CompTIA Security+ practice test: 546 questions, 31 PBQs, every answer explained
Start with 20 free Security+ practice questions, no card needed. Each one explains why the right answer fits and why the other options fail, and your results are scored by exam domain so you know what to study next, not just how many you got right.
Original English practice examples, with answers and explanations available here. No account required. These are independent teaching examples, not official exam questions or exam dumps.
Question 1 of 3 · Threats, vulnerabilities, and mitigations
Answer and explanation
Best answer: Validate and apply the workaround, monitor it, and track the pending patch
A validated compensating control can reduce exposure while the permanent fix is pending. Retain the vulnerability record, residual risk, and a plan to apply and verify the patch.
Why the other choices fit less well
Waiting leaves exposure unchanged, and a hostname change does not block the flaw. A workaround reduces risk without necessarily removing the vulnerability, so closing it as permanently fixed overstates the evidence.
Best answer: Grant approved read-only access to that dataset with a reviewed expiry
Limit permissions to the approved task, resource and duration. Review the expiry and record the grant so access can be removed when the investigation ends.
Why the other choices fit less well
Permanent administrator rights exceed the task. Shared credentials weaken individual accountability. Disabling logs removes evidence without reducing the permissions required.
Best answer: Preserve both records and investigate or repeat the transfer before relying on the copy
The received bytes have not passed the expected integrity check. Preserve the acquisition record and investigate the discrepancy or acquire a verified copy.
Why the other choices fit less well
A filename does not establish byte-level integrity. Replacing the original hash hides the discrepancy. Do not describe the copy as verified until the mismatch is resolved.
Paid question-bank access is a one-time purchase, with no recurring subscription. Official exam registration, vouchers and provider labs are separate from CertSprint practice.
Which Security+ exam a practice test should match
SY0-701 is the current Security+ exam. CompTIA retired SY0-601 on 31 July 2024, so a practice test still built on 601 objectives is testing you on a blueprint you will not sit.
This bank is written to SY0-701. Every question states the domain it belongs to, so when you finish a set you see a score per domain, and the domains carry the same names CompTIA uses in the objectives.
What Security+ questions look like
Most Security+ questions hand you a short scenario — an alert, a configuration, a policy gap — and ask which control, action or explanation fits best. Several options are plausible; one is the strongest given the evidence. The performance-based questions ask you to order steps, match concepts or configure something simple from a description.
Multiple-choice (single and multiple response) plus performance-based questions (PBQs). The free preview mixes both kinds so you see the format before you pay for anything.
How to use a practice test so it actually predicts anything
Take the first 20 questions untimed and read every explanation, including the ones you got right. A practice test only teaches when you learn why the three wrong options were wrong; that is the judgement the exam scores, and it is the part most people skip.
Then take sets by domain, not at random. Security Operations is the largest domain in this bank at 135 questions, and the largest or second-largest on the exam. A domain score built on five questions means nothing; a domain score built on forty tells you something.
Only when every domain is steady should you sit a timed simulation. The simulation scores you at the end, with no feedback until you submit, which is the closest thing to exam day you can get without paying for an attempt.
The Security+ trap a practice test can hide
Memorising definitions. Security+ rarely asks what a term means; it asks which of four reasonable moves is right for this situation. A practice test that scores you on recall will flatter you.
Security Operations and Threats, Vulnerabilities & Mitigations carry the most marks and the most scenario questions. If your scores there are below your average, start with those two domains.
What a practice score cannot tell you
No practice percentage predicts a pass. CompTIA scales its exam on a 100–900 range, which is not a percentage, and the real exam draws from a pool you have not seen. Treat a practice score as a map of where your reasoning is slow, not as a forecast.
These questions are original, written to the published objectives. They are not leaked exam items and do not claim to be. A practice test that promises "real exam questions" is either lying or selling you something that will get your certification revoked if you are caught with it.
Common questions
Frequently asked
Is the Security+ practice test free?
The first 20 questions are free with an account and no card. The full bank of 546 questions, including the 31 performance-based ones, is a one-time €19.99 with permanent access.
How many questions are on the real Security+ exam?
Up to 90 questions, in 90 minutes. The passing score is 750 (scored on a 100–900 scale).
Are these real Security+ exam questions?
No. They are original questions written to the SY0-701 objectives. Using leaked exam content violates CompTIA's candidate agreement and can cost you the certification.
Does the practice test cover SY0-701?
Yes. SY0-701 is the current Security+ exam. The bank was last reviewed in October 2026.
Sources
Figures on this page were checked against these pages on 8 October 2026. They can change; confirm with the provider before booking.
