Linux Professional Institute LPIC-1
Linux Professional Institute
Complete guide to passing the Linux Professional Institute LPIC-1 exam on your first attempt.
$200
~65%
5 years
Global
Linux Professional Institute
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Complete Overview
LPIC-1 is the entry professional certification from the Linux Professional Institute, earned by passing two exams, 101-500 and 102-500, each of which is 60 multiple-choice and fill-in-the-blank questions in 90 minutes. LPI prices each exam at $200 USD in its top pricing tier, so the full certification costs $400 USD there; lower tiers list $165 and $132 USD per exam, and LPI also publishes prices of EUR 176 and JPY 15,000 per exam. There are no prerequisites, and the exams may be taken in either order.
LPI describes LPIC-1 as validating a candidate's ability to perform maintenance tasks on the command line, install and configure a computer running Linux, and configure basic networking. The distinguishing feature is neutrality. LPI is a non-profit and its exams are distribution-neutral, so a single certification covers Debian and RPM package management, SysVinit and systemd, and both iproute2 and the legacy net-tools commands. Red Hat and SUSE programmes test only their own distributions.
The current objectives are version 5.0. LPI publishes a numeric weight for every objective, and those weights are not decorative: LPI states that with a total weight count of 60 an exam will have 60 questions, and that an objective weighted 4 produces four questions. That makes the published objective list an unusually precise study map. Exam 101 covers system architecture, installation and package management, GNU and Unix commands, and devices, filesystems, and the Filesystem Hierarchy Standard. Exam 102 covers shells and shell scripting, interfaces and desktops, administrative tasks, essential system services, networking fundamentals, and security.
Scoring is scaled. LPI ranks each exam from 200 to 800 with a passing score of 500, and states that because questions vary in difficulty the number of correct answers required to reach 500 depends on the specific combination of items you receive. Candidates do not all get the same questions. You receive your result and a score report immediately after the exam, Pearson VUE transfers the result to LPI within 24 hours, and if you have met the certification requirements your certification is issued at that point.
Exams run at Pearson VUE test centres and online through OnVUE. Test centre languages are English, German, Japanese, Brazilian Portuguese, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, and Modern Spanish; online delivery covers English, German, Japanese, Brazilian Portuguese, and Spanish. LPI notes that the OnVUE interface and its proctors are English only, and that OnVUE requires a Mac or Windows machine, which LPI acknowledges is awkward for a Linux certification body.
LPIC-1 is valid for five years unless retaken or a higher level is achieved. LPI recommends recertifying after two years to hold a current status, and requires it within five years to keep ACTIVE status.
Why Get Linux Professional Institute LPIC-1 Certified?
The objectives are weighted and the weights map directly to question counts. LPI states that an objective weighted 4 generates four questions, so you can allocate study time against a published number rather than a guess.
There are no prerequisites of any kind, and the two exams may be taken in either order, so you can sit 102-500 first if your background is stronger in networking and services.
Because the certification is distribution-neutral, one credential covers dpkg and apt alongside rpm, yum, and zypper, which is why it travels across employers running different Linux estates.
The certification is current for five years, longer than the three years Red Hat gives its credentials, and earning LPIC-2 resets the five-year clock on LPIC-1 at the same time.
LPI lists more than 350,000 certification holders across over 180 countries, and offers the exams in seven languages at test centres, which makes it practical to certify outside English-speaking markets.
You get a score report immediately after the exam, and LPI receives the result from Pearson VUE within 24 hours, so a passing second exam issues the certification within a day.
LPI publishes free learning materials at learning.lpi.org covering both 101 and 102, so a candidate willing to build their own lab can prepare for the full certification for the price of two vouchers.
Exam Format & Structure
Duration
90 minutes per exam. Two exams are required, so 180 minutes of testing in total.
Questions
60 questions per exam, 120 across both 101-500 and 102-500
Passing Score
500, on a scale from 200 to 800, for each exam. LPI states that because questions vary in difficulty, the number of correct answers needed to reach 500 depends on the specific combination of questions you receive.
Question Types
- Multiple choice
- Fill in the blank, where you type an exact command, file path, or option
Delivery Method
Pearson VUE test centres worldwide, or online through the Pearson VUE OnVUE platform. LPI notes that OnVUE requires a Mac or Windows operating system.
