CompTIA CySA+ Certification:
Training, Practice Tests, and Exam Vouchers
CompTIA CySA+ Exam Details
CySA+ Exam Facts at a glance
| Required exam: | CS0-004 (V4) |
| Exam Vouchers: | CySA+ Exam Vouchers are available for purchase. 11% below retail! |
| Number of questions: | Maximum of 85 questions |
| Type of questions: | Multiple-choice and performance-based |
| Length of test: | 165 minutes |
| Passing score: | 750 (scale 100-900) |
| Cert Timeframe: | Valid for three years from the date of certification. |
| Cert Renewal: | See CompTIA Continuing Ed Program |
| Domain CS0-004: |
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What the CompTIA CySA+ Exam covers
You get 165 minutes and a maximum of 85 questions. Most are multiple-choice, but CySA+ has 4-7 performance-based questions where you are in a simulated environment and asked to do the job rather than describe it. Reading a packet capture, working through a log, or prioritizing a list of findings are all fair game.
You need 750 out of 900 to pass. CompTIA does not use negative marking, so a wrong answer costs you nothing that a blank one would not, so answer every question.
The practical sections are what candidates most often underestimate. Our TotalTester practice tests include hints, study references, and explanations that tell you why an answer was wrong, not just that it was so you understand why an answer is correct, and why an answer is incorrect. This is important to succeed on the practical section.
What Does a CompTIA cybersecurity analyst job pay?
ZipRecruiter lists US cybersecurity roles (CompTIA CySA+ is designed for this role) in a range of roughly $91,000 to $139,000 a year, depending on seniority and region.
CySA+ sits above Security+ and below the senior offensive and architecture certifications, which is where most of the actual hiring volume in security sits. The job titles it maps to are security analyst, SOC analyst, threat intelligence analyst, vulnerability analyst and incident response analyst.
CySA+ is also approved under the US Department of Defense 8140 framework, which makes it a hiring requirement rather than a nice-to-have for defense and federal contractor roles. It renews your other CompTIA certifications too. Passing CySA+ extends A+, Network+ and Security+ for another three years.
By Using Total Seminars’ CySA+ Training, You Can Pass the CySA+ Exam with Ease!
Ready to step into the analyst’s chair? Total Seminars’ CompTIA CySA+ Certification Video Course prepares you for the CS0-004 exam by teaching you to think, investigate and respond like a working security analyst.
Learn from an instructor who trains professionals
Your instructor, Tommy Gober, M.S., CEH, CISSP, has spent his career teaching cybersecurity to working professionals, including intensive CompTIA boot camps. He teaches CySA+ the way the exam actually tests it: as the day-to-day job of an analyst, not a list of terms to memorize. You’ll learn to make the calls an analyst makes, and understand why they’re the right ones.
Built for the next step after Security+
This course is designed for learners who already hold CompTIA Security+ or have equivalent knowledge. Instead of repeating the basics, it goes straight to what you need for the CS0-004 objectives:
- All four exam domains: Security Operations, Vulnerability Management, Incident Response and Management, and Reporting and Communication
- 16 chapters and 50 focused lessons that follow the exam objectives
- Online access through the Total Seminars Training Hub, with a single-user license and a full year of access on any device
Know you’re ready before you book
Bundle the course with TotalTester practice tests and get more than 275 practice questions, each with hints, study references and full explanations. You’ll find your weak spots, fix them, and walk into the exam knowing you’re prepared.
Master the tools the industry runs on
CySA+ shows employers you have working knowledge of the analyst toolset and the frameworks security teams rely on every day:
- SIEM and EDR platforms
- Packet and log analysis
- CVSS and EPSS vulnerability scoring
- The Cyber Kill Chain and MITRE ATT&CK
A credential that moves your career forward
CompTIA CySA+ is an international, vendor-neutral certification. It proves you can detect and analyze indicators of malicious activity, manage vulnerabilities, run an incident from detection through recovery, and report the results to the people who need to act on them. Whether you’re aiming for a new job, a key promotion or a stronger path in cybersecurity, CySA+ helps you get there.
Start your CySA+ prep today and learn with the experts at Total Seminars.
Featured Article
How Hard is CompTIA CySA+? An Honest Reality Check
CySA+ is a real step up from Security+, and it’s supposed to be
It’s CompTIA’s intermediate cybersecurity analyst certification — written for someone with a few years of security work under their belt — and it tests whether you can do analyst work, not just define the vocabulary. That’s what makes it harder than the certs below it on the ladder. It’s also what makes it worth having.
But “harder” doesn’t mean “out of reach.” The exam is fully mapped, the passing score leaves room for mistakes, and the skills it tests are learnable with the right kind of practice. Let’s walk through what’s actually on it, the three things that genuinely make it hard, and how to know you’re ready before you spend voucher money on a test date.
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Where CySA+ sits on the ladder
CompTIA’s core security path runs A+ → Network+ → Security+ → CySA+
The first three prove you understand how systems, networks, and security controls work. CySA+ is the first one that asks a different question: given real output from real tools — logs, scan results, alerts — can you figure out what’s happening and what to do about it?
CompTIA recommends Network+ and Security+ (or equivalent knowledge) plus about 3–4 years of hands-on information security experience before you sit CySA+. Recommends, but does not require. There are no enforced prerequisites, and people do pass it earlier. But that recommendation tells you honestly who the exam was written for, and it’s the single best predictor of how hard CySA+ will feel to you.
CompTIA CySA+ FAQs
Which exam do I need to pass to become CompTIA CySA+ certified?
The current version is CS0-004, which replaces CS0-003. If you are starting your studies now, take CS0-004.
What is on the CompTIA CySA+ exam?
Four domains: Security Operations 34%, Vulnerability Management 26%, Incident Response and Management 24%, and Reporting and Communication 16%. Two thirds of the exam is operations and vulnerability work.
How long is the exam and what score do I need to pass?
You get 165 minutes for a maximum of 85 questions, and you need 750 to pass on a scale of 100 to 900.
Do I need experience before taking CySA+?
There is no formal prerequisite, but CySA+ is not an entry-level certification. CompTIA recommends around four years of hands-on experience in a SOC analyst (level 2) or vulnerability analyst role. Most candidates come to it after Security+.
How much does the CompTIA CySA+ certification cost?
Total Seminars sells the official CompTIA CySA+ voucher at $391.99, about 11% below CompTIA’s $439 retail price. The voucher can be redeemed for either CS0-003 or CS0-004, is valid for one year, and a Retake Option is available.
How long is my CySA+ certification valid?
Three years from the date of certification, renewable through the CompTIA Continuing Education program. Passing CySA+ also renews your A+, Network+ and Security+ for another three years.
What jobs does CySA+ lead to?
Security analyst, SOC analyst, threat intelligence analyst, vulnerability analyst and incident response analyst. CySA+ is approved under the US Department of Defense 8140 framework, which makes it a requirement for many defense and federal contractor roles.
Can I study for CySA+ entirely online?
Yes. Every Total Seminars CySA+ product is delivered online through the Total Seminars Training Hub at hub.totalsem.com and works anywhere you have a high-speed internet connection.