Passing score

CSSLP

What it takes to pass CSSLP

The passing score for CSSLP is 700 on the vendor's scaled range. That is a scaled score rather than a percentage, which is the part most people read wrong.

A scaled 700 is not 70 percent

CSSLP reports results on a scaled basis, and 700 is the line on that scale, not a percentage of questions. ISC2 converts raw performance to the scale with a model it does not publish.

That has one practical consequence: nobody outside ISC2 can tell you exactly how many questions you can miss. Any site that gives you a precise miss budget is guessing. What you can do is practice against the same cut score: our CSSLP practice exams score on the published 700 line, so a practice result reads the same way the real one will.

If you miss it

A retake costs another $599, which is why sitting practice exams until you clear the line consistently is the cheapest part of preparing.

The full CSSLP cost breakdown

Know before you book

The candidates who pass on the first attempt treat the cut score as a rehearsal target, not a day-of surprise. Sit a full-length CSSLP practice exam under the real time limit, scored against the published line, and book the real exam when you clear it consistently rather than once.

Keep reading

Every guide and cost breakdown, by vendor