Exam Domains & Topics
LPI weights topic 101 at 8 points and topic 102 at 12, a combined 20 of the 120 points across both exams. Topic 101 covers hardware settings, the boot process, and runlevels or boot targets. Topic 102 covers disk layout design, boot managers, shared libraries, Debian package management, RPM with YUM and Zypper, and Linux as a virtualization guest.
Key Topics to Master:
- lsmod, lspci, lsusb, modprobe, and the roles of /sys, /proc, and /dev
- The boot sequence from BIOS or UEFI to completion, initramfs, SysVinit, and systemd
- Setting the default runlevel or boot target, and using shutdown, init, telinit, and systemctl
- Designing a partition scheme covering /, /var, /home, /boot, the EFI System Partition, and swap
- GRUB Legacy and GRUB 2 with grub-install and grub-mkconfig
- Shared libraries with ldd, ldconfig, /etc/ld.so.conf, and LD_LIBRARY_PATH
- dpkg, dpkg-reconfigure, apt-get, apt-cache, and /etc/apt/sources.list
- rpm, rpm2cpio, yum, zypper, and awareness of dnf
- Virtual machines, containers, guest drivers, SSH host keys, and cloud-init awareness
The single heaviest topic in the certification, weighted 26 of 120 points, which means 26 questions on exam 101 alone. It covers command line work, text stream filters, file management, streams and pipes, process creation and control, scheduling priorities, regular expressions, and editing files in vi. Four of its eight objectives carry a weight of 4.
Key Topics to Master:
- bash, echo, env, export, set, unset, type, which, history, and quoting
- Text filters including cut, sed, sort, tr, uniq, wc, head, tail, split, od, and the checksum tools
- File management with cp, mv, rm, find, tar, cpio, dd, and file globbing
- Redirection and pipelines including tee and xargs
- Process control with ps, top, kill, pgrep, pkill, killall, nohup, jobs, bg, fg, screen, and tmux
- nice and renice for scheduling priority
- Basic versus extended regular expressions with grep, egrep, and sed
- vi navigation and modes, including d, p, y, dd, yy, ZZ, :w!, and :q!
- Setting the standard editor through EDITOR
Weighted 14 points. It covers creating partitions and filesystems on both MBR and GPT tables, maintaining filesystem integrity, controlling mounting and unmounting, managing permissions and ownership, creating hard and symbolic links, and knowing the FHS well enough to place files where they belong. Objective 104.4 was removed in version 5.0.
Key Topics to Master:
- fdisk, gdisk, parted, mkfs, and mkswap across MBR and GPT
- ext2, ext3, ext4, XFS, VFAT, exFAT, and basic Btrfs features including subvolumes and compression
- du, df, fsck, e2fsck, mke2fs, tune2fs, xfs_repair, xfs_fsr, and xfs_db
- mount, umount, /etc/fstab, blkid, lsblk, and awareness of systemd mount units
- Mounting by label and UUID, and configuring user-mountable removable filesystems
- chmod, chown, chgrp, umask, and the suid, sgid, and sticky bits
- Hard and symbolic links with ln, and when copying beats linking
- The Filesystem Hierarchy Standard and correct file locations
- find, locate, updatedb, whereis, which, and type
LPI weights topic 105 at 8 points and topic 106 at 4, a combined 12 of 120. Topic 105 covers customising the shell environment and writing simple Bash scripts. Topic 106 covers installing and configuring X11, awareness of major graphical desktops and remote desktop protocols, and accessibility technologies, which candidates from a server background routinely underestimate.
Key Topics to Master:
- Environment variables at login, /etc/profile, /etc/bash.bashrc, and the user dot files
- Bash functions, aliases, and maintaining skeleton directories for new accounts
- Standard sh syntax with for, while, test, if, read, seq, exec, and the && and || operators
- Command substitution, return value testing, and the shebang line
- X11 architecture, /etc/X11/xorg.conf and its .d directory, xhost, xauth, and DISPLAY
- Awareness of KDE, GNOME, Xfce, XDMCP, VNC, Spice, RDP, and Wayland
- Accessibility features including screen readers, magnifiers, Braille displays, and sticky or bounce keys
- Managing ownership, execution, and suid rights on scripts
Weighted 12 points. Objective 107.1 on user and group accounts carries a weight of 5, the highest single objective weight anywhere in LPIC-1, so expect five questions on account management alone. The topic also covers scheduling with cron, at, and systemd timers, and localisation and internationalisation including locales, timezones, and character encodings.
