CompTIA Security+
Core security concepts, controls, operations and incident response. Work through the topics from the start of the list to the end. Readiness is calculated from your recorded study, labs, practice, quizzes and troubleshooting.
Overall readiness
0%
Status
Not Started
Topics
6
Recommended study time
47h 25m
Exam readiness: CompTIA Security+
Not started — Nothing recorded for this certification yet. Study one topic and the score starts moving.
80 points to the 80% exam-ready bar
0 of 6 topics finished · 47h 25m of study left
About 16 weeks away — roughly January 2027, at your planned 180 minutes a week.
What is holding the score back
Study path
Start with the groundwork, then core skills, then the advanced material.
The main body of the certification: the skills the exam tests most.
Harder material that assumes the earlier work is solid.
Reading and watching
Official material from the vendors themselves. Links open in a new tab.
WATCH
- Professor Messer's CompTIA SY0-701 Security+ video courseProfessor Messer · video · free
READ
Nothing linked yet.
Worked examples
The calculations and procedures this certification expects you to perform, shown step by step with practice items.
Convert binary to decimal
Convert the 8-bit binary number 11000000 to decimal.
- 1. Write the place valuesAn 8-bit number has fixed place values, left to right: 128, 64, 32, 16, 8, 4, 2, 1.
- 2. Line the bits up under the place values128→1, 64→1, 32→0, 16→0, 8→0, 4→0, 2→0, 1→0.
- 3. Keep only the place values above a 1The 128 column and the 64 column hold a 1. Every other column holds 0 and contributes nothing.
- 4. Add them128 + 64 = 192.
Answer: 11000000 = 192. This is why a /24 subnet mask octet of 11000000 reads as 192 in dotted decimal.
Now you try
Convert 10101010 to decimal.
Convert 11111111 to decimal.
Convert 00011100 to decimal.
Convert decimal to binary
Convert the decimal number 172 to 8-bit binary.
- 1. Start at the largest place valueAsk: does 128 fit into 172? Yes. Write a 1 and subtract: 172 − 128 = 44.
- 2. Next column, 6464 does not fit into 44. Write 0. Remainder stays 44.
- 3. Next column, 3232 fits into 44. Write 1. 44 − 32 = 12.
- 4. Continue down16 into 12? No → 0. 8 into 12? Yes → 1, remainder 4. 4 into 4? Yes → 1, remainder 0. 2 → 0. 1 → 0.
- 5. Read the bits in order1, 0, 1, 0, 1, 1, 0, 0.
Answer: 172 = 10101100. Check it by adding the on-bits back: 128 + 32 + 8 + 4 = 172.
Now you try
Convert 200 to binary.
Convert 19 to binary.
Convert 255 to binary.
Convert binary to hexadecimal
Convert 11011110 to hexadecimal (the form used by MAC and IPv6 addresses).
- 1. Split into 4-bit groups11011110 becomes 1101 and 1110.
- 2. Convert each group with place values 8, 4, 2, 11101 = 8 + 4 + 1 = 13. 1110 = 8 + 4 + 2 = 14.
- 3. Replace values over 9 with letters10=A, 11=B, 12=C, 13=D, 14=E, 15=F. So 13 = D and 14 = E.
- 4. Join the digitsD followed by E.
Answer: 11011110 = DE in hex, which is 222 in decimal. Each pair of hex digits is exactly one byte, which is why a MAC address is six hex pairs.
Now you try
Convert 10101111 to hex.
Convert hex 3C to binary.
Convert hex FF to decimal.
Work out a network address and host range
A host is configured as 192.168.10.77 with the mask 255.255.255.192 (/26). What is its network address, broadcast address and usable host range?
- 1. Find the interesting octetThe first three octets of the mask are 255, so only the fourth octet matters. 192 in binary is 11000000, so 2 host-network bits are borrowed.
- 2. Find the block size256 − 192 = 64. Subnets step in blocks of 64: 0, 64, 128, 192.
- 3. Place the host77 falls between 64 and 127, so the host sits in the 192.168.10.64 subnet.
- 4. Name the boundariesNetwork address = 192.168.10.64. Broadcast = one below the next block = 192.168.10.127.
- 5. Usable hostsEverything between the two boundaries: .65 through .126.
Answer: Network 192.168.10.64, broadcast 192.168.10.127, usable range 192.168.10.65–192.168.10.126 (62 usable addresses).
Now you try
Same question for 10.0.0.200 /26.
What mask is /28 in dotted decimal, and what is its block size?
How many usable hosts in a /29?
Count usable hosts from a CIDR prefix
How many usable host addresses does a /22 network provide?
- 1. Count host bitsAn IPv4 address is 32 bits. 32 − 22 = 10 host bits.
- 2. Raise 2 to that power2^10 = 1024 total addresses in the block.
- 3. Remove the two reserved addressesThe lowest address is the network address and the highest is the broadcast address: 1024 − 2.
Answer: 1022 usable host addresses. The general formula is 2^(32 − prefix) − 2.
Now you try
Usable hosts in a /30?
You need 500 hosts on one subnet. What is the smallest prefix?
Total addresses in a /16?
Practice exam
Randomly generated from 72 questions. Written answers are graded on the idea, not on exact wording.
CompTIA Security+ practice exam
20 randomly generated questions drawn from 72 in the CompTIA Security+ bank.
20 questions. Question order and eligible choice order change with every attempt, and answers are saved as you work.
Practice
A fresh selection of practical work each time you generate.
- Capstone: Cryptography and PKI Fundamentalscapstone
- Build: Keep offline copies of contact lists and…build
- Troubleshoot: Unclear rolestroubleshoot
- Design a checklist for incident response fundamentalsdesign
CompTIA Security+ (SY0-701)
Core security concepts, controls, operations and incident response.
Status: Not Started — no evidence recorded yet
Knowledge readiness
0%Practical readiness
0%Troubleshooting readiness
0%Retention
0%Quiz performance
0%Lab completion
0%Practice completion
0%Overall readiness
0%Domain readiness
Weak domains are listed first.
General Security Concepts
0%2 objectives · no evidence yet · weak
Threats and Vulnerabilities
0%2 objectives · no evidence yet · weak
Security Architecture
0%2 objectives · no evidence yet · weak
Security Operations
0%1 objective · no evidence yet · weak
Program Management
0%1 objective · no evidence yet · weak
Exam objectives
Objectives are editable data. Edit, add or remove them and readiness recalculates.
- 1.1 — Compare security control typesGeneral Security Concepts · no mapped topic yet
- 1.2 — Explain the CIA triad and least privilegeGeneral Security Concepts · 1 mapped topic(s)
- 2.1 — Recognise phishing and social engineeringThreats and Vulnerabilities · 1 mapped topic(s)
- 2.2 — Explain malware categories and indicatorsThreats and Vulnerabilities · 1 mapped topic(s)
- 3.1 — Secure network designs and segmentationSecurity Architecture · 1 mapped topic(s)
- 3.2 — Explain identity and access management basicsSecurity Architecture · 1 mapped topic(s)
- 4.1 — Interpret logs during an investigationSecurity Operations · 1 mapped topic(s)
- 5.1 — Document incidents and follow policyProgram Management · 1 mapped topic(s)
Exam result
IT PATH never marks an exam as passed. You confirm the result yourself.
No exam results recorded.