CompTIA Security+ Guide: SY0-701, SY0-801 and Domains

Security+ candidates in late 2026 face a version change: SY0-701 is still live, SY0-801 is due on or around 17 November 2026, and study material written for one does not map neatly onto the other. This guide sets out what CompTIA itself publishes about Security+: the exam format, the five domains and their weightings in both versions, the recommended experience, the retake rules, and the three-year continuing education cycle. It adds a phased preparation plan, a decision on which version to sit, and where Security+ sits on a security career path. It is written for people entering security from IT support, networking or development, and for managers who fund or require the credential. All facts are as published on comptia.org, checked October 2026; CompTIA changes them, so confirm on the linked pages before you book.

Key takeaways

Two versions overlap. SY0-701 (V7) launched on 7 November 2023 and retires on 11 June 2027 in English; SY0-801 (V8) is expected on or around 17 November 2026, so most candidates in the next eight months can choose.
The format is stable across versions. Both versions have up to 90 multiple-choice and performance-based questions in 90 minutes, with a passing score of 750 on a scale of 100 to 900.
The weightings shift. V8 moves weight from programme management and oversight (20% to 14%) towards general concepts and threats, and its overview mentions AI-related risks, so a V7 question bank is not a V8 study plan.
Experience is recommended, not required. CompTIA recommends Network+ and about two years in a security or systems administrator role, but does not gate the exam on them.
Renewal is a three-year cycle. Holders earn 50 continuing education units (CEUs) and pay a CE fee of $150 per three-year period, or renew through CertMaster CE or a higher-level certification.

Who the certification is for

CompTIA positions Security+ as a vendor-neutral, foundational security certification. Its overview page lists security analyst, security engineer and systems administrator as the job roles it targets, for both V7 and V8.

Good fit: help desk, desktop support, network and systems administrators moving into security; junior SOC analysts; developers and cloud engineers who need a structured grounding in security terminology and controls.
Good fit for employers: a common baseline for a mixed team, so that everyone shares vocabulary for risk, controls, incident response and identity before specialising.
Weaker fit: practitioners with several years of hands-on security work, for whom an intermediate or role-specific credential such as the CompTIA CySA+ Guide or the CompTIA PenTest+ Guide adds more signal. See the Cybersecurity Certifications Guide for alternatives at each level.
Public sector and defence: CompTIA's SY0-701 page lists DoD 8140 work roles the certification relates to, including cyber defense analyst, incident responder, vulnerability analyst, security control assessor, system administrator, network specialist, systems planner, IT project manager, information security manager and secure software assessor, "and many more". The V8 page checked did not yet list work roles. Confirm the mapping for your exact role and proficiency level with the hiring organisation before relying on it.

Exam format and domains

Format: V7 and V8 side by side

Item	Security+ V7 (SY0-701)	Security+ V8 (SY0-801)
Status	Available now	Expected on or around 17 November 2026
Launch	7 November 2023	On or around 17 November 2026
Retirement	11 June 2027 (English); 13 August 2027 (Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish, Thai)	Estimated about three years after launch
Questions	Up to 90	Up to 90
Question types	Multiple-choice and performance-based	Multiple-choice and performance-based
Duration	90 minutes	90 minutes
Passing score	750 on a scale of 100 to 900	750 on a scale of 100 to 900
Languages	English, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish, Thai	English (at the time of checking)

Performance-based questions (PBQs) ask you to complete a task in a simulated environment, such as placing controls on a network diagram or interpreting log output, rather than pick an answer. They take longer than multiple-choice items, so budget time for them: 90 minutes for up to 90 questions leaves no slack if you stall on a simulation early.