Key Topics to Master:
- useradd, usermod, userdel, groupadd, groupmod, groupdel, passwd, chage, and getent
- The structure of /etc/passwd, /etc/shadow, /etc/group, and /etc/skel
- Creating special purpose and limited accounts
- crontab, at, atq, atrm, and the cron.allow, cron.deny, at.allow, and at.deny files
- The /etc/cron.d, cron.daily, cron.hourly, cron.monthly, and cron.weekly directories
- systemd timer units and systemd-run
- Locale configuration with LANG, LC_ALL, the LC_ variables, and why LANG=C matters in scripts
- Timezone configuration with /etc/timezone, /etc/localtime, tzselect, and timedatectl
- Character encodings including UTF-8, ISO-8859, ASCII, Unicode, and conversion with iconv
Weighted 12 points across four objectives. System logging carries a weight of 4 and is the largest, covering rsyslog configuration and a substantial amount of systemd journal work. The topic also covers maintaining system time and NTP, mail transfer agent basics limited to aliases and forwarding, and managing printers through CUPS and the LPD compatibility interface.
Key Topics to Master:
- date, hwclock, timedatectl, ntpd, ntpdate, chronyc, and the pool.ntp.org service
- Basic rsyslog configuration, and standard facilities, priorities, and actions
- Querying the systemd journal by date, service, or priority with journalctl
- Configuring persistent journal storage and journal size, and deleting old journal data
- Retrieving journal data from a rescue system or a filesystem copy
- logrotate configuration in /etc/logrotate.conf and /etc/logrotate.d
- Email aliases and forwarding with ~/.forward, newaliases, and mailq
- Awareness of postfix, sendmail, and exim without configuring them
- CUPS configuration and the legacy lpr, lprm, and lpq interface
Weighted 14 points, and three of its four objectives carry a weight of 4. It covers TCP/IP fundamentals including subnetting and common ports, persistent network configuration through NetworkManager, basic troubleshooting with iproute2 alongside awareness of the legacy net-tools commands, and client-side DNS configuration.
Key Topics to Master:
- Network masks, CIDR notation, and the difference between private and public addresses
- Common TCP and UDP ports including 20, 21, 22, 23, 25, 53, 80, 110, 123, 139, 143, 161, 162, 389, 443, 465, 514, 636, 993, and 995
- Differences and major features of TCP, UDP, and ICMP
- Major differences between IPv4 and IPv6 and the basic features of IPv6
- Configuring ethernet and wi-fi with nmcli, plus hostnamectl and awareness of systemd-networkd
- /etc/hostname, /etc/hosts, /etc/nsswitch.conf, and /etc/resolv.conf
- iproute2 with ip and ss, plus ping, traceroute, tracepath, and netcat
- Awareness of the legacy ifconfig, netstat, and route commands
- Client DNS with host, dig, getent, and awareness of systemd-resolved
Weighted 10 points across three objectives. Securing data with encryption carries a weight of 4 and covers OpenSSH client configuration, host keys, SSH port tunnels including X11 tunnels, and GnuPG for encrypting, decrypting, signing, verifying, and revocation. The other two objectives cover security administration tasks and basic host hardening.
