ProfessionalVendor-specificCompTIA· issued from US

Server+

CompTIA Server+

Official page at CompTIA ↔ Compare with another cert

Exam fee

$358

Ongoing

$0/yr AMF · 17 CPE/yr

Study time

60–120 hrs

Delivery

Hybrid

Validity

3 yrs (renewal cycle)

› Quality score

26.0 / 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.

Server+ — server hardware and OS administration ECO.

7.0/10

Practical evidence

Hands-on labs / written reports vs pure MCQ.

Performance-based items grounded in admin tasks.

5.5/10

Currency & upkeep

How aggressively content is kept current with the field.

Refresh cadence trails A+ / Net+ but content is current.

7.0/10

Market recognition

How often this signal actually moves a hiring decision.

Recognised in server-admin tracks; less central to security-only listings. [Holders: 15k, 2024-12]

6.5/10

› Market signals

public, citable inputs to the recognition score

Holders worldwide

15,000

as of 2024-12 · source

› Exam format

Max. 90 questions (multiple-choice + performance-based), 90 minutes, proctored via Pearson VUE. Passing score: 750/900.

Retake policy

Fee: $404 per attempt

Wait: 0d between attempts

First retake immediate; 14-day wait before each subsequent attempt. Retake fee equals the standard exam fee.

› Recertification

Valid for 3 years. Renewal through 30 CEUs or re-exam.

› NICE Framework work roles

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

DD-WRL-001DD-WRL-004IO-WRL-004IO-WRL-005OG-WRL-002

Recognition

Global

Exam languages

› Core domains covered

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

A2Network Security

Firewalls, IDS/IPS, network segmentation, DNS security, SD-WAN, VPN, traffic analysis, wireless security.

› Prerequisites

Experience

No formal prerequisites. Recommended: A+ and 18–24 months server experience.

› 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 traps Start with: BEST vs correct

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