SecProve
ProfessionalVendor-neutralOffSec· issued from US

OSWA

Offensive Security Web Assessor

Offensive Security Web Assessor

Official page at OffSec↔ Compare with another cert
Exam fee
$1,649
Ongoing
$0/yr AMF
Study time
150–300 hrs
Delivery
Online proctored
Validity
3 yrs (renewal cycle)

› Quality score

28.5 / 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.
OffSec Web Assessor ECO covers web app exploitation at the practitioner tier.
7.0/10
Practical evidence
Hands-on labs / written reports vs pure MCQ.
Hands-on lab against modern web stacks.
8.5/10
Currency & upkeep
How aggressively content is kept current with the field.
Refreshed alongside OffSec WEB-200 coursework.
7.5/10
Market recognition
How often this signal actually moves a hiring decision.
Recognised in junior-AppSec / web-pentest hiring.
5.5/10

› Exam format

Practical: 23 hours 45 min. hands-on exam (Web Application Assessment) + report. Proctored.

Passing score
Lab points-based with report
Retake policy
Fee: $249 per attempt
Wait: 0d between attempts

Retake voucher $249 separately. No wait period beyond exam scheduling availability.

› Recertification

Valid indefinitely. No renewal required.

› NICE Framework work roles

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

PD-WRL-007
Recognition
Global
Exam languages
en

› Core domains covered

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

A4Application Security

OWASP Top 10, secure SDLC, SAST/DAST/IAST, API security, code review, DevSecOps.

A9Penetration Testing & Red Teaming

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

› Prerequisites

Experience

No formal prerequisites. WEB-200 course recommended. Web security fundamentals assumed.

› Progression

requiredrecommended

Where this cert fits in the typical learning path. Required edges are vendor-gated; recommended edges reflect de facto industry progression.

Required prereqs (0)

No vendor-gated prereqs.

Recommended priors (1)
OSWPOffSec
OSWA
OffSec
Required by (0)

No certs require this one.

Recommended next (0)

No follow-on certs reference this one yet.

› Study materials

Curated starting points. Not exhaustive — vet each against your learning style and the current exam version.

Official guides
Free / community

› Version & lifecycle

Current version
WEB-200 (2024)
Released
2024-04

› Salary signal

Junior to mid web pentester, US, 1-3 years.

$100K–$150K
median $120K

Robert Half Salary Guide · 2024 · US base only · p25–p75 range

› How it compares

vs
OSWE

OSWA is the foundational web cert; OSWE is the senior expert tier.

↔ Compare side-by-side
vs
eWPT

OSWA and eWPT both target the same role tier; pick by training preference.

↔ Compare side-by-side

› 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.

Highlight on the domain mapBrowse all certifications