Taking the CompTIA Security+ exam is a big step toward realizing your career dreams in cyber security. You’ll want to know how long you’ll study, your budget, and your preparation schedule. If you’re thinking, “Is CompTIA Security+ worth it?” we’ve got you covered.
We’ll explain how Security+ fits your IT and cyber security career journey. This article will show you how much time and money you can expect to spend if you decide to go for the Security+ exam and the doors Security+ opens for you so that you can make an informed decision on whether to pursue this certification.
If you’re ready, read on.
CompTIA Security+ Certification
The CompTIA Security+ certification shows employers that you’ve mastered the core practical skills expected of a junior security professional. This includes the ability to secure networks, respond to incidents, and support an organization’s overall security posture.
It focuses on the day-to-day real-time application of IT security knowledge at work. While the testing itself is mainly on high-level concepts, your exam preparation will grant you knowledge and experience in:
- Configuring security network architectures and systems
- Identifying and mitigating common threats, attacks, and vulnerabilities
- Understanding the principles of governance, risk, and compliance (GRC)
- Implementing identity and access controls
- Security best practices
You’ll need to answer at most 90 questions in this 90-minute examination and complete a survey after it ends. The passing score is 750 on a scale of 100–900.
As of the time of writing, the latest CompTIA Security+ exam code is SY0-701.
Security+ SY0‑701 Domains
The SY0-701 exam domains are:
1. General Security Concepts (12%)
- Understand key principles such as CIA (confidentiality, integrity, availability)
- Learn about threat actors, security controls, and fundamental frameworks
2. Threats, Vulnerabilities, and Mitigations (22%)
- Recognize malware, phishing, DoS, and other attacks
- Understand vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, and mitigation strategies
3. Security Architecture (18%)
- Design secure networks, endpoints, and cloud systems
- Know how to apply security principles to infrastructure
4. Security Operations (28%)
- Implement security controls and monitoring systems (SIEM, EDR)
- Conduct incident response, forensics, and threat hunting
5. Security Program Management and Oversight (20%)
- Understand risk management, governance, compliance, and auditing
- Support security awareness training and security documentation processes
Who Should Pursue CompTIA Security+?
The CompTIA Security+ certification is ideal for IT professionals with two years of experience who are looking to transition into cyber security or enhance their resume while focusing on a different IT track. It’s a strong fit for:
- Help desk or desktop support technicians look to move into a security analyst or SOC role.
- Network or cloud administrators who want to demonstrate cyber security competence.
- Early-career professionals who have completed foundational certifications (like CCNA or Network+)
- Career changers who want to back their self-study with a respected credential.
Realistically, anyone looking for a cyber security certification that frequently appears on job postings but doesn’t have the paid experience to earn a certification like CISSP or hands-on keyboard skills for something advanced like SecurityX would find Security+ to be a great fit.
We’ve broken down how Security+ stacks up against other certifications in these articles:
Even experienced professionals sometimes pursue Security+ for DoD 8570/8140 compliance or to meet employer requirements for specific job roles.
As an ISO/IEC 17024-accredited certification, Security+ meets global standards for personnel certification and is approved by the U.S. Department of Defense to satisfy directive 8570.01-M/8140 requirements for Information Assurance roles.
Time and Financial Investment
It’s important to set aside time and money for Security+ study materials. Moreover, due to cyber security’s evolving nature, CompTIA Security+ is not a one-and-done type of certification. It expires three years after you’ve passed your Security+ exam (as most CompTIA CE certification do), and you must take up continuing education units (CEUs) to retain your credentials.
At the time of writing, Security+ costs $425 USD to write. As an authorized partner, we are able to provide discounted CompTIA Security+ vouchers, saving you up to 30% depending on your region. Follow the link below to see your discount.
You have two methods to renew your certification:
- With multiple activities: Collect at least 50 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) through CompTIA-approved activities, including advanced certifications, work experience, publishing, and participating in industry events. To renew Security+, you should upload sufficient proof of participation to your certification account and pay a renewal fee.
- With a single activity: Advanced CompTIA certifications such as CySA+ or PenTest+ suffice to renew Security+. You can also complete CompTIA’s online, self-paced continuing education course CertMaster CE.
Although Security+ has no hard-and-fast prerequisites, CompTIA recommends that Security+ candidates have CompTIA Network+ and two years of experience in IT administration with a security focus. Such prior expertise helps reduce study time.
The average time for most candidates with some technical background to prepare for the Security+ exam is 30 to 45 days. Without prior IT experience, you may need 60 days or longer. Don’t forget to check out our tips to pass Security+ when you do it the first time.
