CompTIA CySA+
Exam fee
$404
≈ 319 GBP · 545 CAD · 372 EUR · rolling-avg FX; verify with your bank before any payment
Exam code
CS0-003
Renewal
3yr
The CompTIA CySA+ is a cybersecurity certification from CompTIA with an exam fee of $404 and a 3-year renewal cycle. Approved under DoD 8570. Built from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and CompTIA's official exam requirements.
CySA+ is 'SY-suh-plus' (two syllables before 'plus').
About the CompTIA CySA+
CySA+ is the detection-and-response cert. It sits between Security+ and CASP+ and targets the Tier 2 SOC analyst, threat hunter, and incident response practitioner. The exam leans hands-on with performance-based questions that ask you to read log entries, prioritize vulnerabilities, and write detection logic. It carries DoD 8140 approval for Cyber Defense Analyst and Cyber Defense Incident Responder work roles, which matters if federal contracts are in your future. I recommend it to SOC Analysts who have been in seat 12-24 months and want a signal that matches their growing skill.
Who should earn it
SOC Analysts moving from Tier 1 to Tier 2, vulnerability management specialists, and early-career threat hunters. A practical next step after Security+ for anyone staying on the detection side of security.
Exam details
- Provider
- CompTIA
- Exam code
- CS0-003
- Questions
- 85
- Duration
- 165 minutes
- Passing score
- 750/900
- Exam fee
- $404 (verify with CompTIA)
- Renewal
- Every 3 years via CPE
- Experience level
- Mid
- DoD 8570/8140
- Approved
Prerequisites
CompTIA recommends Security+ or Network+ plus four years of hands-on experience. Not enforced but the PBQ sections will expose gaps.
Key domains
- Security Operations
- Vulnerability Management
- Incident Response and Management
- Reporting and Communication
Federal and DoD relevance
The CompTIA CySA+ is approved under DoD Directive 8570.01-M (now 8140), so cybersecurity roles supporting US Department of Defense information systems can use it to satisfy the baseline certification requirement for their IAT, IAM, or CSSP workforce category. That matters for federal contractors, cleared facilities, and agencies where 8140 compliance is a hiring gate.
Salary impact
CySA+ typically adds $8,000-$15,000 to a SOC Analyst's compensation and is the cert most commonly requested for Tier 2 roles at $95,000-$125,000. CompTIA 2024 data shows a 12% average salary lift over Security+ alone.
Most relevant roles
This role lives inside a packaged path
Want the curriculum, comp delta, and recommended courses for this role?
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Certification details are sourced from official certifying body websites. Verify current pricing, exam format, and requirements directly with the certifying organization before making decisions. DecipherU is not affiliated with any certifying body.
Exam code CS0-003. CompTIA publishes 4 domains: Security Operations, Vulnerability Management, Incident Response and Management, Reporting and Communication. Practice questions on DecipherU are grouped by those domains.
Up to 85 questions in 165 minutes, with a passing score of 750/900, according to CompTIA. Formats and counts change between exam versions, so confirm on the CompTIA site before you book.
CompTIA lists the exam fee at $404 USD. Vouchers, bundles and regional pricing differ; the fee on the CompTIA site at checkout is the one that applies.
3 years, per CompTIA. Renewal is through continuing education credits or by passing a current exam; CompTIA sets the credit count and the deadline.
CompTIA recommends Security+ or Network+ plus four years of hands-on experience. Not enforced but the PBQ sections will expose gaps.
Sources
- CompTIA official website · Certification pricing, exam format, and renewal requirements
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024
Bridge to Applied AI
AWS Certified Machine Learning Engineer Associate
CySA+ certifies hands-on cybersecurity analyst skills; AWS ML Engineer Associate certifies hands-on ML engineering skills at a comparable practitioner level. Both signal you can operate, not just plan, within your respective domain.
Read the AWS Certified Machine Learning Engineer Associate guide →Related Cybersecurity Resources
Wondering if CompTIA CySA+ is right for you?
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DecipherU's career insights are developed by Julian Calvo, Ed.D., M.S., with AI-assisted research and drafting, then reviewed and edited by DecipherU Editorial. Career and compensation data come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, O*NET, and industry compensation databases. Assessment frameworks are grounded in peer-reviewed psychometric research, learning sciences (University of Miami), organizational learning (Barry University), and applied AI (Northeastern University). AI is used as a research and drafting tool; all methodology, framework design, scoring, and editorial standards are owned by the DecipherU team.