SecProve
ProfessionalVendor-neutralCREST· issued from UK

CREST CRTSA

CREST Registered Technical Security Architect

CREST Registered Technical Security Architect

Official page at CREST↔ Compare with another cert
Exam fee
$700
Ongoing
—
Study time
150–300 hrs
Delivery
Test center
Validity
3 yrs (renewal cycle)

› Quality score

27.0 / 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.
CREST publishes detailed assessor competencies; tightly scoped to security architecture.
8.5/10
Practical evidence
Hands-on labs / written reports vs pure MCQ.
Written exam plus a structured interview/portfolio review with assessors.
6.0/10
Currency & upkeep
How aggressively content is kept current with the field.
Refresh cadence is irregular but each update is meaningful.
7.0/10
Market recognition
How often this signal actually moves a hiring decision.
Strong in UK / CREST-aligned consulting; narrower in US-centric hiring.
5.5/10

› Built for these roles

Project ManagerIT Program ManagerSecurity Project ManagerScrum Master / Agile CoachIT Department Head

› Exam format

Written exam + interview. Focus on security architecture.

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 CPD evidence.

› NICE Framework work roles

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

DD-WRL-004DD-WRL-001DD-WRL-002DD-WRL-006DD-WRL-007DD-WRL-008DD-WRL-009IO-WRL-001IO-WRL-002IO-WRL-004
Recognition
UKEUGlobal
Exam languages
en

› Core domains covered

The 2 domains this cert is centrally about. Passing the exam demonstrates working knowledge of each.

A25Security Architecture & Engineering

Reference architectures, control frameworks (NIST SP 800-53, CIS Controls), secure-by-design patterns, threat modeling, trust-boundary design, technology standards.

A3Zero Trust Architecture

Zero trust principles, micro-segmentation, NIST SP 800-207, ZTNA, continuous verification, BeyondCorp.

› Prerequisites

Experience

Several years of experience in security architecture. CREST membership recommended.

› 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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