CEH

It is a multiple-choice exam of 125 questions with a 4-hour duration, delivered online via the ECC exam portal. EC-Council states it tests information security threats and attack vectors, attack detection, attack prevention, procedures and methodologies. There is no separate scenario or essay section in the knowledge exam.

EC-Council publishes the passing score as a range of 60% to 85% rather than a single fixed cut score, and the same range is listed for the practical exam. Because the exact threshold is not disclosed, prepare to a comfortable margin above the top of that range instead of targeting the minimum.

No. Certification is awarded when the knowledge exam is passed. The practical exam is optional; completing it in addition to the knowledge exam earns the higher CEH Master level. The practical runs 6 hours and consists of 20 real-world challenges delivered through the iLabs Cyber Range.

EC-Council states there are no specific prerequisites, but strongly recommends a minimum of two years of IT security experience. The course assumes foundational knowledge such as what a port is and how TCP/IP works; it teaches hacking methodology, not basic networking. If you lack that foundation, EC-Council points candidates to its Essentials series first.

No. The AI-enabled labs use the ShellGPT tool across Linux, macOS and Windows shells including PowerShell, CMD, Bash and Zsh. EC-Council provides students with an OpenAI key (an AI Activation Key) free of charge for use inside the CEH AI labs, so no personal API subscription is required.

Work the 20 modules in sequence, because later modules assume earlier vocabulary: footprinting and scanning feed enumeration, which feeds vulnerability analysis and system hacking, then web, wireless, mobile, IoT/OT, cloud and cryptography. Complete the hands-on labs in each module on the live targets rather than reading the steps, then attempt the mock engagement and CTF challenges.

Treating it as a memorization test. Recognising a tool name is not the same as knowing which phase of an attack it belongs to or how to read its output. Candidates who skip the 221 hands-on labs and the 550 attack techniques in favour of flashcards tend to struggle with questions that describe a scenario and ask for the next step or the matching countermeasure.

EC-Council lists delivery of the knowledge exam as online via the ECC exam portal, and delivery of the practical exam through the iLabs Cyber Range. Confirm current scheduling, identity verification and remote-proctoring requirements with EC-Council directly at the time you book, as logistics can change between program versions.

EC-Council does not state a retake policy, retake fee or certification validity period on the CEH program page reviewed for this summary, so those details cannot be confirmed here. Contact EC-Council or an authorized training partner before booking so you understand the retake terms and any recertification or continuing education obligations.

EC-Council positions it for cybersecurity professionals advancing their careers, teams and organizations standardizing skills, government and military bodies, and educators building courses. It maps to over 45 job roles including security analyst, SOC analyst, vulnerability assessment analyst, penetration tester, red team specialist and AI security roles.