Fortinet is transitioning the NSE 5 - FortiSASE and SD-WAN Core Administrator exam from version 7.6 to the new NSE5_SSE_AD-26 Fortinet NSE 5 - FortiSASE and SD-WAN 26 Core Administrator exam. The previous NSE5_SSE_AD-7.6 exam is listed as available until November 14, 2026, making it important for candidates to understand the updated objectives and prepare for the appropriate version. To support your preparation, the most up-to-date NSE5_SSE_AD-26 Exam Guide with Practice Test Questions from PassQuestion provides focused review of the core skills required to deploy, configure, monitor, and troubleshoot FortiSASE and Secure SD-WAN. The preparation topics include decentralized SD-WAN, routing and traffic steering, SASE deployment, Secure Internet Access (SIA), Secure SaaS Access (SSA), and security analytics. By combining exam-focused practice questions with Fortinet's official training resources and hands-on experience, candidates can strengthen their technical knowledge and prepare more effectively for the NSE 5 exam.

What Is the NSE5_SSE_AD-26 Fortinet Exam?

The NSE5_SSE_AD-26 FortiSASE and SD-WAN 26 Core Administrator exam evaluates the practical knowledge needed to deploy and administer FortiSASE and Fortinet Secure SD-WAN solutions.

The exam focuses on configuration and daily operations, including SD-WAN deployment, traffic steering, FortiSASE integration, security policy configuration, operational monitoring, incident analysis, and troubleshooting.

This certification is intended for network and security professionals responsible for deploying, administering, and supporting Fortinet SASE and SD-WAN environments. Candidates should understand how FortiGate, FortiManager, FortiClient, and FortiSASE work together to provide secure connectivity for branch offices and remote users.

The transition to the 26 exam version makes it particularly important to study the current exam blueprint rather than relying exclusively on older 7.6 preparation materials.

NSE5_SSE_AD-26 Exam Details

Exam Detail	Information
Exam Code	NSE5_SSE_AD-26
Exam Name	Fortinet NSE 5 - FortiSASE and SD-WAN 26 Core Administrator
Exam Duration	65 minutes
Number of Questions	30–35
Scoring	Pass or fail
Languages	English and Japanese
FortiSASE Version	26
FortiOS Version	7.6
FortiClient Version	7.0
FortiAuthenticator Version	6.5
FortiManager Version	7.6
Exam Delivery	Proctored through Pearson VUE

The previous NSE5_SSE_AD-7.6 exam is listed as available until November 14, 2026, while the NSE5_SSE_AD-26 exam is listed as available. Candidates planning to take the older version should verify its final availability and scheduling options with Fortinet and Pearson VUE.

What Has Changed from NSE5_SSE_AD-7.6 to NSE5_SSE_AD-26?

The 26 exam version retains the core focus on FortiSASE and Secure SD-WAN administration while providing a detailed blueprint covering decentralized SD-WAN, routing strategies, SASE deployment, secure access policies, and analytics.

Area	NSE5_SSE_AD-7.6	NSE5_SSE_AD-26
Decentralized SD-WAN	Basic deployment, members, zones, and performance SLAs	Expanded objective details covering direct internet access, traffic distribution, member health, monitoring, and SLA behavior
Rules and Routing	SD-WAN rules and routing configuration	More detailed coverage of rule lookup, traffic matching, steering strategies, route selection, sessions, and FortiManager
SASE Deployment	Administration settings, onboarding, and SD-WAN integration	Detailed coverage of SASE architecture, provisioning, licensing, authentication, onboarding methods, and data residency
SIA and SSA	Security profiles and endpoint compliance	Detailed coverage of content inspection, inline CASB, FortiCASB, SSL inspection, DLP, antivirus, IPS, and endpoint profiles
Analytics	SD-WAN logs, security threats, and reports	Detailed coverage of FortiView, dashboards, log workflows, forwarding, anonymization, and report analysis

The most useful preparation adjustment is to study the detailed 26 blueprint rather than assume that familiarity with the older exam covers every current objective.

