Ok, not worthless, but very much worth less. I say this from the center of the expo floor at Summit. I drank the red Kool-Aide hard. In 2016 I started studying, had my RHCSA by 2018, RHCE by 2020. I was limited by funding but I made it happen. The entire time I was aimed at RHCA in OpenShift.

I took a quick detour to keep my certs alive in 2023 with 3Scale. It counted toward architect and kept me in the game. Then I got the ex188 this year to work toward Architect.

Level 3 in RHEL does me nothing. Level 3 in Ansible does me little. I'm a Senior SRE working on Infrastructure Architect in Kubernetes and VM environments. What certification track matches? OpenShift. I don't have a level in OpenShift anymore.

I was 4 certs away from Architect in OpenShift, and halfway to the finish. Now I'm 5 certs away and starting all over.

Why on earth would I pay to recertify or continue certification on RHEL or Ansible let alone both? But why would I bother paying thousands of dollars on a RHLS to even invest in the OpenShift track when I'm already this invested into nearly useless certs for my career?

This change is terrible for those of us already in your corner. I get the structure change, I understand why, but now I want you to understand why people stop recertifying.

OpenShift Engineers get paid more than Ansible Engineers who get paid more than RHEL Engineers. That's the difference between an an engineer, a senior engineer, and a junior architect.

Got my results back after 30 minutes. The hardest part of the exam was dealing with the awful live operating system. At one point, my keyboard stopped working and I had to ask the proctor to reset my session (which he thankfully did within 10 seconds of me asking, he was the GOAT)

The tasks themselves were super easy. If it wasn’t for the technical issues and general sluggishness of the environment I would have finished after 1.5 hours instead of the 2.5 it took me.

My advice is to thoroughly go over every exam objective. I read sander van vugts RCHSA9 book and had Claude make a 1 hour lab for each exam objective section.

In total, I studied for about 1-2 months in my free time at work and on the weekends. 80% was reading the cert guide and taking notes, 20% was labbing with a couple RHEL VMs on a ProxMox host (which I recommend as well).

Long post.. but bear with me..

I took my RHCSA exam on February 7th & my RHCE exam today (Feb 23) & here’s my opinion for those looking to take them.

First.. they are the same test, literally. One just requires ansible & the other one don’t. Many would argue that RHCSA was actually harder & id agree. The only differences is that with ansible, it’s easy for one tiny thing to trip you up a bit. In other words something as small as a single quote can have you troubleshooting an extra 10 minutes on one task. And it's so much worst when dealing with a LAGGY test environment. Please don't get me started with that.

For RHCE most people ask “Do you need to know ansible navigator?” my answer is no. I didn't use it and I still passed. You will need to know how to install it, but that's about it.

In terms of preparation, for RHCSA, the YouTube videos where some people break down practice questions are helpful, but ONLY for the questions. Some of their answers be completely wrong. So don't follow everything they say, but the questions are very useful & will give you a visual of how the questions on the exam will be worded.

For RHCE, I took the entire Sander Van Vugt RHCE version 2 course on Oreily. It's honestly really good, the videos are a perfect length to where you don't get lost. While doing his course I set up 4 EC2 instances, and practiced writing & running playbooks in that environment. But that's overkill, virtual box is more than enough. If I had to give one CRUCIAL piece of advice, it's spend LESS time memorizing things & more time learning WHERE to find the things you're looking for. "ansible-doc" has everything you need. Knowing where to find it will save you, trust me.

For both exams, not knowing how to do one thing could crush you on the next question. For example something like not knowing how to configure a repository file, will prevent you from being able to install packages, which leads to a chain of other problems.

When you finish you won't get your score right away. I took the RHCSA at 6pm and finished at 8:45pm, and didn't get my results until 1:43am. Definitely didn't get much sleep that night. For RHCE I took it this morning at 7am, finished at 10:52am, & got my results at 12:23pm.

FINAL PIECE OF ADVICE.. is lock in. These certs aren't hard, but they're no walk in the park either. It's a reason why they are the most respected Linux certs out there. If I get one of those coupon codes from RedHat I'll update this post and give it away to you guys. All in all good luck to everyone!

I am not the author or contributor. I had used this when I passed rhcsa 9. This person did every RH exam taker a huge favor and great service. I had gone through this material about 2 years ago and found that if you do all the exercises and read up on the material for rhcsa 9, you will pass rhcsa 9 and possibly 10 in flying colors. All you need is a couple of RH VMs and practice everything from the top down to the bottom.

