The Certified Adversary Emulation Specialist (CAES) is an advanced, vendor-neutral certification for the red teamers, detection engineers and offensive-security specialists who reproduce real threat actors to test whether an organization can see and stop them. It validates that you can choose a relevant actor from threat intelligence, build an ATT&CK-mapped emulation plan, work safely inside rules of engagement, execute initial access, command and control, privilege escalation, lateral movement, persistence and exfiltration faithfully but safely, and turn the results into a purple-team report that closes detection gaps. The exam is computer adaptive and performance-based, and the credential is kept current through continuing education.
| Level | Advanced. A specialist credential: it goes deep on emulating real actors end to end and assumes working offensive-security or detection experience. |
|---|---|
| Delivery model | Computer adaptive, three stages. Your score on each stage selects the difficulty of the next, so no two candidates sit the same paper. |
| Format | 120 questions. A performance-based exam that includes performance-based questions and multiple-choice questions. No vendor product knowledge required. |
| Time | 180 minutes for the whole exam, timed. Autosaves every answer. |
| Scoring | You need a score of 700 out of 900 to pass. Results are reported on a scale of 100 to 900, and 700 corresponds to answering 72% of the exam correctly. Harder questions carry more weight, so a score means the same thing on any route. Multiple-response items and PBQs are all or nothing. |
| Retakes | No waiting period after a failed first attempt. Every attempt is paid for at the exam price. See the CertLabz Certification Retake Policy. |
| Voucher validity | 12 months from purchase, for one sitting. |
| Certification validity | 3 years. Renew with 75 CEUs per cycle and the $55 annual CE fee, or pass the current exam. Renewal details. |
| Language | English. |
| Credential | PDF certificate with QR code, public verification page, LinkedIn-ready credential ID. Issuer: CertLabz Certification Board. |
| Free resources | The exam objectives PDF and the ten sample questions PDF. |
| Workforce mapping | NICE Framework work roles: Vulnerability Analysis (PD-WRL-007), Threat Analysis (PD-WRL-006). O*NET occupations: Penetration Testers (15-1299.04). Self-declared by CertLabz, not reviewed by NIST or CISA. See the full mapping. |
A signed, verifiable:
The CAES is a performance-based exam: it includes performance-based questions alongside multiple-choice questions. Instead of only picking A, B, C or D, you map behavior to ATT&CK tactics, sequence a faithful post-exploitation chain, choose the safe option under the rules of engagement, and classify each outcome as a true positive or a detection gap. It is computer adaptive, is proctored and timed, needs no mandatory course, and tests emulating a real actor rather than reciting the matrix.
Selecting a relevant actor from intelligence and building an ATT&CK-mapped emulation plan with clear objectives.
Written authorization, rules of engagement, stop conditions, deconfliction and handling a real intrusion mid-exercise.
Initial access, resilient command and control, privilege escalation, lateral movement, persistence and safe exfiltration.
Detection gaps versus true positives, ATT&CK coverage maps, re-testing and prioritized, actionable recommendations.
Adversary emulation sits at the top of the offensive-security ladder because it needs both attacker tradecraft and detection literacy, and few people have both. Every route is shown here at once, so nothing is hidden behind a control you have to find.
United States pay reported by Glassdoor, checked September 2026. Pay varies by location, employer and experience. No certification guarantees a salary or a job.
| CertLabz CAES | GIAC GRTP | MAD20 Emulation | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Certification exam | Certification exam | Course with certification |
| Computer adaptive | Yes | No | No |
| Hands-on PBQs | Yes | No | No |
| Focus | Adversary emulation and purple teaming | Red team operations | ATT&CK emulation methodology |
| Vendor neutral | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Proctored | Yes | Yes | Not published |
| Questions | 120 | 82 | Not published |
| Time | 180 min | 180 min | Not published |
| Pass mark | 700 of 900 | 76% | Not published |
| Course required | No | No | Yes |
| Exam voucher | $199 | $999 | Not published |
Compiled September 2026 from the GIAC GRTP pages and the MAD20 ATT&CK adversary emulation methodology certification. Product names and trademarks belong to their owners; CertLabz is not affiliated with any of them. Confirm current details with each provider.
Six reasons this credential is worth your time, and worth an employer's attention.
One price for the exam, set by its level. Bundles add the study guide and hands-on practice at a saving.
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Every form is drawn from a bank of more than 130 items to these exact weights, whichever adaptive route you take. Filter by the area you want to study.
The exam runs in three stages. Your score on each stage selects the difficulty of the next, so a strong candidate is stretched and a struggling one is measured fairly rather than swamped. No two candidates sit the same paper. Harder questions carry more weight, so a scaled score means the same thing whichever route you took.
Each exam can have up to 5 to 12 performance-based questions, drawn fresh on every attempt, alongside the multiple-choice questions. A PBQ is a task rather than a list: you map behavior to ATT&CK, sequence an attack chain, choose the safe action under the rules of engagement, or classify detection outcomes. They are scored all or nothing, so partial guesses do not pass.
Yes. Techniques are described using MITRE ATT&CK, and C2 frameworks, tools and platforms generically. What you prove transfers across whichever toolset your team runs. Where a question involves a tool, it is described generically.
No. It is a proctored knowledge and judgement exam with performance-based questions. It tests how you plan, execute safely and report an emulation, not live exploitation on someone else's network.
700 out of 900. Results are reported on a scale of 100 to 900, and 700 corresponds to answering 72% of the exam correctly.
There is no waiting period between a failed first attempt and a second attempt. Buy another voucher and sit the exam again when you are ready, and it will draw a fresh adaptive form from the bank. See the CertLabz Certification Retake Policy.
Yes, after three years. Keep it current by logging 75 CEUs during the cycle and paying the $55 annual CE fee before expiry, or by passing the current exam again.
The exam objectives PDF and the ten sample questions PDF. The CAES Official Study Guide is a $50 ebook, included in two of the bundles. Hands-on practice comes with the All Access plan, included in the Complete bundle.
A laptop or desktop with a webcam and microphone, Chrome, Edge or Firefox, a stable connection, and a quiet private room for three hours. Phones and tablets are not supported.
CAES is a continuing-education certification, like the CE credentials from CompTIA and ISC2. It is valid for three years from the day you pass. To keep it, log 75 continuing-education units during the cycle and pay the $55 annual CE fee before your expiry date. Or pass the current version of the exam again.
CEUs are logged from your CertLabz dashboard with supporting evidence. A certification that lapses can be reinstated only by passing the current exam.
Buy a voucher, study the objectives, sit the exam when you are ready. Your credential is issued the moment you pass.