Knowledge Gained
Preparing for the Security+ exam requires hands-on practice in tasks that directly translate to job-ready skills.
Common questions on the exam include being provided excerpts of logged traffic and requiring you to determine if there is an abnormality or what type of attack is occurring.
You can expect to be given firewall rules and either be questioned on what the settings are doing, or be required to make actual adjustments to them in a simulation.
Through Security+ study materials, labs, and practice scenarios, you’ll learn how to:
- Analyze traffic using packet inspection tools like Wireshark to detect suspicious behavior.
- Interpret logs from firewalls, endpoints, and servers to investigate potential incidents.
- Configure and apply basic firewall rules and access control policies
- Understand how SIEM tools work to aggregate alerts and support threat detection.
- Implement encryption and secure protocols like TLS, SSH, and IPsec.
- Secure wireless networks using WPA3, RADIUS, and proper segmentation.
- Apply core risk management principles, including threat modeling and risk mitigation strategies.
These skills apply directly to roles like SOC Analyst, IT Security Technicial, and even Junior Penetration Tester. These also apply outside of dedicated security roles and can support your career in network administration, cloud computing, and DevOps.
Security+ Careers
CompTIA boasts that Security+ opens the door to a career in cyber security, and with the right supporting experience, it certainly can. While passing the Security+ exam alone won’t guarantee a job, it remains one of, if not the, most widely recognized entry-level certification in this field. It’s DoD 8570/8140 compliant, vendor neutral, and aligns with the expectations of roles in both government and private sector.
Security+ combined with any kind of tech experience, internships, or a strong portfolio of projects can realistically get you in-demand technical and compliance-focused jobs.
Below are examples of actual roles we found where Security+ was required or preferred. We’ve included realistic salary expectations and what additional skills you may need, based on the listings we reviewed.
Note that much of the additional skills and experience can be earned through personal projects and home labs, so long as they’re presented in a well-styled portfolio. For example, you can build your own Active Directory network using virtual machines and document the process. You can play with free SIEM, IDS, and vulnerability scanning tools on the same network. Not everything has to be paid work experience, so long as you can demonstrate the skills.
| Job | Salary Range | What Else You’ll Need |
| Help Desk Technician | $40k - $65K | 6–12 months IT experience, ticketing systems, basic AD knowledge |
| IT Support Specialist | $45K - $70K | Troubleshooting Windows/Office365, remote tools, user account management |
| SOC Analyst (Tier 1) | $50K - $80K | SIEM exposure (Splunk, Wazuh), log analysis, basic incident response labs |
| Vulnerability Analyst | $65K - 90K | Tools like Nessus or OpenVAS, CVSS/CVE familiarity, strong networking fundamentals |
| Jr. Cybersecurity Engineer | $70K - $90K | Understanding of NIST RMF, SSPs, POA&Ms, security documentation |
| Security Compliance Analyst | $65K - $85K | NIST 800-53, FISMA, FedRAMP, technical writing, risk management awareness |
You can find thousands of open positions that require or mention CompTIA Security+ online. As of writing, Glassdoor alone returns over 4,000 results for a US-based job search on CompTIA Security+.
Meanwhile, Indeed has more than 6,000 results for US-based jobs whose descriptions mention CompTIA Security+:
Here are some specific listings we found (we removed the company’s name and summarized the posting).
Jr. Cybersecurity Engineer
Remote, $80K–$90K
Entry-level GRC position working with NIST RMF and documentation. Accepts candidates with Security+ and Public Trust eligibility. Great for those targeting federal cybersecurity careers.
Vulnerability Analyst
Remote, $70K–$90K
Uses Tenable and Invicti for vulnerability scanning. Accepts lab experience in place of formal job history. Ideal for someone with Security+ and hands-on practice in vuln management.
IT Analyst (Contract)
$14–$28/hour
Supports PKI, TLS, and encryption. Open to candidates pursuing Security+. Strong fit for those interested in cryptography and secure file transfers.
Help Desk Associate
Remote, $70K–$78K
Government contractor support role. Security+ preferred. Requires basic IT support and soft skills. Excellent way to get a foot in the door with DoD contractors.
Conclusion: Is CompTIA Security+ Worth It?
Security+ is an ideal certification if your goal is to break into cyber security.
The knowledge and skills in Security+ apply across most elements of the cyber security industry, including offensive, defensive, and management aspects, so it’s essential to consider your career goals when deciding whether to get Security+ certified.
We hope our brief article, answering the question “Is CompTIA Security+ worth it?” provides a clear idea of the jobs Security+ offers, the foundational knowledge it provides, and the investments required if you pursue Security+.
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