Most people who fail Security+ on their first attempt didn't fail because the material was too hard. They failed because they read through flashcards for six weeks and called it studying. If you want to pass SY0-701, you need a different approach—one built around active recall, targeted practice, and understanding how CompTIA actually writes its questions.
This guide covers how to study for Security+ in a way that reflects how the exam actually works, not just what the objectives document says.
Know What You're Actually Being Tested On
The SY0-701 exam (released November 2023, replacing SY0-601) tests five domains with different weights:
- General Security Concepts — 12%
- Threats, Vulnerabilities, and Mitigations — 22%
- Security Architecture — 18%
- Security Operations — 28%
- Security Program Management and Oversight — 20%
Security Operations is the single heaviest domain at 28%. If you're spending equal time across all five sections, you're misallocating roughly a third of your study hours. Pull the official exam objectives PDF from CompTIA's site and use it as your primary checklist—not a textbook's table of contents.
The exam itself runs up to 90 questions in 90 minutes, with a passing score of 750 out of 900. Question types include standard multiple choice, multiple-select, and performance-based questions (PBQs)—drag-and-drop or simulation-style items that appear early in the exam and can't be skipped past without a time cost.
Build a Study Plan That Fits Your Starting Point
How you structure your prep depends heavily on where you're starting from:
If You Have an IT Background (1-2+ years in helpdesk, sysadmin, or networking)
You can realistically clear this exam in 60–80 hours of focused study over 6–8 weeks. You already know how networks work, what a firewall does, and how access control operates. Your gaps are likely in cryptography specifics, governance frameworks (NIST, ISO 27001, SOC 2), and the vocabulary CompTIA uses to describe things you already do intuitively.
If You're Coming from Outside IT
Plan for 100–150 hours across 10–14 weeks. You'll need to build foundational knowledge before the Security+-specific material will stick. Skipping this step is why so many career-changers fail on attempt one—they dive straight into Security+ content without the underlying networking and OS concepts.
Weekly Structure That Works
A reliable weekly pattern: two to three weekdays of content review (one domain or sub-topic at a time), one session of active note-making or mind-mapping what you covered, and one dedicated practice exam session on weekends. Do not let practice exams sit at the end of your prep cycle—use them from week two onward to catch gaps while there's still time to fix them.
How to Study for Security+: The Methods That Actually Work
Reading a textbook cover-to-cover is the lowest ROI study method available to you. Here's what actually moves pass rates:
Active Recall Over Passive Review
After you read a section, close the material and write down everything you can remember. Then check. The act of retrieving information—not the act of reading it—is what creates durable memory. Anki flashcard decks exist for SY0-701 (several are free on the Anki shared deck library) and are worth using, but make your own cards for concepts you keep missing rather than relying entirely on someone else's deck.
Learn the Language of the Exam
CompTIA uses specific terminology. "Least privilege," "need-to-know," "defense in depth," "non-repudiation"—these terms appear in both correct and distractor answers, and knowing the difference between them under pressure is what separates passing scores from failing ones. When you encounter a term, don't just define it: know what it contrasts with and what scenario would call for it.
Performance-Based Questions Deserve Their Own Practice
PBQs are the most underprepped part of most candidates' study plans. They require you to configure a firewall rule, identify a vulnerability from a log output, or match attack types to descriptions—all within a time budget. Professor Messer's free practice PBQs and CompTIA's own sample questions are the best preparation. Work through them timed. If a PBQ is taking more than five to seven minutes, flag it, move on, and return at the end.
Take Practice Exams in Full, Under Real Conditions
Sit down with 90 questions, set a 90-minute timer, no interruptions, no looking things up mid-exam. Review every single answer after—not just the ones you got wrong. Wrong answers you corrected by guessing are as dangerous as missed questions: you don't actually know the material, you just got lucky once. Aim for consistent 80%+ scores on practice exams before scheduling your real attempt.
Which Resources Are Worth Your Time
The ecosystem of Security+ prep material is genuinely good, but some options are far more worth your time than others.
Professor Messer (Free)
Mike Messer's free video course on professormesser.com is the starting point for most successful candidates. It's organized directly around the SY0-701 objectives, the videos are short and structured, and his practice questions are available for purchase separately. For anyone studying for Security+ on a budget, this is the foundation.
