Search for the SY0-701 passing score and you will be told you need 83%. Some pages say 75%. Both numbers are invented. CompTIA publishes a passing score of 750 on a scale that runs from 100 to 900 — a scale that does not start at zero, which means it cannot be converted into a percentage at all. The same pages will tell you the exam has 90 questions. CompTIA’s own wording is “maximum of 90”.
This guide uses only what CompTIA publishes on its own certification page and policy pages, and says plainly where CompTIA publishes nothing. Every figure below was verified on 12 September 2026.
The exam at a glance
| Exam code | SY0-701 (version V7), launched 7 November 2023 |
| Questions | Maximum of 90 — multiple-choice and performance-based |
| Time limit | 90 minutes |
| Passing score | 750 on a 100–900 scale |
| Equivalent percentage | Not published by CompTIA — the scale does not start at zero, so no percentage can be derived |
| Number of performance-based questions | Not published by CompTIA |
| Exam price | Not published on the certification page — it varies by region and store |
| Recommended experience | CompTIA Network+ and two years in a security or systems administrator role — recommended, not required |
| Languages | English, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish, Thai |
| Retirement | English 11 June 2027; Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish and Thai 13 August 2027 |
| Validity | Three years from the certification date, renewed by continuing education |
Sixty seconds a question — and that is the generous reading
Ninety minutes divided by ninety questions is exactly one minute each. That alone reframes how you should prepare. But it is the optimistic reading, because some of those items are performance-based — drag-and-drop, configuration and simulation tasks that take several minutes rather than several seconds.
CompTIA does not publish how many performance-based questions you will see, or how long it expects them to take. So the honest thing to do is show the arithmetic across a range. If performance-based items take five minutes each, then four of them leave you roughly 49 seconds for every remaining multiple-choice question, and six of them leave about 43 seconds.
Two consequences. Practise under a timer from your first week rather than your last, because untimed practice trains a pace that will fail you. And treat the performance-based items as a budgeting problem: if one is consuming your time, flag it and come back, because every minute spent there is taken from questions you could have answered in forty seconds.
Can you answer a SY0-701 question in 60 seconds?
Timed practice tests built to CompTIA’s published domain weights, with a written explanation for every answer — so the questions you get wrong are the ones you learn from.
- Full-length timed tests that hold you to the real 90-minute limit
- An explanation for every answer, right and wrong
- Weighted to the official blueprint — 12 / 22 / 18 / 28 / 20% across the five domains, matching CompTIA exactly
On Udemy · lifetime access · 30-day refund policy applies
Starting further back? ISC2 CC practice questions. Filling the networking gap first? Network+ N10-009 practice exams.
The passing score is not a percentage, and that matters
CompTIA publishes 750 on a 100–900 scale. Because the scale begins at 100 rather than zero, dividing 750 by 900 tells you nothing useful, and CompTIA does not publish a conversion. Scaled scoring also means questions are not all worth the same, and the raw number you need can differ between test forms.
The practical consequence is that a readiness target expressed as a percentage — “get 85% in practice and you are ready” — is not derived from anything CompTIA has published. A better test of readiness is coverage: are you scoring consistently across all five domains, under time, or are you carrying one weak domain that happens to be averaged away?
What the exam actually covers
CompTIA publishes five domains with these weights:
- Security operations — 28%. The largest domain by a clear margin.
- Threats, vulnerabilities and mitigations — 22%.
- Security program management and oversight — 20%.
- Security architecture — 18%.
- General security concepts — 12%. The smallest, despite being where most study guides spend their opening chapters.
Read those weights as a study budget. Security operations and the threats domain together are half the exam. General security concepts — the CIA triad and the vocabulary — is one question in eight, and it is the part people over-prepare because it is the part that feels like studying.
Network+ is recommended, not required
CompTIA recommends Network+ and two years in a security or systems administrator role. Recommended is not required: there is no gate stopping you booking SY0-701 today with neither. Whether you should is a different question, and the honest answer is that the recommendation is a fair description of the assumed background. The exam is written as though you have configured things and watched them break.
The certification expires
Security+ is valid for three years from your certification date. Renewal is through continuing education, and CompTIA does not let you renew by simply re-passing the same exam code — once you have passed SY0-701 you cannot take it again until a new version exists. Price the three-year obligation, not just the voucher.
If you fail, the rules are stricter than they look
There is no waiting period between your first and second attempt. That sounds like generosity and functions as a trap, because you pay the full exam price every time and CompTIA offers no free retests and no retake discounts. From the third attempt onward you must wait at least fourteen calendar days. The cheapest strategy is being genuinely ready the first time.
Where practice questions fit
Practice questions are a diagnostic, not a syllabus. Their job is to find the domain you are weak in and to train you to decide inside a minute. Used that way — timed, reviewed, weighted to the published blueprint — they are the most efficient preparation available in the last few weeks.
A caution that matters more than it appears to. Sites offering “real exam questions”, brain dumps or leaked SY0-701 content are selling you a violation of the CompTIA Candidate Agreement, and CompTIA can revoke certifications over it. They are also usually stale. Original questions written from the published blueprint teach you to reason; memorised answers teach you to recognise a question you will not be asked.
Find your weak domain before the exam does.
What comes after
Security+ is usually a door into monitoring and response work, which in practice means learning a SIEM. If that is the direction you are heading, the same arithmetic-first approach applies to the tooling exams — our Splunk Enterprise Certified Admin (SPLK-1003) exam guide works through a tighter time budget still, at roughly 64 seconds a question.
Frequently asked questions
How many questions are on the SY0-701 exam?
CompTIA publishes a maximum of 90, a mix of multiple-choice and performance-based questions, in 90 minutes. Note that it is a maximum rather than a fixed count.
What percentage do I need to pass Security+?
There is no published percentage. The passing score is 750 on a 100–900 scale, and because that scale does not start at zero it cannot be converted into a percentage. Any specific percentage you see quoted online is not from CompTIA.
Do I need Network+ before Security+?
No. CompTIA recommends Network+ and two years of security or systems administration experience, but neither is required to book the exam.
When does SY0-701 retire?
CompTIA publishes 11 June 2027 for the English exam, and 13 August 2027 for the Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish and Thai versions. The certification you earn is valid three years from your test date regardless of which version you sat.
Can I retake Security+ immediately if I fail?
Yes for the second attempt — CompTIA requires no waiting period between the first and second. From the third attempt onward you must wait at least 14 calendar days. You pay the full price each time; there are no retake discounts.
Sources. All exam parameters above come from CompTIA’s own Security+ certification page, its certification retake policy and its certification renewal policy, accessed 12 September 2026. Exam parameters change; if you spot a discrepancy, check CompTIA’s page and tell us so we can correct it.
Disclosure and disclaimer. FoxMedium publishes independent study material. Our practice tests are not official CompTIA content and are not endorsed by, affiliated with, or representative of CompTIA or the official certification examination. All questions are original and written from publicly published exam blueprints. We do not host or distribute real exam content. Links to our courses earn us revenue if you enrol. CompTIA, Security+ and all related trademarks belong to their respective owners.