NSE5_SSE_AD-26 Exam Objectives and Weighting

The official blueprint contains five domains. Candidates should use these weighting ranges to organize their study time.

Exam Domain	Weight
Decentralized SD-WAN	20–30%
Rules and Routing	15–25%
SASE Deployment	20–30%
SIA and SSA	15–25%
Analytics	15–25%

Decentralized SD-WAN and SASE Deployment are two of the highest-weighted domains. However, the weighting ranges overlap, so candidates should not ignore routing, secure access, or analytics. All five domains are important to the overall exam blueprint.

1. Decentralized SD-WAN (20–30%)

This domain focuses on configuring and monitoring basic Fortinet SD-WAN deployments, including direct internet access and link-performance monitoring.

Candidates should understand:

• SD-WAN architecture and fundamental components
• Use-case identification and direct internet access (DIA)
• DIA topologies and recommended configuration practices
• SD-WAN members, zones, and underlay and overlay links
• Traffic distribution and member health
• Performance service-level agreements (SLAs)
• Active and passive monitoring
• SLA targets, ICMP probes, and member state changes
• SD-WAN widgets, traffic logs, and events

A key skill is understanding how SD-WAN selects and monitors network paths. Candidates should be able to interpret link conditions, understand performance SLA behavior, and determine how changes in link health affect traffic distribution.

2. Rules and Routing (15–25%)

This domain evaluates how SD-WAN rules and routing decisions control traffic through available network paths.

Important topics include:

• User-defined and implicit SD-WAN rules
• SD-WAN rule lookup and traffic-matching criteria
• Application steering and application learning
• Internet services as destination criteria
• Manual, best-quality, and lowest-cost strategies
• Preferred member selection and load balancing
• SLA target maps and minimum-SLA-meet-members behavior
• Routing fundamentals and policy routes
• Static routes for SD-WAN members and zones
• Sessions, session tables, protocol states, and session reevaluation
• Source NAT session behavior during routing changes
• FortiManager features for SD-WAN management

Candidates should focus on how rule criteria, routing decisions, and performance SLAs interact. Scenario-based questions may require identifying why traffic follows a particular path or which rule strategy best satisfies a business requirement.

3. SASE Deployment (20–30%)

This domain focuses on deploying FortiSASE and integrating it with Secure SD-WAN.

Candidates should understand:

• Traditional network architecture and work-from-anywhere requirements
• SASE architecture, components, and use cases
• FortiSASE provisioning and licensing
• Data residency and data sovereignty
• FortiClient agent-based onboarding
• Agentless onboarding through secure web gateway (SWG) mode
• Authentication server configuration
• LDAP and RADIUS authentication
• SAML single sign-on (SSO)
• Local users, user groups, and VPN SSO
• Integration between FortiSASE and SD-WAN

Candidates should be able to select an appropriate onboarding and authentication method based on the deployment scenario. They should also understand the role of licensing, provisioning, and regional data requirements in SASE deployment decisions.

4. Secure Internet Access and Secure SaaS Access (15–25%)

This domain focuses on protecting internet access, SaaS usage, and managed endpoints through FortiSASE security capabilities.

Candidates should understand:

• Geofencing and IP address management (IPAM)
• Secure Internet Access for agent-based and agentless remote users
• Secure SaaS Access using inline CASB and FortiCASB
• Security profiles and security profile groups
• Certificate inspection and SSL deep inspection
• Web filtering and application control
• Antivirus and intrusion prevention system (IPS) sensors
• Data loss prevention (DLP) and video filtering
• Endpoint profiles and compliance rules
• Endpoint profile provisioning and maintenance

The key is understanding how to combine the appropriate security profiles and endpoint controls to meet an organization's protection requirements. Candidates should also understand the differences between agent-based and agentless access scenarios.

5. Analytics (15–25%)

The Analytics domain covers the monitoring and reporting capabilities used to understand SD-WAN behavior, investigate security events, and identify user traffic issues.

