The Best Security+ PBQ Simulators in 2026, Compared on What the Exam Actually Asks
Every Security+ prep vendor now says it has performance-based questions. They do not mean the same thing: a bank of drills, a virtual machine lab, PBQs printed in a book, or PBQs placed inside a timed exam. This page compares the established options on the four things that decide whether PBQ practice moves your score, with prices read from each vendor in October 2026.
Short answer: for the most PBQs per dollar, Dion Training's Security+ PBQ Practice Pack ($29.99, a bank of 100 PBQ-style items). For CompTIA's own hands-on labs, CertMaster Labs ($210 list). For the most simulations in one subscription, Total Seminars TotalSims ($75 a year). For PBQs inside full timed exams, graded with partial credit and mapped to the SY0-701 domains, FigigExams: 17 PBQs across 4 practice exams for $39 once, with 2 PBQs free in a full free exam.
Most candidates do best with two: one tool to drill PBQ formats, and one full timed exam that shows whether you can do them under the clock.
In This Guide
- What a Security+ PBQ actually tests
- How to judge a PBQ simulator
- Security+ PBQ simulators compared
- The best free way to practise Security+ PBQs
- The picks, by the job they do best
- Where our PBQs sit on the SY0-701 blueprint
- From a PBQ score to a study plan
- The cheapest way to cover PBQs
- What happens at SY0-801
- FAQ
What a Security+ PBQ actually tests
SY0-701 has a maximum of 90 questions in 90 minutes, and a passing score of 750 on a 100-900 scale. CompTIA does not publish how many of those are performance-based; candidates usually report a handful. They are interactive tasks rather than pick-one questions: repair a firewall rule set, pick the attack events out of a log, sort controls into categories, put incident-response steps in order, or place devices on a network diagram.
They cost time more than knowledge. A PBQ can take several minutes, and they often appear early in the exam. Strong candidates lose marks on them by over-spending the clock, not by not knowing the answer. How to answer each format is covered in our Security+ PBQ guide with free examples. This page is about where to practise them.
How to judge a PBQ simulator
- Interactive or written. A PBQ printed in a book teaches the content but not the interface or the time cost. Practise in the format you will sit.
- Graded per outcome, with partial credit. Multi-part PBQs are widely reported to award partial credit. A good simulator scores each required outcome and tells you why you met it or missed it.
- Inside a timed exam or drilled alone. Drills build speed on a format. Only a full timed paper shows whether PBQs eat the minutes you need for 80-plus multiple-choice questions.
- Mapped to the objectives. You should be able to see which SY0-701 domain each PBQ tests, so a weak result points at something to study.
- Price model and SY0-801. Security+ V8 (SY0-801) is in development. Check whether your purchase follows the exam to its next version or ends with SY0-701.
Security+ PBQ simulators compared
Prices and counts from each vendor's own page, checked 3 October 2026.
| Tool | Price | PBQ format and feedback | Inside a timed exam? | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dion Training PBQ Practice Pack | $29.99 ($49.99 with practice exams) | Bank of 100 PBQ-style items in interactive 5-question sets; guided solutions | No, drilled in sets | Most PBQs per dollar |
| CompTIA CertMaster Labs | $210 list (CompTIA store) | Guided virtual labs with real tools | No | Official hands-on labs |
| Total Seminars TotalSims | $75, one year | 135 simulation elements, incl. PBQ-format Challenge! items | No | Most simulations |
| FigigExams | $39 once, lifetime · 2 PBQs free | 17 interactive PBQs (rule tables, log evidence, diagrams, sorting, ordering, config forms); every outcome graded, partial credit, reason given | Yes, spread through 90-question timed exams | PBQs under exam conditions |
| Crucial Exams | Premium membership (see their plans page) | 9 PBQs as hands-on exercises; format previews free | Not stated | Large free question bank |
| Boson ExSim-Max | $99/yr auto-renew; $179/yr with Practice Lab | Timed exam simulator with detailed explanations; PBQs not listed on the product page | Yes (multiple choice) | Timed multiple-choice practice |
| Professor Messer Success Bundle | $119 | PBQs written in the practice exam book, with explanations | On paper | Pairing with the free course |
The best free way to practise Security+ PBQs
Free PBQ practice that is genuinely interactive is rare. What exists:
- The free FigigExams Security+ exam: a complete 90-question timed paper with 2 interactive PBQs inside it, graded like the rest. Code
SECPLUS-EXAM-FULL, no card. - Crucial Exams shows its PBQ formats as read-only previews and has a large free multiple-choice bank. The PBQs themselves need Premium.
