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Pick up to 3 certifications and compare them side-by-side on cost, exam format, recertification, salary signal, quality, and domain coverage.
ISC2 · expert
CISSPCertified Information Systems Security Professional
Breadth across security engineering, architecture, operations, and governance at senior-IC / manager level. The default senior-generalist signal.
Official pageComparing
ISC2CISSP
› Cost
Exam fee
CISSP$749
Exam fee
$749
Annual maintenance fee
CISSP$135/yr
Annual maintenance fee
$135/yr
3-year cost of ownership
CISSP$1,154
3-year cost of ownership
$1,154
› Exam mechanics
Pass mark
CISSP700/1000 (CAT-derived)
Pass mark
700/1000 (CAT-derived)
Retake policy
CISSP$749 fee · 30d wait · 4/yr cap
Retake policy
$749 fee · 30d wait · 4/yr cap
Study time
CISSP150–300 hrs
Study time
150–300 hrs
Validity
CISSP3 yrs
Validity
3 yrs
CPE / yr
CISSP40 CPEs
CPE / yr
40 CPEs
Delivery
CISSPtest center
Delivery
test center
› Salary signal (US base)
Range
CISSP$130K – $200K
Range
$130K – $200K
Median
CISSP$155,000
Median
$155,000
Premium %
CISSP+12%
Premium %
+12%
Role context
CISSPSenior security engineer / architect, US, 5+ years experience.
Role context
Senior security engineer / architect, US, 5+ years experience.
› Quality (4-axis rubric · 0–10)
Schema quality
CISSP9.0
Schema quality
9.0
Practice evidence
CISSP1.5
Practice evidence
1.5
Maintenance
CISSP8.0
Maintenance
8.0
Market recognition
CISSP9.5
Market recognition
9.5
Average
CISSP7.0
Average
7.0
› Recognition & lifecycle
Recognition
CISSPGlobal · US · EU · UK · DACH
Recognition
Global · US · EU · UK · DACH
ISO 17024 accredited
CISSP✓
ISO 17024 accredited
✓
DoD 8140 baseline
CISSP✓
DoD 8140 baseline
✓
Holders worldwide
CISSP190,000
Holders worldwide
190,000
Current version
CISSP2024 CBK refresh (2024-04)
Current version
2024 CBK refresh (2024-04)
› Domain coverage
A1Governance, Risk & Compliance
CISSP● core
A1Governance, Risk & Compliance
● core
A10Security Operations
CISSP● core
A10Security Operations
● core
A11Detection Engineering & Threat Hunting
CISSP● core
A11Detection Engineering & Threat Hunting
● core
A12Data Security, Privacy & Protection
CISSP● core
A12Data Security, Privacy & Protection
● core
A13Supply Chain Security
CISSP○ touched
A13Supply Chain Security
○ touched
A14OT/ICS Security
CISSP⚠ gap
A14OT/ICS Security
⚠ gap
A15Cryptography
CISSP● core
A15Cryptography
● core
A18Security Leadership
CISSP○ touched
A18Security Leadership
○ touched
A2Network Security
CISSP● core
A2Network Security
● core
A21Malware Analysis & Reverse Engineering
CISSP⚠ gap
A21Malware Analysis & Reverse Engineering
⚠ gap
A25Security Architecture & Engineering
CISSP● core
A25Security Architecture & Engineering
● core
A3Zero Trust Architecture
CISSP● core
A3Zero Trust Architecture
● core
A4Application Security
CISSP● core
A4Application Security
● core
A5Cloud Security
CISSP○ touched
A5Cloud Security
○ touched
A6Identity & Access Management
CISSP● core
A6Identity & Access Management
● core
A7Incident Response & Forensics
CISSP○ touched
A7Incident Response & Forensics
○ touched
A9Penetration Testing & Red Teaming
CISSP○ touched
A9Penetration Testing & Red Teaming
○ touched
B1AI-Powered Threat Detection
CISSP⚠ gap
B1AI-Powered Threat Detection
⚠ gap
B2AI-Driven Security Automation
CISSP⚠ gap
B2AI-Driven Security Automation
⚠ gap
B3AI for Vulnerability Management
CISSP⚠ gap
B3AI for Vulnerability Management
⚠ gap
C1Adversarial Machine Learning
CISSP⚠ gap
C1Adversarial Machine Learning
⚠ gap
C11Agentic AI Security
CISSP⚠ gap
C11Agentic AI Security
⚠ gap
C2LLM-Specific Attacks
CISSP⚠ gap
C2LLM-Specific Attacks
⚠ gap
C5AI Red Teaming
CISSP⚠ gap
C5AI Red Teaming
⚠ gap
D2Post-Quantum Cryptography
CISSP⚠ gap
D2Post-Quantum Cryptography
⚠ gap
Browse the full catalog or open any one of these on its detail page for full study materials, peer comparisons, and lifecycle notes.