The Certified Crypto Wallet Security Practitioner (CCWS) is a beginner, vendor-neutral certification for the people who need to keep cryptocurrency wallets and keys safe. It validates that you understand keys, addresses and how wallets work, can choose the right wallet type and storage, can protect seed phrases and backups, can spot and stop phishing, malware and drainer attacks, can verify addresses and sign transactions safely, and can plan for recovery, custody and compliance. The exam is computer adaptive and performance-based, and the credential is kept current through continuing education.
| Level | Beginner. An entry credential: it establishes solid crypto wallet security fundamentals and assumes some hands-on cryptocurrency use. |
|---|---|
| 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 | 60 questions. A performance-based exam that includes performance-based questions and multiple-choice questions. Concepts transfer across every chain and wallet. |
| Time | 90 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 35 CEUs per cycle and the $25 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: Communications Security (COMSEC) Management (OG-WRL-001). O*NET occupations: Information Security Analysts (15-1212.00). Self-declared by CertLabz, not reviewed by NIST or CISA. See the full mapping. |
A signed, verifiable:
The CCWS is a performance-based exam: it includes performance-based questions alongside multiple-choice questions. Instead of only picking A, B, C or D, you match a wallet type to its use, order a secure backup task, spot a scam or a bad approval, and choose the safe way to sign. It is computer adaptive, is proctored and timed, needs no mandatory course, and tests securing wallets rather than reciting one product's menus.
Public and private keys, addresses, signatures, wallet types and how they work.
Hot and cold wallets, seed phrases, backups, recovery and custody.
Phishing, malware, drainer attacks, verifying addresses and signing safely.
Custody models, institutional custody, regulations and incident response.
As more value moves on chain, organizations and individuals need people who can keep wallets and keys safe. 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, and no certification guarantees a salary.
| CertLabz CCWS | Blockchain Council CCE | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Certification exam | Certification exam |
| Computer adaptive | Yes | No |
| Hands-on PBQs | Yes | No |
| Scope | Crypto wallet security, vendor neutral | Cryptocurrency fundamentals |
| Vendor neutral | Yes | Yes |
| Proctored | Yes | Not published |
| Questions | 60 | Not published |
| Time | 90 min | Not published |
| Pass mark | 700 of 900 | 60 of 100 |
| Course required | No | Yes |
| Exam voucher | $99 | $229 |
Compiled September 2026 from the Blockchain Council Certified Cryptocurrency Expert pages. The CCE is a broad cryptocurrency fundamentals credential at about $229 with required coursework, while the CCWS focuses specifically on wallet and key security and is computer adaptive and performance-based. Product names and trademarks belong to their owners; CertLabz is not affiliated. 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 90 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 match a wallet type to its use, order a secure backup task, spot a scam or a bad approval, or choose the safe way to sign. They are scored all or nothing, so partial guesses do not pass.
The CCWS is vendor neutral and describes wallets and chains generically, naming products only as examples. It tests the wallet security judgement that transfers across chains and wallets.
Yes. Where a capability such as a hardware wallet or a signing flow is involved, it is described by what it does, not tied to one product.
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 35 CEUs during the cycle and paying the $25 annual CE fee before expiry, or by passing the current exam again.
The exam objectives PDF and the ten sample questions PDF. The CCWS 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 90 minutes. Phones and tablets are not supported.
CCWS 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 35 continuing-education units during the cycle and pay the $25 annual CE fee before your expiry date. Or pass the current version of the exam again. Earning a higher-level CertLabz certification renews it too, the way CompTIA certifications stack.
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.