Key Topics to Master:
- Auditing for files with the suid or sgid bit set using find
- Password aging with chage, and setting limits on logins, processes, and memory with ulimit
- Discovering open ports with nmap and netstat, and identifying users with who, w, and last
- Basic sudo configuration and /etc/sudoers
- Shadow passwords, disabling unused network services, and the role of TCP wrappers
- /etc/nologin, /etc/hosts.allow, /etc/hosts.deny, and systemd.socket
- ssh, ssh-keygen, ssh-agent, ssh-add, and the id_rsa, id_ecdsa, and id_ed25519 key pairs
- OpenSSH server host keys and ssh_known_hosts
- gpg and gpg-agent for encrypting, decrypting, signing, verifying, and key revocation
Recommended Study Plan
- 1Install two virtual machines, one Debian-based and one RPM-based, because LPIC-1 tests both package systems
- 2Print the version 5.0 objectives from lpi.org and write the weight beside each objective
- 3Total the weights per topic so you can see that topic 103 alone is 26 of the 60 questions on exam 101
- 4Create a free account at learning.lpi.org and open the 101 learning materials
- 5Decide which exam to sit first, since LPI allows either order
- 1Drill bash, echo, env, export, set, unset, type, which, and history until quoting rules are automatic
- 2Work through every filter in the objective list, including od, nl, paste, split, and the sha256sum and sha512sum tools
- 3Practise find with type, size, and time predicates, then combine it with -exec
- 4Create and extract archives with tar, cpio, and dd, and compress with gzip, bzip2, and xz
- 5Answer fill-in-the-blank style prompts by typing the exact command with no shell to help you
- 1Practise redirection of stdout, stderr, and both, plus tee and xargs
- 2Run jobs in the background, disown them with nohup, and monitor with ps, top, free, and uptime
- 3Send specific signals with kill, pkill, and killall, and know the numeric values for the common ones
- 4Write basic and extended regular expressions and know exactly which characters change meaning between them
- 5Complete a full editing session in vi with no other editor available, including yank, put, and search
- 1Trace a boot from firmware through the bootloader, initramfs, and init on both a SysVinit and a systemd system
- 2Read dmesg and journalctl for boot events and change the default target with systemctl
- 3Design a partition layout including an EFI System Partition and swap, then build it
- 4Install, query, and remove packages with dpkg and apt-get on one VM and rpm, yum, and zypper on the other
- 5Practise finding which package owns a given file on both systems, since the phrasing differs
- 1Create ext4, XFS, VFAT, and swap on a spare disk, and read the basic Btrfs feature list
- 2Repair a deliberately damaged ext filesystem with fsck and read tune2fs output
- 3Add entries to /etc/fstab by UUID and by label, then verify with blkid and lsblk
- 4Practise chmod in symbolic and octal form and demonstrate suid, sgid, and the sticky bit
- 5Memorise the FHS locations that appear in the objectives and practise find, locate, whereis, and type
- 1Take a full timed run of 60 questions in 90 minutes and mark every guess
- 2Rebuild any objective you guessed on, working from the weighted list rather than a summary
- 3Buy the 101 voucher from lpi.org at the price shown for your country and register for an LPI ID first
- 4Schedule through Pearson VUE, choosing a test centre or OnVUE, and check the language list for your choice
- 5Sit the exam and keep the immediate score report, since it shows performance by section
- 1Set variables in /etc/profile, ~/.bash_profile, ~/.bashrc, and ~/.profile and trace which file runs when
- 2Write Bash functions and aliases and place them so they load for a new user from /etc/skel
- 3Write scripts using for, while, if, test, read, and seq, and read positional parameters
- 4Use command substitution and test return values, then chain commands with && and ||
- 5Set the shebang correctly and manage script ownership, execution bits, and suid implications
- 1Create, modify, suspend, and delete users and groups, and read every field of /etc/shadow
- 2Use chage to set password aging and getent to query the databases
- 3Schedule work with crontab, at, and a systemd timer unit, and restrict access with cron.allow and cron.deny
- 4Configure locale variables and understand why LANG=C matters when scripting
- 5Set the timezone with timedatectl and tzselect and convert an encoding with iconv
- 1Configure NTP with both ntpd and chrony and verify with chronyc and timedatectl
- 2Configure rsyslog to forward to a central server and understand facilities, priorities, and actions
- 3Query journalctl by unit, priority, and time window, then configure persistent storage and a size limit
- 4Configure logrotate for a custom log file and force a rotation to confirm it works
- 5Create a mail alias, run newaliases, check mailq, and configure a CUPS print queue
- 1Practise subnetting and CIDR until you can convert masks in your head
