Exam format
Offensive Security Certified Professional Exam Format
Everything the official exam blueprint specifies: question count, time limit, scoring and the weight each domain carries. The Offensive Security Certified Professional (OSCP) is a rigorous, hands-on certification designed to validate a practitioner's ability to perform penetration testing using a Try Harder mindset. Moving beyond mere theoretical knowledge, the PEN-200 course and subsequent exam require candidates to navigate real-world network environments, identify vulnerabilities, and execute successful exploits. The modern curriculum places significant emphasis on the penetration testing lifecycle, specifically incorporating deep dives into Active Directory environments, which are standard in modern corporate infrastructures. Candidates must demonstrate proficiency in reconnaissance, exploitation, and the critical post-exploitation phase to succeed in this high-stakes, practical examination.
- 20 questions
- 1425 min
- 70% to pass
- 6 domains
certilumExam facts at a glance
The published specifications for this certification.
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Questions | 20 |
| Time limit | 1425 minutes (4275s per question) |
| Passing score | 70% — 70 points out of 100 (every exam includes a 3-machine Active Directory set worth 40 points) |
| Domains | 6 |
| Level | Professional |
| Question bank here | 5 questions |
| Published format | No question count published (practical exam): 23 hours 45 minutes, plus 24 hours to upload the penetration test report |
| Source | Official exam specification, published by the vendor |
Official domain weights
The percentage of the exam each domain carries. Weight your revision by these numbers, not by what you find hardest.
| Domain | Weight | Topics | Practice Qs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exploitation | 30% |
| 2 |
| Active Directory | 15% |
| 1 |
| Post-Exploitation | 20% |
| 1 |
| Privilege Escalation | 15% |
| 1 |
| Information Gathering | 10% |
| — |
| Vulnerability Scanning | 10% |
| — |
The heaviest domain is Exploitation at 30%, and that is where lost points cost you the most. Certilum scores you per domain so you can see the difference between a knowledge gap and a formatting problem.
Note from the vendor record: OffSec now brands the credential OSCP+ on its product page. Course/lab bundles are priced separately (Course + Cert USD 1,749). Mandatory cooling-off after failed attempts: 4 weeks, then 8, then 12. The report must be uploaded within 24 hours or the exam is not graded. Official exam page
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Everything you need to know about the Offensive Security Certified Professional exam.