Best Security+ Study Resources in 2026: Courses, Books, PBQs and Practice Exams
To pass CompTIA Security+ SY0-701 in 2026 you need four kinds of resource. Learn with Professor Messer's free SY0-701 course. Read the Sybex study guide by Mike Chapple and David Seidl. Practise PBQs, the simulations at the start of the exam: Dion's pack has 100 PBQ-style items, and FigigExams grades interactive PBQs inside its full-length papers. Test on full-length timed papers: FigigExams gives a complete 90-question exam free ($39 once for all four), Jason Dion's Udemy sets are the cheapest paid volume, and Boson ExSim-Max ($99 a year) is the hardest. A new version is coming: CompTIA has released draft SY0-801 objectives.Compiled 6 October 2026 by FigigExams. Prices and counts are dated in the comparison table.
Start with the free full-length paper
A complete Security+ SY0-701 practice exam: 90 questions in 90 minutes, interactive PBQs graded outcome by outcome, an Exam Tip on every item and an Exam Coach report at the end.
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In this guide
The four jobs a Security+ SY0-701 study stack has to do
Security+ adds a job most certifications do not have: performance-based questions (PBQs), the simulations at the start of the exam that a multiple-choice bank never rehearses.
A course that covers every objective
- Professor Messer's SY0-701 course, free, the default starting point
- Jason Dion on Udemy, course plus practice exams
- Official: CompTIA CertMaster Learn
A book for depth and gaps
- CompTIA Security+ Study Guide by Mike Chapple and David Seidl (Sybex)
- Get Certified Get Ahead study guide series
- Every book compared: best Security+ books
Rehearse the simulations
- Dion's PBQ Practice Pack, 100 PBQ-style items
- TotalSims, 135 simulation elements
- FigigExams, 17 interactive PBQs graded inside timed full exams
Full-length timed papers
- FigigExams, a complete 90-question exam free, 4 exams in the pack
- Jason Dion's Udemy sets, the cheapest paid volume
- Boson ExSim-Max, the hardest questions
Every Security+ resource worth knowing, side by side
Prices carry the date they were checked. Products that renew automatically are marked.
| Resource | Job | Price | Free option | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Professor Messer SY0-701 course | Learn | Free | All of it | Learning every objective, with free live study groups |
| Professor Messer Success Bundle | Read + Test | $119 | No | Course notes, 3 practice exams of 90 questions, PBQs |
| Jason Dion (Udemy) | Learn + Test | Often $15-30 on sale | No | The cheapest paid volume: 6 exams, 540+ questions |
| Chapple & Seidl, Sybex Study Guide | Read | Paid book | No | Depth, with an online test bank |
| CompTIA CertMaster Practice | Test | About $139-200 | No | The official, adaptive option |
| Dion PBQ Practice Pack | PBQs | $29.99 | No | 100 PBQ-style items in interactive 5-question sets |
| TotalSims | PBQs | $75 for 1 year | No | 135 simulation elements |
| FigigExams Security+ | Test + PBQs | $39 once, lifetime | Full exam with PBQs | 4 exams, 357 questions, 17 interactive PBQs, Exam Coach |
| Boson ExSim-Max for Security+ | Test | $99 a year, auto-renews | No | The hardest questions: 3 exams, 270 questions |
| ExamCompass | Test | Free | Yes | Quick topic quizzes, one objective at a time |
Professor Messer, Dion PBQ Pack, TotalSims and Boson checked 3 October 2026; Udemy and CertMaster Practice checked 4 September 2026; FigigExams counts read from the live question banks 6 October 2026. If anything here is out of date, email [email protected] and we will correct it and re-date the page.
The Security+ stack that costs nothing
- Professor Messer's SY0-701 course for the material, plus his free live study groups.
- CompTIA's SY0-701 exam objectives PDF as the checklist. Every question maps to an objective in it.
- A full-length FigigExams paper: 90 questions in 90 minutes with interactive PBQs graded outcome by outcome, free with code
SECPLUS-EXAM-FULL. - ExamCompass for quick topic quizzes between study sessions.
- The free Security+ study guide, readable online with no email wall.
What free does not give you is more unseen full-length papers and a large PBQ bank. That is where the paid options come in.
Where spending money actually helps
- More unseen papers. FigigExams is $39 once for 4 exams and 357 questions, with an Exam Coach report after every attempt and future exam versions included. Dion's Udemy sets are cheaper per question on sale. Boson ExSim-Max is $99 a year for 3 exams and 270 questions, harder than ours, and the licence renews automatically.