- 2Memorise the port list in objective 109.1, since fill-in-the-blank questions ask for exact numbers
- 3Configure a persistent interface with nmcli and set the hostname with hostnamectl
- 4Use ip and ss for addresses, routes, and sockets, and be able to translate each to its ifconfig, route, or netstat equivalent
- 5Configure /etc/resolv.conf and /etc/nsswitch.conf and query with host, dig, and getent
- 1Audit for suid and sgid files with find, and set login and resource limits with ulimit
- 2Configure sudo through /etc/sudoers and test it with a restricted account
- 3Generate SSH keys, use ssh-agent and ssh-add, and set up an SSH port tunnel including an X11 tunnel
- 4Encrypt, decrypt, sign, verify, and revoke with gpg
- 5Read the X11 and accessibility objectives properly, since server-focused candidates lose easy marks on topic 106
- 1Take a full timed run of 60 questions in 90 minutes covering topics 105 through 110
- 2Weight your final revision by LPI's numbers: topic 109 at 14 points and topics 107 and 108 at 12 each
- 3Buy the 102 voucher and schedule with Pearson VUE, allowing for OnVUE's Mac or Windows requirement if testing online
- 4Sit the exam and confirm your certification is issued after Pearson VUE transfers the result to LPI within 24 hours
- 5Download the PDF certificate from your lpi.org account and note your five-year ACTIVE date
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Best Study Resources
LPIC-1 exam 101 and 102 objectives, version 5.0
Official objective listEvery objective with its numeric weight, key knowledge areas, and the exact files, terms, and utilities LPI expects. Because weights map to question counts, this page doubles as a revision budget.
Free
LPI Learning Materials
Free coursewareLPI's own learning portal, with lessons written against the published objectives for both 101 and 102, continuously expanded and available in several languages.
Free
LPIC-1 certification overview
Official certification pageStates the current version, the two-exam requirement, the 90-minute and 60-question format, the five-year validity, and the exact language lists for test centres and for OnVUE.
Free
LPI exam pricing
Official pricing pageCountry-selectable voucher pricing. LPIC-1 101 and 102 are listed at $200 USD in the top tier, with $165 and $132 USD tiers, plus EUR 176 and JPY 15,000 depending on region.
Free to view
LPI certification policies
Official policy documentCarries the retake waiting periods, the recertification and ACTIVE status rules, the manual re-scoring process and its US$50 fee, the grievance and appeal timelines, and the accommodations process.
Free
LPI frequently asked questions
Official FAQWhere LPI states the 200 to 800 scale with a passing score of 500, explains that one question is generated per weight point, and describes results delivery and certificate issuing.
Free
Pearson VUE LPI page
Test delivery and schedulingScheduling for both test centre and OnVUE delivery, and the page that states the seven-day and fourteen-day retake waiting periods and the two-year restriction after a pass.
Free to use, voucher priced separately
LPI Marketplace
Voucher purchaseLPI's own shop for exam vouchers. You need an LPI ID first, which is free and required before you can create a Pearson account for the exam.
Voucher price by region
Debian and Fedora installation media
Free Linux distributionsBecause LPIC-1 tests dpkg and apt alongside rpm, yum, and zypper, running one of each family in a virtual machine is the cheapest way to cover topic 102 properly.
Free
LPI approved training partners
Instructor-led trainingLPI maintains a list of approved training partners for candidates who want structured instruction rather than self-study. No training is required to sit either exam.
Paid, varies by partner
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Studying only one package manager. LPIC-1 devotes a weight of 3 to Debian package management and another 3 to RPM, YUM, and Zypper, so ignoring half of topic 102 costs six questions on exam 101.
Run one Debian-based and one RPM-based virtual machine side by side and perform the same task in both, including finding which package owns a specific file.
Preparing for multiple choice only. LPI exams include fill-in-the-blank items where you type a command, path, or option and spelling counts.
Practise by writing answers on paper rather than in a shell with tab completion. Learn the exact spelling of file paths such as /etc/nsswitch.conf and /etc/logrotate.d.
Skipping topic 106 because you are a server administrator and never touch X11. It is worth 4 points including an accessibility objective that most candidates never open.
Spend one focused session on xorg.conf and its .d directory, xhost, xauth, DISPLAY, Wayland awareness, and the accessibility list covering screen readers, magnifiers, Braille displays, and sticky or bounce keys.
Learning only iproute2 and dismissing the legacy net-tools commands. Objective 109.3 explicitly requires awareness of ifconfig, netstat, and route.
