The CompTIA Security+ is the most widely recognised entry-level cybersecurity certification in the world. It's a standard requirement or strong preference in cybersecurity job postings, is DoD 8570 approved, and is often the first security certification IT professionals pursue. "Entry-level" is relative: Security+ is genuinely accessible, but it tests real security knowledge and requires proper preparation.
The Short Answer
The SY0-701 is moderate difficulty. It's harder than general IT associate exams like the AWS Cloud Practitioner, but more accessible than advanced security certifications like CISSP or OSCP. The format includes performance-based questions that require hands-on thinking, not just recall. Candidates with a background in IT administration who study properly tend to pass. Candidates who treat it as a memorisation exam and skip understanding the underlying concepts tend to fail on the scenario-based and performance-based questions.
What the Exam Actually Tests
The SY0-701 tests vendor-neutral security knowledge across concepts, threats, architecture, operations, and governance. Questions are scenario-based and practical.
Common question types:
- "An organisation wants to reduce the attack surface of a server by removing unnecessary services. Which principle does this reflect?" (principle of least functionality)
- "A security analyst discovers that an attacker used compromised credentials from a previous breach at another organisation. What type of attack is this?" (credential stuffing)
- "A company is implementing zero trust architecture. Which technology enforces least-privilege access based on identity and context?" (Identity-Aware Proxy / microsegmentation)
- "An employee receives an email with a link that appears to be from HR. Clicking the link downloads malware. What type of attack is this?" (spear phishing)
- "A web application is returning internal stack traces to users. Which vulnerability does this represent?" (improper error handling / information disclosure)
Performance-based questions go further, presenting interactive scenarios: drag-and-drop network diagrams, configuration tasks, log analysis, or identifying vulnerabilities in code snippets.
Exam Format
- Up to 90 questions (multiple choice and performance-based)
- 90 minutes
- Passing score: 750 / 900
- Delivered by Pearson VUE online or at a test centre
- Performance-based questions appear at the start of the exam
The Five Domains
| Domain | Weight |
|---|---|
| Security Operations | 28% |
| Threats, Vulnerabilities, and Mitigations | 22% |
| Security Program Management and Oversight | 20% |
| Security Architecture | 18% |
| General Security Concepts | 12% |
Security Operations is the largest domain. Incident response, identity management, and vulnerability management need the most preparation time.
What Makes It Challenging
Performance-Based Questions
Performance-based questions (PBQs) appear at the start of the exam and require you to interact with a simulated environment. You might be asked to configure a firewall rule set, drag and drop security controls into the right categories, analyse a log file to identify an attack, or identify vulnerabilities in a network diagram. These can't be answered by recall alone. Candidates who have no hands-on experience with security tools or concepts tend to lose significant marks here.
The Breadth of the SY0-701 Domains
Security+ covers five domains with genuinely different content: cryptography and PKI, threat actors and attack types, network design and cloud security, incident response and IAM, and governance and compliance frameworks. The breadth is wider than most candidates expect for "entry-level." You can't focus on two domains and neglect the rest.
Governance and Compliance (20%)
Security Program Management and Oversight is 20% of the exam and covers material that non-compliance-focused candidates underestimate. Risk management frameworks (NIST, ISO 27001), data privacy regulations (GDPR, HIPAA, PCI-DSS), vendor risk management, business impact analysis, and data classification. This material is dry and easy to underprepare.
Security Operations Depth
At 28%, Security Operations requires specific knowledge across several areas: incident response phases (preparation, detection, containment, eradication, recovery, lessons learned), identity and access management (RBAC, ABAC, MFA types, PAM), vulnerability scanning tools and their output, SIEM concepts, and endpoint security. This domain rewards candidates with IT operations experience.
What Makes It Manageable
CompTIA Provides Clear Exam Objectives
The official SY0-701 exam objectives document is publicly available and lists every topic that can appear. Preparing systematically against the objectives list ensures you don't miss coverage areas. Unlike some certifications where the exam scope is opaque, Security+ is transparent.
Excellent Free Study Resources
Professor Messer's SY0-701 video course is free, comprehensive, and widely regarded as one of the best Security+ study resources available. It covers all five domains in depth and is directly aligned with the exam objectives.
Multiple Choice Cushions the PBQs
The majority of questions are multiple choice. Even if you struggle with performance-based questions, strong multiple choice performance across the five domains can carry you to 750. That said, don't write off PBQs: they appear at the start and tend to be worth more individually.
90 Minutes Is Workable
90 minutes for 90 questions is tight but manageable with preparation. Performance-based questions at the start take longer, so plan for 5–10 minutes each on PBQs and a faster pace on multiple choice.
Pass Rate
CompTIA doesn't publish official pass rates. Community estimates put the first-attempt pass rate at around 65–75% for candidates who have studied. Candidates who only memorise definitions and skip the scenario practice tend to underperform, particularly on PBQs.
How Long to Prepare
| Background | Estimated Prep Time |
|---|---|
| No IT background | 12–16 weeks |
| General IT background, no security focus | 6–10 weeks |
| IT role with security responsibilities | 4–6 weeks |
| Active security role (SOC, sysadmin with security focus) | 2–4 weeks focused review |
CompTIA recommends at least two years of IT administration experience with a security focus before sitting the exam.
Recommended Study Approach
- Download the official exam objectives. Available free from CompTIA. Use it as your study checklist. Every topic listed can appear in the exam.
- Watch Professor Messer's free SY0-701 course. Complete all modules, not just the domains you find interesting. The governance domain is easy to skip and will cost you marks.
- Practise the performance-based question types. Find interactive labs online or build scenarios yourself. Log analysis, firewall rule configuration, and network diagram labelling are all practisable.
- Understand the cryptography fundamentals. Symmetric vs asymmetric, PKI, certificates, TLS, hashing, digital signatures. These appear in General Security Concepts and Security Architecture both.
- Learn the incident response phases cold. Preparation, detection and analysis, containment, eradication, recovery, post-incident activity. Every phase and what happens in it.
- Take practice exams. Use the SY0-701 practice exams to find which domains need more work before you book.
Bottom Line
The CompTIA Security+ is a well-respected certification that tests genuine security knowledge. It's accessible with proper preparation but not passable on general IT knowledge alone. The performance-based questions and breadth of governance content catch candidates who treat it as a memorisation exercise. Study systematically across all five domains, practise the PBQ question types, and you'll pass.