Red Hat EX442 exam: Linux Performance Tuning specialist
EX442 is the exam behind the Red Hat Certified Specialist in Linux Performance Tuning, now listed by Red Hat as the Specialist in Performance Tuning. It is a single four-hour, performance-based exam on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, where you tune real systems instead of answering multiple-choice questions. Red Hat’s standard list price for a certification exam is $500 USD and may vary by region; the credential is current for three years and counts towards RHCA. Red Hat does not publish a passing score on the EX442 page.
- Certification
- Red Hat Certified Specialist in Performance Tuning, earned by passing EX442Red Hat certification page, checked 14 October 2026
- Exam cost
- $500 USD standard list price for a Red Hat certification exam; may vary by regionRed Hat Certification program guide, checked 14 October 2026
- Format
- Performance-based: hands-on system administration tasks on live systemsRed Hat EX442 exam page, checked 14 October 2026
- Duration
- One section, four hoursRed Hat EX442 exam page, checked 14 October 2026
- Platform
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10Red Hat EX442 exam page, checked 14 October 2026
- Passing score
- Not published by Red Hat on the EX442 pageRed Hat EX442 exam page, checked 14 October 2026
- Delivery
- Remote exam, testing center or classroom / on-site, per Red Hat’s program guideRed Hat Certification program guide, checked 14 October 2026
- Retake
- One free retake after an unsuccessful first attemptRed Hat EX442 exam page and program guide, checked 14 October 2026
- Prerequisites
- None mandatory; Red Hat recommends RHCSA-level skills (RHCE even better) and the RH442 courseRed Hat EX442 exam page, checked 14 October 2026
- Validity
- Current for three years; renewed only by passing EX442 againRed Hat certification renewal page, checked 14 October 2026
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Why you can trust these EX442 questions
What is the Red Hat Certified Specialist in Linux Performance Tuning?
The Red Hat Certified Specialist in Linux Performance Tuning is the credential you earn by passing exam EX442. On its certification page Red Hat now calls it the Red Hat Certified Specialist in Performance Tuning, while the exam keeps the longer name; both refer to the same certification.
Red Hat says a holder has demonstrated the skills, knowledge and abilities needed to monitor performance metrics on Red Hat Enterprise Linux systems, and the exam goes further than monitoring: you are expected to change kernel parameters, memory behaviour, disk and network settings, and then prove that the system behaves better.
Red Hat names two audiences for EX442: experienced Linux system administrators who are responsible for getting the most out of their hardware through tuning, and RHCEs who want to become a Red Hat Certified Architect.
Source: Red Hat — Red Hat Certified Specialist in Performance Tuning. Checked 14 October 2026.
How much does the EX442 exam cost?
Red Hat’s certification program guide states that the standard list price for a Red Hat certification exam is $500 USD, and that the price of an exam might vary based on your region. The binding figure is the one shown when you buy the exam for your country.
The price includes a second chance: the program guide says that if you do not pass on your first try, you may schedule a free retake at no additional cost. After a second failed attempt a waiting period applies, and any further attempt needs a new paid registration at the standard price. Red Hat does not state the length of that waiting period in the guide.
Some Red Hat Learning Subscription tiers include exam attempts. If your employer already pays for a subscription, check what it covers before buying EX442 separately.
Source: Red Hat Certification program guide. Checked 14 October 2026.
EX442 exam format: a hands-on, four-hour exam
EX442 is a performance-based evaluation of system administration skills and knowledge. Red Hat describes it as a single section lasting four hours in which candidates perform a number of routine system administration tasks and are evaluated on whether they have met specific objective criteria. There are no multiple-choice questions to fall back on.
The exam is based on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10. One rule catches people out more than any single objective: as with all Red Hat performance-based exams, configurations must persist after a reboot without intervention. A tuning change that works until the next restart counts as not done.
Red Hat’s program guide lists three ways to sit Red Hat exams: a remote exam, a testing center, or a classroom or on-site session. Remote exams require you to boot your computer from an official Red Hat Remote Exam ISO on a LiveUSB drive, with a remote proctor watching. Check which options are offered for EX442 in your country when you schedule.
Source: Red Hat — EX442 exam page. Checked 14 October 2026.
EX442 passing score and results
Red Hat does not publish a passing score on the EX442 exam page. Figures quoted elsewhere are not Red Hat’s own statement for this exam.
What Red Hat does say is how results arrive. Official scores come exclusively from Red Hat Certification Central and are usually reported within three U.S. business days. Results are reported as total scores, and Red Hat does not report performance on individual items or give additional information on request, so you will not find out which task cost you points.
Source: Red Hat — EX442 exam page. Checked 14 October 2026.
EX442 exam objectives
Red Hat publishes the EX442 objectives in seven groups. They are concrete: most name the exact tools you are expected to use, which makes the list a practical study plan in its own right.
- Analyze system behavior — vmstat, iostat, mpstat, sar, gnome-system-monitor, top and powertop; Performance Co-Pilot (PCP); dmesg, dmidecode and sosreport to profile hardware
- Monitor and alter kernel behavior — runtime parameters via /proc/sys, sysctl and /sys; kernel module parameters
- Analyze system and application performance — ps, top and Valgrind; SystemTap scripts; eBPF tools such as syscount and gethostlatency; choosing between application versions based on observed performance
- Tune running systems — process priorities, tuned profiles, control groups, systemd services with resource constraints
- Tune memory utilization — alternate page sizes, memory overcommit, swap behaviour, NUMA topology and placement, SYSV shared memory limits
- Configure disk and file subsystems — I/O scheduler selection, file system layout, dirty page writeback parameters
- Tune network performance — calculating buffer sizes from bandwidth and round-trip time, setting system buffer sizes, UDP buffer sizes
Source: Red Hat — EX442 exam page. Checked 14 October 2026.
