Some of our most popular Hands-on labs are Challenge labs that allow you to choose between taking the lab in Guided mode or Challenge mode.
Guided mode, which is the default mode for labs, allows you to refer to video instructions, helpful guides, and progress checks while you take the lab. Challenge mode, on the other hand, tests your knowledge without any guidance and doesn’t check your work until you submit the lab. Challenge mode can help you identify whether you’ve learned a set of skills you can use independently without referencing other resources.
Note: Challenge labs are available to learners with a Skills Everything plan license, Skills Security + Cloud license, ACG Business plan license, or ACG Personal Plus membership.
Finding Challenge labs
See Hands-on labs for instructions on finding labs. Challenge labs include a menu on the lab details page where you can choose between Guided mode and Challenge mode.
In ACG, you can see a list of all Challenge labs (opens in new tab). These labs are also labeled in ACG search results.
Taking labs in Challenge mode
In Challenge mode, you’re given the same objectives as you would in Guided mode, but you can’t access the instructional videos or written guide and you can’t check your work during the lab.
To take a lab in Challenge mode:
- On the lab details page, switch the lab mode from Guided to Challenge.
- Click Start Lab.
- Sign in to the cloud console and complete the lab objectives.
- When you’re finished, click Complete Lab.
Once you submit your lab, you'll see your overall score as well as your pass/fail status by objective.
Click Redo lab to give Challenge mode another shot—or exit out of the modal to return to the lab details page, where you can switch to Guided mode and try the lab again with more direction.
Taking labs in Guided mode
Guided mode includes instructional videos, written guides, and diagrams to help you complete learning objectives. Challenge labs taken in Guided mode give you the added ability to run progress checks to see if you’ve completed objectives correctly during a lab.
To take a Challenge lab in Guided mode:
- On the lab details page, make sure the lab mode is set to Mode: Guided.
- Click Start Lab.
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Sign in to the cloud console and complete the tasks outlined in the Learning Objectives section.
- As you complete each objective, click Run Progress Check to check your work. You can run progress checks an unlimited number of times.
- Click Complete Lab when you’re done.
You won’t receive a grade after completing a lab in Guided mode, but you’ll have options to redo the lab or try it in Challenge mode.
Common questions
How are Challenge labs scored?
Our Content team uses their technical expertise to determine how each lab is scored. Lab scoring could depend on the following factors:
- The number of objectives within the lab
- The type(s) of objectives
- What threshold a passing score should meet
If you believe your score was calculated incorrectly, or if you spot an issue with the lab, contact Support to let us know.
Why are some objectives not scored?
Some objectives aren’t scored because they’re prerequisites, not measurable, too simple, or too complex. For example, an objective that requires you to go to the AWS sandbox—which is just visiting a web page—is too simple to score. Additionally, objectives that are considered prerequisites to larger objectives are often not scored to simplify the scoring process.