Practitioner Security Analyst

Pass rate

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Practitioner Security Analyst Pass Rate

CPSA

The score you need to pass the Practitioner Security Analyst certification exam, what the cut score actually means, and how to read your mock results against it.

60% to pass
120 questions
2.1/10 difficulty

The number you need to hit

Published cut score for this certification.

Passing score
60%
Successful candidates must score 60% of the available marks. That is: at least 72 marks from the written component (possible total: 120 marks).
Margin
40%
room for wrong answers, on a flat mock
Wrong answers allowed
48
out of 120 questions

Pass score vs pass rate

Two different numbers that get mixed up constantly.

Pass score (cut score)

The scaled score the vendor publishes. For the Practitioner Security Analyst it is 60%. This is the number you can actually prepare against, and it is the one that decides your result on exam day.

Pass rate (percentage of candidates)

The share of candidates who pass. CREST generally does not publish this for individual exams, and the numbers you find online usually come from candidate self-reported surveys. We would rather tell you nothing than tell you a figure we cannot source.

Where you lose points

The exam is not scored flat. Each domain carries its own weight, so a domain where you lose everything can sink a score that looks fine on paper.

Tools and Technical Skills20%

Losing this domain entirely costs you 20% of the exam, and it has 24 practice questions here.

Networking and Technologies30%

Losing this domain entirely costs you 30% of the exam, and it has 36 practice questions here.

Professional Conduct and Ethics10%

Losing this domain entirely costs you 10% of the exam, and it has 12 practice questions here.

Penetration Testing Methodologies20%

Losing this domain entirely costs you 20% of the exam, and it has 24 practice questions here.

Information Security and Standards20%

Losing this domain entirely costs you 20% of the exam, and it has 24 practice questions here.

The practical version: the Practitioner Security Analyst is not passed by knowing most of the content. It is passed by being strong in the domains that carry weight, and by not leaving one of them empty.

More about the Practitioner Security Analyst exam

Explore the rest of this page series: format, cost, difficulty, requirements and how to prepare.

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Frequently asked questions

Everything you need to know about the Practitioner Security Analyst exam.