About 40% of people who attempt the CompTIA Security+ exam fail on the first try. Jason Dion's Udemy course has a reputation for moving that number significantly — his students routinely post pass rates above 85% in the course Q&A and Reddit threads. That's the specific claim worth examining before you spend 30+ hours with any prep material.
This review covers the Jason Dion Security+ course on Udemy in detail: what's actually inside, where it falls short, who it's built for, and how it stacks up against alternatives. The current exam version is SY0-701 (SY0-601 retired in July 2024), so coverage of the updated objectives matters.
Who Is Jason Dion?
Jason Dion is a full-time IT instructor and former cybersecurity practitioner. Before moving into education, he held roles in network security and IT operations and accumulated a stack of certifications: Security+, Network+, A+, CISSP, CEH, and others. He's not a career academic — he worked in the field before teaching it, which shows in how he explains attack scenarios and real-world defensive architecture.
He has over 1.5 million students across his Udemy catalog, which spans Security+, Network+, CySA+, PenTest+, and CISSP. Security+ is his flagship course and the one that built his reputation. The course ratings have stayed above 4.7 out of 5 across hundreds of thousands of reviews for several years, which is harder to maintain than getting there.
His teaching style is deliberate and methodical. He doesn't assume prior knowledge but he also doesn't talk down to you. If you've struggled with other Security+ prep because it either moved too fast or felt patronizing, Dion usually lands in the right zone.
What the Jason Dion Security+ Course Actually Covers
The SY0-701 version of the course covers all five exam domains CompTIA tests:
- General Security Concepts — encryption types, authentication models, public key infrastructure
- Threats, Vulnerabilities, and Mitigations — threat actors, attack types, social engineering, malware categories
- Security Architecture — network segmentation, cloud security, virtualization, zero trust
- Security Operations — incident response, log analysis, identity management, endpoint hardening
- Security Program Management — risk frameworks, compliance regulations, data privacy, audits
The course runs around 27–30 hours of video. That's not padding — Security+ covers a genuinely wide surface area. Dion breaks each domain into focused video segments, typically 5–15 minutes each, so you can work through it in meaningful chunks without losing your place.
Beyond the video content, the course includes:
- Six full-length practice exams (90 questions each, matching the actual exam format)
- Downloadable study notes and glossaries
- Domain-specific quizzes after each section
- Performance-based question walkthroughs (PBQs are the questions most people miss on the real exam)
The practice exams are one of the most-cited reasons students choose Dion's course over competitors. Six full-length simulations is more than most standalone practice test products offer, and having them bundled into the course at Udemy pricing is a real advantage.
SY0-601 vs SY0-701 — Does This Matter?
Yes. SY0-601 retired in July 2024. If you're taking the exam now, you need SY0-701 prep material. Dion updated his course for SY0-701 and the new content is clearly marked.
The main changes in SY0-701 compared to SY0-601:
- Heavier emphasis on cloud and hybrid environments
- New focus on zero trust architecture and identity-centric security
- Automation and scripting concepts added to operations domain
- Some legacy protocol content trimmed
If you bought Dion's course before 2024 and haven't revisited it, log back in — Udemy keeps updates free for life. The SY0-701 sections were added to the same course, not sold separately.
Jason Dion Security+ vs the Alternatives
The main alternatives in this space are Mike Chapple's LinkedIn Learning course, Professor Messer's free YouTube content, and Darril Gibson's book-based approach. Here's the honest comparison:
Professor Messer (free): Messer's free videos cover the exam objectives thoroughly and he updates for each exam version. If budget is the constraint, Messer is legitimate. The tradeoff: no practice exams bundled, slightly drier delivery, less hand-holding on conceptual explanations. Many people use both Messer and Dion.
Mike Chapple (LinkedIn Learning): Solid academic framing, good for people coming from a compliance or governance background. Less practical on the attack/defense scenarios. Costs more if you don't already have LinkedIn Learning.
CompTIA's official CertMaster: Expensive ($299+ for Learn alone), adaptive but rigid. Students consistently report Dion's practice exams are harder than CertMaster's, which is what you want — harder practice, easier real exam.
The case for Dion over the field: the practice exam volume and the scenario-based explanations. Security+ has moved toward more application questions and away from pure recall. Dion spends significant time on "why would an attacker do this" and "how would you detect/respond" framing, which directly matches how the exam is now written.
Top Courses for CompTIA Security+ Preparation
There are no exact product listings for Dion's Udemy course in our database, but these related cybersecurity courses are worth comparing depending on your background and goals:
CompTIA Security+ (SY0-701) Complete Course — Jason Dion on Udemy
The flagship prep course for Security+ with 400k+ students, six full-length practice exams, and regular updates for the current exam version. Buy on Udemy during a sale (they run constantly) and you'll typically pay under $20.
Cybersecurity Assessment: CompTIA Security+ & CySA+ Course
Covers both Security+ and CySA+ objectives, making it useful if you're planning to stack certifications. Good fit for anyone who wants to understand how Security+ feeds into the analyst-level credential.