The five domains and their weightings

V7 domain (SY0-701)	V7 weight	V8 domain (SY0-801)	V8 weight	Where to see it in practice
1. General security concepts	12%	1. General Security Concepts	16%	Cryptography Basics Guide, IAM and IGA Basics
2. Threats, vulnerabilities, and mitigations	22%	2. Threats, Vulnerabilities, and Attacks	24%	Vulnerability Management Guide
3. Security architecture	18%	3. Security Architecture	19%	Cloud Security Guide, Zero Trust Identity Guide
4. Security operations	28%	4. Security Operations	27%	Incident Response Guide, SIEM Guide
5. Security program management and oversight	20%	5. Security Program Management and Oversight	14%	Security Awareness and Human Risk Management Guide

Domain names and weights are from CompTIA's V7 and V8 exam pages. The last column is our revision suggestion, not CompTIA content. Security operations stays the largest domain in both versions, at just over a quarter of the exam. The main change is that V8 cuts programme management and oversight by six points and adds four to general concepts; domain 2 is renamed from "mitigations" to "attacks", and CompTIA's overview says V8 expands coverage of areas such as AI-related risks, security operations and modern environments. Use CompTIA's official exam objectives document for the version you will sit as your checklist: it lists every sub-objective, and it is the only reliable way to tell what has moved.

Where identity fits: authentication, authorisation, access control models, privileged access and account lifecycle run through the concepts, architecture and operations domains. Revise machine identities alongside human ones: service accounts, API keys and certificates are where many real incidents start, and the exam's access management and secure configuration topics apply to them too. See the Privileged Access Management Guide.

Which version should you sit?

Your situation	Suggested version	Reason
Already well into V7 study, exam booked before mid 2027	SY0-701	Material and practice tests are mature; the English exam remains available until 11 June 2027
Starting from scratch in late 2026	SY0-801	Credential reflects the newer outline; avoids racing a retirement date if a retake is needed
Need a non-English exam	SY0-701, or check CompTIA	V8 was listed in English only at the time of checking; V7 non-English versions retire on 13 August 2027
Employer or contract requires the credential by a date	Whichever you can pass soonest	The certification is Security+ either way; the version affects study material, not the credential name

Prerequisites and experience

There is no mandatory prerequisite. CompTIA's V7 page recommends CompTIA Network+ plus two years of experience as a security or systems administrator; the V8 page recommends about two years of hands-on experience as a security administrator. Treat these as a readiness signal, not a gate.

Networking first: if you cannot explain TCP and UDP, common ports, subnetting, VLANs, DNS and how a firewall rule is evaluated, close that gap before starting Security+ material. Many PBQs assume it.
Hands-on exposure: candidates without an administrator role should build a small lab (a hypervisor, a Windows and a Linux virtual machine, a firewall appliance and a log collector) so that configuration and log questions feel familiar.
Exam delivery: CompTIA offers online testing through Pearson OnVUE remote proctoring. You need to run a system test on the computer and network you will use, have ID ready, and clear the room of books, writing and extra monitors; online testing is not available in some countries. Test centres are the alternative if your home set-up is unreliable.

Preparation plan

The plan below assumes about eight to ten hours a week and works with self-study, CompTIA's own CertMaster products or third-party training.

Choose the version (week 0): use the table above, then download CompTIA's exam objectives for that version. Check that every book, course and question bank you buy names the same exam code.
Baseline (week 1): take a timed diagnostic and record a score per domain. Weight your time by the domain percentages and by your gaps; security operations alone is over a quarter of the exam.
Core study (weeks 2 to 6): work through the objectives domain by domain. For each objective, write a one-line definition and one example of where you would see it at work (a log entry, a policy clause, a configuration setting).
Labs for PBQs (weeks 4 to 7, overlapping): practise reading firewall rules and packet captures, matching attacks to indicators, placing controls on diagrams, and walking through incident response phases in order.
Mixed practice (weeks 7 to 8): switch to mixed-domain question sets and review every wrong answer against the objectives document rather than memorising answers.
Rehearse (week 9): sit at least two full mock exams of 90 questions in 90 minutes, flagging PBQs to return to if they stall you.
Book and sit (week 10): if testing online, run the OnVUE system test well before exam day on the same machine and network.

If you fail: CompTIA's retake policy sets no waiting period between the first and second attempt, but requires at least 14 calendar days before a third or later attempt. Each attempt is charged at full price; CompTIA offers no free retests or retake discounts. Use the score report to target the weakest domains before rebooking.

