SecurityXCompTIA SecurityX
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What is SecurityX?
SecurityX is CompTIA's certification for experienced security practitioners and is currently examined as version V5 under the exam code CAS-005. The exam poses a maximum of 90 questions within 165 minutes, mixing multiple-choice items with performance-based questions; it is graded pass or fail only, with no scaled score. CompTIA publishes no mandatory entry requirement and recommends ten years of hands-on IT experience, five of them in security. The certification is valid for three years and is renewed through the CompTIA Continuing Education Program with 75 CEUs per cycle.
Suitable for
Quick facts
CertMap assessment & background
SecurityX is the technical tier of the CompTIA line, without a management claim. In the US public sector and its supplier market it reappears in NICE and DoD 8140 roles such as security architect or security control assessor; comparable evidence outside the US is missing, so demand in German-speaking markets has to be checked case by case. The recommended experience is easy to underestimate: ten years of IT, five of them in security, is no formal hurdle but the level the questions assume. The limit is the format: 90 questions in 165 minutes with a share of performance-based questions test decisions, not a lab running several hours. Follow-up costs are clearly bounded: 544 USD for the voucher, then 75 CEUs per three-year cycle and a 150 USD CE fee for that same period, with no annual fee.
More on CertMap editorial methodology →Cost, prerequisites, exam & renewal
Cost over 5 years
Prerequisites
CompTIA publishes no mandatory entry requirement. It recommends at least ten years of general hands-on IT experience, including five years in security, plus knowledge at the level of Network+, Security+, CySA+, Cloud+ and PenTest+.
Exam format
The CAS-005 exam has a maximum of 90 questions and a time limit of 165 minutes, mixing multiple-choice items with performance-based questions solved in a simulated environment. There is no scaled score; the result is pass or fail only.
Renewal & maintenance
SecurityX is valid for three years and is renewed through the CompTIA Continuing Education Program. It takes 75 CEUs within the three-year cycle, roughly 25 hours per year, plus a CE fee of 150 USD covering the full three-year period. CompTIA does not require an annual payment.
CertMap score and matching roles
Rating
Schema quality 3/3: ISO/IEC 17024, accredited by the ANSI National Accreditation Board, with SecurityX listed by name. Practice evidence 2/3: up to 90 questions in 165 minutes including performance-based questions, but pass/fail grading and no lab. Currency 3/3: version V5 (CAS-005) launched 17 December 2024, documented three-year cycle. Market recognition 2/3: NICE and DoD 8140 roles documented, no comparable evidence outside the US.
Matching NICE roles
About CompTIA
CompTIA runs SecurityX within a certification line that also includes A+, Network+, Security+, CySA+, Cloud+, PenTest+, Linux+, Data+ and DataSys+; these certifications are accredited by the ANSI National Accreditation Board. Every certification earned after 31 December 2010 is valid for three years and is enrolled automatically in the CompTIA Continuing Education Program. CompTIA bills the CE fee for the full three-year period and does not require an annual payment. Exam versions are usually retired around three years after launch. Vouchers are sold through CompTIA's own shop in US dollars; the provider publishes no euro price.
More certifications
From CompTIA
A+CompTIA A+Cloud+CompTIA Cloud+CySA+CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst+Linux+CompTIA Linux+Net+CompTIA Network+PenTest+CompTIA PenTest+
In GRC
CCISC2 Certified in CybersecurityCGEITISACA Certified in the Governance of Enterprise ITCGRCISC2 Certified in Governance, Risk and ComplianceCNDAEC Council Certified Network Defense ArchitectCRISCISACA Certified in Risk and Information Systems ControlEISMEC Council Information Security Manager
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