- Why There Is No Official Pass Rate
- What Data Actually Exists
- The Prerequisite Filter Shapes Who Sits the Exam
- Reading the 245 Scaled Score Correctly
- Exam Mechanics That Influence Outcomes
- Five Blueprint Sections and Where Candidates Struggle
- Third-Party Pass-Rate Claims to Distrust
- Retake Waits and the Unresolved Fourth-Failure Conflict
- Sequencing Preparation Around the Blueprint
- Frequently Asked Questions
- F5 does not publish a pass rate for Cloud Solutions exam 402, so any specific percentage you see is unverified.
- Passing requires a scaled score of 245 on a 100-350 range, which is not 70% correct.
- The exam has 70 questions, 65 scored and five pilot items, in 105 minutes at Pearson VUE.
- Candidates must already hold valid F5-CA BIG-IP, F5-CTS BIG-IP LTM and F5-CTS BIG-IP DNS certifications.
Why There Is No Official Pass Rate for F5-CSE Cloud
If you searched for the pass rate of the F5 Certified Solution Expert, Cloud credential (awarded through Cloud Solutions exam 402), here is the honest answer first: F5 has not published one. Our research for this article, rechecked in October 2026, found no issuer-released pass percentage, no cohort statistics and no credential-specific outcome survey. Anyone quoting a precise figure is either guessing, marketing a product, or borrowing a number from an unrelated exam.
That absence is not unusual for vendor certifications, but it matters for how you plan. Instead of anchoring on a number you cannot verify, this guide examines what the verifiable data does tell you: who is allowed to sit the exam, how it is scored, how it is delivered, and what the published blueprint expects. Those facts predict your outcome far better than a rumored percentage.
What Data Actually Exists About 402 Outcomes
Because no pass-rate dataset exists, it helps to separate evidence by quality. Here is how the available material sorts out:
| Source Type | What It Provides | Reliability for Pass-Rate Questions |
|---|---|---|
| F5 exam blueprint 402.42019 | Format, timing, passing score, five section headings | High for logistics; silent on pass rates |
| F5 catalog and support pages | Prerequisites, fee, delivery provider, renewal policy | High for logistics; silent on pass rates |
| Commercial prep vendors | Marketing claims, sample questions, sometimes a "pass rate" | Low; no issuer evidence behind the figures |
| Community reading lists | Personal preparation experience and suggested reading | Useful anecdotes, not statistics |
One commercial site, for instance, displays a 99% pass rate with no issuer evidence behind it, while also stating an exam length of 90 minutes and a roughly 70-75% passing threshold. Both statements conflict with F5's own published specifications (105 minutes and a scaled passing score of 245). When a source gets the verifiable basics wrong, its unverifiable claims deserve no weight.
For a deeper look at difficulty without invented statistics, see our companion piece, How Hard Is the F5-CSE Cloud Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026.
The Prerequisite Filter Shapes Who Sits the Exam
The single most important structural fact about 402 outcomes is that the candidate pool is pre-filtered. You cannot simply register and attempt Cloud Solutions. The current 402 support page requires valid F5-CA BIG-IP, F5-CTS BIG-IP LTM and F5-CTS BIG-IP DNS certifications. One technology-specialist credential alone is insufficient.
The issuer's Cloud learning path shows the route: the five F5CAB administrator exams (or an eligible legacy administrator route), the LTM exams 301a and 301b, DNS exam 302, and then Cloud Solutions 402. Retained legacy entries do not reopen exam 101 to new candidates.
What does this imply for any hypothetical pass rate?
- Everyone attempting 402 has already cleared several F5 exams, so the pool skews toward experienced BIG-IP practitioners.
- A pass rate calculated for this pool would not be comparable to an entry-level exam with open registration.
- Candidates who struggle with the foundational layers rarely reach 402 at all, which removes the weakest cohort before the exam begins.
Reading the 245 Scaled Score Correctly
The passing score for 402 is 245 on a scaled range of 100-350. This is the figure that causes the most confusion, and it is the reason third-party "70% to pass" claims are misleading.
A scaled score is a transformation of your raw performance, not a percentage of questions answered correctly. Some vendors convert 245/350 to roughly 70% by simple division, but that arithmetic has no basis in how the score is produced. F5 does not publish the raw-to-scaled conversion, so you cannot translate 245 into a number of correct answers out of 65 scored items.
