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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.
OffSec · expert
OSCE3Offensive Security Certified Expert 3
Offensive Security Certified Expert 3
Official pageOffSec · professional
OSCPOffensive Security Certified Professional
Hands-on penetration testing — exploitation, privilege escalation, AD attacks.
Official pageComparing
OffSecOSCE3
OffSecOSCP
› Cost
Exam fee
OSCE3$0
OSCP$1,649
Exam fee
$0
$1,649
Annual maintenance fee
OSCE3—
OSCP—
Annual maintenance fee
—
—
3-year cost of ownership
OSCE3$0
OSCP$1,649
3-year cost of ownership
$0
$1,649
› Exam mechanics
Pass mark
OSCE3Composite — earned by holding OSWE + OSEP + OSED simultaneously
OSCP70 / 100 points across the 24-hour exam
Pass mark
Composite — earned by holding OSWE + OSEP + OSED simultaneously
70 / 100 points across the 24-hour exam
Retake policy
OSCE3$249 fee · 0d wait
OSCP$249 fee · 0d wait
Retake policy
$249 fee · 0d wait
$249 fee · 0d wait
Study time
OSCE3900–1500 hrs
OSCP300–600 hrs
Study time
900–1500 hrs
300–600 hrs
Validity
OSCE33 yrs
OSCP3 yrs
Validity
3 yrs
3 yrs
CPE / yr
OSCE3—
OSCP30 CPEs
CPE / yr
—
30 CPEs
Delivery
OSCE3online proctored
OSCPpractical lab
Delivery
online proctored
practical lab
› Salary signal (US base)
Range
OSCE3$165K – $245K
OSCP$110K – $170K
Range
$165K – $245K
$110K – $170K
Median
OSCE3$195,000
OSCP$135,000
Median
$195,000
$135,000
Premium %
OSCE3—
OSCP—
Premium %
—
—
Role context
OSCE3Senior offensive security engineer / lead red teamer, US, 7+ years. Triple-cert holders are rare and command premiums.
OSCPPenetration tester / red team operator, US, 3–5 years.
Role context
Senior offensive security engineer / lead red teamer, US, 7+ years. Triple-cert holders are rare and command premiums.
Penetration tester / red team operator, US, 3–5 years.
› Quality (4-axis rubric · 0–10)
Schema quality
OSCE37.5
OSCP8.5
Schema quality
7.5
8.5
Practice evidence
OSCE39.5
OSCP9.5
Practice evidence
9.5
9.5
Maintenance
OSCE36.0
OSCP7.0
Maintenance
6.0
7.0
Market recognition
OSCE37.0
OSCP9.5
Market recognition
7.0
9.5
Average
OSCE37.5
OSCP8.6
Average
7.5
8.6
› Recognition & lifecycle
Recognition
OSCE3Global
OSCPGlobal · US · EU · UK
Recognition
Global
Global · US · EU · UK
ISO 17024 accredited
OSCE3—
OSCP—
ISO 17024 accredited
—
—
DoD 8140 baseline
OSCE3—
OSCP—
DoD 8140 baseline
—
—
Holders worldwide
OSCE3—
OSCP30,000
Holders worldwide
—
30,000
Current version
OSCE3Composite (2024 component versions) (2024-06)
OSCPPEN-200 (2024) (2024-03)
Current version
Composite (2024 component versions) (2024-06)
PEN-200 (2024) (2024-03)
› Domain coverage
A1Governance, Risk & Compliance
OSCE3·
OSCP⚠ gap
A1Governance, Risk & Compliance
·
⚠ gap
A12Data Security, Privacy & Protection
OSCE3·
OSCP⚠ gap
A12Data Security, Privacy & Protection
·
⚠ gap
A2Network Security
OSCE3·
OSCP● core
A2Network Security
·
● core
A21Malware Analysis & Reverse Engineering
OSCE3● core
OSCP○ touched
A21Malware Analysis & Reverse Engineering
● core
○ touched
A24Exposure Management & Attack Surface
OSCE3·
OSCP○ touched
A24Exposure Management & Attack Surface
·
○ touched
A4Application Security
OSCE3● core
OSCP● core
A4Application Security
● core
● core
A6Identity & Access Management
OSCE3·
OSCP● core
A6Identity & Access Management
·
● core
A9Penetration Testing & Red Teaming
OSCE3● core
OSCP● core
A9Penetration Testing & Red Teaming
● core
● core
C1Adversarial Machine Learning
OSCE3·
OSCP⚠ gap
C1Adversarial Machine Learning
·
⚠ gap
C2LLM-Specific Attacks
OSCE3·
OSCP⚠ gap
C2LLM-Specific Attacks
·
⚠ gap
Browse the full catalog or open any one of these on its detail page for full study materials, peer comparisons, and lifecycle notes.