Learn ip and ss properly, then build a translation table to the legacy equivalents. LPI lists removing the legacy commands as a future change consideration, so they are still in version 5.0.
Ignoring the port numbers in objective 109.1 on the assumption that nobody asks for them directly.
Memorise the exact list LPI publishes, which runs from 20 and 21 through 995 and includes 123, 161, 162, 389, 465, 514, and 636. These are exactly the kind of item that appears as a fill-in-the-blank.
Treating systemd as the whole answer. Version 5.0 objectives still require understanding SysVinit and awareness of Upstart, plus /etc/inittab and /etc/init.d.
Learn both init systems for the boot and runlevel objectives, and pay particular attention to the systemd journal work in objective 108.2, which includes persistent storage, size limits, and recovering journal data from a rescue system.
Booking the second exam too soon after a failed first attempt. LPI requires a seven-day wait after a first failure and fourteen days after a second or subsequent failure.
Use the score report you receive immediately after the exam to identify weak sections, and plan the retake for after the waiting period rather than assuming you can rebook the next day.
Assuming you can re-sit a passed exam to improve a score or refresh a certification early. LPI states that anyone who passes an exam may not retake it for at least two years.
Plan recertification around the five-year ACTIVE window, and note that different versions of an exam count as the same exam for both the retake and the two-year rules.
Planning an OnVUE session on a Linux laptop. LPI states plainly that the Pearson VUE OnVUE testing system requires a Mac or Windows operating system, and apologises for it.
Arrange a Mac or Windows machine for an online sitting, or book a test centre. Also check the language list, because OnVUE covers five languages against seven at test centres.
Exam Day Tips
- 1
Register for a free LPI ID before you do anything else. You need that number to create your Pearson VUE account, and you cannot schedule without it.
- 2
Pace at 90 seconds per question. Each exam is 60 questions in 90 minutes, which leaves no room to stall on a fill-in-the-blank you cannot recall.
- 3
Type fill-in-the-blank answers exactly. There is no tab completion and no shell to correct you, so a mistyped path or a missing leading slash scores nothing.
- 4
For an online sitting, use a Mac or Windows machine in a quiet private location with a camera and a stable connection, as LPI specifies for OnVUE.
- 5
If you are testing online in a language other than English, note that the OnVUE interface itself and the proctors and greeters are English speakers only, even where the exam content is translated.
- 6
You receive your result and score report immediately after the exam, so read the section breakdown before you leave and note where you were weak.
- 7
Pearson VUE transfers your result to LPI within 24 hours, and if the pass completes your certification it is issued at that point. Check your lpi.org account the next day rather than waiting for post.
- 8
Confirm the mailing address in your LPI profile before you sit, because the physical certificate is posted to whatever address is on file.
- 9
If you fail and believe the score is wrong, LPI allows a manual re-scoring request submitted in writing with a US$50 fee, and it must reach the LPI central office within 30 days of the pass or fail decision.
Career Paths & Salary Ranges
Junior Linux administrator
The role LPIC-1 is written for. LPI describes the certification as validating command line maintenance, installing and configuring a Linux machine, and configuring basic networking, which is the whole of a junior administrator's day.
$70,000-$85,000
Linux systems administrator
Owns a fleet of servers rather than a single machine. Topic 107 on users, groups, and scheduling and topic 108 on logging and time services are the objectives that map most directly.
$80,000-$95,000
Technical support engineer, Linux
Distribution neutrality is the selling point here. A support engineer sees Debian, Ubuntu, RHEL derivatives, and SUSE in the same week, and LPIC-1 covers all of those package systems.
$70,000-$85,000
Network operations engineer
Topic 109 is weighted 14 points and covers subnetting, the common port list, NetworkManager, iproute2 troubleshooting, and client DNS, which is the Linux-side toolkit for a NOC role.
$80,000-$95,000
DevOps or platform engineer, entry level
Shell scripting from topic 105 and process and stream handling from topic 103 are the prerequisites for automation work. LPI also offers a DevOps Tools Engineer certification and recommends Linux skills at LPIC-1 level before it.
