This page is for candidates preparing for the Red Hat Ansible Automation exam, EX294, which is hands-on and performance based. It collects our free practice sets by topic, worked explanations of sample questions, a study plan and answers to common questions. Fees and rules come from Red Hat, so check its site before you book.
According to Red Hat, Inc., “All Red Hat exams are 100% hands-on. There are no multiple-choice questions. You will be placed in a live system environment and asked to complete a series of real-world tasks.”[1]
EX294 is the Red Hat exam for automating Red Hat Enterprise Linux systems with Ansible. Red Hat is the official body, and its pages are the authority on every rule below.
The exam is performance based. Red Hat states that there are no multiple-choice questions. You are placed in a live system environment and asked to complete real-world tasks, so the skill being tested is doing the work, not recognising an answer.
You can sit it as a remote exam (LiveUSB), at a testing center, or on-site as part of a classroom course. The standard list price is $500 USD, but it varies by region, and the price in your shopping cart is the accurate one. Scores are usually reported within 3 U.S. business days.
If you do not pass, there is a free retake with no wait before it. After a 2nd failure a waiting period applies, and further attempts need a new paid registration at the standard price.
The certification is current for 3 years from the date earned. Renew before it expires, either by retaking the exam or by earning a certification at the same or a higher level. Red Hat states that an expired certification cannot be renewed. Prerequisites and exact booking steps are not covered here, so read the official exam page before you register.
Numbers in brackets link to the official sources listed under Sources & last verified. Dates that have passed are removed automatically.
| Item | Detail | Source · Verified |
|---|---|---|
| Number of questions (EX294) | Hands-on, performance-based tasks (no multiple-choice)[1] | Red Hat, Inc. · Oct 21, 2026 |
| Exam fee (EX294) | $500 USD standard list price (varies by region)[1] | Red Hat, Inc. · Oct 21, 2026 |
| Retake policy (EX294) | No wait before the free retake; waiting period and new paid registration after a 2nd failure[1] | Red Hat, Inc. · Oct 21, 2026 |
| Validity | 3 years from the date earned[2] | Red Hat, Inc. · Oct 21, 2026 |
| Renewal | Renew before expiry by retaking or earning a same- or higher-level certification[2] | Red Hat, Inc. · Oct 21, 2026 |
| Delivery (EX294) | Remote exam (LiveUSB), testing center, or classroom/on-site[3] | Red Hat, Inc. · Oct 26, 2026 |
| Score release (EX294) | Usually within 3 U.S. business days[4] | Red Hat, Inc. · Oct 21, 2026 |
The content areas below are copied from the official Ansible Automation content outline published by Red Hat, Inc.. The right-hand column shows which of our practice sets covers it.
| Official content area | Practice on this site |
|---|---|
| Automate standard RHCSA tasks using Ansible modules[4] | Ansible Automation Ansible Modules & Task ... Practise choosing the right module for common system administration jobs and passing its arguments correctly. |
| Configure Ansible managed nodes[4] | Ansible Automation Ansible Inventory & Con... Practise inventory files, host groups, connection settings and the configuration a control node needs to reach its hosts. |
| Create Ansible plays and playbooks[4] | Ansible Automation Ansible Playbook Struct... Practise writing play structure, tasks and variables in valid YAML without relying on copied examples. |
| Manage content[4] | Ansible Automation Ansible Vault and Secre... Practise protecting sensitive data with Vault and handling files and templates that your playbooks deploy. |
| Perform basic source control operations using Git[4] | Mixed practice tests above Practise cloning, committing and pushing your playbooks from the command line, since we have no dedicated Git set. |
| Run playbooks[4] | Ansible Automation Ansible Playbooks Practise running playbooks, limiting them to chosen hosts and reading the output to find what failed. |
| Understand core components of Ansible[4] | Ansible Automation Ansible MCQ Practise the vocabulary of control node, managed node, inventory, modules and idempotency so you can explain how they fit together. |
| Use roles and Ansible Content Collections[4] | Ansible Automation Ansible Roles & Galaxy Practise structuring a role, installing roles and collections, and calling their content from a playbook. |
Prepare for the Ansible Automation exam with our free practice test modules. Each quiz covers key topics to help you pass on your first try.