- Our free PBQ walkthroughs: 5 PBQ-style examples with a 5-step strategy and a log-analysis PBQ worked line by line.
- Professor Messer's free SY0-701 course teaches the material most PBQs are built on.
Sit a full Security+ exam with real PBQs inside it, free
A complete timed SY0-701 paper with interactive PBQs where the exam puts them, an explanation on every question, and your score by domain at the end. Create an account on the next screen and the code applies itself.
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The picks, by the job they do best
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Dion Training Security+ PBQ Practice Pack: most PBQ practice per dollar
$29.99 for a bank of 100 PBQ-style items, served as interactive 5-question sets with step-by-step guided solutions; $49.99 with Dion's practice exams. The best way to see a lot of formats quickly.
Where it falls short: PBQs come in sets of five, outside a full exam, so it does not test the time trade-off. The full comparison: Dion's PBQ pack vs PBQs inside a timed exam.
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CompTIA CertMaster Labs: the official hands-on option
CompTIA's own browser-based virtual labs, aligned to the SY0-701 objectives. CompTIA renamed the former TestOut LabSim platform CertMaster in 2026 and says the two product lines converge with the next Security+ version.
Where it falls short: $210 list price. The labs teach the tools in depth; they are not built to rehearse exam-format PBQs against the clock.
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Total Seminars TotalSims: the most simulations
$75 for a year of 135 simulation elements across 102 lab topics, including Challenge! items that copy the PBQ format directly. Pairs naturally with Mike Meyers' course.
Where it falls short: one-year access, and the simulations are separate from any timed practice exam.
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FigigExams: best for PBQs under real exam conditions
17 interactive PBQs placed inside 4 full-length, 90-question timed practice exams (357 questions in all), at positions spread through the paper like the real one. Each required outcome is graded separately, with partial credit and the reason you met or missed it, and the PBQs count toward one weighted exam score. Every PBQ is tagged to its SY0-701 domain and shows up on your Study Path. $39 once for every Security+ exam, for life, including future versions; the free exam includes 2 PBQs.
Where it falls short: 17 PBQs is far fewer than Dion's 100 or TotalSims' 135. Most sit in Security Operations (13 of them), so Threats and Program Management are practised as multiple choice only.
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Crucial Exams: the biggest free question bank
A large free SY0-701 multiple-choice bank, plus 9 PBQs presented as hands-on exercises for Premium members.
Where it falls short: the PBQs are behind the membership, and there are 9 of them.
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Boson ExSim-Max: the timed multiple-choice simulator
3 exams and 270 questions with Boson's detailed explanations, $99 a year; $179 a year with Boson's Practice Lab.
Where it falls short: Boson's product page does not list PBQs, and both options auto-renew. See Boson ExSim for Security+.
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Professor Messer: PBQs on paper, best course to pair with
The Success Bundle ($119) includes three 90-question practice exams in a printed book, with performance-based questions written out.
Where it falls short: written PBQs teach the content, not the interface or the time cost.
Where our PBQs sit on the SY0-701 blueprint
Each FigigExams PBQ is authored against one SY0-701 domain. The counts below come live from our PBQ catalogue; the weights are CompTIA's.
| Domain (CompTIA weight) | PBQs | What they make you do |
|---|---|---|
| 1.0 General Security Concepts (12%) | 2 | Replace a certificate end to end; sort findings into control categories |
| 2.0 Threats, Vulnerabilities and Mitigations (22%) | 0 | Practised as multiple choice in the exams |
| 3.0 Security Architecture (18%) | 2 | Keep a recoverable backup boundary; recover switch management safely |
| 4.0 Security Operations (28%) | 13 | Repair firewall rules, triage logs and incidents, run incident response in order, review access, prioritise vulnerabilities, harden wireless, contain identity and cloud exposures |
| 5.0 Security Program Management and Oversight (20%) | 0 | Practised as multiple choice in the exams |
The full objective list with weights: Security+ SY0-701 exam objectives.
From a PBQ score to a study plan
One exam score
PBQs and multiple choice add up to one weighted score, as on the real exam, and Results show every PBQ outcome you met or missed, with the reason.
Readiness by domain
The Study Path weights your multiple-choice results by CompTIA's domain weights, so the costliest gap comes first.
PBQs beside each domain
Each domain lists its PBQs with your best score. Those scores are shown, not mixed into readiness, so readiness stays a measure of the full paper.
How the weighting works: the Security+ Study Path explained.