Practical consequences:
- Do not set a personal target like "get 46 of 65 right." That number is invented.
- Use practice-test performance only as a relative readiness signal, not as a predicted score.
- Aim for consistent command of every blueprint section rather than gaming a threshold.
For a focused treatment, read F5-CSE Cloud Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass.
Exam Mechanics That Influence Outcomes
These verified specifications, taken from page 4 of the current linked blueprint and the F5 catalog, define the testing conditions:
| Item | Verified Detail |
|---|---|
| Questions | 70 computer-based multiple-choice, including 65 scored and five pilot/beta items |
| Time | 105 minutes, excluding approved accommodations |
| Passing score | 245 on a 100-350 scaled range |
| Fee | US$180 per attempt; local taxes and fees may apply |
| Delivery | Pearson VUE test centers, English |
| Identification | Two signed IDs, one government-issued with photograph, matching your candidate account |
| Validity | Two years from the qualifying exam |
Some questions use exhibits or scenarios. F5 does not state which items are scored and which are pilot, so treat every question as if it counts. The proportion of single-select versus multiple-select items, and whether the test is adaptive, were not verified, so do not assume either way.
The pace works out to roughly a minute and a half per question across 70 items. Scenario and exhibit questions will consume more than their share, so build in a habit of flagging and moving on. Delivery is closed-book: books, notes and personal electronics are restricted under the F5 Certified Candidate Agreement. Whether a calculator is provided was not verified.
For fee detail, including prerequisite exam costs, see F5-CSE Cloud Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown. For scheduling logistics, see F5-CSE Cloud Exam Dates 2026.
Five Blueprint Sections and Where Candidates Struggle
The 402 blueprint organizes the exam into five sections. F5 publishes no percentage weights and names no highest-weighted section, so you should not assume any section matters more than another. Prepare for all five. The notes below describe the kind of reasoning each section demands; examples are illustrative, not exhaustive.
Domain 1: Foundational Cloud Concepts
The vocabulary and models that underpin everything else. Weakness here causes errors in every later section because scenarios assume fluent use of the terms.
- Cloud service and deployment model distinctions
- Business constraints that drive cloud decisions
- Licensing and support considerations in cloud contexts
Domain 2: Cloud Infrastructure Design
Architecture judgment: placing and sizing instances, and working within software-defined networking limits.
- Instance sizing and placement trade-offs
- SDN constraints and how they affect integration
- Matching design choices to stated requirements
Domain 3: Cloud Migration
Moving workloads without breaking dependencies. Questions reward candidates who sequence steps and validate outcomes.
- Identifying migration dependencies
- Validating a migration before cutover
- Cloud bursting as a capacity strategy
Domain 4: Cloud Deployment
Turning a design into running infrastructure, including how deployment choices interact with licensing and the surrounding environment.
- Deployment approaches and their constraints
- Integration with existing infrastructure
- Operational validation after deployment
Domain 5: Cloud Orchestration and Automation
Programmatic control and repeatability. Expect reasoning about APIs, templates and the order in which automated steps must run.
- RESTful API concepts and the N/E/S/W-bound API model
- Deployment templates and orchestration sequencing
- Where automation fits relative to manual configuration
These headings reproduce the official examination sections, not a substituted preparation curriculum. For section-by-section depth, our F5-CSE Cloud Exam Domains guide expands each area.
Third-Party Pass-Rate Claims to Distrust
Because candidates search for reassurance, the market is full of confident claims. We reviewed five independent commercial and practice sites that serve exam 402. None is endorsed by F5, and several repeat details that contradict F5's own published specifications. Common red flags:
- Unsourced pass rates. A headline percentage with no issuer citation cannot be verified and should be ignored.
- Wrong exam length or size. Claims of 80 questions or 90 minutes do not match the blueprint's 70 questions and 105 minutes.
- Percentage conversions of the passing score. Turning 245/350 into "about 70%" misrepresents scaled scoring.
- Invented section weights. F5 publishes none, so any per-section percentage is fabricated.
- Incorrect eligibility. Statements that a single CTS credential suffices contradict the requirement for CA, LTM and DNS.
- Wrong delivery channel. The current provider list places 402 under Pearson VUE, not remote Certiverse delivery.
Some public sample questions on these sites use conspicuously irrelevant distractors, which makes them too easy to be a realistic gauge. That says nothing about unseen paid questions, but it is a reminder to demand scenario-based practice that forces genuine architectural trade-offs. Our practice tests are built around exactly that style.