Computer Security and Systems Management Specialization
A broader specialization that provides the conceptual grounding underneath Security+ topics — useful if you want to understand the material rather than just pass the exam.
IT Security: Defense Against the Digital Dark Arts
Google's security fundamentals course on Coursera — covers overlapping concepts at a lower cost. Not a Security+ prep course specifically, but good supplemental reading if the exam objectives feel abstract.
What the Course Does Well and Where It Falls Short
Strengths
- Practice exam quality: The questions are harder than the real exam, which is the correct calibration. Several students report leaving the real test thinking "that was easier than Dion's practice tests."
- Explanation depth on wrong answers: Dion explains why the wrong answers are wrong, not just why the right answer is right. This is underrated — it's how you actually learn the material instead of pattern-matching.
- Performance-based question walkthroughs: PBQs trip up more test-takers than any other question format. The dedicated walkthroughs in this course address that gap directly.
- Lifetime access with free updates: Udemy's model means one purchase covers you through future exam revisions.
Weaknesses
- Video density: 30 hours is a lot if you're a fast learner or have prior security experience. There's no "experienced professional" track — you'll sit through content you already know.
- No live instruction: This is pre-recorded content. If you get stuck on a concept, you're in the Q&A forum, not a live session. Dion's team does respond, but it's not real-time.
- Labs are limited: Security+ is largely a knowledge exam, but some learners want hands-on lab work alongside the video content. TryHackMe or HackTheBox provide this as a supplement — the Dion course doesn't.
- Upsell pressure: Udemy as a platform will push you toward other courses during and after. This isn't Dion-specific but it's a friction point.
Who Should Buy the Jason Dion Security+ Course
The course is well-matched for:
- Help desk and IT support staff aiming for their first security credential
- Network administrators who need Security+ for a DoD 8570 compliance requirement
- Career changers coming from adjacent fields (system administration, compliance, IT audit)
- Recent IT graduates who want structured exam prep before scheduling the test
It's probably not the right primary resource if you're already working in a security operations center or have hands-on penetration testing experience. At that point you'd want CySA+, PenTest+, or OSCP prep — not Security+ fundamentals.
If you're completely new to IT — no help desk experience, no networking background — consider doing CompTIA A+ and Network+ first, or at least the equivalent self-study. Security+ is positioned as a foundational cert, but it assumes you know what a subnet is and how TCP/IP works. Dion does explain these concepts, but the course pacing assumes some baseline.
FAQ
Is Jason Dion's Security+ course enough to pass the exam on its own?
For most people, yes — if you complete the video content and score consistently above 80% on his practice exams before scheduling the real test. Some students supplement with Professor Messer's study notes or Darril Gibson's book, but this is optional rather than required. The practice exams are the critical piece — do not skip them or rush through them.
Which version of the Jason Dion Security+ course should I buy?
The SY0-701 version, which is the current exam as of 2024. If you already own the course, check Udemy for updated sections — Dion added SY0-701 content to the existing course at no additional charge. Look for "SY0-701" in the section titles to confirm you're watching the updated material.
How long does it take to finish the Jason Dion Security+ course?
At 1x speed, the video content runs about 27–30 hours. Add the six practice exams (roughly 90 minutes each at test pace, plus review time) and you're looking at 50–60 total hours of active study. Most students spread this over 6–10 weeks working evenings and weekends, but the timeline is entirely self-directed.
Is Jason Dion Security+ harder than the real exam?
His practice exams are widely reported to be harder than the actual SY0-701. This is intentional and useful — you want to feel prepared, not blindsided. If you're consistently passing Dion's practice tests, you're in good shape. The real exam has more scenario-based questions than his early practice sets, but his later practice exams have been updated to reflect this.
What jobs does Security+ qualify you for?
Security+ meets the DoD 8570 IAT Level II requirement, which makes it a baseline credential for many government contractor and federal IT roles. In the private sector, it's commonly required or preferred for Security Analyst, SOC Analyst (Tier 1–2), Systems Administrator, IT Auditor, and Junior Penetration Tester roles. Median salary for Security+-certified professionals ranges from $65k–$95k depending on location and experience level, according to CompTIA's own workforce data.
Does Jason Dion offer a Security+ course outside of Udemy?
Dion sells courses through his own site (diontraining.com) in addition to Udemy. The content is largely the same; the pricing model differs. Udemy sales bring the course under $20 regularly, making it the better value unless you need something Udemy doesn't offer (like a business invoice or direct support).
Bottom Line
The Jason Dion Security+ course on Udemy is the most cost-effective structured prep option for SY0-701. The practice exam volume alone justifies the purchase price at Udemy sale pricing — six full-length exams bundled into a $15 course is hard to beat on a per-dollar basis.
The course won't hand you the cert. You still have to do the work: watch the content, take notes, and grind the practice exams until you're consistently above 80%. But if you put in that effort, the pass rate among people who complete the full course is high enough that it's the de facto recommendation in most Security+ communities.
Buy it during a Udemy sale (they run several times per month), block off time in your schedule, and don't skip the practice exams. That's the formula most people who pass on the first try follow.