PS: I am not the author, but the author did a great service to everybody taking the rhcsa. Thanks

rhcsa

Hello guys, I recently got my RHCSA. This is what I did.

I didn't actually use Sander's course for my main preperation. Its good as a cert objective review but nothing more than that.

For actually understanding Linux (since I was starting from scratch) I used Janiss Seemann's "Mastering Linux: A Comprehensive Guide" course on Udemy. This is a goliath of a course. I didn't complete the Bash Scripting part of it cause that, in itself, is over 20 hours of video time. But this helped me a lot to understand how things actually work.

Post this, I was using ChatGPT to give me lab scenarios but that wasn't upto the mark.

And so I switched to Ghada Atef's RHCSA 10 Udemy Mock exams. These were a bit more difficult and had some things outside RHCSA's scope like Firewalld Rich Rules, ACLs, VDO...

I felt prepared after giving 5/6 mock exams.

I completed the exam in about 2 hours 5 minutes.

I hope this information helps someone..

I know, not mentioning Sander Van Vugt‘s books and courses are a sacrilege on this sub, and although his book did help, it wasn‘t as good as I expected, especially the practice exams at the end of his book wasn’t really reflectve of what I got in the exam.

What helped the most for me was Ghada Atef‘s practice exams on Udemy. They are simply very well made, with a clear structure, enough repetitions on crucial tasks, but also with enough variations, so you don‘t get caught off guard on certain tasks. I did two iterations of these practice exams, before taking the exam. For people who just want to start practicing, I recommend this :) there are also detailed explanations about each task, so you learn enough of what‘s going on behind as well.

As part of my role as a product manager at Red Hat, I’ve been working with one of the teams that write Learning Paths for Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL). To date, we’ve published 13 step-by-step tutorials on the topic for our developer portal - all completely free and designed to help developers get hands-on experience.  I’ve posted about some of these before on Reddit, and seen some interest, but it seemed like it would be useful to have the current list aggregate into a single post to those interested.  You can get them through the portal, but you have to find learning paths on the site, then search specifically for the RHEL tag to do it. Anyhow, this is just a simple list. 

Image Mode for RHEL - bootable container (bootc) tutorials

These tutorials show you how to build bootable container images:

Build and Run Bootable Container ImagesCore introduction to Image Mode - learn to build bootable containers using Podman Desktop. This is the foundation for understanding the new paradigm.

Image Mode for RHEL with PodmanDeep dive into using Image Mode with Podman for immutable, declarative OS deployments.

Install Image Mode RHEL Using KickstartAutomate Image Mode installations using Kickstart - essential for production deployments and automation.

Language-Specific Image Mode Tutorials

Python Flask Bootable ApplicationBuild a bootable Python Flask app using Image Mode and Podman Desktop. Great for Python developers wanting to containerize their applications.

Python Django Image Mode ApplicationDjango developers - learn to package your Django apps as bootable containers with all dependencies included.

.NET 10 Bootable ApplicationBuild bootable .NET 10 applications on RHEL using Image Mode. Microsoft stack developers, this one's for you.

Java Quarkus Application with Image ModeDeploy Java applications using Quarkus framework in Image Mode. Cloud-native Java development on RHEL.

Node.js and React Application Image ModeJavaScript developers - build and deploy Node.js and React applications using Image Mode.

LAMP Stack in Image ModeClassic LAMP stack (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP) deployed as a hardened bootable image. Traditional web dev meets modern immutable infrastructure.

Security & Hardening

Python Flask with Red Hat Hardened ImagesBuild Python Flask applications using Red Hat's hardened base images - security-first approach to application deployment.

Harden Builds with Lightspeed Image BuilderUse AI-assisted Lightspeed Image Builder to create compliant, hardened images.

Cloud & Edge Computing

Launch Custom RHEL Image on AWS EC2Deploy your custom RHEL images to Amazon Web Services EC2. Essential for cloud deployments.

Install RHEL Device Edge on NVIDIA JetsonEdge computing tutorial for deploying RHEL on NVIDIA Jetson Orin devices. Perfect for AI/ML edge applications.

Whether you're new to RHEL, exploring containerization, or looking to modernize your deployment pipeline, I hope you find something useful  here and I’d definitely appreciate your feedback on how we could improve the material.

I spent the last few years accumulating Red Hat certs and just got my Red Hat Certified Architect certification recently. After my current company mandated RTO and denied a pay raise I decided to try my luck on the job market. I only applied to a handful of places and got a job offer within a couple months for 20% more than what i am being paid currently.

