Complete OSEP Certification Guide (2025 Edition)

The OffSEC Experienced Pentester certification (OSEP) is an advanced ethical hacking credential; to earn it, you must pass a complex exam that’ll test you on various penetration testing and evasion skills. 

In this article, we’ll help you gauge whether it’s the right exam for you and if you’re ready to test for this certification. 

Together, we’ll help you prepare for the exam by covering the OSEP certification domains, tools, and techniques you need to know for the exam, as well as the exam’s layout and the value of passing the certification.  

If you’re ready, let’s jump right in. 

What Is OSEP Certification: OffSec Experienced Pentester?

Let’s start by covering the basics of OSEP. 

What Is OffSec? 

OffSec is a world-renowned penetration testing educational platform for individuals and organizations looking to learn and demonstrate their ethical hacking skills. 

They offer many courses and certifications that target various aspects of ethical hacking. You can learn multiple offensive security skills through their programs via challenge labs, written content, videos, and exams.  

OffSec may be best known for its OSCP certification, a highly sought-after entry-level ethical hacking credential often considered the industry standard.

The Primary Focus of OSEP 

While OSEP is a penetration testing certification, it will not test you on every pentesting tool and technique on the market. 

Instead, it’ll focus on evasion techniques and breaching defenses. Its primary focus is on testing an ethical hacker’s ability to carry out advanced penetration tests against organizations with established defensive security measures. 

The exam is comprised of six machines that you need to compromise. Each machine has its list of objectives you’ll need to complete and document to receive full points. 

There are ten flags you’ll have to access to receive full points. That being said, you may still pass the exam should you access the secret.txt file on the final machine. 

Here’s a list of the skills you’ll learn in the course and will later be tested on during the certification exam:

• Operating system and programming theory
• Client-side code execution with Microsoft Office and Windows Script Host
• Process injection and migration
• C# to interact with Windows Win32 APIs
• Antivirus evasion (EDR evasion and Linux antivirus evasion)
• Application whitelisting
• Bypassing network filters
• Linux post-exploitation
• Windows credentials
• Advanced Windows lateral movement
• Microsoft SQL attacks
• Active Directory exploitation
• Client-side abuses

Experience Level

We recommend having OffSec’s OSCP or the skills the OSCP exam covers before taking OSEP. 

OSCP comes with the PWK (Penetration Testing with Kali Linux) introductory penetrating testing course, so OSEP builds on what you’ve learned there.  

OffSec also lists several prerequisites it wants test takers to have, including:

• Understanding of how to enumerate targets to identify vulnerabilities 
• Identify and exploit vulnerabilities such as SQL injection, file inclusion, and local privilege escalation
• Basic grasp of Active Directory and basic knowledge of AD attacks

Primary Audience

OSEP is not for novices. It’s designed for those with a solid foundation in ethical hacking—most likely holding an OSCP—and real-world work experience as a penetration tester. 

Those who take the accompanying course and attempt the certification exam aim to become skilled at evading antivirus and endpoint detection and proficient in network and Active Directory hacking.

This certification takes you to senior pentesting positions within your organization and grants recognition as a highly skilled and advanced hacker.

What Does the OffSec Experienced Pentester (OSEP) Exam Cover?

OffSec Experienced Pentester exam covers a wide range of penetration testing tools and techniques. 

Let’s explore what you’ll be tested on by examining the OSEP exam domains. 

OSEP Exam Domains

The exam will test you on various hacking skills by requiring you to compromise multiple targets in a simulated corporate network. The methods of attack will vary, but you can expect them to based on the material taught in the accompanying PEN-300 course (Advanced Evasion Techniques and Breaching Defenses).

You must keep track of the commands you used and the code you wrote and take screenshots of console output for each compromised target.

Your methods of compromising machines must be so well documented that the steps you took to hack into them could be replicated by reading your documentation. 

Expect the exam to test your skills on the following:

• Client-side code execution with Microsoft Office and Windows Script Host
• Process injection and migration
• Antivirus evasion
• C#
• Application whitelisting
• Bypassing network filters
• Linux post-exploitation
• Windows credentials
• Windows lateral movement
• Microsoft SQL attacks
• Active Directory exploitation

Tools and Techniques

While OSEP is flexible in respect to how you hack into these computers, there are a few programs it doesn’t allow test takers to use. 

These include commercial software such as:

• Metasploit Pro
• Cobalt Strike
• Core Impact
• Burp Suite Pro

You’re also not allowed to use spoofing attacks against ARP, DNS, NBNS, or IP, as they may disrupt the exam environment. You’re also prohibited from using ChatGPT, YouChat, or other AI chatbots. 

All open-source, community, or custom software allowing automated enumeration techniques, such as PowerShell Empire, Covenant, Bloodhound, Metasploit Community, and SQLmap, are permitted. 