Key Takeaway
Verify every exam fact against F5's own pages. If a prep site disagrees with the blueprint on duration, passing score or prerequisites, trust the blueprint and discount the rest of that site's claims.
Retake Waits and the Unresolved Fourth-Failure Conflict
Pass-rate thinking often leads to the question of what happens after a miss. The 402 blueprint and current catalog specify waiting periods of 15, 30 and 45 days after the first three failures, 365 days after the fourth, and 90 days for subsequent attempts.
There is a documented conflict. The July 2025 F5 Certified Candidate Agreement instead gives up to 90 days or a new exam version, whichever is shorter, after a fourth failure, with prerequisite exams to be retaken and passed. That fourth-failure discrepancy remains unresolved in the sources we reviewed. If you ever reach that point, confirm the current rule directly with F5 before planning. For the first three attempts, the shorter waits are consistent across sources.
Since each attempt costs US$180 plus any local taxes, a failed attempt carries both a time and a money penalty. That is a practical reason to prepare against the blueprint rather than gamble on a first sitting.
Sequencing Preparation Around the Blueprint
F5 states that it does not create or maintain official certification study guides. An F5-hosted community page titled as a 402 study guide explicitly says its content was not created and is unofficial, and an older community reading list disclaims official status as well. That means your preparation has to be assembled from the blueprint itself plus hands-on cloud experience. Here is one blueprint-ordered way to schedule the five sections:
Foundations first
- Work through Foundational Cloud Concepts so the vocabulary is automatic
- Re-read the blueprint objectives and mark any you cannot explain aloud
Design and migration
- Practice Cloud Infrastructure Design scenarios on sizing, placement and SDN limits
- Move to Cloud Migration, sequencing dependencies and validation steps
Deployment and automation
- Cover Cloud Deployment, then Cloud Orchestration and Automation
- Rehearse the N/E/S/W-bound API model and orchestration ordering
Integrated review
- Take mixed scenario sets under the 105-minute limit
- Revisit whichever section produced the most misses
The reasoning behind this order: design and migration questions lean on the vocabulary from section one, and orchestration questions assume you understand what is being deployed. Studying in blueprint order lets each section reinforce the next. Adjust the pacing to your own experience, since you already hold the CA, LTM and DNS credentials. Our F5-CSE Cloud Study Guide provides fuller resource guidance, and the F5-CSE Cloud Cheat Sheet condenses must-know facts for final review.
Why Outcomes Matter Beyond the First Pass
Passing 402 is not a one-time event. The credential is valid for two years from the qualifying exam, and F5's renewal policy supports retaking and passing 402 to renew it. No dedicated Cloud recertification exam or CEU/CPE route was verified. Achieving or renewing Cloud can also extend qualifying prerequisite credentials under the policy, while the administrator renewal exam does not substitute for renewing Cloud itself. Factor that two-year cycle into your ROI thinking, and see Is the F5-CSE Cloud Certification Worth It? and the F5-CSE Cloud Salary Guide for how to evaluate returns without relying on unverified salary premiums.
Frequently Asked Questions
F5 has not published an official pass rate for Cloud Solutions exam 402. Percentages quoted by third-party sites lack issuer evidence and should not be relied on.
No. The passing score is 245 on a scaled range of 100-350. Scaled scores are not percent-correct, and F5 does not publish a conversion to a number of correct answers.
The exam has 70 multiple-choice questions, including 65 scored and five pilot items, with 105 minutes allowed, excluding approved accommodations. It is delivered at Pearson VUE test centers.
You need valid F5-CA BIG-IP, F5-CTS BIG-IP LTM and F5-CTS BIG-IP DNS certifications. A single technology-specialist credential is not enough. See our F5-CSE Cloud Certification overview for the full picture.
The blueprint and catalog list waits of 15, 30 and 45 days after the first three failures. The rule after a fourth failure conflicts between F5 sources and is unresolved, so confirm it with F5 directly.
The takeaway is simple: with no official pass rate, your best predictor of success is thorough, blueprint-aligned preparation across all five sections and realistic scenario practice. Test your readiness with our F5-CSE Cloud practice exams and compare against the published exam conditions rather than rumored statistics. You can also revisit our dedicated pass rate resource as new verified information becomes available.