Candidates should understand:

• FortiView and dashboard functionality
• SD-WAN rule and session monitoring
• Log workflows, types, and subtypes
• Log forwarding and log anonymization
• Enabling and running reports
• Interpreting information contained in reports
• FortiSASE security events and logs
• External log servers
• Identifying potential security threats
• Evaluating reports for user traffic and security issues

Effective preparation should include interpreting operational evidence, not just memorizing dashboard names. Candidates need to understand which logs, widgets, and reports are useful for investigating a particular network or security problem.

How to Prepare for the NSE5_SSE_AD-26 Exam

1. Prioritize the Updated Exam Blueprint

Start with the five official domains and their weighting ranges. Give particular attention to decentralized SD-WAN and SASE deployment, while ensuring that routing, secure access, and analytics receive sufficient review.

2. Practice SD-WAN Rules, Routing, and Performance SLAs

Understand the SD-WAN rule lookup process, traffic-matching criteria, member selection, routing behavior, and SLA strategies. Practice analyzing scenarios involving degraded links, traffic steering, and preferred member selection.

3. Review FortiSASE Deployment and User Onboarding

Study provisioning, licensing, agent-based and agentless onboarding, LDAP, RADIUS, SAML SSO, and FortiSASE integration with SD-WAN. Focus on selecting the right configuration for each deployment requirement.

4. Understand Security Profiles and Endpoint Compliance

Review SSL inspection, web filtering, inline CASB, FortiCASB, antivirus, IPS, DLP, and endpoint profiles. Be prepared to determine which combination of controls meets a particular security requirement.

5. Strengthen Analytics and Troubleshooting Skills

Practice interpreting FortiView dashboards, SD-WAN logs, session behavior, security events, and reports. Learn to identify the information needed to investigate connectivity problems or potential security threats.

6. Use NSE5_SSE_AD-26 Practice Test Questions

Use the NSE5_SSE_AD-26 Exam Guide with Practice Test Questions from PassQuestion to review the current exam domains and assess your understanding of configuration and operational scenarios.

Practice questions can help identify knowledge gaps and reinforce your ability to choose suitable configurations. They should complement Fortinet's official training, documentation, and hands-on labs rather than replace them.

Frequently Asked Questions

When will the NSE5_SSE_AD-7.6 exam become unavailable?

Fortinet lists the NSE5_SSE_AD-7.6 exam as available until November 14, 2026. Candidates should confirm final scheduling availability directly through Fortinet and Pearson VUE.

What is the difference between NSE5_SSE_AD-7.6 and NSE5_SSE_AD-26?

The 26 version updates the exam's product coverage and provides detailed objectives for SD-WAN direct internet access, rule strategies, SASE deployment, secure access controls, and analytics. Candidates should prepare using the current 26 blueprint rather than relying solely on older study materials.

How long is the NSE5_SSE_AD-26 exam?

The exam lasts 65 minutes and contains 30–35 questions. Fortinet uses a pass-or-fail scoring model.

Which topics deserve the most attention?

Decentralized SD-WAN and SASE Deployment are each weighted at 20–30%. Rules and Routing, SIA and SSA, and Analytics each carry a weighting range of 15–25%.

What experience does Fortinet recommend?

The official exam page recommends two years of experience in networking, network security, endpoint management, and working with FortiGate and FortiManager.

Prepare for the Fortinet NSE5_SSE_AD-26 Exam with Confidence

The transition to NSE5_SSE_AD-26 Fortinet NSE 5 - FortiSASE and SD-WAN 26 Core Administrator makes it important for candidates to review the updated exam blueprint and current product versions. The exam covers practical skills across decentralized SD-WAN, routing, SASE deployment, secure internet and SaaS access, and analytics.

To prepare effectively, combine the official Fortinet course materials with hands-on configuration practice and the NSE5_SSE_AD-26 Exam Guide with Practice Test Questions from PassQuestion. A structured approach will help you identify weak areas, understand operational scenarios, and build the knowledge required for FortiSASE and Secure SD-WAN administration.