Security+ Pass Rate (2026): Real Numbers & What They Mean

If you're searching for an official CompTIA Security+ (SY0-701) pass rate, here's the honest answer up front: there isn't one. CompTIA states that it does not publish exam passing rates because exam questions and passing rates are subject to change without notice. Any "Security+ pass rate" percentage you see quoted online is an estimate or a training provider's internal number — not an official figure from the certification body. Rather than chase a statistic that doesn't officially exist, the more useful thing to understand is how the exam is scored and what actually separates a pass from a fail.

How the SY0-701 exam is scored

Security+ is not graded on a simple percentage-correct basis. CompTIA uses a scaled score, and the passing score is 750 on a scale of 100 to 900. Because the score is scaled, you can't reliably map "I need X% correct" onto 750 — the scale accounts for the relative difficulty of the specific questions you were served.

The exam itself contains a maximum of 90 questions and has a length of test of 90 minutes. Those questions come in two formats: multiple-choice and performance-based. The performance-based questions (PBQs) are interactive, scenario-driven tasks that ask you to actually configure something, order steps, or analyze output — and they typically carry more weight than a single multiple-choice item, which is why rushing through them is a common way to leave points on the table.

What's actually on the exam: the five domains

The exam measures five content domains, and they are not weighted equally. Knowing the weighting tells you exactly where your study hours pay off:

• Domain 1.0 — General Security Concepts: 12% of the exam.
• Domain 2.0 — Threats, Vulnerabilities, and Mitigations: 22% of the exam.
• Domain 3.0 — Security Architecture: 18% of the exam.
• Domain 4.0 — Security Operations: 28% of the exam.
• Domain 5.0 — Security Program Management and Oversight: 20% of the exam.

Security Operations at 28% and Threats, Vulnerabilities, and Mitigations at 22% together make up half the exam. If your time is limited, those two domains are where a weak spot costs you the most scaled points — and where strengthening your knowledge moves the needle fastest.

What drives pass/fail outcomes

Because there's no published pass rate to benchmark against, the practical predictors of success are experience and exam-specific readiness. CompTIA recommends a minimum of 2 years of experience in IT administration with a focus on security, and it further suggests candidates hold CompTIA Network+ and have two years of experience working in a security or systems administrator job role. That recommendation exists for a reason: the exam leans heavily on applied, operational judgment — especially in the performance-based questions — that's hard to fake with pure memorization.

The most common ways candidates fail tend to be structural rather than a lack of intelligence: mismanaging the 90-minute clock, freezing on PBQs early instead of flagging and returning to them, and under-preparing for the two heaviest domains while over-studying the lighter 12% General Security Concepts domain.

How to improve your odds

Since 750 is a fixed target on the 100–900 scale, your job is to build enough breadth that a handful of tough items can't sink you. A few concrete moves:

• Weight your study by domain percentage. Spend the most time on Security Operations (28%) and Threats/Vulnerabilities/Mitigations (22%) — together they're half your score.
• Drill performance-based questions specifically. They're worth more per item and take longer, so practice them under time pressure, not just multiple-choice.
• Rehearse the clock. With a maximum of 90 questions in 90 minutes, budget your time so PBQs don't eat the minutes you need for the rest.
• Take realistic practice tests. Simulating the exam reveals your weak domains before test day, when you can still fix them. Try our free Security+ practice exam to gauge where you stand against the passing threshold.

A quick note on timing your attempt: the SY0-701 exam launched in November 2023, and CompTIA typically retires an exam version three years after launch. Planning to sit for SY0-701 well before its retirement window keeps you studying against the current objectives rather than a version being phased out.

After you pass

Passing isn't the end of the commitment. Security+ is renewable rather than a one-time credential: renewing it requires earning 50 Continuing Education Units (CEUs), which can come from training, higher education, industry activities, and completing additional certifications — so you can keep the certification current without ever retaking the exam.

Bottom line: there's no official Security+ pass rate to aim for, but there is a hard, knowable target — a scaled score of 750. Study by domain weight, master the performance-based questions, and manage your 90 minutes, and you control the variables that actually decide the outcome.