launched from the Azure Marketplace. The template provisions the virtual machines, managed disks/blob storage, virtual network connectivity, and identity for the PSC Dedicated controllers.
8Which AWS EC2 instance family is most commonly used for PSC Dedicated controllers because of its high networking bandwidth and AWS Nitro support?
A.t3 burstable
B.c5n / c6in network-optimized
C.g5 GPU
D.i3en storage-dense legacy
Explanation: PSC Dedicated leverages AWS Nitro-based, network-optimized instances such as c5n and the newer c6in family. Their high network bandwidth (up to 100 or 200 Gbps) and EBS bandwidth make them appropriate for a software-defined storage controller serving block traffic to many EC2 clients.
9What is the persistent backing storage that PSC Dedicated uses for its data on AWS?
A.EC2 instance-store SSDs
B.Amazon S3 Glacier
C.Amazon Elastic Block Store (EBS)
D.EFS shared NFS
Explanation: PSC Dedicated controllers in AWS use Amazon EBS volumes (gp3/io2) as the durable backing store. Purity//FA layers data reduction, snapshots, and replication on top of EBS, which provides the durability tier the cloud array exposes as block volumes.
10On Azure, what backing storage tier does PSC Dedicated typically use to land deduplicated blocks?
A.Azure NetApp Files
B.Azure Premium SSD plus blob storage tiers
C.Azure Files SMB
D.Azure Cosmos DB
Explanation: PSC Dedicated on Azure layers Purity//FA on Azure managed disks (Premium SSD) and blob storage tiers for the durable data layer. This combination provides the IOPS, throughput, and durability profile required for a software-defined block array.

About the Pure Cloud Specialist Exam

The Everpure Certified Cloud Specialist (CS) credential — formerly the Cloud Block Store Specialist (CBSS) — validates professional skills with Pure Storage Cloud Dedicated (PSC Dedicated, the renamed Cloud Block Store) on AWS and Azure. The exam covers Pure1 SaaS management, Evergreen//One subscription and Marketplace billing, AWS/Azure deployment via CloudFormation and ARM templates, VPC/VNet networking, multi-AZ high availability, encryption with customer-managed keys, ActiveDR and CloudSnap for DR-to-cloud, hybrid migration patterns, and VMware Cloud on AWS / Azure VMware Solution integration.

Assessment

60 multiple-choice questions covering Management, Cloud Solution, Architecture and Best Practices, Solutions, and Deployment for Pure Storage Cloud Dedicated (formerly Cloud Block Store) on AWS and Azure

Time Limit

120 minutes

Passing Score

Not publicly disclosed (industry-typical ~70%)

Exam Fee

$300 USD (Pure Storage / online proctored (ExamStudio))

Pure Cloud Specialist Exam Content Outline

25%

Management

Pure Storage Cloud Dedicated administration, Pure1 SaaS monitoring and analytics, alert subscriptions, RBAC roles (Pure1 Admin, Storage Admin, Read-Only), Evergreen//One subscription, Marketplace billing through AWS EDP and Azure MACC, capacity and consumption dashboards

20%

Cloud Solution

AWS and Azure deployment models, VPC and VNet integration, VPC peering, AWS PrivateLink and Azure Private Link, AWS Direct Connect and Azure ExpressRoute, supported cloud services and instance/VM types (c5n/c6in)

20%

Architecture and Best Practices

PSC Dedicated (formerly Cloud Block Store) architecture, Purity//FA dual-controller pair, multi-AZ HA, EBS / Azure managed-disk + blob backing storage, AES-256 encryption with AWS KMS / Azure Key Vault and customer-managed keys, SafeMode, IAM roles and Azure managed identities

20%

Solutions

Hybrid cloud lift-and-shift and bursting, DR-to-cloud with ActiveDR and CloudSnap, ActiveCluster latency limits, VMware Cloud on AWS iSCSI integration, Azure VMware Solution integration, Oracle/SQL Server/MongoDB workloads, cross-cloud DR

15%

Deployment

AWS Marketplace + CloudFormation, Azure Marketplace + ARM template, sizing with Pure1 Workload Planner, iSCSI host configuration on Linux and Windows, multipath, jumbo frames in VPC, post-deploy connectivity and performance validation

