Security+ exam format: questions, PBQs, and the 750 passing score

Every figure below was read off CompTIA’s own certification, testing policy, and support pages on September 25, 2026, and each is linked to the page it came from.

The exam at a glance

The number that shapes your exam day is the ratio: 90 questions in 90 minutes is about one minute per question on average. A PBQ asks you to work through a task rather than pick an answer, so it will take longer than a multiple-choice question. The time you save on the multiple-choice questions is the time you spend on the PBQs, so plan for it rather than discovering it at minute 70.

“Maximum of 90” is CompTIA’s wording on both pages, so do not assume you will see exactly 90. The format is the same on SY0-801, which changes the content and domain weights rather than the shape of the test. Our SY0-701 vs SY0-801 guide covers what moved.

What a performance-based question is

CompTIA’s performance-based questions page describes PBQs as exam items that test your ability to solve problems in real-world settings, delivered either as simulations or inside virtual environments. It lists Security+ among the certifications with simulation PBQs. The full virtual machine kind is listed for SecurityX, not Security+.

A simulation, in CompTIA’s words, is an approximation of an environment or tool, such as a firewall, network diagram, terminal window, or operating system. Functionality is restricted, but the item is built to allow more than one response or path. The point is that you are asked to do the thing, not recognize its name.

From the same CompTIA page, four things worth knowing before you sit down:

• You can skip a simulation PBQ and return to it. Your work is saved as you go and when you move to another item.
• Simulation PBQs have a reset button. If you get tangled, you can start the item over.
• There can be more than one right way. CompTIA says scoring addresses different possible approaches.
• Partial credit may be given. A PBQ is not automatically all or nothing, so finish what you can rather than leaving it blank.

What CompTIA does not say anywhere we checked is how many PBQs a Security+ exam contains or what each is worth. You will see confident numbers for both online. None of them come from CompTIA, so we do not repeat them.

A PBQ strategy that follows from the rules

Because simulation PBQs can be skipped and your work is saved, a common approach is to look at each PBQ when it appears, do it at once if it is quick, and otherwise move on and come back after the multiple-choice questions. That protects you from spending twenty minutes on one item and then rushing easier points at the end.

When you come back, do not leave a PBQ empty. With partial credit possible, a half finished answer can be worth something and a blank one is not. The best preparation is hands-on practice with the tools the objectives name, because a simulation rewards knowing what the settings mean more than memorizing a definition.

What the 750 passing score means

Security+ is scored on a scale of 100 to 900, and 750 passes. CompTIA’s scoring article explains that it uses a mathematical algorithm to calculate a scaled score, derived from what would otherwise be a percentage score, with the passing score set through statistical analysis. It also says directly that CompTIA does not disclose the number of questions required to pass.

So do not read 750 as 75 percent. It is a scaled score, CompTIA does not publish the conversion, and any percentage you read elsewhere is a guess. The useful takeaway is simpler: you do not need a perfect score, you need to be solid across all five domains, and the domains are not weighted equally.

Your score report will not list the questions you missed or how many. Per the same CompTIA article, it lists the exam objectives tied to the questions you answered incorrectly. If you need a second attempt, that list is your study plan.

Who can take it

Anyone. CompTIA’s support page on prerequisites says its exams have no educational, training, or certification prerequisites. The recommended experience in the table above is guidance, not a gate: you can book Security+ without Network+ or two years on the job. The recommendation does tell you who the questions are written for, so if you are newer than that, budget more study time.

If you do not pass

CompTIA’s retake policy has no waiting period between a first and second attempt. Before a third or any later attempt, you must wait at least 14 calendar days from your last one. The policy also says you pay the exam price each time and CompTIA offers no free retests or retake discounts. The one way around that is buying a retake up front: CompTIA’s Security+ V7 page sells bundles that include a voucher with Retake Assurance.

Once you pass, the clock starts on renewal. Our Security+ renewal guide covers the three year cycle and the CEUs it takes.

FAQ

Want to see the format before exam day? Start with the free first module of our Security+ course, General Security Concepts, or try 10 free practice questions.