NGFW Engineer Certification – Beacon Learning Path vs. Exam Datasheet

[prathik.canada]

NGFW Engineer Certification – Beacon Learning Path vs. Exam Datasheet

Hi everyone,

I’m currently preparing for the Palo Alto Networks Certified Next-Generation Firewall Engineer certification and following the official Beacon learning_path. 

While comparing the Beacon learning path with the official certification datasheet/exam objectives, I noticed that some topics listed in the exam blueprint don't seem to be covered, or at least aren't clearly covered, in the Beacon courses.

For example, Domain 3 – Integration and Automation (20%) includes:

• Installation/deployment of PA-Series, VM-Series, CN-Series, Cloud NGFW, and AI Runtime Security

• Using APIs to automate deployments

• Third-party deployment/integration with Kubernetes, hypervisors, CSPs, Terraform, and Ansible

• Panorama, templates, and device groups

• Pre- and post-rulesets

• ACC dashboards and custom reports

I couldn't find clear coverage of several of these topics in the corresponding Beacon learning path.

Has anyone recently prepared for or completed the NGFW Engineer certification using the Beacon learning path?

I'm particularly interested in understanding:

1. Is the Beacon learning path intended to cover the entire exam blueprint, or is it only one of the recommended resources?

2. For topics in the datasheet that aren't covered in Beacon, what official Palo Alto resources would you recommend?

3. Are there any additional Beacon courses/labs that should be taken alongside the certification learning path?

I want to make sure I'm preparing against the actual exam objectives rather than relying solely on the learning path.

Thanks in advance for any guidance!