ACSP Practice Test

The ACSP exam, delivered by Pearson VUE for HPE Aruba Networking, suits network engineers who plan, configure, monitor and troubleshoot wired Aruba switching. This page gives you free practice sets on VLANs, spanning tree, OSPF, VSX, ACLs, QoS and EVPN-VXLAN, worked questions with full explanations, and a study plan you can follow.

ACSP Exam at a Glance

What the ACSP is and how it works

According to Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE Certification and Learning, HPE Aruba Networking); exams delivered by Pearson VUE, “Requirements for candidates new to this certification There are no prerequisites for this path.”^[6]

The ACSP certification comes from HPE Certification and Learning and HPE Aruba Networking. It tests the work of a wired network engineer: planning an implementation, installing and configuring it, managing and monitoring it, and troubleshooting it. The exam code is HPE7-A08.

The exam has 75 questions and a time limit of 2 hours. The passing score is 65%. You can sit it at a Pearson VUE test center or through OnVUE online proctoring, where you choose "at home" or "office" during registration.

There are no prerequisites for this path. HPE recommends about 2 years of experience, so treat that as a guide to the depth of knowledge expected rather than a gate.

The fee is $350 USD in developed countries and $195 USD in emerging countries. Which price applies to you depends on where you take the exam, so check the official HPE exam pricing page before booking. If you do not pass, a 14-day wait applies when your previous two attempts were within 14 days. Read the current retake wording on the HPE certification exams page, because policies can change.

The certification is valid for 3 years, after which recertification is required. Our practice sets are written by us with AI tools and are not real exam questions. Use them to find weak spots, then confirm details in the official exam datasheet and HPE documentation.

ACSP content outline and where to practise each area

The content areas below are copied from the official ACSP content outline published by Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE Certification and Learning, HPE Aruba Networking); exams delivered by Pearson VUE. The right-hand column shows which of our practice sets covers it.

Worked examples: how to reason through ACSP 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: Which routing protocol uses the Diffusing Update Algorithm (DUAL) to guarantee loop-free paths?

1. OSPF
2. BGP
3. RIP
4. EIGRP

Answer: D. EIGRP

Explanation:

EIGRP is correct. It uses the Diffusing Update Algorithm, known as DUAL, to compute loop-free paths and to keep feasible successors ready, so it can switch to a backup route quickly without recalculating from scratch.

OSPF is wrong because it is a link-state protocol that runs a shortest-path-first calculation over a shared map of the network. BGP is wrong because it is a path-vector protocol that avoids loops by checking the AS path. RIP is wrong because it is a distance-vector protocol that relies on a hop-count limit and timers, which makes it slow to converge.

Rule to remember: pair each routing protocol with its loop-prevention method. DUAL belongs to EIGRP, SPF to OSPF, AS path to BGP, and hop-count limits to RIP.

Example 2

Question: On an Aruba switch, which ACL type can match traffic based on both source and destination MAC addresses?

1. Extended IP ACL
2. Standard IP ACL
3. Extended MAC ACL
4. VLAN ACL

Answer: C. Extended MAC ACL

Explanation:

Extended MAC ACL is correct. It works at the data link layer, so it can match source and destination MAC addresses, along with EtherType and VLAN.

Extended IP ACL is wrong because it matches network and transport layer fields such as IP addresses, protocols and ports, not MAC addresses. Standard IP ACL is wrong because it is even more limited and matches only on source IP address. VLAN ACL is wrong because it describes where an ACL is applied, to traffic within a VLAN, rather than a type of match. What it can match still depends on the underlying ACL type.

Rule to remember: choose the ACL type by the kind of header you need to inspect. MAC and EtherType fields call for a MAC ACL, and IP and port fields call for an IP ACL.

Example 3

Question: Which command on an ArubaOS-CX switch displays the current system resource utilization including CPU and memory?

1. show system resource-utilization
2. show processes cpu
3. show system
4. show resource-monitor

Answer: C. show system

Explanation:

show system is correct. On ArubaOS-CX it gives an overview of system health, including CPU utilization, memory usage and uptime, so it is the starting point when you want a quick look at resource use.

show system resource-utilization is wrong because it is not the command this question is testing, even though the name sounds plausible. show processes cpu is wrong for the same reason; it resembles commands from other platforms. show resource-monitor is wrong because it is not the ArubaOS-CX overview command either. Command names vary between platforms and software versions, so confirm in the CLI guide for your release.

Rule to remember: ArubaOS-CX tends to use short, direct show commands. Start broad with show system, then move to more specific commands for detail.

How to use these practice tests

Start with the official exam datasheet and read the list of content areas. Write each area on a page and note what you can already do on a switch and what you have only read about. That list tells you where to spend time.

Next, work through our practice sets one topic at a time rather than mixing everything. Do VLANs and link aggregation, spanning tree, and routing before moving to VSX, EVPN-VXLAN, security and quality of service. After each set, read every explanation, including those for questions you got right, and write down the rule behind each miss.

Pair each set with the matching HPE Aruba Networking documentation or a lab. If you have no hardware, use a virtual switch image and type the commands yourself. Configuring and checking a feature teaches more than reading about it, and troubleshooting questions reward that hands-on habit.

In the final days, take mixed sets under the exam time limit and practise reading each question for the exact thing it asks. Review your written list of rules rather than starting new topics. Before test day, check the official pages for the current fee, retake wording and delivery options, and decide whether you will test at a center or online.

Sources & last verified

1. Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE Certification and Learning, HPE Aruba Networking); exams delivered by Pearson VUE — number of questions, time limit, passing score (official source). “This exam has 75 questions.” Verified Oct 21, 2026.
2. Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE Certification and Learning, HPE Aruba Networking); exams delivered by Pearson VUE — exam fee (official source). “Exams pricing Exams Developed countries Emerging countries ... HPE7 $350 USD $195 USD” Verified Oct 21, 2026.
3. Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE Certification and Learning, HPE Aruba Networking); exams delivered by Pearson VUE — retake policy (official source). “HPE0-xxx, HPE6-xxx, HPE7-xxx: Proctored written exams for HPE technical certifications delivered through Pearson VUE WAIT: Fourteen days, if the previous two attempts were within fourteen…” Verified Oct 21, 2026.
4. Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE Certification and Learning, HPE Aruba Networking); exams delivered by Pearson VUE — validity (official source). “HPE Aruba Networking and Hybrid Cloud certifications Recertification is required every three years, except for HPE Advanced Product Certified certifications, which are valid for two…” Verified Oct 21, 2026.
5. pearsonvue.com — delivery (official source). “All HPE0, HPE6 and HPE7 exams (except Aruba Expert exams) are available* as online proctored exams. Select “at home” or “office” during the exam registration…” Verified Oct 21, 2026.
6. Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE Certification and Learning, HPE Aruba Networking); exams delivered by Pearson VUE — eligibility (official source). “Requirements for candidates new to this certification There are no prerequisites for this path.” Verified Oct 21, 2026.
7. Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE Certification and Learning, HPE Aruba Networking); exams delivered by Pearson VUE — other (official source). “create the implementation plan for the wired network solution.” Verified Oct 21, 2026.

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