Security+ exam-day guide
Security+ · Prepare for the day ahead.
Your checklist
Primary photo ID with signature
Bring a current government-issued ID that has both your photo and your signature (driver's license or passport are the usual choices). The name must match your exam registration exactly - including middle name or suffix differences. If your ID name and registration name differ, contact the provider before exam day to fix it.
Second form of ID
A secondary ID is commonly requested (a credit/bank card with signature or a second government ID). The exact requirement varies by location and delivery method - confirm the current two-ID policy with CompTIA/Pearson VUE when you book.
Appointment confirmation and test-center logistics
Have your appointment number, exam code (SY0-701), exact start time, and the test-center address saved offline on paper or a printout you leave in the car or locker. Know the parking situation and the building/floor before you leave.
Online-proctoring setup, if testing remotely
Run the provider's system test on the same machine and network you will use, a day ahead. You will need a working webcam, microphone, and speakers, a stable connection, a private room with a closed door, and a clear desk. Close all other applications before check-in.
Check-in early
Plan to arrive at the test center, or start the online check-in, about 30 minutes before your appointment. Check-in, ID verification, and a room scan take real time and the clock does not start until you do.
Leave prohibited items behind
Phones, smartwatches, fitness bands, notes, books, bags, and food or drink are not allowed in the testing room. Use the provided locker or leave items at home or in the car. Silence and power off your phone even if you plan to store it.
Comfort logistics
Eat a normal meal, hydrate moderately, and use the restroom immediately before check-in. The exam clock runs continuously and there is no scheduled break.
Scratch materials
You will not be permitted to bring your own paper or pen. The test center typically supplies an erasable notepad and marker; online sessions typically provide an on-screen whiteboard. Confirm which applies to your delivery method so you are not surprised.
Pacing plan
Budget roughly one minute per question across a maximum of 90 questions in 90 minutes, and reserve the last several minutes for flagged items. Decide in advance whether you will do performance-based questions first or flag them and return.
Light review material only
Choose a one-page sheet you can review in the parking lot or before check-in - objective weights, port numbers, incident-response order, authentication factors. It stays outside the testing room; nothing goes in with you.
Score-report plan
Know how you will receive results: typically a printed report handed to you at the test center, or results posted to your account shortly after a remote session. Confirm the current method and the passing score when you book.
Reschedule and retake policy
Look up the cancellation/reschedule deadline and any fee, plus the waiting period before a retake, before exam day. These terms change periodically - verify them on the provider's site rather than relying on what you heard from a colleague.
Plan the day
Stop learning new topics. Do targeted review of the two heaviest objective domains - Security Operations and Threats, Vulnerabilities, and Mitigations - then sweep the remaining domains at a skim level. Do one timed set of mixed practice questions to calibrate pacing, and reread the official objectives list so no bullet point feels unfamiliar.
One short session only: review your memory sheet and the questions you got wrong in the last week. Then stop. Prepare your ID and confirmation document, lay out clothes, confirm travel time or run the remote system test one last time, and go to bed early enough for a full night's sleep.
Eat a real meal. Glance at your one-page sheet for ten minutes, then put it away. Leave early enough to absorb a delay and still check in about 30 minutes ahead. Store your phone before you walk in. If testing online, log in early, finish the room scan, and keep the desk clear.
Read and accept the candidate agreement, then take or skip the optional tutorial. If performance-based questions appear at the start, decide your strategy: many candidates flag them, clear the multiple-choice questions, and return. Write nothing outside the provided notepad or whiteboard.
Answer every question - a blank answer scores zero, so guess rather than leave anything empty. Flag anything that takes more than about 90 seconds and move on. Watch the clock at the halfway mark and adjust pace. Use the review screen to revisit flagged items and confirm nothing is unanswered before submitting.
Complete any survey if prompted (it does not affect your score), collect your printed score report at the test center or check your account for remote results, and note the domain-level breakdown if one is shown - it tells you exactly where you were weak if you need to retest.
Rules to check
Two forms of identification are commonly required, and the name must match your registration exactly. Bring them both; if you are unsure what qualifies, confirm the ID policy with the provider in advance.
Bring nothing into the testing room except your ID and approved materials. Phones, wearables, notes, bags, and food or drink are prohibited; an unannounced break or an unauthorized device can void your score.
There is no scheduled break and the timer keeps running. Leaving the testing area without permission is treated as a security violation - plan hydration and restroom use for before check-in, and confirm the provider's break policy if you have an accommodation.
Arrive or check in roughly 30 minutes early. Candidates who arrive after the appointment time may be turned away and lose the exam fee. Confirm the late-arrival and rescheduling terms when you book.
You must accept the candidate agreement before the exam begins, and it binds you afterward: do not share, publish, or discuss specific exam questions or performance-based scenarios.
Scoring: a maximum of 90 questions in 90 minutes, with a passing score of 750 on a scale of 100 to 900. Unanswered items count as incorrect, so there is no benefit to leaving a question blank.
You may flag items and return to them within the exam session, and performance-based questions may be placed anywhere in the set. Manage the clock so flagging never leaves a question blank at submission.
If you do not pass, a waiting period applies before you may retake the same exam and a new fee is charged. Verify the current retake interval with the provider rather than assuming a number.
If you test remotely, a live proctor monitors you and may intervene. No second screens, no other people in the room, no notes or writing outside the provided whiteboard, and no leaving the camera view mid-exam.