Free CompTIA Security+ SY0-701 Practice Exam - 5 Real Questions, Instant Feedback, No Sign-Up
The Security+ trap is performance-based questions. Multiple-choice prep covers maybe 80% of the score - PBQs decide pass or fail for borderline candidates. The five questions in this free preview are pulled from the same item pool as the paid Security+ mock. Each scores instantly. No credit card. No email required to start.
Why we give the first 5 Security+ questions away free
The CompTIA Security+ SY0-701 exam costs $392 USD (or $239 with the CompTIA Academic discount voucher). Most candidates spend another $100 to $400 on practice exams before they sit. That means the question candidates ask first is rarely "is this practice exam comprehensive?" - it's "is this practice exam any good?" You can't answer that from a marketing page. You can answer it by taking five real questions and watching how they're written.
That's why this page exists. The five questions in the free Security+ practice test below are not throwaway warm-ups. They are pulled from the same item pool as the paid Security+ SY0-701 practice exam. The grader, the explanations, and the question rendering are identical. If you don't like how the first five feel, you've lost six minutes - not the cost of a competing practice product.
What you get in this free Security+ practice exam
- 5 free Security+ practice questions drawn from the live 90-question CompTIA Security+ SY0-701 item bank.
- Realistic exam-day format. CompTIA delivers up to 90 questions in 90 minutes, mixing single-answer multiple choice, multiple response, drag-and-drop, and performance-based questions (PBQs). Passing score: 750 on a 100-900 scale.
- Instant per-question scoring with full explanations so you see what you got right and wrong as you go.
- Topic spread across all 5 Security+ exam domains - the preview is representative, not stacked with a single easy topic.
- Zero sign-up to start - the trial loads anonymously. You only create an account if you choose to unlock the full 90-question paid mock after.
Who the CompTIA Security+ SY0-701 is for
Entry-level cybersecurity candidates with about 2 years of IT administration or networking experience. The most common stepping stone from helpdesk or Network+ into security roles. Most candidates take 90-130 hours over 6-10 weeks.
CompTIA Security+ SY0-701 exam blueprint coverage in this practice test
The full FigigExams Security+ practice exam mirrors the official blueprint weights so your score gives a realistic readiness signal. The five free questions in this preview rotate across the blueprint so you see questions from every part of it, not just one.
| Domain | Weight | Key concepts you will see |
|---|---|---|
| General Security Concepts | 12% | CIA triad, AAA, control types, gap analysis, zero trust, deception & disruption technology, change management impact on security. |
| Threats, Vulnerabilities & Mitigations | 22% | Threat actors, social engineering, malware variants, indicators of compromise, vulnerability types, hardening, secure baselines. |
| Security Architecture | 18% | Architecture models (cloud, IaaS, on-prem), zero trust enforcement, IAM, secure protocols, resilience, data protection & classification. |
| Security Operations | 28% | Asset management, vulnerability management, monitoring & alerting, incident response, log/SIEM analysis, automation & orchestration, digital forensics. |
| Security Program Management & Oversight | 20% | Governance, risk management, third-party risk, compliance frameworks (HIPAA, PCI-DSS, GDPR), audit, awareness training. |
The full mock has 90 questions calibrated to the live exam difficulty profile, with a passing benchmark of 75% to give you a conservative readiness target.
The Security+ question formats we mirror
One of the most common reasons candidates fail on the first attempt is unfamiliarity with the exam's specific question formats. This free preview exposes you to every format the live exam uses, so nothing on test day is a surprise.
Performance-based questions (PBQs)
CompTIA places 4-6 PBQs at the start of the exam. Each is a simulation - drag firewall rules into the correct order, drop network devices into a topology, identify malicious indicators in a log. PBQs eat time. Many candidates who fail did so because PBQs consumed 35 minutes and they rushed the remaining multiple choice.
Pro tip: skip PBQs on first pass
You can flag and return to PBQs. The expert pattern is to skip them on first sweep, finish all multiple choice in ~40 minutes, then come back to PBQs with whatever time remains. This single change adds 5-10 points for most candidates.
Single-answer and multi-response multiple choice
Multi-response is "select two" or "select three" and is exact-match-only. Two correct of three required = zero.
Drag-and-drop
Match attack types to descriptions, controls to control categories (technical/administrative/physical), or steps in an incident response process to their correct phase.
Free Security+ trial vs full FigigExams mock vs Sybex Total Tester
If you're shopping for Security+ practice exams, you've probably already opened a tab for Sybex Total Tester. Sybex Total Tester is the official Wiley product and pairs with the CompTIA Official Study Guide. If you're already reading Sybex's book, the integration is the cleanest study path - and the question difficulty is well calibrated. Here's an honest side-by-side so you can pick the right tool for where you are in your prep.
| Feature | FigigExams Security+ | Sybex Total Tester |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0 trial, $18 for full mock | $70-95 for full Sybex Total Tester bundle |
| PBQ-style items in preview | Yes (one in the free 5) | Yes |
| Aligned to SY0-701 (current) | Yes | Yes |
| Number of practice exams | 4 versions, 90 questions each | ~3 timed mocks plus modular drills |
| Concept-level Exam Coach | Yes | No (score + domain breakdown only) |
| Lifetime access | Yes | Time-limited, see Wiley terms |
The honest answer: if your budget allows it, candidates often use both - FigigExams to find your weak concepts cheaply, then a final readiness pass with Sybex Total Tester if you want the industry-standard item bank. For most candidates, just FigigExams plus the official study guide is sufficient.
