From RHCSA EX200 to RHCE to RHCA: A Complete, Comprehensive Red Hat Guide

When you take a certification, whether it’s for career advancement or salary increment, you should know everything that goes with it. Fully understand the certification track and assess if you’re ready to take on a challenging journey.

And if you’re highly interested in becoming a Red Hat certified professionals, then you’re on the right track. Here you’ll get a glimpse of the ins and outs of Red Hat’s most popular certifications.

The Revolution of Red Hat and its certifications

As a leading source of open source solutions for the enterprise community, Red Hat is simply a key IT innovator that deserves a mention. They don’t just offer notable products and solutions but also services & support through their training and certification tracks. So, now is the time to comprehend three noteworthy Red Hat certifications – Prepaway RHCSA, RHCE, and RHCA.

1st step: RHCSA

The very first step is the RHCSA or Red Hat Certified System Administrator. RHCSA is your gateway in acquiring essential vital administration skills in various Red Hat Enterprise Linux environments and deployment scenarios. This includes knowledge in command-line setting, virtual machines, file systems, and attributes, controlling services, user & groups, and related topics. To get your RHCSA, you need to pass exam EX200, which is a 2.50-hour hands-on test featuring real-world questions.

As an entry-level exam, there is no prerequisite test needed, though a background in Red Hat Enterprise Linux is recommended. RHCSA is intended for experienced system administrators and even students who have completed both Red Hat System Administration I and II courses. Once you’re done with step 1, then you’re now qualified to take a new Red Hat credential.

2nd step: RHCE

For the next step, you can now prepare for the RHCE or Red Hat Certified Engineer certification. This step-up qualification polishes your abilities in Red Hat Enterprise Linux functions and emerging technologies. The present RHCE exam, which is EX300, is a 3.5-hour practical exam that elaborates topics in-network services along with system configuration and management.

Recently, there have been changes in this particular certification track to match the evolving needs and further fill in significant skill gaps. The new RHCE track takes place as soon as the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 is out in public. This means that when this innovative path is released, you can choose between Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 or Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 for you to gain your RHCE certification.

The Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8, in particular, will be supplemented by a new course (Red Hat System Administration III: Linux Automation or RH294 and new RHCE certification exam (EX294). Both focus on the important update, which is the automation of imperative Linux system administration skills via shell scripting and Ansible.

The RHCE exam or EX294 is a 4-hour performance-based test that now reflects the importance of automation proficiency in deploying, administering, and backing up container-based architecture. This relevant update provides you with a more reliable credential needed by employers.

Ideally, the old and new RHCE exams are intended for RHCSA professionals who are already equipped with knowledge in Red Hat Enterprise Linux systems.

3rd step: RHCA

Once you successfully pass the RHCE, then you can take a more challenging certification path, which is the RHCA or Red Hat Certified Architect (RHCA). Specifically, let’s discuss one required exam of RHCA – EX407 or Red Hat Certified Specialist in Ansible Automation exam.

This 4-hour practical exam validates your proficiency in using Ansible to automate system and application configuration. Tasks include configuring systems, utilizing playbooks, and implementing specific roles to demonstrate your expertise in running Ansible features.

Specifically, this certain RHCA exam caters to professionals who are furnished with important Red Hat certifications and skills. System administrators who have a background in administering a vast number of systems, as well as those who have knowledge in DevOps environment, are the perfect candidates for this certification exam. Lastly, candidates for EX407 must finish Automation with Ansible or DO407, which is a course that certifies your skills in Ansible.

However, do take note that this exam isn’t the only test you need to pass to gain your RHCA credential. You need to successfully complete at least five other required exams designed for RHCE professionals. Some of the many RHCA exams are Red Hat Certified Specialist in Configuration Management (EX405), Red Hat Certified Specialist in Security: Linux (EX415), Red Hat Certified Engineer in Red Hat OpenStack (EX310), Red Hat Certified Virtualization Administrator (EX318), and Red Hat Certified Specialist in Gluster Storage Administration (EX236).

Since there are lots of RHCA exams to choose from, make sure to weigh all your options ahead and pick those that will benefit you in the long run.

Preparation stage

Though each of the Red Hat certifications requires different training materials and online references, there’s one website that provides relevant and reliable exam resources for all three Red Hat exams. And that is the ever-dependable PrepAway.

PrepAway is a top provider of easy-to-use, always-updated, and trustworthy exam dumps. All their files are constantly restructured to ensure quality resources given to exam takers. Through PrepAway’s ETE Exam Simulator, these core files provide a more engaging and hands-on exam testing experience.

Aside from exam dumps, don’t miss any recommended training courses for each certification exam, along with some physical resources such as books, study guides, and practice tests.

Conclusion

The Red Hat certification track, of course, is a challenging one. So, take it one step at a time – start with the RHCSA, continue with the RHCE, and cap it off with the RHCA. All these certifications are meant to strengthen not just your theoretical reach but also your practical scope. During your exam preparation, use the most reliable web sources, such as the Red Hat official website and PrepAway online platform. Wish you success!