Small vs large employers: in a small team a single candidate may have no security role to learn from, so lab time matters more than reading. Large organisations can run cohorts with a shared exam date, a common question bank and internal specialists who run one session per domain.

Measuring readiness

Domain scores: per-domain practice scores tracked weekly, with no domain well below the rest before booking.
Timed mocks: full 90-question mocks finished inside 90 minutes at or above your target score.
PBQ accuracy: share of simulation tasks completed correctly in practice, tracked separately from multiple-choice.
Objective coverage: percentage of sub-objectives in the official document you can explain without notes.
After certification: CEUs logged against the 50 required, checked once a year rather than in the final quarter.

Cost, renewal and continuing education

Item	Rule or amount (as published by CompTIA, checked October 2026)
Exam fee	Not stated on the CompTIA pages checked for this guide; prices vary by country and channel, so check the CompTIA store for your region
Retakes	Full exam price for each attempt; no wait before the second attempt; at least 14 calendar days before a third or later attempt
Certification cycle	Three years; activities must be completed within the cycle to count
CEUs required	50 for Security+
CE fee	$150 total per three-year period, due by the certification's expiry date, payable only when renewing by uploading CEUs
Renewal options	CertMaster CE; earning a higher-level certification (full CEUs); other CompTIA or qualifying non-CompTIA certifications (full or partial CEUs); training and higher education; industry participation, publishing and work experience (documentation required)
Retaking a passed exam	Not allowed on the same exam code without CompTIA's prior consent

Earning a higher-level CompTIA certification is the most efficient renewal route for people who plan to progress anyway: CompTIA grants full CEUs for it. Check CompTIA's CE pages for which certifications count as higher-level for Security+ before relying on this route.

Common failure patterns

Mixing versions: using a V7 question bank to prepare for SY0-801, or the reverse. Domain 5 alone changes weight by six points, and V8 adds newer topics.
Running into the retirement date: planning a V7 attempt for May 2027 leaves no time for a retake before 11 June 2027, after which only V8 is available.
Ignoring PBQs: candidates who only drill multiple-choice questions lose time on simulations at the start of the exam and rush the rest.
Skipping networking basics: candidates from non-technical backgrounds struggle with ports, protocols and firewall logic that the exam assumes.
Forgetting the CE cycle: holders who do not log 50 CEUs or pay the CE fee by the expiry date let the certification expire at the end of the cycle.
Testing-day set-up failures: online candidates who skip the OnVUE system test, or test on a different network, risk a failed check-in.

Where it fits on the career path

Security+ is usually the first security-specific credential, taken in the first one to two years of a security or administrator role.

Before it: IT support or networking experience, and often CompTIA Network+, which CompTIA recommends.
Alongside it: a first operational role. The SOC Analyst Career Guide covers the most common entry route.
After it, by specialism: defenders often move to CySA+ (see the CompTIA CySA+ Guide), testers to PenTest+ (see the CompTIA PenTest+ Guide), and senior engineers and architects to SecurityX (see the CompTIA SecurityX (CASP+) Guide), whose recommended background lists Security+ or equivalent knowledge.
Alternatives at the same level: see the ISC2 Certified in Cybersecurity (CC) Guide and the SSCP Certification Guide.

CompTIA does not publish pass rates or salary figures on the pages checked for this guide, and we do not quote third-party estimates. For role options and progression, see the Cybersecurity Careers Guide.

Practitioner checklist

Decide between SY0-701 and SY0-801 using your booking date, language and retake buffer, and note the 11 June 2027 English retirement of V7.
Download CompTIA's exam objectives for that exact exam code and use them as your revision checklist.
Confirm every course, book and practice test matches the same exam code.
Close networking gaps (ports, protocols, subnetting, firewall rules) before starting security content.
Build a small lab and practise PBQ-style tasks, not just multiple-choice questions.
Sit at least two timed 90-question mocks before booking.
If testing online, run the OnVUE system test on the same computer and network you will use.
Check the current exam price for your country in the CompTIA store and plan for the full price on any retake.
After passing, diarise the three-year expiry and log CEUs towards the 50 required, or plan a higher-level certification within the cycle.

CompTIA Security+ Guide: Domains, Requirements and Preparation