CompTIA Security+
Exam fee
$404
≈ 319 GBP · 545 CAD · 372 EUR · rolling-avg FX; verify with your bank before any payment
Exam code
SY0-701
Renewal
3yr
Active holders
265,992
The CompTIA Security+ 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.
CompTIA is 'COMP-tee-uh', three syllables.
About the CompTIA Security+
Security+ is the cybersecurity industry's most common first certification. It covers the foundational concepts a junior practitioner is expected to have on day one: threats and attacks, cryptography, identity, network security, and governance. I have watched hiring managers use it as a filter rather than a signal, which means candidates without it get screened out even when they have the skills. The exam is vendor-neutral, DoD 8570 approved for IAT Level II roles, and renewed every three years through continuing education. It is the cheapest cybersecurity cert that actually opens doors.
Who should earn it
Career changers breaking into cybersecurity, IT support staff pivoting to security, and veterans using DoD benefits. The right first cert when you want the broadest employer recognition at the lowest cost.
Exam details
- Provider
- CompTIA
- Exam code
- SY0-701
- Questions
- 90
- Duration
- 90 minutes
- Passing score
- 750/900
- Exam fee
- $404 (verify with CompTIA)
- Renewal
- Every 3 years via CPE
- Experience level
- Entry
- DoD 8570/8140
- Approved
Prerequisites
Recommended: two years of IT administration experience with a security focus. Not enforced, but the exam assumes you have touched real networks and endpoints.
Key domains
- General Security Concepts
- Threats, Vulnerabilities, and Mitigations
- Security Architecture
- Security Operations
- Security Program Management and Oversight
Federal and DoD relevance
The CompTIA Security+ 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
Security+ holders typically earn 10-15% more than entry-level IT peers without it, per CompTIA 2024 salary data. It is the floor for federal contractor work and unlocks the $75,000-$95,000 range for SOC Analyst and junior GRC roles.
Most relevant roles
This role lives inside a packaged path
Want the curriculum, comp delta, and recommended courses for this role?
DecipherU bundles cybersecurity roles into a small set of packaged paths. Each path has the curriculum sequence, the compensation delta it unlocks, and the recommended courses, all pre-set. Two ways in:
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 SY0-701. CompTIA publishes 5 domains: General Security Concepts, Threats, Vulnerabilities, and Mitigations, Security Architecture, Security Operations, Security Program Management and Oversight. Practice questions on DecipherU are grouped by those domains.
Up to 90 questions in 90 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.
Recommended: two years of IT administration experience with a security focus. Not enforced, but the exam assumes you have touched real networks and endpoints.
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 AI Practitioner
Both are foundation-tier credentials. Security+ establishes cybersecurity baseline literacy; AWS AI Practitioner does the same for cloud AI services. Pairing them is common for early-career practitioners exploring the AI security frontier.
Read the AWS Certified AI Practitioner guide →Related Cybersecurity Resources
Wondering if CompTIA Security+ is right for you?
Take a free behavioral assessment to discover which certifications align with your natural strengths and cybersecurity career goals.
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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.