What Is the CompTIA Security+ Certification? A Complete Guide

CompTIA Security+ is the certification most people name when they are asked where a cybersecurity career starts. It is vendor-neutral, it is accepted by employers and by the US Department of Defense under DoD 8140/8570, and it does not demand that you already hold another certification before you sit it. This guide covers what the exam actually tests, what it costs you in time and money, who it suits, and what is changing in late 2026.

What is the CompTIA Security+ certification?

Security+ is an entry-level cybersecurity certification issued by CompTIA, a non-profit trade association. It validates that you can perform core security functions: assessing the security posture of an environment, monitoring and securing hybrid environments, identifying and responding to incidents, and operating with an awareness of the governance and compliance rules that apply.

The word that matters in that description is core. Security+ is not a specialist credential. It does not make you a penetration tester or a forensics analyst. It establishes that you have the baseline vocabulary and judgement to be trusted in a security role, which is exactly what a hiring manager filling a junior SOC seat is trying to establish.

The current version is SY0-701, also referred to as Security+ V7.

Who should take Security+?

Security+ fits you if any of these describe your situation:

• You work in IT support, networking or system administration and want to move into security.
• You are applying for roles that list a DoD 8140/8570 baseline requirement.
• You have taught yourself security fundamentals and need a credential an employer recognises.
• You manage a technical team and want a shared security baseline across it.

It fits you poorly if you already hold a senior security role. If you are several years into incident response or cloud security engineering, Security+ will mostly confirm what you know. CySA+, CASP+ or a specialist certification will do more for you.

Security+ SY0-701 exam format

Two details in that table trip people up.

The first is the passing score. 750 out of 900 is not 83% of questions answered correctly. CompTIA scales scores because questions carry different weights, so the raw percentage you need is lower than the number suggests. Do not use 83% as your practice-test target and do not panic if your scaled score looks far from your raw percentage.

The second is the performance-based questions. PBQs are interactive tasks — configure a firewall rule, match attack types to scenarios, complete a log analysis — and they tend to appear at the start of the exam. They also take far longer than multiple-choice questions. The standard advice is to skip them on first pass, clear the multiple-choice questions, and return to the PBQs with the remaining time. Candidates who grind through PBQs in order are the ones who run out of clock.

The five Security+ exam domains

SY0-701 is organised into five domains. The weightings tell you where to spend your study time:

Security Operations — 28%

The largest domain. Covers applying security techniques to computing resources, security implications of hardware and software, vulnerability management, alerting and monitoring, incident response, and data sources that support investigations. If you study one domain thoroughly, make it this one.

Threats, Vulnerabilities and Mitigations — 22%

Threat actors and their motivations, attack surfaces and vectors, types of vulnerabilities, indicators of malicious activity, and the mitigation techniques used to secure an enterprise. This is the domain most people find intuitive, because it maps to the security news they already read.

Security Program Management and Oversight — 20%

Governance, risk management, third-party risk, compliance, audits and assessments, and security awareness practices. Technical candidates consistently underestimate this domain. It is a fifth of the exam and it is not technical — it rewards reading the objectives carefully rather than hands-on practice.

Security Architecture — 18%

Security implications of different architecture models, applying security principles to infrastructure, protecting data, and the concepts of resilience and recovery.

General Security Concepts — 12%

The smallest domain by weight: security controls, fundamental concepts such as the CIA triad and zero trust, change management as it relates to security, and cryptographic solutions. Small, but it underpins everything else — weak fundamentals here cost you marks across the other four domains.

Prerequisites and recommended experience

Security+ has no formal prerequisites. You can book and sit it today with no prior certification.

What CompTIA recommends is different: around two years of IT administration experience with a security focus, plus CompTIA Network+ or equivalent networking knowledge. That recommendation is worth taking seriously, and the networking half more than the experience half. A large share of Security+ content assumes you already understand how traffic moves across a network, what a subnet is, and how DNS and TLS work. Candidates who come in without that foundation spend most of their study time learning networking rather than security.

If you have no networking background, sitting Network+ first is usually faster overall than attempting Security+ cold, even though it means two exams instead of one.

What does Security+ cost?

