Security+ pass rate: what CompTIA publishes and what to use instead

By the RoleMath Editorial Team · Last updated 2026-07-05. Every figure traces to a cited source; we sell none of the options discussed. Draft pending human review.

CompTIA Security+ does not have a source-backed public pass-rate percentage in RoleMath's reviewed evidence. The official seed records useful SY0-701 facts, but the live CompTIA page could not be fetched during the July 2026 rewrite lane, so this page stays draft_noindex until a successful official recheck. That means RoleMath will not reuse old contradictory percentages, average prep-provider claims, or imply your personal odds. Use the evidence that is actually decision-useful: official exam structure and domains, role tasks, occupation pay/outlook context, qualitative employer-language samples, AI-impact caveats, and a study plan that proves readiness.

Key takeaways

• RoleMath's current reviewed evidence does not support a public CompTIA Security+ candidate pass-rate percentage.
• The old contradictory online pass-rate ranges were removed because they were not URL-backed ledger evidence for this page.
• RoleMath's official Security+ seed records SY0-701, maximum 90 questions, 90 minutes, mixed multiple-choice/performance-based format, 439 USD exam voucher, and five domain weights.
• The official CompTIA page could not be live-fetched during the July 2026 rewrite lane, so this page remains draft_noindex pending successful official recheck.
• BLS pay/outlook figures are occupation context for Information Security Analysts, not Security+ salary, ROI, or placement outcomes.
• Employer-language samples can guide vocabulary and portfolio planning, but they are not market-share or demand claims.
• AI can help with study review and scenario practice, but learners need to verify outputs against labs, logs, official docs, or known frameworks.

The short answer

Do not plan around a Security+ pass-rate percentage. RoleMath's current pass-rate ledger does not contain an official CompTIA candidate pass-rate figure for Security+. It contains official seed facts and a live-check limitation: CompTIA's page could not be fetched from this environment during the July 2026 rewrite lane.

The safe public answer is: RoleMath does not publish a Security+ pass rate. If CompTIA later publishes a candidate pass-rate percentage with a clear denominator, date range, candidate population, and attempt type, it can be added to the ledger. Until then, a confident percentage from a prep page is not a planning fact.

For a learner, the better question is not 'what percent pass?' It is 'what official topics and job evidence tell me how to prepare?' Security+ is most useful when it is connected to hands-on security operations, risk, incident-response, network, identity, and documentation practice.

• CompTIA Security+ certification overview
• Are certification pass rates real?

Official Security+ facts in the current seed

The important caveat is source freshness. The Security+ facts above come from RoleMath's June 2026 official-source seed rows, and the official page needs a successful live recheck before promotion. That is why this rewritten page is draft_noindex, not approved public copy.

• Security+ evidence page
• Security+ total cost

Exam domains matter more than a pass-rate percentage

This domain table is more useful than a fake pass rate because it tells you where the exam is weighted. A study plan that ignores security operations and program oversight is weak even if it memorizes vocabulary. A plan that includes applied labs, incident notes, access-control scenarios, and risk writeups fits the exam shape better.

• Free ways to study for Security+

Pass-rate claim ledger

The previous article repeated conflicting online percentage ranges. That is exactly what this rewrite removes. If a future review collects third-party Security+ pass-rate examples, they belong in the ledger as debunking examples only, with exact source URLs and source text. They should not become RoleMath's number.

A real pass-rate source would need to say what population it measures: all candidates, first attempts, retakes, training-provider students, self-reported forum users, or something else. Without that denominator, the number is not interpretable.

• How RoleMath cites claims
• What RoleMath does not know

What to use instead

Use four evidence layers instead of a pass-rate percentage.

This is the RoleMath rule for pass-rate pages: replace unsupported percentages with official facts, role evidence, and explicit claim boundaries. That gives the learner something they can act on without pretending we know an outcome statistic we do not have.

• Cybersecurity Analyst role
• SOC Analyst role

Role and day-to-day context

RoleMath maps Security+ most directly to cybersecurity analyst, SOC analyst, incident response, and security operations preparation signals. That does not mean the certificate equals the job. It means the exam's skill domain overlaps with the work a learner is likely trying to enter.

O*NET's Information Security Analysts tasks make the work concrete: safeguarding computer files against unauthorized modification or disclosure, monitoring virus reports, using encryption and firewalls, performing risk assessments, modifying access or security files, reviewing violations of security procedures, discussing access and security issues with users, and documenting security measures.

Those tasks show why Security+ preparation should include more than flashcards. A learner should be able to explain a control, apply it in a scenario, document the risk, and communicate what changed. That is closer to analyst work than repeating a pass-rate statistic.

• Cybersecurity Analyst tasks
• SOC Analyst tools

Pay and outlook context

The BLS context here is occupation-level, not a Security+ outcome. RoleMath's current Information Security Analysts packet uses BLS OEWS May 2025 national data with 190,650 employment and a $129,180 national median annual wage. The same role packet uses BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034 showing 28.5% projected employment change and 16,000 annual openings.

