Free Security+ Study Tools (SY0-701)
Everything on this page is free and works without an account: 250 practice questions with explanations, a graded PBQ, interactive drills, downloadable cheat sheets, and plain-English guides for every stage of your prep.
Last updated August 2026
Start with something you can actually do
A graded PBQ
Configure four firewall rules and get scored field by field, the way the exam does it. About a minute.
Try the PBQA 30-question test
Weighted like the real exam across all five domains, every answer explained. No account, no gate.
Take the testA readiness check
Fifteen questions, then an estimated readiness score, a per-domain gap map, and a place to start.
Take the checkFree practice questions
250 original questions, every one with the correct answer and a plain-English explanation. No signup gate, no answer paywall.
- Full practice test30 questions weighted like the real exam, graded at the end.
- Sample questions20 questions across all five domains, answers shown as you go.
- Domain 1: General Security Concepts40 questions on controls, zero trust, change management, and crypto basics.
- Domain 2: Threats, Vulnerabilities, and Mitigations40 questions on threat actors, attacks, vulnerabilities, and indicators.
- Domain 3: Security Architecture40 questions on cloud, network design, data protection, and resilience.
- Domain 4: Security Operations40 questions on hardening, monitoring, IAM, and incident response.
- Domain 5: Security Program Management40 questions on governance, risk, third parties, and compliance.
Cheat sheets with drill mode
Reference sheets you can actually test yourself on: each page has a ten-question drill with instant feedback, and most have a printable one-page PDF.
Guides and planning
- Acronyms glossaryAll 300+ SY0-701 acronyms, expanded, explained, and searchable.
- MnemonicsMemory hooks for the lists people blank on under exam pressure.
- The exam, explainedCost, format, passing score, and how long to study.
- 30-day study planA daily checklist from first read to exam day, with a printable PDF.
- Exam objectivesEvery SY0-701 objective, decoded in plain English.
- PBQs explainedWhat performance-based questions are, with a free graded PBQ to try.
- Exam dayWhat to bring, what to expect, and how to manage the clock.
- How hard is it?An honest read on difficulty and the mistakes that fail people.
- SalaryWhat Security+ holders actually earn by role and region.
- Is it worth it?Who benefits from Security+ and who should skip it.
Free video lessons
Every Domain 1 objective has a full video lesson, free to watch. Browse the video lessons.
Compare and contrast
The pairs the exam loves to blur, each with a clear side-by-side breakdown.
- IDS vs IPS
- Symmetric vs asymmetric encryption
- Authentication vs authorization
- Hashing vs encryption
- TCP vs UDP
- Vulnerability vs threat vs risk
- MAC vs DAC vs RBAC
- Security+ vs Network+
- Security+ vs CySA+
- Security+ vs CISSP
- Security+ vs A+
- Security+ vs CEH
- TLS vs SSL
- SIEM vs SOAR
- RTO vs RPO
- WPA2 vs WPA3
- Vulnerability scan vs penetration test
- Red team vs blue team vs purple team
Everything above is free without an account. This is what an account adds.
The pages on this page are practice you mark yourself. An account is the part that keeps score: it remembers what you missed, decides what you do tomorrow, and holds the plan together.
- All 4 Domain 1 objectives: a lesson, a hands-on lab and 57 to 77 exam-style questions each
- A placement check that skips you past what you already know
- A dated day-by-day plan built around your exam date
- One timed sitting from a domain you have not paid for, 10 questions that open with a PBQ
- 3 terminal labs and 2 alert-triage drills
Free forever on Domain 1. No card.
Written to the CompTIA Security+ SY0-701 objectives. CompTIA and Security+ are trademarks of CompTIA, used here for identification only. SecPlus Mastery is an independent study resource and is not affiliated with or endorsed by CompTIA.