Some tools and techniques you may use for the exam include:

• Metasploit or Silver
• MSFvenom
• C#
• Powershell
• JavaScript
• DLL injection
• Wireshark
• Privilege escalation 
• SSH
• Lateral movement
• Kali Linux
• MySQL
• Active Directory
• Nmap
• Antivirus evasion

How Do I Become OffSec Experience Pentester Certified?

You can take a few paths to become OffSec Experience Pentester certified. 

OSEP Certification Purchase Options

There are three purchase options that include both the OSEP course and exam; they include:

The OSEP course uses PDFs and videos to teach you the material and provides lab-like environments so you can test out your recently learned skills. The course materials provide detailed walkthroughs of the tools and techniques you’ll use on the exam.  

OSEP Exam Layout

You’ll have 47 hours and 45 minutes to take the exam. But fear not, you’re not expected to take it in one uninterrupted sitting. 

Should you wish to take a break, you need only notify the proctor, but remember that the clock doesn’t stop when you step away from the computer. 

Once the time’s up, you’ll have another 24 hours to write your exam report and upload your documentation of the compromised machines. 

OSEP can be taken from the comfort of your own home, but the exam is proctored. This means that your webcam must be turned on, and you must be visible. The microphone, however, will be turned off. 

To connect to the testing environment, which simulates a corporate network, you must connect via VPN. After downloading the exam exam details, your test will begin. 

The exam aims to access the network and hack into the machines. To document that you’ve done this, you must provide proof of the exploitation via screenshots and a detailed report. 

You’ll be awarded points based on the degree to which you compromise a machine. 

Each machine has a list of clear objectives that must be satisfied to receive the full amount of points, and you must be awarded at least 100 points to pass the exam or gain access to the secret.txt file on the final one. 

Why Should You Pursue the OffSec Experienced Pentester (OSEP Certification)?

OSEP is a costly certification and a difficult one to obtain. If it’s so much trouble, why should you pursue it? Let’s look at a few reasons. 

OSEP Job Opportunities

If you want to become a senior penetration tester, you should pursue OSEP without a doubt. 

OSEP is an advanced ethical hacking certification that’ll demonstrate to employers your prowess as a highly-skilled pentester. 
When we queried Indeed for jobs asking applicants to have OSEP, we found 35 postings.

While this number is low, it’s also deceiving. In reality, any company asking applicants to have OSCP or any other ethical hacker certification will also be more than happy to sit down with someone with an advanced pentesting certification such as this one. 

Having OSEP on your resume will open the door to several high-paying and senior technical cyber security roles. 

While browsing the job postings for applicants with OSEP, we see salaries ranging between $100,000 USD and 260,000 USD. 

Some positions asking for this certification were:

• Penetration Tester – $102,000-216,000 USD
• Security Consultant – $110,000-145,000 USD
• Cyber security Operations Engineer – $137,000-225,000 USD
• Red Team Operator – $90,000-130,000 USD
• Senior Enterprise Security Consultant – $120,000-160,000 USD
• Offensive Privacy Testing Lead – $194,000-355,000 USD

OSEP Value

When discussing OSEP, we’re talking about the PEN-300 Advanced Penetration Testing Certification course and the certification itself. 

The course will teach you valuable penetration testing tools and techniques to deepen your ethical hacking skills. The course alone is incredibly valuable, but add the certification on top of that, and OSEP turns into a formidable package. 

The certification validates your hacking skills to employers. While recruiters or the HR person who created the post may not know about OSEP, team leads, and those who’ll interview and work with you later on will surely understand its value.  

Your Path Forward

After obtaining OSEP, you may consider pursuing OffSec’s OSCE³ (OffSec Certified Expert³) certification. To be awarded this certification, you must obtain the following certifications: 

• OSWE (OffSec Web Expert)
• OSEP (OffSec Experienced Pentester)
• OSED (Offsec Exploit Developer)

Upon completing them, you’ll automatically be awarded OSCE³. 

Conclusion: Is the OffSec Experienced Pentester (OSEP) Worth It?

Obtaining OSEP makes you a far more attractive job candidate than those with less intensive penetration testing certifications such as OSCP or CompTIA Pentest+. 

OSEP equips you with penetration testing skills employers will want their senior offensive security team members to have. 

Passing the OSEP course and acquiring the certification requires dedication, a prerequisite skill set, and the right support. To help you prepare and pass the exam, we recommend joining the StationX Master's Program. 

Joining grants you access to over 30,000 courses and labs. Plus, you’ll receive one-on-one mentorship, integrate into a community of motivated cyber security professionals, and receive career guidance, among other benefits. 

To prepare for the OSEP, try out the following:

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