Your total cost has three parts: the exam voucher, training, and a retake buffer if you need one. Voucher pricing changes periodically and varies by region, and CompTIA also sells bundles that combine the voucher with study materials and retake insurance.

For current voucher and bundle pricing, and for partner rates, talk to our team — we will quote you the live price rather than a figure that goes stale.

What jobs does Security+ open up?

Security+ is most often listed against roles such as:

• Security analyst and junior SOC analyst
• Systems administrator with security responsibilities
• Network or security engineer at junior level
• Security consultant and IT auditor
• Any role carrying a DoD 8140/8570 baseline requirement

Be realistic about what the certification does. Security+ gets your CV past filters and gets you interviews. It does not substitute for demonstrable work. Candidates who pair it with a home lab, a few documented projects, or existing IT experience convert interviews at a far higher rate than candidates presenting the certificate alone.

Security+ vs Network+ vs CySA+: which comes first?

A simple way to sequence them:

• Network+ before Security+ if your networking fundamentals are shaky. It is the prerequisite in practice, even though it is not one on paper.
• Security+ as your entry point into security, and as the credential that satisfies most baseline requirements.
• CySA+ after Security+, when you want to move from general security awareness into threat detection and response.

Skipping Security+ and going straight to CySA+ is possible but rarely wise. CySA+ assumes the baseline that Security+ builds.

How to prepare for SY0-701

A preparation plan that works for most candidates:

• Start from the official exam objectives. CompTIA publishes them, and every exam question maps to a line in that document. Treat it as your syllabus and your checklist.
• Weight your study to the domain percentages. Security Operations at 28% deserves more than double the time you give General Security Concepts at 12%.
• Practise PBQs specifically. They are a different skill from multiple choice and they are where time is lost.
• Do not skip the governance domain. Security Program Management and Oversight is 20% of the exam and the most commonly neglected section.
• Use practice exams to find gaps, not to predict your score. Because of scaled scoring, practice percentages do not map cleanly onto the real result.

Most candidates with relevant IT experience prepare in six to ten weeks of part-time study. Without that background, plan for longer and consider Network+ first.

Important: Security+ V8 arrives in November 2026

CompTIA has stated that Security+ V7 (SY0-701) is the version available today, and that Security+ V8 is expected to launch on or around 17 November 2026.

This matters for your timing. CompTIA normally keeps the outgoing version available for a period after a new one launches, and a certification earned under V7 remains valid for its full three years — a new exam version does not invalidate a certification you already hold. The practical question is which version to study for, and that depends on when you intend to sit the exam. If you are testing well before the changeover, SY0-701 materials are correct. If your exam date lands near or after the transition, check which version you are booking before you buy study materials, because objectives and content shift between versions.

If you are unsure which version applies to your timeline, ask us before you book.

Frequently asked questions

Is CompTIA Security+ worth it?

For someone entering cybersecurity or needing to satisfy a DoD baseline requirement, yes. It is widely recognised, it has no prerequisites, and it appears in a large share of junior security job listings. For an experienced security professional, the return is much smaller.

How hard is the Security+ exam?

It is an entry-level exam, but not an easy one. The difficulty comes from breadth rather than depth: five domains covering operations, threats, architecture, governance and fundamentals, with performance-based questions under time pressure. Candidates with IT experience generally find it manageable; candidates with none find it demanding.

How long does it take to prepare?

Six to ten weeks of part-time study is typical for someone with IT experience. Without that background, plan on three to four months, or take Network+ first.

Does Security+ expire?

It is valid for three years. You renew it with continuing education units (CEUs) or by passing a higher-level CompTIA certification, which also renews Security+ automatically.

Can I take Security+ with no experience?

Yes — there is no formal prerequisite. But CompTIA recommends roughly two years of IT administration experience with a security focus, and the exam content assumes working networking knowledge. Without it, budget significantly more study time.

Train for Security+ with CertOcean

CertOcean runs instructor-led CompTIA Security+ (SY0-701) training built around the official exam objectives, weighted to the five domains, with dedicated performance-based question practice. Every programme is backed by our pass-or-full-refund guarantee.

Talk to our team on +1 805 200 4058 or send us your details and we will map a preparation plan to your target exam date — including advice on whether to sit V7 or wait for V8.