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Compare certifications
Pick up to 3 certifications and compare them side-by-side on cost, exam format, recertification, salary signal, quality, and domain coverage.
GIAC · expert
GXPNGIAC Exploit Researcher and Advanced Penetration Tester
GIAC Exploit Researcher and Advanced Penetration Tester
Official pageOffSec · professional
OSCPOffensive Security Certified Professional
Hands-on penetration testing — exploitation, privilege escalation, AD attacks.
Official pageComparing
GIACGXPN
OffSecOSCP
› Cost
Exam fee
GXPN$979
OSCP$1,649
Exam fee
$979
$1,649
Annual maintenance fee
GXPN—
OSCP—
Annual maintenance fee
—
—
3-year cost of ownership
GXPN$979
OSCP$1,649
3-year cost of ownership
$979
$1,649
› Exam mechanics
Pass mark
GXPN67% (scaled per attempt)
OSCP70 / 100 points across the 24-hour exam
Pass mark
67% (scaled per attempt)
70 / 100 points across the 24-hour exam
Retake policy
GXPN$999 fee · 30d wait
OSCP$249 fee · 0d wait
Retake policy
$999 fee · 30d wait
$249 fee · 0d wait
Study time
GXPN200–400 hrs
OSCP300–600 hrs
Study time
200–400 hrs
300–600 hrs
Validity
GXPN4 yrs
OSCP3 yrs
Validity
4 yrs
3 yrs
CPE / yr
GXPN9 CPEs
OSCP30 CPEs
CPE / yr
9 CPEs
30 CPEs
Delivery
GXPNmixed
OSCPpractical lab
Delivery
mixed
practical lab
› Salary signal (US base)
Range
GXPN$135K – $200K
OSCP$110K – $170K
Range
$135K – $200K
$110K – $170K
Median
GXPN$160,000
OSCP$135,000
Median
$160,000
$135,000
Premium %
GXPN—
OSCP—
Premium %
—
—
Role context
GXPNSenior pentester / exploit developer, US, 5+ years.
OSCPPenetration tester / red team operator, US, 3–5 years.
Role context
Senior pentester / exploit developer, US, 5+ years.
Penetration tester / red team operator, US, 3–5 years.
› Quality (4-axis rubric · 0–10)
Schema quality
GXPN8.5
OSCP8.5
Schema quality
8.5
8.5
Practice evidence
GXPN7.5
OSCP9.5
Practice evidence
7.5
9.5
Maintenance
GXPN6.5
OSCP7.0
Maintenance
6.5
7.0
Market recognition
GXPN6.5
OSCP9.5
Market recognition
6.5
9.5
Average
GXPN7.3
OSCP8.6
Average
7.3
8.6
› Recognition & lifecycle
Recognition
GXPNGlobal
OSCPGlobal · US · EU · UK
Recognition
Global
Global · US · EU · UK
ISO 17024 accredited
GXPN—
OSCP—
ISO 17024 accredited
—
—
DoD 8140 baseline
GXPN—
OSCP—
DoD 8140 baseline
—
—
Holders worldwide
GXPN4,000
OSCP30,000
Holders worldwide
4,000
30,000
Current version
GXPN2024 SEC660 refresh (2024-06)
OSCPPEN-200 (2024) (2024-03)
Current version
2024 SEC660 refresh (2024-06)
PEN-200 (2024) (2024-03)
› Domain coverage
A1Governance, Risk & Compliance
GXPN·
OSCP⚠ gap
A1Governance, Risk & Compliance
·
⚠ gap
A12Data Security, Privacy & Protection
GXPN·
OSCP⚠ gap
A12Data Security, Privacy & Protection
·
⚠ gap
A2Network Security
GXPN·
OSCP● core
A2Network Security
·
● core
A21Malware Analysis & Reverse Engineering
GXPN● core
OSCP○ touched
A21Malware Analysis & Reverse Engineering
● core
○ touched
A24Exposure Management & Attack Surface
GXPN·
OSCP○ touched
A24Exposure Management & Attack Surface
·
○ touched
A4Application Security
GXPN·
OSCP● core
A4Application Security
·
● core
A6Identity & Access Management
GXPN·
OSCP● core
A6Identity & Access Management
·
● core
A9Penetration Testing & Red Teaming
GXPN● core
OSCP● core
A9Penetration Testing & Red Teaming
● core
● core
C1Adversarial Machine Learning
GXPN·
OSCP⚠ gap
C1Adversarial Machine Learning
·
⚠ gap
C2LLM-Specific Attacks
GXPN·
OSCP⚠ gap
C2LLM-Specific Attacks
·
⚠ gap
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