Certification path
ISC2 certification path
ISC2's ladder is short and gated by experience rather than by other exams. SSCP wants one year in the field, CISSP wants five across two of its eight domains, and CCSP wants five including one in cloud. You may sit the exam before you have the years — passing makes you an Associate of ISC2 until the experience catches up.
Where to start
CISSP is the destination for most people and the reason the rest of this list exists. Take SSCP first only if you are more than a year away from the CISSP experience requirement and want something on the CV meanwhile.
- 01
Practitioner
1 examOne year of experience. Technical and hands-on where CISSP is managerial.
- 02
Professional
4 examsThe exams that carry weight. Five years of experience each, and an Associate route if you do not have them yet.
- 03
CISSP concentrations
3 examsOnly open to people who already hold CISSP. Narrow, senior, and taken to specialise rather than to progress.
Work the whole ladder on one plan
$39.99 a month covers all 8 exams on this page and every other exam on the site — which is the point of a path. Or read 10 questions from any of them first, free.
Common questions
- Where should I start on the ISC2 certification path?
- CISSP is the destination for most people and the reason the rest of this list exists. Take SSCP first only if you are more than a year away from the CISSP experience requirement and want something on the CV meanwhile.
- How many ISC2 exams are there?
- 8 of them are covered here, arranged into 3 tiers: practitioner, professional, CISSP concentrations. Retired versions still in our catalogue are deliberately left off — the point of this page is what to sit next.
- Do I have to take the ISC2 exams in order?
- ISC2's ladder is short and gated by experience rather than by other exams. SSCP wants one year in the field, CISSP wants five across two of its eight domains, and CCSP wants five including one in cloud. You may sit the exam before you have the years — passing makes you an Associate of ISC2 until the experience catches up.
- Can I practise these before paying?
- Yes — 10 free questions on every exam on this page, with no card and no account. Each also has a timed practice test of 65 questions in 130 minutes.
- What does it cost to prepare for the whole path?
- $39.99 a month opens every exam on this page and every other exam on the site, which is the plan that makes sense if you are working through a ladder. A single exam on its own is a one-time $19.99 for 30 days.