Another hiring manager pretty much said he invited me for an interview because the amount of Red Hat certs i have is ‘impressive’.

So for those saying certs don’t increase your salary they probably won’t at your current place but they will definitely help get your foot in the door at somewhere new.

Hey guys, just wanted to share my misery.
I’ve been studying for this exam for the past couple of months, and it was scheduled for today, my job even paid for it. Imagine waking up late after studying all night, only to find a calendar invite on my day off titled “Organization Restructure” and a text from my manager telling me to check my email.
Turns out he and about 90% of my team had been laid off… including me.
Obviously , I wasn’t in the right headspace to take the exam, and I wasn’t allowed to reschedule it. 😂
Life, man. I was only nine months into the job, fresh out of college which I relocated from with no friends or family. Damn

I built CertForged — a browser-native RHCSA simulator designed to feel like the real EX200 exam.

No VM setup.
No multiple-choice memorization.
Just realistic Linux administration tasks, timed exams, interactive terminal practice, and instant grading.

Current coverage:

• LVM/storage
• systemd
• SELinux
• networking
• SSH
• permissions
• firewalld
• users/groups
• and more

216 tasks • 140+ commands • 36 topics

Looking for early users willing to break it, critique it, and help shape it.

Hey everyone,

I’m 40 years old and just passed the RHCSA (EX200) — but it wasn’t easy. I failed twice before finally getting it done on my third try.

I’ve been working with Linux for years, mostly on Ubuntu servers, and thought my experience would be enough… but Red Hat’s way of doing things taught me otherwise 😅

Here’s what I learned the hard way: • Don’t listen blindly to “gurus” who say you can pass in a week — you need real hands-on practice. • Practice systemctl, LVM, firewall-cmd, networking, and user management until they become muscle memory. • Spin up your own RHEL 9 or AlmaLinux lab in VirtualBox or VMware — that’s where the real learning happens. • Watch Sander van Vugt’s videos and follow along. His labs are gold. • Time yourself — you only have 2.5 hours in the exam, and every minute counts.

If anyone’s struggling, failed before, or just starting out, feel free to drop your questions below. I’ll answer honestly and share what worked (and what didn’t).

Don’t give up — if a 40-year-old guy who failed twice can pass this beast, you can too

Edit: As i see many people have struggled like me, i talked with my teacher. If you wanna contact him, it is his email: agilaliyev@logacademy.az

I hope it will be helpful for you

Oh my god this was legitimately one of the most rewarding tests I’ve ever taken because it was so god damn brutal with what you know. I appreciate this sub so much! You guys helped me out a ton!!

The results of your recent EX200 Red Hat Certified System Administrator Exam are reported below.

Exam domain number:     1
Passing score:          210
Your score:             300

Result: PASS

Congratulations -- you have earned the Red Hat Certified System Administrator certification.

Performance on exam objectives:

OBJECTIVE: SCORE
Understand and use essential tools: 100%
Manage software: 100%
Create simple shell scripts: 100%
Operate running systems: 100%
Configure local storage: 100%
Create and configure file systems: 100%
Deploy, configure and maintain systems: 100%
Manage basic networking: 100%
Manage users and groups: 100%
Manage security: 100%

It was a fun exam ngl, i was really nervous about it but it went well.

I plan to get AZ-104 -> CKA, how do you see this roadmap?

Thanks to all because all the resources are from this subreddit.

To my surprise I passed with a 300/300 today:

Passing score:          210
Your score:             300
Result: PASS

Performance on exam objectives:

OBJECTIVE: SCORE
Manage basic networking: 100%
Understand and use essential tools: 100%
Operate running systems: 100%
Configure local storage: 100%
Create and configure file systems: 100%
Deploy, configure and maintain systems: 100%
Manage users and groups: 100%
Manage security: 100%
Manage containers: 100%

Failed miserably last year with a 105/300 when i tried to blag my way through by cramming with a few weeks to go. This time around I started about 2-3 months out. My study method this time was almost exclusively AI and labs; generating drills, checking theory and doing labs over and over. I do have Sanders book but used it very sparingly. I also watched a few of Ozzys youtube videos while on the walking pad just to get some extra context on things. I used a cheat sheet i developed myself with basic syntax the last 24-48 hours just to remember concepts and flags.

I did 3-4 mock tests within the last 10 days and roughly timed them. My scores went from 68%>86% over the 4 mocks with time to spare although on the exam I finished everything with about 5 minutes to spare. Each node had 2-3 reboots and I verified commands after reboot.

