SecProve
ProfessionalVendor-neutralCREST· issued from UK

CREST CPSA

CREST Practitioner Security Analyst

CREST Practitioner Security Analyst

Official page at CREST↔ Compare with another cert
Exam fee
$700
Ongoing
—
Study time
100–200 hrs
Delivery
Test center
Validity
3 yrs (renewal cycle)

› Quality score

25.5 / 40

Four-axis SecProve rubric, each 0–10. SecProve editorial assessment — each axis carries a written justification so you can push back on any single call without dismissing the whole score.

Blueprint rigor
How well-defined and rigorous the exam blueprint is.
Practitioner Security Analyst ECO; entry pentest tier.
7.5/10
Practical evidence
Hands-on labs / written reports vs pure MCQ.
Written exam plus assessor-marked work.
5.5/10
Currency & upkeep
How aggressively content is kept current with the field.
Updates align to CREST cadence.
6.5/10
Market recognition
How often this signal actually moves a hiring decision.
Recognised in UK consulting; smaller market internationally.
6.0/10

› Exam format

Multiple-choice, 2 hours, proctored. Entry level for penetration testing.

Retake policy
Fee: $750 per attempt
Wait: 30d between attempts

30-day wait typical. Practical components may require longer waits.

› Recertification

Valid for 3 years. Renewal through proof of current employment at a CREST-accredited company.

› NICE Framework work roles

The NIST NICE work-role IDs this cert maps to. NICCS lookup.

PD-WRL-007
Recognition
UKEUGlobal
Exam languages
en

› Core domains covered

The 1 domain this cert is centrally about. Passing the exam demonstrates working knowledge of each.

A9Penetration Testing & Red Teaming

Methodology (OSSTMM, PTES), web/network/mobile pentesting, social engineering, purple teaming.

› Prerequisites

Experience

No formal prerequisites. Recommended: Basic knowledge in network and web security.

› Common exam traps to study

Cybersecurity cert exams reuse the same 25 distractor patterns over and over — category confusion, RTO vs RPO, IDS vs IPS, MD5 vs SHA-256, and more. Once you can name the trap, you stop falling for it. Each archetype page covers what it is, the specific pairs candidates confuse, and how to avoid it.

Browse all 25 cert-exam trapsStart with: BEST vs correct

See this cert’s domains highlighted on the interactive map, or compare it against the rest of the catalog.

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