CPENTEC Council Certified Penetration Testing Professional
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What is CPENT?
CPENT certifies hands-on penetration testing skills; on its product page EC-Council lists the credential as Certified Penetration Testing Professional (CPENT AI). The exam is fully practical, taken under remote proctoring, and runs for 24 hours in one block or in two sessions of twelve hours each, closing with a penetration testing report. There are no formal admission requirements; two years of information security experience or a CEH are recommended. There is no fixed pass mark: the cut score ranges from 60 to 85 percent depending on the exam form, and scoring 90 percent or above additionally earns the LPT (Master) level without a separate exam. The certification is valid for three years.
Suitable for
Quick facts
CertMap assessment & background
CPENT has institutional backing, but no broad footing: the UK NCSC lists the programme as meeting government standards for cybersecurity training, and on the ENISA side it is mapped to an ECSF job profile, with no further institutional evidence available. What candidates underestimate is how the price is packaged. EC-Council publishes no standalone voucher for the first exam attempt; the lowest published price that includes the exam is the 2,419 USD self-paced package bundling course, labs and exam. Anyone who only wants the exam will find no list price for it. Upkeep then costs 250 USD per year instead of the provider's usual 80 USD, so 750 USD per three-year cycle, plus 120 ECE credits. The second limit is currency: neither a date of the last content revision nor a revision cycle is published. The credential pays off for testers who need a 24-hour hands-on proof and can carry the bundled cost.
More on CertMap editorial methodology →Cost, prerequisites, exam & renewal
Cost over 5 years
Prerequisites
There are no formal admission requirements; the exam package can be purchased directly. EC-Council recommends two years of information security experience or a CEH, but makes neither a condition.
Exam format
The exam is fully practical and taken under remote proctoring. Candidates choose between a single 24-hour block and two sessions of twelve hours each. A penetration testing report must be submitted within seven days of the final session. There is no fixed pass mark: the cut score is set per exam form and ranges from 60 to 85 percent. Scoring 90 percent or above additionally earns the LPT (Master) level without a separate exam.
Renewal & maintenance
The credential is valid for three years. Renewal requires 120 ECE credits within the three-year cycle. The annual continuing education fee for CPENT is 250 USD rather than the usual 80 USD, so 750 USD per cycle.
CertMap score and matching roles
Rating
Schema quality 3/3: ISO/IEC 17024, accredited by the ANSI National Accreditation Board, with CPENT named explicitly. Practice evidence 3/3: a 24-hour exam, fully practical, remotely proctored, with a report to submit. Currency 0/3: no revision date and no cycle published, only the eight-phase exam development process is documented. Market recognition 2/3: NCSC recognition and an ECSF job profile are documented, further evidence is missing.
Matching NICE roles
About EC-Council
EC-Council runs CPENT within a line whose certifications CEH, CEH Practical, CHFI, CND, ECIH, CCISO and CCT are accredited to ISO/IEC 17024 by the ANSI National Accreditation Board; for CPENT the certification body announced the ANAB accreditation separately. Exams are built in a documented eight-phase process. Since 2009 all of the provider's certifications are valid for three years from the date of certification and fall under the ECE policy, which requires 120 credits per three-year cycle. The annual continuing education fee is 80 USD provider-wide, 100 USD for CCISO and 250 USD for both CPENT and LPT. Billing is in US dollars.
More certifications
From EC-Council
CASEEC Council Certified Application Security Engineer (.NET or Java)CCISOEC Council Certified Information Security OfficerCEHEC Council Certified Ethical HackerCHFIEC Council Computer Hacking Forensics InvestigatorCNDEC Council Certified Network DefenderCNDAEC Council Certified Network Defense Architect
In Pentesting / Red Team
CEHEC Council Certified Ethical HackerECESEC Council Certified Encryption SpecialisteCPPTINE Security Certified Professional Penetration TestereJPTINE Security Junior Penetration TestereMAPTINE Security Mobile Application Penetration TestereWPTINE Security Web Application Penetration Tester
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