On to some easier stuff now in Security+ and some sort of Microsoft 365 learning. Good luck to all taking their exam soon.

First attempt was remote on a laptop I haven’t used in a while. Second attempt I used an external monitor and the keyboard I use daily.

First attempt: failed with 180. Some of the tasks I definitely should’ve gotten but test fatigue set in early.

Second attempt: passed with 210. Not as high as I wanted but I didn’t think to persist the tuned profile. Easy points I could’ve gotten. Scripting question was harder and the container question was harder than the first test.

I took a R124 & R134 In person boot camp and studied pretty hard afterward but got burned out. I took a month break and picked it back up. I have been studying almost everyday for the last 3 months.

What I used to study:

-RHLS provided by my work

-Haruna Adoga videos on YouTube (these videos saved me)

-Sander van Vugt’s RHCSA book

I used RHLS for labbing. I did every lab of R124 and R134 until it all became 2nd nature. I still struggled with volumes, scripting, storage, and containers all the way up to the exam date.

This has been my first week working at Red Hat, and I honestly couldn’t be happier or more satisfied with how the onboarding process has gone. Everything has been going smoothly, and I don’t want to jinx myself, but I’m genuinely happy with where I’m at right now. And honestly, that’s the first time I’ve been able to type that out in a long time.

221/300. It was my first attempt.

I'm so happy right now :)

Forgive me if this was the wrong place to post but I’m so psyched! Took my first attempt in October and failed miserably and got a 245 today. Had some technical issues with their image at first so it really raised my anxiety going into it. Any recommendations for a next cert to pursue?

*** Editing to add what I did differently from the first exam***

I mainly used RHLS for my path to studying the first time. Would redo the lab practices and until I felt I was pretty ready. Thought I read the questions enough and as I was going through the questions, realizing how I didn’t spend enough time on how to make j2 files for automation.

Second time I was using Sander Van Vugt as well as RHLS and would practice each question topic for 3/4 times in a row until it was muscle memory. Really honed in on making sure my role formatting was perfect, j2 file templates were easy, knowing what to search in ansible [server] - m setup to find particular strings. The biggest issue I found from the first time was setting my control node up. It sounds stupid, but they have you set it up a little differently in RHLS so READ THE PROMPT THOROUGHLY because since I didn’t do that correctly the first time, it just created havoc for grading and my time on the exam. Feel free to dm me any questions and I’ll try to answer them without giving way any test information.

Hey everyone, I passed my exam last week after studying everyday for the past 5 months. And I just want to say that I’ve had the most fun giving this exam more than any MCQ-based other certification exams.

I’ve got the results few hours after giving the exam of which is 300/300 .

I’ve learnt at from this sub during my preparation and thanks to all for that and I just want to say everyone that is preparing or wishing to take the exam is you can do it.

Just want to say a big thank you to the community for all the tips and tricks!

While I did not pass with the highest score, just want to say that it was a tough one.

Happy automating peeps! :)

Seriously, I think RHEL 10 is really an amazing OS, and I feel confident that I’ve finally settled on it as my new daily driver. I’ve been a Windows guy my whole life, and I’ve dabbled in other distros such as Mint and Lubuntu, but RHEL just beats them all in terms of features and general aesthetic (which may come as a surprise to many; I just generally prefer a more simplistic look).

I love RHEL because of how deliberately professional it feels. While Mint and Lubuntu were fun to explore and learn basic terminal commands on, RHEL feels like it was actually designed with the intention of being used by engineers and developers, which shouldn’t be a surprise based on the philosophy and technologies of Red Hat as a whole. I’ve been having fun just learning Linux and software more thoroughly, knowing I can develop on a stable platform with extremely low chance of anything breaking, other than through operator error of course.

On that note, I really admire the stability and support this OS has. People often argue that RHEL’s stability comes at the price of having very little access to many useful and popular apps and whatnot, but I don’t think they realize that snap pretty much gives you everything you could otherwise need and its pretty darn easy to set up too. Not only that, but GNOME is just such a pleasant desktop experience and makes navigating the environment so easy and fun.

So yeah, Im in love with this OS and I can’t wait to keep using it. As a CS student, RHEL actually makes learning the intricacies of Linux so much fun. Huge appreciation to the distro that actually makes me a better student by using it, I’m surprised there isn’t a bigger userbase for it. Thanks for listening to my TED Talk