HomePBQ examples
PBQ examples, one exam at a time
A performance-based question is a task with a deliverable, and the difference between passing and failing is usually whether you read the deliverable. Every page below names the formats that exam uses, embeds a real scenario you can work in the browser, and shows the score report the app gives you.
11 certifications ship performance-based questions here, using 9 workspace formats between them: firewall rule tables, log triage, classification bins, sequencing, matching, diagram placement, terminal investigation, configuration forms and topology builds. Nothing on these pages is drawn from a real exam, and no page prints an answer key before you attempt the task.
SY0-701
Security+ SY0-701 PBQ examples9 formats · 56 scenarios · 90 min
firewall rules, sequence, matching, sorting, log triage, diagram, terminal, config and topology
SY0-801
Security+ SY0-801 PBQ examples9 formats · 37 scenarios · 90 min
firewall rules, sequence, matching, sorting, log triage, diagram, terminal, config and topology
N10-009
Network+ N10-009 PBQ examples9 formats · 39 scenarios · 90 min
topology, terminal, config, sequence, matching, diagram, log triage, firewall rules and sorting
CS0-004
CySA+ CS0-004 PBQ examples6 formats · 35 scenarios · 165 min
log triage, terminal, sorting, sequence, matching and config
220-1201
A+ Core 1 220-1201 PBQ examples7 formats · 37 scenarios · 90 min
sequence, matching, diagram, config, terminal, log triage and sorting
220-1202
A+ Core 2 220-1202 PBQ examples7 formats · 39 scenarios · 90 min
sequence, matching, diagram, config, terminal, log triage and sorting
PT0-003
PenTest+ PT0-003 PBQ examples5 formats · 20 scenarios · 165 min
terminal, log triage, sequence, matching and diagram
CAS-005
SecurityX CAS-005 PBQ examples6 formats · 20 scenarios · 165 min
diagram, config, terminal, log triage, matching and sequence
SC-500
SC-500 PBQ examples4 formats · 20 scenarios · 120 min
matching, sequence, config and log triage
200-301
CCNA 200-301 PBQ examples5 formats · 8 scenarios · 120 min
terminal, config, matching, sequence and diagram
XK0-006
Linux+ XK0-006 PBQ examples5 formats · 8 scenarios · 90 min
terminal, log triage, config, matching and sequence
How a PBQ is scored, everywhere
Item by item, points earned over points available, with no penalty beyond the value of the item. A blank item and a wrong item cost the same, so a half-finished workspace is the most expensive outcome on the page. Every score report names each item, the value you gave and the value required, which is what makes a miss useful.
CompTIA puts the performance-based block at the start of the sitting, so the first minutes of the exam are the ones with the least time pressure left. Cisco and Microsoft do not publish where their performance items fall. Read each page's exam-day section for the vendor that applies to you.
Try a PBQ before you pay for anything
Every page carries a real scenario from that exam's bank, scored in the browser. A free account adds three PBQs, thirty study questions a day and every free tool.
Free tier, no card. Pro starts with a 7-day trial; a card is required and you can cancel before day 7.