- More PBQs. Dion's pack has 100 PBQ-style items for $29.99 to our 17. Ours are graded inside timed full-length exams, so you practise the time pressure PBQs create, not just the format. See the PBQ simulator comparison.
- A book, if the videos leave gaps. The Sybex guide is the deepest single reference; use it on the objectives your course covers thinly.
Where Security+ candidates actually lose marks
Measured across 1,080 domain-tagged answers from 12 candidates on full-length FigigExams Security+ papers between 22 and 31 August 2026. Weighted shortfall is the domain's exam weight multiplied by the share of its questions answered wrong: the marks that domain costs on the real exam.
| Domain | Exam weight | Answers | Accuracy | Weighted shortfall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Security Operations | 28% | 336 | 80.7% | 5.4 pts |
| Security Program Management and Oversight | 20% | 216 | 75.0% | 5.0 pts |
| Threats, Vulnerabilities and Mitigations | 22% | 228 | 81.1% | 4.2 pts |
| Security Architecture | 18% | 132 | 77.3% | 4.1 pts |
| General Security Concepts | 12% | 168 | 79.2% | 2.5 pts |
Security Program Management and Oversight has the lowest accuracy, but Security Operations costs the most marks because it carries 28% of the exam. Full method and limits: Which exam domains do candidates actually lose marks on?
A study order that works
- Work through one course in order, keeping the objectives PDF open as a checklist.
- Halfway through, sit a full-length paper with PBQs as a diagnostic. It shows whether your weak spot is content or the PBQ format.
- Use the book on the weak domains, not on everything.
- Re-sit unseen full-length papers and fix the domain with the highest weighted shortfall first.
- Book the exam when you clear the pass mark on unseen papers with margin. SY0-701 passes at 750 on a 100-900 scale. The readiness rubric and the 30-day plan cover the final month.
SY0-701 now, SY0-801 next
CompTIA has confirmed that Security+ V8 is in development and has released draft objectives. A launch date of 17 November 2026 appears on CompTIA's instructor network but has not been published as an announcement, and on CompTIA's own precedent SY0-701 would retire around the middle of 2027. If you can sit in the next few months, study SY0-701 with any resource above. A FigigExams pack includes future versions at no extra cost. What is confirmed and what is not: Security+ SY0-801 release date.
Test your stack on a full-length paper
90 questions in 90 minutes with interactive PBQs, an Exam Tip on every question and an Exam Coach report that ranks what to revise. Free, no credit card.
Try a free Security+ examThe full Security+ pack is $39 once: 4 exams, 357 questions and 17 interactive PBQs, lifetime, future versions included.
Frequently asked questions about Security+ study resources
What resources do I need to pass Security+?
Four kinds: a course (Professor Messer's SY0-701 course is free and complete), a book for depth (the Sybex study guide by Chapple and Seidl), PBQ practice for the simulations at the start of the exam, and full-length timed practice exams (FigigExams gives a complete 90-question exam with interactive PBQs free; Jason Dion's Udemy sets are the cheapest paid volume; Boson ExSim-Max is the hardest).
Is Professor Messer enough to pass Security+?
For learning the material, often yes: the free course covers every SY0-701 objective. What it does not do is simulate the exam, so add full-length timed practice exams and PBQ practice before you book.
How do I practise Security+ PBQs?
Use interactive simulations, not screenshots of them. Dion's PBQ Practice Pack has 100 PBQ-style items for $29.99, TotalSims has 135 simulation elements, and FigigExams grades 17 interactive PBQs inside timed full-length exams, so you also rehearse the time they cost.
What is the best free Security+ practice exam?
A full-length, timed paper that includes PBQs. FigigExams gives a complete 90-question Security+ SY0-701 exam free with no credit card, with interactive PBQs, an explanation and an Exam Tip on every question and an Exam Coach report. ExamCompass is useful for quick topic quizzes.
What score should I aim for on Security+ practice exams?
SY0-701 passes at 750 on a 100-900 scale, which is a scaled score rather than a simple percentage of questions. The practical bar is clearing the pass mark consistently on unseen full-length papers, with no domain far behind.
Should I wait for SY0-801?
Not if you can sit in the next few months. CompTIA has released draft SY0-801 objectives, but the launch date has not been formally announced, and on CompTIA's precedent SY0-701 would remain available until around mid-2027.