Two facts make a question count impossible to quote. Your paper may hold fewer than 90 questions. And CompTIA does not publish how many questions you need to answer correctly, or how many you got wrong. No allowed-miss number exists in public.
Do not chase a percentage. Take timed, full-length practice exams instead, and aim to pass them with room to spare. No official table converts a practice score into a scaled score.
What changes when SY0-801 arrives
The bar is identical on both versions, so the real difference is the blueprint underneath it.
| Exam detail | SY0-701 (V7) | SY0-801 (V8) |
|---|
| Launch date | 7 November 2023 | On or around 17 November 2026 |
| Questions | Maximum 90 | Maximum 90, multiple-choice and performance-based |
| Time limit | 90 minutes | 90 minutes |
| Passing score | 750 on a scale of 100-900 | 750 on a scale of 100-900 |
| English retirement | 11 June 2027 | Estimated about three years after launch |
The domain weights move under the bar:
- General Security Concepts - up from 12 percent to 16 percent of the exam
- Threats and Vulnerabilities - named "Mitigations" on V7 and "Attacks" on V8, up from 22 percent to 24 percent
- Security Architecture - up from 18 percent to 19 percent
- Security Operations - down from 28 percent to 27 percent
- Security Program Management and Oversight - down from 20 percent to 14 percent
The weights show where the questions are concentrated. They do not say that either version is easier. Use them to match your study time to the exam you book. Security Program Management and Oversight loses six points on V8. General Security Concepts gains four. Book the version your study material covers. The English SY0-701 exam retires on 11 June 2027, which sets a hard deadline for that version. Other language versions retire on 13 August 2027. The best cyber security certifications 2026 guide compares Security+ with other certifications.
How many attempts can you make at 750, and what does each one cost?
Each attempt on the road to the CompTIA Security+ passing score costs a fresh voucher. The CompTIA certification retake policy states that candidates must pay the exam price each time they attempt the exam. It also states that CompTIA offers no free re-tests or discounts on retakes. A first retake is not free.
There is no waiting period between a first and a second attempt. A third attempt needs at least 14 calendar days from the date of your last attempt. So the policy forces no study gap between your first and second attempt.
The US retail voucher for Security+ rose from $425 to $439 on 29 May 2026. That price comes from a training vendor table, because CompTIA's store pages list no current price without a login. The $439 voucher price hike explains the change. The Security+ certification cost 2026 breakdown covers the wider spending.
| Attempt | Voucher cost (US retail) | Wait before your next attempt |
|---|
| Attempt 1 | $439 per voucher | None |
| Attempt 2 | $439 per voucher | At least 14 calendar days before attempt 3 |
| Attempt 3 and later | $439 per voucher each | At least 14 calendar days after the last attempt |
| Total after two attempts | $878 in vouchers | - |
One voucher rule is easy to miss. The CompTIA voucher terms say exam retirement dates supersede voucher expiration dates, and expiry dates cannot be extended. All voucher purchases are final. So an English SY0-701 voucher stops working when the exam retires on 11 June 2027. That holds even if the voucher shows a later expiry date.
What should you do next?
The bar is 750 on a scale that runs from 100 to 900, and it does not move between versions. The scale starts at 100, so nobody can turn your result into a count of missed questions. The blueprint moves under the bar, and every attempt costs a new voucher at $439. Plan around the blueprint and the budget, not a percentage.
- Book the version your study material covers.
- Take timed, full-length practice exams before you book.
- Treat attempt two as paid, and study between attempts.
- Use the objective list on your score report to pick what to study.
- Sit the English SY0-701 before 11 June 2027.
Photo: Pexels, Pixabay Content License, via Pixabay (https://pixabay.com/photos/home-office-computer-desk-display-1867761/)
Fazlur Rahman
