How Is Security+ Scored? The 750 Passing Score, Scaled Scores and Pass Rates Explained
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Security+ is scored on a scale of 100 to 900 and you need 750 to pass, but 750 is not 83% and CompTIA does not publish how many questions that corresponds to. It also does not publish pass rates or how individual questions are weighted. This guide separates what CompTIA actually states from what is repeated online without a source, explains what a scaled score means, and shows how to study given those limits. Where we say something is not published, it means we could not find it on CompTIA's own pages.
What CompTIA Publishes About Scoring
CompTIA states that Security+ has a maximum of 90 questions in 90 minutes, a mix of multiple-choice and performance-based questions, and a passing score of 750 on a scale of 100 to 900. It publishes the domain weights for each version. It does not publish pass rates, how it weights individual questions or whether performance-based questions are worth more than multiple-choice ones.
What a Scaled Score Means
A scaled score converts your raw performance onto a fixed scale so that results are comparable across different exam forms. The practical consequence is that 750 out of 900 is not 83%, and you cannot convert it to a percentage of questions answered correctly. Treat any website that claims an exact percentage to pass as unverified.
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Scores You Will See Quoted and Why to Be Careful
| Claim | Status |
|---|---|
| Passing score is 750 on a scale of 100 to 900 | Published by CompTIA |
| Domain weights (12, 22, 18, 28, 20 for SY0-701) | Published by CompTIA |
| A specific pass rate such as a percentage of candidates who pass | Not published by CompTIA |
| You need about a particular percent correct to pass | Not published by CompTIA |
| Performance-based questions are worth more | Not stated by CompTIA |
If an article gives numbers from the last three rows without a CompTIA source, treat them as guesses.
What This Means for How You Study
Because you cannot know the exact scoring, the safest strategy is to be solid across all five domains and to weight your time by the published domain weights. Do not try to game the scale. The objectives guide shows what is in each domain, and the study plan shows how to split your time. Use practice scores as a rough guide to readiness, not a prediction, and remember that practice-test scores from different providers are not comparable to each other or to the real scale.
Performance-Based Questions and Your Score
CompTIA says Security+ includes performance-based questions that usually appear at the start of the exam. How they are weighted is not published, so prepare for them as seriously as multiple-choice items and practice working through a scenario step by step. See our guide to performance-based questions.
The bottom line
Know the published facts: 750 on a 100 to 900 scale, the domain weights, and a maximum of 90 questions in 90 minutes. Treat percentages and pass rates without a CompTIA source as guesses, and study to be solid across all domains instead of chasing a number.
Frequently asked questions
What is the passing score for Security+?
CompTIA lists a passing score of 750 on a scale of 100 to 900 for Security+ SY0-701, and the same for SY0-801. The score is scaled, so it does not correspond to a fixed percentage of questions.
What percentage do you need to pass Security+?
CompTIA does not publish a percentage. Because the score is scaled from 100 to 900, 750 is not equal to a fixed percentage of correct answers, and any exact percentage you see online is unofficial.
What is the Security+ pass rate?
CompTIA does not publish pass rates for Security+. Figures quoted on blogs and forums are not from CompTIA and cannot be verified.
Are performance-based questions worth more points?
CompTIA does not state how performance-based questions are weighted against multiple-choice questions. Prepare for both types, and practice working through scenarios step by step.
Is the Security+ score scaled?
Yes. CompTIA reports Security+ on a scale of 100 to 900 with a passing score of 750, so your score reflects performance on your exam form converted to that scale, not a simple percentage.
Do practice test scores predict my Security+ score?
Not reliably. Practice tests from different providers vary in difficulty and are not scaled the same way as the real exam. Use them to find weak domains and track your own progress over time, not to predict a result.
Do the domain weights affect my score?
CompTIA publishes the weight of each domain as a share of the exam, so domains with larger weights contribute more questions. For SY0-701 the weights are 12, 22, 18, 28 and 20 percent, and for SY0-801 they are 16, 24, 19, 27 and 14 percent.
Sources & references
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