$85,000-$100,000
Cloud support associate
Objective 102.6 covers Linux as a virtualization guest, including what must change when a system is cloned or used as a template, SSH host keys, D-Bus machine IDs, and cloud-init awareness.
$75,000-$90,000
Prerequisites & Requirements
- There are no prerequisites for LPIC-1. LPI states this on both the certification overview and the Pearson VUE programme page.
- You must pass both the 101 and the 102 exams to be certified, and they may be taken in either order.
- You must register for a free LPI ID before you can create a Pearson VUE account and schedule an exam.
- No training course is required. LPI maintains a list of approved training partners for candidates who want instruction, but self-study using the free materials at learning.lpi.org is a supported route.
- For higher levels there are prerequisites: LPI requires an active LPIC-1 to be awarded LPIC-2, and an active LPIC-2 to be awarded LPIC-3, although the exams themselves may be taken in any order.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does LPIC-1 cost?
It depends on your country, because LPI uses regional pricing tiers. In the top tier, LPIC-1 101 and LPIC-1 102 are each $200 USD, so the full certification is $400 USD. LPI also publishes tiers at $165 and $132 USD per exam, plus EUR 176 and JPY 15,000 per exam in the euro and yen listings. Select your country on the LPI exam pricing page to see which tier applies to you before you budget.
How many exams do I need to pass?
Two. LPIC-1 requires both the 101 and the 102 exam, and LPI states they may be taken in any order. Each is 90 minutes and contains 60 multiple-choice and fill-in-the-blank questions. LPI also notes that a single exam towards LPIC-1 remains active for five years while you complete the second one, so you do not need to sit them close together.
What is the passing score?
500, on a scale from 200 to 800, for each exam. LPI explains that because questions vary in difficulty, the number of correct answers needed to reach 500 depends on the exact combination of questions you receive, and that candidates are not always given the same questions for security reasons. The exact cut is set through LPI's psychometric studies so that every form has a consistent level of difficulty.
What happens if I fail?
You buy another voucher and re-sit after the waiting period. LPI's board policy requires a wait of one week before retaking an exam after a first attempt, and 14 days before retaking after a second or subsequent attempt. There is no free retake. Different versions of an exam count as the same exam for this purpose, so failing 101-400 and then booking 101-500 does not reset the clock.
Can I retake an exam I already passed?
Not for at least two years. LPI's retake policy states that anyone who passes an LPI exam may not retake that exam for a minimum of two years. As with failures, different versions of the same exam count as the same exam, so you cannot sidestep the rule by sitting a newer version code.
How long do results take?
You receive your result and a score report immediately after finishing the exam. Pearson VUE then transfers your result to LPI within 24 hours, and if you have met the certification requirements your certification is issued at that point. You can download a PDF copy of your certificate from your lpi.org account. LPI's FAQ gives 4 to 6 weeks for a physical certificate to arrive by post in one place and 6 to 8 weeks in another, so treat the PDF as the usable document.
How long is LPIC-1 valid?
Five years, unless you retake the exams or achieve a higher level. LPI recommends recertifying after two years from the certification designation date to hold a current status, but requires recertification within five years to retain ACTIVE status. The clock starts on the date you passed the last required exam. Earning LPIC-2 makes all lower designations ACTIVE for five years from the date the higher certification was earned.
What happens if I let my LPIC-1 lapse?
LPI states that candidates who do not recertify and allow their status to lapse will be required to earn their current and all lower certification designations again if they later want to reactivate. In practice a lapsed LPIC-1 means re-sitting both 101 and 102. Recertification itself requires passing all up-to-date exams required for your highest earned designation, after which the status is ACTIVE for another five years.
Can I take LPIC-1 online?
Yes, through Pearson VUE's OnVUE platform, which LPI has released for Linux Essentials, LPIC-1, and LPIC-2. Online testing requires a quiet private location, a reliable computer with a camera, and a stable internet connection. LPI states directly that OnVUE requires a Mac or Windows operating system, apologises for that as a Linux certification body, and says it continues to encourage Pearson VUE to support Linux.
In which languages can I take the exam?
At Pearson VUE test centres, LPIC-1 is offered in English, German, Japanese, Brazilian Portuguese, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, and Modern Spanish. Online through OnVUE the list is English, German, Japanese, Brazilian Portuguese, and Spanish. LPI adds that the OnVUE exam interface itself is available in English only, and that Pearson online proctors and greeters are English speakers.