How to read the EX442 objectives
The objectives split into two kinds of work. The first three groups are about measurement: seeing what a system is doing, from hardware profile through kernel parameters to application behaviour. The last four are about change: priorities, tuned profiles, cgroups, memory, storage and network settings.
In a hands-on exam the two halves depend on each other. You need the analysis tools to work out which change a task is really asking for, and you need the tuning tools to make that change stick across a reboot. Practising them separately, on paper, misses how the exam is scored.
Some objectives involve arithmetic rather than recall. Calculating network buffer sizes from bandwidth and round-trip time is a good example: you should be able to work out the bandwidth-delay product quickly and then apply it in the right place.
Source: Red Hat — EX442 exam page. Checked 14 October 2026.
EX442 prerequisites: what Red Hat recommends
There is no mandatory prerequisite certification for EX442. Red Hat recommends that candidates hold RHCSA or have comparable work experience and skills, and adds that RHCE would be even better. It also recommends taking the RH442 performance tuning course or having extensive experience with performance tuning, and reviewing the exam objectives.
Red Hat states explicitly that attending the course is not required. If you already tune Red Hat Enterprise Linux systems in your job, the objectives list is the place to find gaps; if you do not, the recommended course is the official route in.
Source: Red Hat — EX442 exam page. Checked 14 October 2026.
How long is the performance tuning certification valid?
Red Hat states that all Red Hat certifications are current for three years from the date earned. For specialist credentials such as this one, the renewal rule is strict: Red Hat says they can only be kept current by taking and passing their respective exams again.
In practice that means passing EX442 again within three years if you need the certification to stay current. Because the exam is tied to a Red Hat Enterprise Linux version, a renewal attempt may test a newer release than the one you originally certified on.
Source: Red Hat — Certification renewal. Checked 14 October 2026.
EX442 and the Red Hat Certified Architect (RHCA)
EX442 is one of the exams that count towards Red Hat Certified Architect in Enterprise Linux. To earn RHCA you must take and pass any three of the listed exams, and you must hold a current Red Hat Certified Engineer in Enterprise Linux certification.
You do not need to hold RHCE before attempting EX442, but Red Hat states that you will not receive RHCA until the base requirements are complete. For many candidates EX442 is the most system-level choice among the RHCA exams, because it works directly with the kernel, memory and I/O rather than with a separate product.
Source: Red Hat — Red Hat Certified Architect in Enterprise Linux. Checked 14 October 2026.
EX442 dumps and exam rules
Red Hat’s program guide is direct about this: candidates must not use unauthorized materials, including “brain dump” websites, and must not share exam content. Red Hat states that it might permanently revoke existing certifications and ban the candidate from all future exams.
Dumps also make little sense for a performance-based exam. There are no answer letters to memorise; you are scored on whether the system meets the objective criteria after your changes, including after a reboot.
Source: Red Hat Certification program guide. Checked 14 October 2026.
EX442 practice questions
Certsqill’s EX442 practice questions are expert-developed and come with an explanation for every answer option, so you see why a sysctl setting, a tuned profile or a cgroup limit is the right or wrong tool for a given symptom.
Your results build a readiness score per exam domain, from system analysis to memory, storage and network tuning, so you know which objectives to rehearse on a live system before you book. Every plan comes with a 7-day money-back guarantee.
EX442 questions people ask
What is the EX442 exam?
The Red Hat Certified Specialist in Linux Performance Tuning exam: a four-hour, performance-based exam on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10. Source: Red Hat, checked 14 October 2026.
How much does the EX442 exam cost?
Red Hat’s standard list price for a certification exam is $500 USD; the price might vary by region. Source: Red Hat Certification program guide, checked 14 October 2026.
How long is the EX442 exam?
One section lasting four hours. Source: Red Hat EX442 exam page, checked 14 October 2026.
What is the EX442 passing score?
Red Hat does not publish one on the EX442 page. Results are reported as total scores. Checked 14 October 2026.
Is EX442 multiple choice?
No. It is performance-based: you complete system administration tasks and are evaluated against objective criteria, and configurations must persist after reboot. Source: Red Hat, checked 14 October 2026.
Which RHEL version is EX442 based on?
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10. Source: Red Hat EX442 exam page, checked 14 October 2026.
Do I need RHCSA or RHCE before EX442?
Not formally. Red Hat recommends RHCSA or comparable experience, says RHCE would be even better, and recommends the RH442 course, which is not required. Checked 14 October 2026.
Can I retake EX442?
Yes. You get one free retake after an unsuccessful first attempt; later attempts need a new paid registration. Source: Red Hat, checked 14 October 2026.
Does EX442 count towards RHCA?
Yes. RHCA in Enterprise Linux requires any three of the listed exams, EX442 among them, plus a current RHCE. Source: Red Hat, checked 14 October 2026.
How long is the Red Hat performance tuning certification valid?
Current for three years; specialist certifications are kept current only by passing their exam again. Source: Red Hat renewal page, checked 14 October 2026.