The Personal Exam Coach (after you finish the full Security+ exam)
Most Security+ practice exams give you a score and a domain breakdown - "you scored 48% on Domain 3" - and call that a result page. That's not actionable. Each domain has many topics. You need to know which topic specifically.
When you finish the full 90-question Security+ practice exam (not the 5-question free preview), the FigigExams Personal Exam Coach analyses your answers at the concept level:
- Concept-level miss patterns instead of broad domain percentages.
- A prioritised study plan ordered by estimated score impact.
- A pass-confidence score based on item difficulty and your error pattern - a real readiness number, not vibes.
- A follow-up chat where you can ask things like "explain why option C was wrong on question 23" and get a tailored answer.
It's the part of FigigExams that passing candidates mention most.
Security+ exam day tips that actually move your score
- Memorize port numbers cold. SY0-701 does not give you a port reference - if you blank on "what runs on 3389," you lose easy points.
- For PBQs, read the entire prompt and all the moving parts before placing anything. Half of candidates get a PBQ wrong because they started dragging before they had read the question.
- CompTIA loves "BEST" and "MOST" qualifiers. Two answers will be technically correct - one is preferred. Underline the qualifier word in your mental read.
- Practice acronyms aggressively. Security+ has ~250 testable acronyms. Drilling acronyms returns the highest per-hour score impact in the final two weeks.
- Take the free preview cold without any reference material - it tells you whether your weak area is PBQ-format or multiple-choice-content.
Free Security+ Practice Exam - Frequently Asked Questions
Is this Security+ practice exam really free?
Yes. Five real CompTIA Security+ SY0-701 questions, instant scoring, no credit card, no email required to start. You only create an account if you decide to unlock the full 90-question paid mock after.
How many free Security+ practice questions can I take?
Five on this trial page. You can refresh the trial as many times as you like - each session reshuffles the answer order. To get a larger question set, take the full 90-question paid exam, which draws from a much larger item pool.
Are these questions the same difficulty as the real Security+ exam?
The questions are written to match the cognitive level of the live CompTIA Security+ SY0-701 exam. The average item is calibrated slightly above the live exam mean - so a 75% on our practice exam typically corresponds to a comfortable pass on the real exam, not a marginal one.
How is SY0-701 different from SY0-601?
SY0-701 was released November 2023 and is the only active version through at least late 2026. It consolidates the SY0-601 domains from five into five with reweightings, adds explicit zero-trust and IAM emphasis, and adds AI/ML-related threat content. SY0-601 practice tests are partially valid but miss the new content - prefer SY0-701-specific material.
Do I need Network+ before Security+?
CompTIA recommends but does not require it. Practically: if you can confidently explain TCP/UDP, subnetting, the OSI model, and common ports without notes, skip Network+. If those feel shaky, Network+ first will save you weeks of remedial reading mid-Security+ prep.
How many PBQs will I see on the real exam?
Four to six. CompTIA does not publish the exact number per form, but candidates consistently report 4-6 PBQs grouped at the start of the exam. Each PBQ can take 2-8 minutes - budget accordingly.
Is Security+ worth the $392 in 2026?
Yes. DoD 8570 / 8140 compliance still recognises Security+ for IAT Level II positions, US federal contracts continue to require it, and the certification is the most common entry-level filter for SOC analyst job postings. Average salary impact: $8-15K above Network+ alone in the US.
How long does the Security+ certification stay valid?
Three years. You can renew via 50 CEUs, by earning a higher-level CompTIA certification (CySA+, PenTest+, CASP+, etc.), or by retaking the current Security+ exam.
How is FigigExams different from Sybex Total Tester?
Two practical differences: price ($18 per exam vs $70-95 for the official Sybex practice test bundle for Sybex Total Tester) and the Personal Exam Coach - concept-level diagnosis with a follow-up chat that no major competing Security+ practice tool currently offers. Sybex Total Tester remains a strong choice if you want the industry-standard item bank.
What does the full Security+ practice exam cost?
$18 per exam. That includes lifetime access to the 90-question mock, full per-question explanations, the Personal Exam Coach analysis, and the follow-up Coach chat.
Will this Security+ practice exam work on my phone?
Yes. The exam UI is fully responsive. All interactive question formats also support tap-to-place on touch devices, so phone and tablet candidates get the same experience as desktop.
Do you offer practice exams for other certifications?
Yes. Browse all FigigExams practice exams for the full list - including CCNA, CompTIA Security+, AWS Solutions Architect Associate, CISSP, PMP, and CompTIA A+ Core 1.
Ready? Start your free Security+ practice exam
Five real CompTIA Security+ SY0-701 questions. Instant feedback. About six minutes. No credit card. If the format clicks, the full 90-question mock plus Personal Exam Coach is $18.