Jason Dion's Course (Udemy)
Dion's Udemy course paired with his practice exam bundle is the most popular paid combination for a reason. The practice exams in particular are harder than the real exam, which is exactly what you want in prep material. Wait for a Udemy sale—the course is almost never worth paying full price for.
CompTIA CertMaster Learn
CompTIA's official platform is comprehensive and maps directly to objectives, but it's expensive ($399 for Learn + Labs) and the gamified format doesn't suit everyone. It's worth it if your employer is covering the cost or if you find textbook-style study ineffective. The Labs component has genuine value for the hands-on portions of the exam.
Darril Gibson's "CompTIA Security+ Get Certified Get Ahead" Book
One of the best-written study guides in the certification space. The practice questions are detailed and the explanations for why distractors are wrong are more educational than most of the competing books.
Top Courses
Beyond Security+-specific resources, these courses address the study skills and exam-prep mechanics that determine whether your preparation actually converts to a passing score.
Better Learning: Master Research-Backed Study Strategies
A Coursera course built around cognitive science research on how people actually retain information—covering spaced repetition, interleaving, and retrieval practice, which are the exact techniques that work for dense certification material like Security+.
Build a Certification Study Guide: PCD Exam Prep
Walks through the process of building a structured, personal study guide for a certification exam rather than relying entirely on off-the-shelf materials—a skill that translates directly to any CompTIA prep process.
Managing Study, Stress and Mental Health at University
Useful for anyone who's attempted a certification exam and found test anxiety or burnout was a bigger obstacle than content gaps—covers practical techniques for maintaining focus across a multi-week study commitment.
What to Do in the Two Weeks Before Your Exam
Stop adding new material in the final two weeks. You should be in review-and-reinforce mode, not learning mode. Daily practice questions (50–75), a full timed practice exam every three to four days, and focused review on whatever your practice data tells you is weak. If you're consistently missing cryptography questions, spend a session only on cryptography. Don't go broad.
The night before the exam: review your notes on weak areas, nothing new, reasonable sleep. The morning of: eat, arrive early if it's in-person, flag any question you're uncertain on and come back to it. Don't let one hard question drain your time and composure.
FAQ
How long does it take to study for Security+?
60–90 hours for candidates with existing IT experience; 100–150+ hours for those without. The range is wide because it depends heavily on how you study, not just how long. Passive reading at the low end of that range will not get you to 750.
Can you study for Security+ with no IT experience?
Yes, but it's harder and takes longer. You'll need to fill in foundational gaps around networking (what TCP/IP, DNS, and firewalls actually do) and operating systems before Security+-specific content will be meaningful. CompTIA A+ or Network+ concepts are useful background, even if you don't sit those exams.
How many practice exams should I take before the real thing?
At minimum, four to six full-length practice exams under timed conditions. More important than the number is the score trend—you want to be consistently scoring 80% or above before you schedule. One good score surrounded by mediocre ones is not readiness.
Is the SY0-701 harder than SY0-601?
Different, not necessarily harder. SY0-701 consolidates some domains and places heavier emphasis on Security Operations (28%) and practical, scenario-based application. Candidates who prepared well for SY0-601 using objective-aligned methods will find the transition straightforward; those who crammed terminology without context will find SY0-701's application focus more punishing.
What score do you need to pass Security+?
750 out of 900. CompTIA uses a scaled scoring system, so this doesn't directly map to a percentage of questions correct. Aim to actually know the material rather than calculating minimum-passing-score math.
Should I study from a book or a video course?
Most candidates do better with video as their primary medium and a book or written guide for reference and deep dives on weak areas. Professor Messer's videos plus Darril Gibson's book is a combination that covers both without costing much. The format matters less than whether you're actively engaging with the material rather than passively consuming it.
Bottom Line
The candidates who pass Security+ on the first attempt almost always share one trait: they treated practice exams as diagnostic tools rather than finish-line tests. They started practice questions early, used the results to direct their remaining study time, and didn't confuse hours logged with preparation quality.
Start with the official SY0-701 objectives document. Work through a structured video course aligned to those objectives. Begin timed practice exams by week two, not week six. Prioritize Security Operations and Threats, Vulnerabilities, and Mitigations since they make up half the exam. And schedule your exam before you feel fully ready—having a date on the calendar changes how you use your study time.
The $392 exam fee is a useful forcing function. Use it as one.