The SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor exam, listed on many prep sites as SCP-NPM, is a SolarWinds Certified Professional assessment for people who monitor networks with the Orion platform. It suits network administrators, NOC engineers, and systems staff who handle discovery, polling, alerting, reporting, and troubleshooting every day. SolarWinds delivers it online through PSI Services, charges a US$200 fee, and issues a credential valid for three years. This guide explains the format, topics, and registration steps.
SolarWinds runs one program called SolarWinds Certified Professional, or SCP, and it contains separate product exams rather than one combined test. The Network Performance Monitor exam is the one for people who run NPM, the module that tracks the availability and performance of routers, switches, firewalls, wireless devices, and servers. Passing shows you can use the platform to find and fix problems, not just install it. SolarWinds aims the program at professionals who handle daily operational work, so expect questions that reward practical administration over theory.
Older study guides and third party prep sites call this exam SCP-NPM. SolarWinds’ current certification page groups its network exams under Self-Hosted Observability names, including a Network Monitoring exam whose study guide covers NPM features such as NetPath and Network Insight. Because titles and codes change as the product line is renamed, check the exam list inside your PSI account before you pay or study. Treat SCP-NPM as a label that may not match the portal word for word.
SolarWinds does not require any eligibility to sit an SCP exam. You register with SolarWinds, then schedule with PSI Services. The company does recommend a baseline before you try:
One year in a technical role covering network, systems, application, or security and compliance work
Six months of on the job experience with SolarWinds products
Familiarity with features such as PerfStack, NetPath, and AppStack
If you have never worked in the Orion console, a trial or lab installation is the most practical way to close that gap.
The exam is proctored remotely by PSI Services, so you test from a web browser at a time you choose. You must pass a system compatibility check beforehand, and your video has to let the proctor see your testing environment. You also need a government issued photo ID, and the name on it must match your registration exactly.
SolarWinds’ public program page does not publish the question count, time limit, or passing score for this exam, so this page does not state them. Figures quoted on other sites differ, and none could be confirmed from SolarWinds. Check the details shown during PSI scheduling, or ask
The current Network Monitoring study guide from SolarWinds lists these areas:
Network health and performance monitoring
Hardware health and capacity planning
NetPath and Network Insight
Flow and bandwidth analysis
Syslogs, traps, and event log analysis
Earlier preparation guides for the NPM exam were organized differently. They combined general network management knowledge (fundamentals, planning, operations, and fault and performance troubleshooting) with product administration. That meant managing accounts, discovering nodes, interfaces, and volumes, configuring the Universal Device Poller, building reports, and verifying alert logic. Download the study guide that matches the exam shown in your PSI account, because the objectives are the only authoritative syllabus.
The steps below are general guidance, and SolarWinds’ program page has the current instructions:
Complete the SCP registration form on the SolarWinds support site.
Wait for the confirmation email, which explains how to create your PSI Services account.
Study with the official exam study guide.
Schedule the exam in the PSI portal and pay the fee, or apply a voucher.
Run the system compatibility check well before exam day.
THWACK community members can exchange 60,000 points for an exam voucher. This must be done before registering with PSI, and the voucher arrives by email within about three business days. Rescheduling requires notice at least two business days ahead, and a cancellation counts as an attempt.
The exam fee includes one retake. To use it, email for a retake voucher, and take the makeup exam within one year of your first attempt. After you pass, SolarWinds issues a Credly digital badge and a certificate that employers can verify online. The certification stays valid for three years.
This credential carries the most weight where Orion is already deployed: NOC teams, managed service providers, and enterprise network groups that depend on NPM for alerting and capacity planning. SolarWinds says certified users get a practical support benefit, since its support team knows basic troubleshooting steps are already done, which can speed up escalations. Holders also receive invitations to webcasts with product managers and Head Geeks, and access to select GNS3 courses. Because the skills are specific to one vendor’s tooling, the exam complements a general networking qualification rather than replacing one.
After working through SolarWinds’ study guide, the free NPM practice test on can help you check your recall of alerting, discovery, and reporting under timed conditions. Use your results to decide which objectives deserve more lab time, and treat the official objectives as the final reference.
Last updated on Oct, 14 2026
