Arista Exams

The Arista Networks Landscape

Founded in 2004, Arista Networks built its market share by targeting a specific environment: high-speed data centers. While competitors focused on campus networks and branch offices, Arista concentrated on low-latency hardware and software-defined networking. Today, the company commands over 20% of the data center Ethernet switch market. Cloud providers like Microsoft and Meta rank among their largest customers, and high-frequency trading firms rely on their hardware to execute trades with microsecond precision.

This physical footprint dictates the value of Arista credentials. If you support a standard enterprise campus network, Arista certifications offer limited immediate return. If you work in a massive data center, a cloud service provider, or a financial institution running spine-and-leaf architectures, Arista skills are a direct job requirement.

The Extensible Operating System (EOS)

To understand Arista certifications, you must understand their software. Arista devices run on the Extensible Operating System (EOS).

Unlike legacy network operating systems that restrict access to the underlying kernel, EOS is built on an unmodified Linux kernel. Network engineers can drop into a standard Bash shell, run Python scripts directly on the switch, and manage the device using standard Linux tools. This architecture shapes what Arista expects its certified professionals to know.

Validating Your Skills

The Arista certification path starts at the associate level, designed for network operators and administrators who need to manage existing Arista deployments.

The ACE-A1.2: Arista Certified Engineering Associate validates your ability to operate, configure, and troubleshoot Arista hardware and software. Arista explicitly states that this is not a general networking theory test. You will not find questions asking you to calculate subnet masks or explain the theoretical differences between OSPF and BGP. Instead, the exam asks a clear question: do you know how to operate an Arista switch?

The test runs 90 minutes and contains 100 multiple-choice questions. It costs $295, and candidates must achieve an 80% to pass.

You must demonstrate proficiency with the EOS command-line interface and Arista-specific features. The exam covers Multi-Chassis Link Aggregation (MLAG), which allows two physical switches to act as a single logical switch at Layer 2. It also tests your knowledge of Advanced Event Management (AEM), Latency Analyzer (LANZ), and VM Tracer. Candidates must know how to deploy switches using Zero Touch Provisioning (ZTP), a critical feature for large-scale data center automation.

Because EOS is Linux-based, the test expects you to recognize basic Linux directory structures and standard commands. You do not need to be a systems administrator, but you must know how to navigate the file system from the switch prompt.

Because Arista runs the exact same EOS binary across its entire hardware portfolio - from a single rack-unit switch to a massive modular chassis - mastering the CLI through the ACE-A1.2 translates directly to any device in their lineup.