CompTIA Security+ (SY0-701) Exam Practice Test

The Security+ exam is designed to be a vendor-neutral certification for cybersecurity professionals and those seeking to enter the field. CompTIA recommends this certification for those currently working, or aspiring to work, in roles, including:

■ Systems Administrator

■ Security Administrator

■ Tier II support technician

■ IT support manager

■ Cybersecurity analyst

■ Business analyst

The exam covers five major domains:

■ Domain 1.0 General Security Concepts

■ Domain 2.0 Threats, Vulnerabilities, and Mitigations

■ Domain 3.0 Security Architecture

■ Domain 4.0 Security Operations

■ Domain 5.0 Security Program Management and Oversight

These five areas include a range of topics, from firewall design to incident response and forensics, while focusing heavily on scenario-based learning. That’s why CompTIA recommends that those attempting the exam have both the CompTIA Network+ certification and at least two years of hands-on work experience, although many individuals pass the exam before moving into their first cybersecurity role. The Security+ exam is conducted in a format that CompTIA calls “performance-based assessment.” This means that the exam combines standard multiple-choice questions with other, interactive question formats. Your exam may include multiple types of questions, such as multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank, multiple-response, drag-and-drop, and image-based problems.

You’ll have 90 minutes to take the exam and will be asked to answer up to 90 questions during that time. Your exam will be scored on a scale ranging from 100 to 900, with a passing score of 750. You should also know that CompTIA is notorious for including vague questions on all of its exams. You might see a question for which two of the possible four answers are correct—but you can choose only one. Use your knowledge, logic, and intuition to choose the best answer and then move on. Sometimes, the questions are worded in ways that would make English majors cringe—a typo here, an incorrect verb there. Don’t let this frustrate you; answer the question and move on to the next one.