The Certified DevSecOps Engineer (CDSO) is an advanced, vendor-neutral certification for the people building security into DevOps end to end. It validates that you understand DevSecOps foundations and culture, can secure CI/CD pipelines, can test application security, can secure infrastructure and containers, can manage secrets, identity and the supply chain, and can monitor, measure and keep the pipeline compliant. The exam is computer adaptive and performance-based, and the credential is kept current through continuing education.
| Level | Advanced. It assumes hands-on DevOps or security experience and validates building security into DevOps end to end. |
|---|---|
| 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. Concepts transfer across every pipeline, cloud and scanner. |
| 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: Secure Software Development (DD-WRL-003), Software Security Assessment (DD-WRL-005), Cybersecurity Supply Chain Risk Management (OG-WRL-017). O*NET occupations: Information Security Engineers (15-1299.05), Software Developers (15-1252.00). Self-declared by CertLabz, not reviewed by NIST or CISA. See the full mapping. |
A signed, verifiable:
The CDSO 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 controls to their use, order a pipeline task, fix a security or configuration problem, and choose the right approach. It is computer adaptive, is proctored and timed, needs no mandatory course, and tests building security into DevOps rather than reciting one tool's menus.
What DevSecOps is, shift-left security, threat modeling, collaboration and SDLC integration.
Pipeline security, secure builds, gates and policies, signing and pipeline as code.
SAST, DAST and IAST, software composition analysis, dependency scanning and triage.
Container and Kubernetes security, IaC scanning, secrets, SBOM, provenance and monitoring.
Security is moving into DevOps pipelines, and skilled DevSecOps engineers are increasingly in demand across every function. 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 CDSO | Practical DevSecOps CDP | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Certification exam | Certification exam |
| Computer adaptive | Yes | No |
| Hands-on PBQs | Yes | Yes |
| Scope | DevSecOps, vendor neutral | DevSecOps |
| Vendor neutral | Yes | Yes |
| Proctored | Yes | Yes |
| Questions | 120 | Practical tasks |
| Time | 180 min | 6 hours |
| Pass mark | 700 of 900 | 80% |
| Course required | No | Yes |
| Exam voucher | $199 | $899 |
Compiled September 2026 from the Practical DevSecOps pages. The CDP is a strong hands-on course-plus-exam bundle at about $899, and the CDSO differs by being computer adaptive and voucher-only at $199. 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 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 match controls to their use, order a pipeline task, fix a security or configuration problem, or choose the right approach. They are scored all or nothing, so partial guesses do not pass.
The CDSO is vendor neutral and describes pipelines, clouds and scanners generically, naming products only as examples. It tests the DevSecOps judgement that transfers across toolchains.
Yes. Where a capability such as a scanner or a signing step 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 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 CDSO 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.
CDSO 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. 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.