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CySA+ CS0-003 or CS0-004: take the old exam first?

CS0-004 launched on June 23, 2026 and is the current CySA+ exam. CompTIA lists December 22, 2026 as the retirement date of CS0-003 in English, and November 22, 2026 for English learning products. Sit CS0-003 only if you have prepared for it and can take it before December 22, 2026. Otherwise prepare for CS0-004. Dates read from CompTIA on October 18, 2026.

What changed this week

  • English CS0-003 learning products retire in 34 days,
  • CS0-003 retires (English) in 64 days,

Counted from the owner's own dates on , last read .

Should I take CS0-003 before it retires?

Only if you are already prepared for it. Both versions list the same format: a maximum of 85 questions, 165 minutes and a passing score of 750 on a scale of 100 to 900. The choice is about which outline you have studied and whether you can sit before the retirement date.

  • You have prepared for CS0-003 and can book a date before December 22, 2026. Sitting CS0-003 is reasonable. Book early and leave room for a retake: CompTIA requires no wait before a second attempt and at least 14 calendar days before a third, and charges the full price each time.
  • You have not started. Prepare for CS0-004. CompTIA retires the English CS0-003 learning products on November 22, 2026, a month before the exam, so CompTIA's own study material moves to CS0-004 first.
  • Your date is after December 22, 2026. CS0-003 cannot be booked in English then, so CS0-004 is the exam. The Japanese, Portuguese and Spanish versions of CS0-003 retire on March 23, 2027.
  • Not stated on the CompTIA pages we read: whether anything differs for a person who passed CS0-003 compared with a person who passed CS0-004. If an employer or contract requires a certain version, ask the employer and CompTIA.

CS0-003 vs CS0-004: what CompTIA lists as different

CompTIA does not publish a side-by-side comparison. The differences below come from reading the objective summaries on its CS0-003 and CS0-004 pages. They are summaries, so the full objectives document from CompTIA is the authority.

Domain weights CompTIA lists for each version
DomainCS0-003CS0-004
Security Operations33%34%
Vulnerability Management30%26%
Incident Response Management (CS0-003) or Incident Response and Management (CS0-004)20%24%
Reporting and Communication17%16%
  • The four domains carry over. Vulnerability Management loses four points and Incident Response gains four.
  • The CS0-004 summary lists an objective on the use of AI in security operations: use cases, risks and governance considerations. The CS0-003 summary does not list one.

When does CS0-003 retire?

CompTIA lists November 22, 2026 for English learning products, December 22, 2026 for the English exam, and March 23, 2027 for the translations. CS0-004 launched on June 23, 2026, and CompTIA lists CS0-003 as the retiring version that remains available until then.

CS0-004 objectives: the four domains

CompTIA's objective summary for CS0-004 lists these areas:

  • Security Operations (34%): system and network architecture concepts, indicators of malicious activity, tools such as SIEM, EDR, packet analysis and threat intelligence platforms, threat hunting, process improvement and AI in security operations.
  • Vulnerability Management (26%): scanning methods, analysis of assessment output, prioritization and mitigation, and control types and risk.
  • Incident Response and Management (24%): attack methodology frameworks such as MITRE ATT&CK and the Cyber Kill Chain, the incident response process and response techniques.
  • Reporting and Communication (16%): vulnerability management reporting, and incident reporting, post-incident review and metrics.

What this means for study

If you studied for CS0-003 and want to move to CS0-004, add the AI in security operations objective and give incident response more time. Vulnerability management still matters, but its share is smaller. Spend study time in proportion to the weights of the version you will sit.

What our practice questions cover

Our CySA+ questions were written for CS0-003. The four domains carry over to CS0-004, and the domain weights on our practice page are the CS0-004 weights. No question here covers the CS0-004 AI objective yet. A review of the bank against the CS0-004 outline is on our plan and is not done as of October 18, 2026. We will say here when it is finished. The questions are AI-drafted and checked against primary sources by our process; no licensed professional has reviewed them.

A study plan fitted to your exam date

With a retirement date close, the weeks you have decide the version. The full analysis ($39 once, with a full refund for 30 days) builds its weekly study plan from the exam date you save. Free practice stays free either way. None of this is advice, and none of it predicts a result. Verify every date on the owner's page before you book.

Start the free CySA+ practice questions, or read the CompTIA CySA+ guide.

Sources

Each owner page below was opened and read by a person on . Owners change dates and rules without notice, so check the page itself before you rely on a date.

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