Nessus Practice Test

The Nessus Practice Test is a free intermediate-level, 20-minute skill test from Science of Apps. It tests Nessus vulnerability scanning skills — scanner setup, scan types and templates, credentialed versus uncredentialed scanning, plugins, policies and scan configuration, interpreting results with CVSS and prioritisation, and remediation, reporting and safe scanning practice — written to the Tenable Nessus user guide, Tenable documentation and the FIRST CVSS standard for 2026. For authorised vulnerability assessment. Score 70% or more on its 20 questions to earn a verifiable Nessus Proficiency certificate (SOA-NZ). Every question is based on published standards and research — including Nessus user guide (Tenable), Tenable product documentation (Tenable Vulnerability Management, Security Center, Tenable One) (Tenable), Risk metrics: VPR, ACR and AES (Tenable) — and each answer is explained with its source.

Science of Apps offers a free Nessus Practice Test, updated for 2026 and 2027. It measures scanner and scans, credentialed scanning and plugins, interpreting results and CVSS and remediation, reporting and governance and gives instant results with a shareable certificate.

Read the four skill areas on this page, then take the 20-minute test online — no fee, course or sign-up. You see every answer explained when you finish. Score 70% or more and you get a Nessus Proficiency certificate straight away, on screen, as a PDF and by email, with a credential ID anyone can verify.

Yes. The questions are original scenarios written by Science of Apps, and each one is based on a public source you can read: Nessus user guide (Tenable); Tenable product documentation (Tenable Vulnerability Management, Security Center, Tenable One) (Tenable); Risk metrics: VPR, ACR and AES (Tenable); Common Vulnerability Scoring System (FIRST). The source is shown under each question and linked in the answer review. Science of Apps doesn't copy questions from other tests.

Four skill areas with five questions each, drawn from a bank of 10 per area so a retake brings new questions: Scanner and Scans (Setup, Templates and Discovery); Credentialed Scanning and Plugins (Credentials, Accuracy and Plugins); Interpreting Results and CVSS (Severity, CVSS and False positives); Remediation, Reporting and Governance (Remediation, Reports and Programme). Every question is an original scenario written to the 2026–2027 standard, with the published source named under it.

Vulnerability analyst, Security or SOC analyst, System or network administrator, Penetration tester (authorised) and Compliance and risk analyst. It suits anyone who wants a quick, verifiable way to show Nessus knowledge in 2026 and 2027, from students and career switchers to experienced professionals.

Nessus is a vulnerability scanner from Tenable. It checks hosts and applications for known vulnerabilities, misconfigurations and missing patches using plugins, then reports findings with severity so teams can prioritise and fix them. Only scan systems you are authorised to assess.

An uncredentialed scan probes a host from the network without logging in, seeing only what is externally visible. A credentialed scan logs in with valid accounts to check installed patches and configuration from the inside, giving far more accurate and complete results with fewer false positives.

Yes. The test is online, in English and free everywhere — people take it from India, the US, the UK, Europe, Africa, Latin America and Asia-Pacific. Your certificate is dated with your own local date and can be verified from anywhere at scienceofapps.com/certification/verify/.

20 questions — 5 from each of 4 skill areas — with a 20-minute limit. You need 70% (14 of 20) to pass and 90% for distinction.

We rate it Intermediate: assumes hands-on experience in the role. It has 20 scenario questions — 5 from each of 4 skill areas — and a 20-minute limit. You need 70% (14 of 20) to pass and 90% for distinction.

Nothing. There is no fee to take a test, to receive the certificate, to have it emailed or to verify it, and no sign-up.

On our server, not in your browser. The answers never reach the page until you submit, so a certificate can only be earned by passing. Each certificate gets a unique credential ID stored by Science of Apps.

You see your score for each area and every question with the correct answer and why, with the published source behind it. You can retake after 30 minutes, and the retake draws questions you haven't seen yet.

No. Every certificate is dated, so it always shows when you passed. Retake a test any time for a newer date or a higher score.

Yes. After you pass, Add to LinkedIn opens the Licenses & certifications form with the certificate name, Science of Apps as the issuer, the issue date, your credential ID and the verification link filled in. You can also download it as a PDF or PNG, and it's emailed to you as a PDF.

Every certificate has a credential ID and a QR code. Scanning it, or entering the ID at scienceofapps.com/certification/verify/, shows the holder's name, the certification, the score and the issue date from our records.

No. They are Science of Apps' own assessments of applied skill. They aren't issued by a university or standards body, and they work best alongside a portfolio that shows the skills in real work.