Ansible Automation Practice Test

What the Ansible Automation is and how it works

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.

Ansible Automation Exam at a Glance

Ansible Automation content outline and where to practise each area

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.

Worked examples: how to reason through Ansible Automation questions

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.

Example 1

Question: A manager wants a non-technical summary of what 'idempotency' means in Ansible. Which explanation is most appropriate?

1. Ansible encrypts all data during transmission
2. Running the same playbook multiple times produces the same result without unintended changes
3. Ansible automatically rollbacks failed changes
4. Playbooks are version-controlled and auditable

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.

Example 2

Question: What is the purpose of the 'ansible.netcommon.net_get' and 'net_put' modules?

1. net_get transfers files from network devices to the control node; net_put transfers files from the control node to network devices
2. net_get retrieves configuration facts; net_put pushes configuration changes
3. They are used for SCP/SFTP file transfer to Linux-based network devices only
4. net_get downloads IOS images; net_put uploads new firmware

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.

Example 3

Question: Which YAML key is used at the top level of an Ansible playbook to define which hosts the play targets?

1. hosts
2. targets
3. machines
4. inventory

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.

How to use these practice tests

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.

Sources & last verified

1. Red Hat, Inc. — number of questions, exam fee, retake policy (official source). “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…” Verified Oct 21, 2026.
2. Red Hat, Inc. — validity, renewal (official source). “All Red Hat certifications are current for 3 years from the date earned. A Red Hat Certification renewal must be completed before the expiration date.…” Verified Oct 21, 2026.
3. Red Hat, Inc. — delivery (official source). “Remote Exams: Secure testing from your own location. Testing Centers: Proctored environments at global facilities. On-site/Classroom: Integrated testing following training sessions” Verified Oct 26, 2026 · source checked Oct 26, 2026.
4. Red Hat, Inc. — score release, other (official source). “Scores on the exam are usually reported within 3 U.S. business days.” Verified Oct 28, 2026.

How we verify: editorial & fact-checking policy. Report an error: contact us.