Those are useful signals, but they do not say Security+ causes that salary or guarantees access to those openings. The occupation has many entry paths and experience levels. Some postings name Security+; many also require hands-on SIEM, incident response, cloud, identity, scripting, vulnerability management, communication, and documentation evidence.

Use the BLS figures to understand the occupation family. Use the exam facts and employer-language sample to decide what to practice next. Do not combine them into a Security+ ROI claim.

• Cybersecurity Analyst salary context
• Cybersecurity Analyst outlook

Employer-language snapshot

RoleMath's cybersecurity employer-language evidence is a public-posting pilot, not a representative market study. The cybersecurity analyst sample has 59 matched postings. In that sample, certification mentions included Security+ 11, CySA+ 6, CCNA 4, Network+ 1, and PMP 1. Skill and content language included Cybersecurity 37, NIST 22, SIEM 19, Incident response 15, threat intelligence 12, FedRAMP 11, Python 10, AWS 10, Azure 10, vulnerability management 8, Splunk 8, EDR 7, and CrowdStrike 7.

The SOC analyst sample has 77 matched postings. In that sample, Security+ and CySA+ each appeared 10 times, while skill language included Cybersecurity 61, SIEM 53, Incident response 48, EDR 44, threat intelligence 42, threat hunting 36, Splunk 30, Python 26, AWS 24, Azure 24, CrowdStrike 22, PowerShell 21, and Linux 17.

Use this as vocabulary, not demand. It does not mean a fixed percentage of employers require Security+. It does show the study plan should not stop at the certificate: build SIEM, alert triage, incident response, cloud, identity, and scripting evidence.

• What employers ask for
• Cybersecurity Analyst job titles

AI-impact context

AI does not create a Security+ pass rate. It changes how security work and Security+ preparation should be practiced. RoleMath's cybersecurity analyst AI panel uses Anthropic Economic Index context and reports the shared SOC sample as 23.90% augmentation-labeled and 76.10% automation-labeled Claude conversations for May 2026. That is descriptive usage data, not a job-loss forecast, demand forecast, or personal career-risk score.

For Security+ prep, AI can explain concepts, generate practice questions, help compare controls, summarize a log snippet, or draft an incident timeline. It can also invent tool behavior, miss environment-specific context, or overstate certainty. The useful candidate verifies the answer against a lab, official docs, packet/log evidence, or a known framework.

A strong AI-aware Security+ portfolio note is simple: take one security operations scenario, ask AI for a response checklist, run the scenario in a lab or simulated log set, mark what was correct, mark what was incomplete, and explain what evidence changed your decision. That demonstrates judgment.

• How to use AI to study for IT certifications
• Cybersecurity Analyst tools

Study path steps

This plan is more actionable than a pass-rate number. It gives a learner inputs they can control: coverage, lab practice, scenario reasoning, documentation, verification, and timing.

• Free ways to study for Security+
• Cybersecurity Analyst learning roadmap

Honest bottom line

Do not trust a Security+ pass-rate percentage unless CompTIA publishes it and defines the measurement. RoleMath's current reviewed evidence does not support one, and the official CompTIA page still needs a successful live recheck before this page can be promoted.

Use what the evidence can support: SY0-701 exam structure, domain weights, cost, recommended background, O*NET task context, BLS occupation context, qualitative employer language, and AI-aware study practice.

Security+ can be a useful baseline security signal when paired with hands-on evidence. It is not a salary claim, job guarantee, placement statistic, market-demand percentage, or personal pass probability.

• Are IT certifications worth it?
• Certification difficulty methodology

Frequently asked questions

What is the CompTIA Security+ pass rate?

RoleMath does not publish a Security+ pass rate because the current reviewed evidence does not contain an official CompTIA public candidate pass-rate percentage.

Does CompTIA publish the Security+ passing score?

The current RoleMath seed records Security+ exam structure and domain facts from CompTIA sources, but the live CompTIA page could not be fetched during this rewrite lane. This page therefore stays draft_noindex until a successful official recheck.

Can I trust Security+ pass-rate percentages online?

Do not treat them as planning facts unless the source defines the denominator, time window, candidate population, attempt type, and data owner. A prep-provider percentage is not an official CompTIA pass rate.

What should I use instead of a Security+ pass rate?

Use official exam facts, the SY0-701 domain weights, a hands-on study plan, O*NET task context, BLS occupation context, qualitative employer language, and AI-aware verification practice.

Does Security+ guarantee a cybersecurity job?

No. Security+ can be a useful baseline signal, but it does not guarantee a job, salary, interview, placement, or personal pass probability.

How does AI change Security+ preparation?

AI can help explain concepts, draft checklists, and review scenarios, but it can also be wrong. Use it as a reviewer and verify output against labs, logs, official docs, and known frameworks.

Related, with the cited detail

• CompTIA Security+ certification overview
• Security+ evidence page
• Free ways to study for Security+
• Are certification pass rates real?
• Cybersecurity Analyst role
• SOC Analyst role
• What employers ask for
• RoleMath planner

Sources

Figures in this article are cited to the sources named in the Citation Ledger below and on each linked cited page. This page stays draft_noindex pending human citation review.

Citation Ledger