Certification guide
SSCPISC2 SSCP: the honest guide
Everything ISC2 publishes about SSCP, in one place: what the exam asks, how the domains are weighted, and what it takes to be ready.
This guide page is built from the registry, not written yet.
Everything below comes from SSCP’s published exam data, and every figure links to the vendor page it came from. The researched version, with study plans and the parts nobody publishes, is still being written. This page is not submitted to search engines until it is.
See everything published on SSCPWhat the exam actually asks you to do
Multiple choice and ISC2's advanced item types. There is no lab and no simulation, so the practice that matters is reading a scenario and choosing well.
Item formats
- Multiple choice
Nothing here needs a lab. Reading carefully and eliminating options is the whole skill. ISC2, SSCP exam outline ↗
Domain breakdown and official weightings
From the official ISC2 exam outlines. Security Concepts and Practices is the heaviest domain at 16 percent, followed by Network and Communications Security at 16 percent.
- Security Concepts and Practices16%
- Access Controls15%
- Risk Identification, Monitoring and Analysis15%
- Incident Response and Recovery14%
- Cryptography9%
- Network and Communications Security16%
- Systems and Application Security15%
Where to focus: The SSCP is delivered as a computerized adaptive test, so it ends somewhere between 100 and 125 items and you cannot go back to change an earlier answer. ISC2 weights Cryptography at only 9 percent while Security Concepts and Practices and Network and Communications Security sit at 16 percent each, so time spent on the operational domains pays back more than time spent on cipher detail.
What comes after passing
SSCP is valid for 3 years. ISC2 runs a three year certification cycle. SSCP holders must earn 60 CPE credits across that cycle, 45 of which must be Group A, and pay the annual maintenance fee of U.S. $135 each year on the anniversary of their certification date. ISC2 allows a 90 day grace period after the cycle expiration date to earn and submit required CPE credits.
Costs across the full renewal cycle are on the SSCP cost page.
Frequently asked questions
How much does the SSCP exam cost?
ISC2 lists standard registration for the SSCP exam at U.S. $249 in the Americas, Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa, EUR 239.04 in EMEA, and GBP 201.69 in the United Kingdom. ISC2 notes that pricing and taxes are based on the location of exam administration.
What experience do I need before I can be certified?
ISC2 requires a minimum of one year of full-time experience in one or more of the seven SSCP domains. A bachelors or masters degree in computer science, IT or a related field may satisfy up to one year of that requirement, and ISC2 says part-time work and internships may also count.
What happens if I pass but do not have the year of experience?
ISC2 says a candidate without the required experience may become an Associate of ISC2 by passing the SSCP exam, and then has two years to earn the one year of required experience.
How do I keep the SSCP once I have it?
SSCP holders earn 60 CPE credits over the three year certification cycle, 45 of them Group A, and pay an annual maintenance fee of U.S. $135. Members pay a single AMF no matter how many ISC2 certifications they hold.
Keep reading
- SSCP exam overview
The format, the domain weights and the renewal terms, sourced line by line.
- SSCP passing score
The exact cut score, what kind of number it is, and the retake terms.
- How hard is SSCP?
An honest difficulty read from the format, the clock and the weights.