These are practice questions written for this site, not questions from the real exam. Each explanation shows why the right answer is right and why the others are wrong.
Question: A manager wants a non-technical summary of what 'idempotency' means in Ansible. Which explanation is most appropriate?
Answer: B. Running the same playbook multiple times produces the same result without unintended changes
Explanation:
The correct answer is that running the same playbook multiple times produces the same result without unintended changes. That is idempotency, and it is the plain-language idea a manager needs: the playbook describes a desired state, and Ansible only acts when a system differs from it.
Encryption during transmission is a separate matter handled by the connection method, so it does not describe idempotency. Automatic rollback of failed changes is not something Ansible does by default; a failed task simply stops or reports the error. Version control and auditability are good practices around playbooks, but they describe how files are stored, not how a run behaves.
Rule to remember: if the question asks what happens when you run something again, think idempotency and desired state.
Question: What is the purpose of the 'ansible.netcommon.net_get' and 'net_put' modules?
Answer: A. net_get transfers files from network devices to the control node; net_put transfers files from the control node to network devices
Explanation:
The correct answer is that net_get transfers files from network devices to the control node, while net_put transfers files from the control node to network devices. Think of the names as direction: get pulls a file toward you, put pushes one away.
The option about retrieving facts and pushing configuration changes describes other modules, such as fact gathering and configuration modules, not file transfer. The option limiting them to SCP or SFTP on Linux-based devices is wrong because these modules are built for network devices through the network connection plugins. The option about IOS images and firmware is too narrow, since the modules move files in general, including configuration backups and logs.
Rule to remember: read the module name for its direction, and do not shrink a general file-transfer module to one use case.
Question: Which YAML key is used at the top level of an Ansible playbook to define which hosts the play targets?
Answer: A. hosts
Explanation:
The correct answer is hosts. At the top level of each play, the hosts key names the hosts or groups from your inventory that the play will run against. Without it, Ansible has no target for the tasks that follow.
The keys targets and machines are not valid play keywords, so a playbook using them would fail to do what you intend. The key inventory looks plausible because inventory is where hosts are defined, but inventory is supplied separately, for example on the command line or in configuration, not as the key that selects a play's targets.
Rule to remember: inventory says which hosts exist, and hosts in the play says which of them this play uses. Match the keyword exactly, because YAML keys in a playbook are not interpreted loosely.
Start with the official exam page from Red Hat and read the list of content areas. Use the table above to see which of our practice sets matches each area, and note any area where you cannot explain the idea in your own words.
Work through one practice set at a time. After each answer, read the explanation even when you were right, and write down the rule behind it. Questions you miss should go on a short list that you revisit on later days.
Because the exam is hands-on, reading is not enough. For each area, build a small lab with a control node and a few managed hosts, then repeat the task without notes: write an inventory, create a playbook, add a role, encrypt a variable with Vault, run it, and fix what breaks. Commit your files with Git as you go.
In the last days before the exam, switch to timed, mixed practice. Run playbooks from a blank directory, use the built-in documentation tools instead of the web, and check that every change is idempotent by running it twice.
No. Red Hat describes its exams as hands-on, with no multiple-choice questions. You are placed in a live system environment and asked to complete real-world tasks. Our practice questions use a multiple-choice format to test your understanding of concepts, so combine them with practice in your own lab.
The standard list price for a Red Hat certification exam is $500 USD, and it might vary by region. The accurate price is shown in your shopping cart when you register, so rely on that figure rather than on any third-party page.
Red Hat offers a remote exam (LiveUSB), proctored sessions at a testing center, and on-site testing that follows a classroom course. Which options you can use depends on your location and booking, so check the Red Hat training and certification FAQ before you choose.
Red Hat states that scores on EX294 are usually reported within 3 U.S. business days. The word usually matters, so allow for a delay and look at the official exam page if your result is late.
There is a free retake, and no wait is required before it. After a 2nd failure, a waiting period applies before you can schedule another attempt, and further attempts need a new paid registration at the standard price.
It is current for 3 years from the date earned. You must renew before the expiration date, either by retaking the exam or by earning a certification at the same or a higher level. Red Hat states that expired certifications cannot be renewed.
How we verify: editorial & fact-checking policy. Report an error: contact us.