SY0-801 exam format: questions, score and cost
SY0-801 (CompTIA Security+ V8) has a maximum of 90 questions, runs for 90 minutes, and requires 750 on a scale of 100 to 900 to pass. Questions are multiple choice and performance-based. CompTIA’s pages list the launch as expected on or around November 17, 2026, so check the CompTIA site before you book: until then SY0-701 is the exam on offer. Here is what is published, and what is not.
| Exam title | CompTIA Security+ SY0-801 V8 |
| Level | Entry to intermediate; recommended experience is a security administrator with two years of hands-on experience |
| Number of questions | Maximum of 90 |
| Question types | Multiple choice and performance-based |
| Duration | 90 minutes |
| Passing score | 750 on a scale of 100-900 |
| Launch | Expected on or around November 17, 2026 (CompTIA V8 page) |
| Languages | English is listed on the V8 page; no other languages are listed there. SY0-701, the version you can book until V8 launches, is offered in English, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish and Thai |
| Price | Not published for V8 at the time of writing; shown at booking |
| Objectives document | Version 2.0 |
| Accreditation | The objectives state the exam is ANAB-accredited against ISO 17024 |
| Renewal | CompTIA certifications renew through its continuing education program; see below |
The five domains
| Domain | Weight |
|---|---|
| 1.0 General Security Concepts | 16% |
| 2.0 Threats, Vulnerabilities, and Attacks | 24% |
| 3.0 Security Architecture | 19% |
| 4.0 Security Operations | 27% |
| 5.0 Security Program Management and Oversight | 14% |
Unlike Microsoft exams, CompTIA publishes single percentages, not ranges. On a 90-question exam that is roughly 14 questions on general concepts, 22 on threats, 17 on architecture, 24 on operations and 13 on program management, though the actual count varies and performance-based questions are weighted differently.
What the weights mean for revision
Security Operations (27%) and Threats, Vulnerabilities, and Attacks (24%) are about half the exam. Operations rewards hands-on familiarity: reading log and alert data, choosing an IAM control, deciding the next incident response step. Threats rewards recognising an indicator in a scenario and naming the attack.
General Security Concepts is smaller at 16%, but it is the vocabulary everything else uses: control types, change management and cryptography. Weak vocabulary here costs marks in every other domain.
Program Management at 14% is the smallest and the most reading-heavy. It is the easiest place to gain marks quickly if you study the terms (SLA, MOU, SOW, ALE, BIA) properly.
Performance-based questions
Performance-based questions put you in a simulated task instead of a list of options: for example ordering the steps of a response, matching controls to scenarios, or configuring a rule in a mock interface. They often appear early in the exam. A common approach is to flag them, answer the multiple-choice questions first, and return with the time that is left. You do not need to be fast at typing, only comfortable with the concepts.
The passing score is scaled
750 on a 100-900 scale is not 83% correct. CompTIA scales scores and does not publish the conversion. Aim for a consistent 80-85% on realistic practice material.
Dates and the previous version
CompTIA’s SY0-701 page lists the English version of SY0-701 as retiring on June 11, 2027, and the Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish and Thai versions on August 13, 2027. That means both versions will be bookable in parallel for a while. The comparison with SY0-701 explains how to choose. Exam dates can move, so use the exam changes page and CompTIA’s own site as the final word.
Price and renewal
CompTIA had not published an SY0-801 price in the pages checked. See certification costs for how exam fees are usually structured. CompTIA states that Security+ is renewed on a three-year cycle through continuing education units; on the SY0-701 version of the program that is 50 units. Confirm the V8 requirement on CompTIA’s site before you rely on it.
For what to do on the day itself, see the exam day guide.