How to Pass the Pure Cloud Specialist Exam

What You Need to Know

  • Passing score: Not publicly disclosed (industry-typical ~70%)
  • Assessment: 60 multiple-choice questions covering Management, Cloud Solution, Architecture and Best Practices, Solutions, and Deployment for Pure Storage Cloud Dedicated (formerly Cloud Block Store) on AWS and Azure
  • Time limit: 120 minutes
  • Exam fee: $300 USD

Keys to Passing

  • Complete 500+ practice questions
  • Score 80%+ consistently before scheduling
  • Focus on highest-weighted sections
  • Use our AI tutor for tough concepts

Pure Cloud Specialist Study Tips from Top Performers

1Anchor every topic to the rebrand: when older study material says CBS or Cloud Block Store, mentally translate to PSC Dedicated, and when it says CBSS, translate to Cloud Specialist (CS) — the technology and exam are unchanged
2Memorize the deployment artifact per cloud: AWS Marketplace + CloudFormation template, Azure Marketplace + ARM template, both for a Purity//FA dual-controller pair
3Know which Pure features are positioned for which DR pattern: CloudSnap = scheduled snapshot offload to object storage, ActiveDR = continuous async replication, ActiveCluster = synchronous (latency-bound, generally not on-prem-to-cloud)
4Practice the Pure1 RBAC distinctions (Pure1 Admin vs Storage Admin vs Read-Only) and the Evergreen//One vs Marketplace-billed (AWS EDP / Azure MACC) commercial models
5Drill the AWS-vs-Azure equivalent table: VPC / VNet, Direct Connect / ExpressRoute, PrivateLink / Private Link, KMS / Key Vault, IAM role / Managed Identity, Security Group / NSG

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Everpure Certified Cloud Specialist (CS) exam?

The Cloud Specialist (CS) is a Pure Storage Everpure-program certification that validates the ability to deploy, operate, and design solutions with Pure Storage Cloud Dedicated (PSC Dedicated) on AWS and Azure. It covers Pure1 management, Evergreen//One subscription and Marketplace billing, multi-AZ HA, encryption and IAM, ActiveDR and CloudSnap for DR-to-cloud, hybrid migration, and VMware Cloud on AWS / AVS integration.

Why is the exam listed as both CBSS and CS, and what changed with Cloud Block Store?

The exam was originally named CBSS — Cloud Block Store Specialist. Pure Storage rebranded Cloud Block Store as Pure Storage Cloud Dedicated (PSC Dedicated) and renamed the certification to Cloud Specialist (CS). The underlying technology, Purity//FA running as a software-defined controller pair on AWS or Azure, is the same; only the product and credential names changed.

How many questions are on the Pure Cloud Specialist exam and how long does it take?

The exam contains 60 multiple-choice questions with a 120-minute time limit. It is delivered as an online-proctored exam through ExamStudio. The passing score is not publicly disclosed by Pure Storage; community guidance points to the industry-typical ~70% range.

How much does the Pure Cloud Specialist (CBSS / CS) exam cost?

The exam fee is $300 USD per attempt. Pure partners may have access to vouchers or training-bundle discounts through the Everpure program.

What clouds does Pure Storage Cloud Dedicated (PSC Dedicated) support?

PSC Dedicated is generally available on AWS and Microsoft Azure. On AWS it deploys via the AWS Marketplace using a CloudFormation template, typically on Nitro-based network-optimized instances such as c5n and c6in. On Azure it deploys via the Azure Marketplace using an ARM template.

What kinds of workloads is PSC Dedicated best suited to?

PSC Dedicated targets Tier-1 block workloads being lifted and shifted to the cloud (Oracle, SQL Server, MongoDB, VMware Cloud on AWS, Azure VMware Solution), DR-to-cloud designs using ActiveDR or CloudSnap, hybrid bursting from on-prem FlashArrays, and hybrid migration projects where customers want consistent Purity//FA tooling on both sides.

How should I prepare for the Pure CS (CBSS) exam?

Work through the Cloud Specialist learning path on Pure Academy, study Pure Storage Cloud Dedicated documentation (formerly Cloud Block Store), get hands-on with a PSC Dedicated deployment in AWS or Azure, master Pure1 monitoring and Evergreen//One billing, review ActiveDR and CloudSnap for DR-to-cloud, and use targeted practice questions to validate weak areas.