This CompTIA Security+ cheat sheet distills the SY0-701 objectives into a printable rundown of exactly what examiners test most, grouped by the five official domains. It's a premium cheat sheet built by Capital Prep — the one premium prep we trust — and it's yours free. Reinforce it with the rest of your free Security+ toolkit: the practice test, study guide, and flashcards.
CompTIA Security+ exam at a glance
- Exam code: SY0-701 (launched November 2023)
- Questions: Maximum of 90 — multiple-choice plus performance-based questions (PBQs)
- Time: 90 minutes
- Passing score: 750 on a scale of 100–900 (scaled, not a fixed percentage)
- Cost: ≈ $425 USD per voucher (verify current price at comptia.org)
- Certifying body: CompTIA — delivered through Pearson VUE (test center or online proctored)
- Validity: 3 years; renew with 50 CEUs via CompTIA's Continuing Education program
What’s on the CompTIA Security+ cheat sheet
- General Security Concepts (12%) — the CIA triad, non-repudiation and AAA, control categories vs. functions, Zero Trust planes, and the crypto/PKI key rules.
- Threats, Vulnerabilities & Mitigations (22%) — threat actors by sophistication, social engineering (phishing/vishing/smishing/BEC), the malware zoo, SQLi and XSS, and root-cause mitigations.
- Security Architecture (18%) — cloud shared responsibility by service model, secure infrastructure and appliances, data states and protection, plus resilience with RTO/RPO.
- Security Operations (28%) — hardening and vulnerability management, SIEM/SOAR/EDR monitoring, IAM and access models, and the NIST incident-response lifecycle — the largest domain.
- Security Program Management & Oversight (20%) — governance and policies, risk management with SLE/ARO/ALE, third-party and vendor risk, and compliance and audits.
How to use it in your final week
- Front-load Security Operations (28%) and Threats, Vulnerabilities & Mitigations (22%) — together they are half the exam, so give the sheet's operations and attacks sections the most reps.
- Burn in the crypto rule that trips people up: encrypt FOR someone with their public key, SIGN with your own private key — and remember passwords are salted-and-hashed, never encrypted.
- Rehearse the fast IDS-vs-IPS and fail-open-vs-fail-closed distinctions, plus the cloud shared-responsibility split (provider secures OF the cloud, you secure IN the cloud).
- Read the sheet the morning of the test, then simulate the clock — up to 90 items in 90 minutes, with PBQs usually first — so the pacing feels routine.
The cheat sheet is your review layer — your CompTIA Security+ practice test drives the exam-readiness ring at the top of this page. Download it, review, then take a full practice exam (or drill with the study guide and flashcards) to see where you stand.
CompTIA Security+ cheat sheet FAQ
Yes — the Security+ cheat sheet downloads as a PDF at no cost and with no sign-up. It sits alongside Career Employer's free SY0-701 practice test, study guide, and flashcards, so your whole toolkit is free.
It condenses the highest-yield SY0-701 facts into a fast reference: the CIA triad and control types, Zero Trust, the crypto and PKI key rules, threat actors and social engineering, the malware zoo, cloud shared responsibility, IAM, and the incident-response lifecycle — grouped by the five official domains.
It's built from CompTIA's SY0-701 exam objectives — the version that launched November 7, 2023 and replaced SY0-601 — and we review it against CompTIA's published objectives regularly. The domain weights and 750 scaled passing score reflect the current exam.
No — the cheat sheet is a cram and review layer, not a substitute for reps on performance-based questions. SY0-701 is scored on a 100–900 scale with 750 to pass, and the hands-on PBQs reward practice, so lock in facts with the sheet and build readiness with the practice test.
Click the download button or the preview card at the top of this page to open the PDF instantly. Bookmark this page so you can pull it up again the morning of your exam for a final memory-hook pass.
References
- 1.CompTIA. “CompTIA Security+ (SY0-701) Certification Overview.” comptia.org, 2026. ↑
- 2.CompTIA. “Security+ SY0-701 Exam Objectives (Domains 1–5 and Weightings).” comptia.org. ↑
- 3.Pearson VUE. “CompTIA Exam Registration and Scheduling.” Pearson VUE. ↑
- 4.CompTIA. “Continuing Education (CE) Program / Certification Renewal Policy.” comptia.org. ↑
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