Can I use notes, a calculator, or reference material?
No. LPI exams are closed-book multiple-choice and fill-in-the-blank tests delivered under Pearson VUE proctoring, at a test centre or online, and no reference material is provided or permitted. There is no calculator requirement, although objective 109.1 does expect you to handle network masks and CIDR notation, so practise subnetting arithmetic mentally rather than expecting a tool.
Are accommodations available for a disability?
Yes. LPI states it is committed to ensuring no individual is deprived of the opportunity to take an examination solely by reason of a disability. For computer-administered exams you state your needs to the testing vendor before scheduling, and the vendor consults LPI. For paper-and-pencil testing you apply directly to the LPI central office at least 14 days before the test date. Requests should include documentation of the disability, the accommodations requested, descriptions of past accommodations, and a current letter from a physician or other appropriate diagnostic authority.
Can I challenge my score?
You can request a manual re-scoring, though LPI warns it is extremely unlikely to change the result. Submit the request in writing to LPI with a US$50 fee by money order or certified check, within 30 days of receiving the pass or fail decision. Requests are processed within 30 days of receipt. Separately, grievances about a specific exam administration must be submitted in writing with a signature within 30 days, LPI responds within 60 days, and an appeal must be lodged within 15 days of that decision.
How do the objective weights work?
They are question counts. LPI standardised all LPIC exam weights to 60 per exam on 1 April 2009, and states that with a total weight count of 60 the exam will have 60 questions, with one question generated for each weight point. An objective weighted 4 produces four questions. That makes the published objective list a precise study budget: topic 103, GNU and Unix commands, is weighted 26 and therefore accounts for 26 of the 60 questions on exam 101.
Which objectives carry the most weight?
On exam 101, topic 103 on GNU and Unix commands is weighted 26 of 60, followed by topic 104 at 14, topic 102 at 12, and topic 101 at 8. On exam 102, topic 109 on networking fundamentals is weighted 14, topics 107 and 108 are weighted 12 each, topic 110 on security is 10, topic 105 on shells and scripting is 8, and topic 106 on interfaces and desktops is 4. The single heaviest objective anywhere is 107.1, managing user and group accounts, at a weight of 5.
What happens when LPI releases a new objective version?
The previous version stays available for six months. LPI does this so candidates can sit the version they studied for, and states that you may write any version of the exams and they count toward your certification equally, including mixing versions between 101 and 102. The current LPIC-1 version is 5.0, covering exam codes 101-500 and 102-500. LPI reviews test objectives at least once every two years.
How does LPIC-1 compare with RHCSA?
The testing method and the scope differ. LPIC-1 is two 90-minute written exams of 60 multiple-choice and fill-in-the-blank questions each, distribution-neutral, at $200 USD per exam in LPI's top tier, valid five years. Red Hat's RHCSA is a single three-hour hands-on exam on Red Hat Enterprise Linux at a $500 USD list price, valid three years. LPIC-1 covers ground RHCSA does not, such as X11, printing, mail transfer agent basics, and Debian package management. RHCSA proves you can configure a live Red Hat system under time pressure. Neither has certification prerequisites.
How does LPIC-1 compare with CompTIA Linux+?
Both are vendor-neutral written certifications aimed at the same career stage. The structural differences are the exam count and the renewal model: LPIC-1 requires two exams and is valid five years with recertification through re-sitting or advancing a level, while Linux+ is a single exam renewed through CompTIA's continuing education programme. LPI publishes numeric weights that map one to one onto question counts, which makes planning study time against the LPIC-1 blueprint unusually precise.
What should I take after LPIC-1?
LPIC-2, which requires an active LPIC-1 to be awarded and consists of exams 201 and 202, currently at version 4.5 with codes 201-450 and 202-450. Passing it also makes your LPIC-1 ACTIVE for five years from the date LPIC-2 was earned. LPI's separate Open Technology track includes DevOps Tools Engineer and BSD Specialist, but LPI states plainly that neither is part of the LPIC track and neither can be used to obtain or extend an LPIC-1, LPIC-2, or LPIC-3 certification.
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