The cheapest way to cover Security+ PBQs
- $0: the free FigigExams exam (a full paper with PBQs inside), our free PBQ walkthroughs, and Professor Messer's free course.
- $29.99: Dion's PBQ pack, if volume of PBQ formats is what you lack.
- $39 once: FigigExams, if you want PBQs inside full timed exams plus 357 explained questions and a Study Path, with future versions included.
- $68.99: both. Drill formats with Dion, then prove timing on full papers. That is still cheaper than CertMaster Labs ($210) or a year of Boson ExSim-Max plus Practice Lab ($179).
What happens to your PBQ practice at SY0-801
CompTIA lists Security+ V8 as in development. A launch date of 17 November 2026 has been reported through CompTIA's instructor network but is not a published announcement, and SY0-701's retirement date is not yet published. Judging by the last change, the two versions should overlap for several months. Details: what changes in SY0-801.
Most PBQ products are sold per exam code. A FigigExams Security+ purchase covers every version of the certification, including SY0-801 when we release it, at no extra cost.
Your free Security+ exam is waiting
One full SY0-701 paper, PBQs included where the exam puts them, then a Study Path that shows which domain to fix first. When you want the other three exams and every PBQ, it is $39 once.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best Security+ PBQ simulator?
It depends on the job. For the most PBQ practice per dollar, Dion Training's PBQ Practice Pack ($29.99, a bank of 100 PBQ-style items). For official hands-on labs, CompTIA CertMaster Labs. For the most simulations, Total Seminars TotalSims ($75 a year). For PBQs inside full timed exams, graded with partial credit and mapped to the SY0-701 domains, FigigExams ($39 once, 17 PBQs across 4 practice exams, 2 PBQs free).
Where can I practise Security+ PBQs for free?
The free FigigExams Security+ exam is a full 90-question timed paper with 2 interactive PBQs inside it (code SECPLUS-EXAM-FULL). Crucial Exams shows its PBQ formats as free read-only previews. Our Security+ PBQ guide has 5 free PBQ-style examples.
How many PBQs are on the Security+ exam?
CompTIA does not publish the number. SY0-701 has a maximum of 90 questions in 90 minutes, and candidates usually report a handful of performance-based questions, often near the start.
Are Security+ PBQs graded with partial credit?
CompTIA does not publish its scoring formula, but multi-part PBQs are widely reported to award partial credit, so never leave a part blank. FigigExams grades each required outcome of a PBQ separately, with partial credit and the reason for each outcome.
Is Dion's Security+ PBQ pack worth it?
For $29.99 it is the cheapest way to see many PBQ formats: a bank of 100 PBQ-style items with guided solutions. It drills PBQs in sets of five, outside a timed exam, so pair it with at least one full timed paper. Full comparison: Dion PBQ pack alternative.
Is CertMaster Labs good for Security+ PBQs?
CertMaster Labs is CompTIA's official set of guided virtual labs and is strong for hands-on skills with real tools. It costs $210 list, and it is not built to rehearse exam-format PBQs against the exam clock. Many candidates use cheaper PBQ drills plus a full timed exam instead.
Which Security+ practice platform puts PBQs inside full practice exams?
FigigExams places its interactive PBQs inside full 90-question timed Security+ practice exams, spread through the paper like the real one, and counts them toward one weighted score. Boson ExSim-Max simulates the timed exam but does not list PBQs on its product page.
What is the best all-in-one Security+ practice platform?
If you want practice exams, interactive PBQs and a study plan in one place for one payment, FigigExams covers all three for $39 once: 4 full exams (357 questions), 17 PBQs, and a Study Path weighted by CompTIA's domain weights. If you want the most PBQ volume, add Dion's $29.99 PBQ pack.
Will Security+ PBQ practice still be useful after SY0-801?
The formats carry over, but most PBQ products are sold per exam code. A FigigExams Security+ purchase covers future versions of the certification, including SY0-801 when it is released, at no extra cost.
Sources
Every competitor price and count on this page was read from the vendor's own page (checked 3 October 2026). Prices change; check before you buy.
- Dion Training: Security+ SY0-701 PBQ Practice Pack
- CompTIA store: CertMaster Labs for Security+ (SY0-701)
- CompTIA: LabSim renamed CertMaster
- Total Seminars: Security+ SY0-701 TotalSims
- Crucial Exams: Security+ SY0-701 practice tests
- Boson: ExSim-Max for Security+ SY0-701
- Professor Messer: SY0-701 Success Bundle