Over four days you learn to deploy, configure and troubleshoot a FortiGate running FortiOS 7.6, covering firewall policies, authentication, content inspection, routing, VPNs and high availability. The course prepares you for the NSE 4 – FortiOS 7.6 Administrator exam, which earns the NSE 4 FortiOS certification under Fortinet's new program. Roughly 45% of the time is hands-on, live online, in person in Casablanca or on-site, in French or English.
The essentials
Publisher : Fortinet
Certification : NSE 4 FortiOS
Duration : 4 days (22 h: 12 h lecture + 10 h labs)
Level : Intermediate
Formats : Live virtual class · In-person in Casablanca · On-site (intra-company)
Languages : French or English
Exam facts : NSE 4 – FortiOS 7.6 Administrator exam · 50–55 questions · 100 min · pass/fail · English or Japanese · Pearson VUE
Exam voucher: included or optional depending on the package — contact us.
Bring a FortiGate into service: interfaces, admin access, FortiGuard licensing, backups and firmware upgrades
Design firewall policies with source and destination NAT, and choose the right inspection mode
Authenticate users through remote servers, Fortinet Single Sign-On (FSSO) and certificates
Apply antivirus, web filtering, IPS and application control, including inspection of encrypted traffic
Configure static routing, IPsec VPNs and SD-WAN
Build a high-availability cluster and troubleshoot common issues from the GUI and CLI
Program
Day 1 – Getting it running
System and network settings
Firewall policies and NAT
Routing
Day 2 – Identity and trust
Firewall authentication
Fortinet Single Sign-On
Certificate operations and SSL inspection
Day 3 – Security profiles
Antivirus
Web filtering
Intrusion prevention and application control
Day 4 – Connectivity and resilience
SSL and IPsec VPN
SD-WAN
Security Fabric
High availability
Diagnostics and troubleshooting
Prerequisites
Working knowledge of network protocols: TCP/IP, routing, VLANs
Basic firewall concepts
Fortinet advises taking the FortiGate Operator course first
Target audience
Network administrators
Security engineers
Integrators
Operations teams that manage and monitor FortiGate devices
The exam
You book the exam through Pearson VUE. It is based on FortiOS 7.6 and has 50 to 55 questions in 100 minutes, scored pass/fail, with a score report in your Pearson VUE account. Weights published by Fortinet: deployment and system configuration 20–25%, firewall policies and authentication 20–25%, content inspection 25–30%, routing 10–15%, VPNs 10–15%. NSE 4 FortiOS is valid for two years from the exam date. Since July 15, 2026, the NSE program runs across eight levels and four tracks; holders of an FCP earned with a FortiGate or FortiOS exam received NSE 4 with the same dates.
Preparation tips
Content inspection carries the most weight, so practice reading antivirus, web filter and IPS logs
Repeat the IPsec VPN and HA labs from the CLI; diagnostic commands come up often
Work through the sample questions published by the Fortinet Training Institute to get used to the style
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
What happened to the FCP FortiGate Administrator certification?
When Fortinet restructured the NSE program on July 15, 2026, holders of an FCP earned with a FortiGate or FortiOS exam received NSE 4, with the same issue and expiry dates.
How long is NSE 4 valid?
Two years from the exam date. Renewal follows the NSE program's recertification rules.
Should I prepare for the FortiOS 7.6 or the 8.0 exam?
The 7.6 exam is available now; the NSE 4 – FortiOS 8.0 Administrator exam is due in early October 2026, with a 24-hour course that adds logging, FortiGate in the cloud and FortiSASE. If your estate runs 7.6, that track is still relevant; for new deployments, 8.0 will last longer.
Do I have to take the course before sitting the NSE 4 exam?
No. Fortinet recommends the matching course, but anyone can book the exam through Pearson VUE. Hands-on FortiGate experience is strongly advised.
Which languages is the exam offered in?
The NSE 4 – FortiOS 7.6 Administrator exam is available in English and Japanese. The course can be delivered in English or French.