The Certified ICS Security Practitioner (CICSP) is an advanced, vendor-neutral certification for the people securing industrial control systems and operational technology. It validates that you understand ICS and OT foundations, know industrial protocols and architecture, can assess threats and vulnerabilities, can apply controls and segmentation, can monitor and respond to incidents in OT, and can work within standards, risk and governance. The exam is computer adaptive and performance-based, and the credential is kept current through continuing education.
| Level | Advanced. It assumes hands-on IT security or industrial/OT experience and validates securing ICS and OT 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 ICS protocol and vendor. |
| 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: Operational Technology (OT) Cybersecurity Engineering (DD-WRL-009), Defensive Cybersecurity (PD-WRL-001). O*NET occupations: Information Security Engineers (15-1299.05), Information Security Analysts (15-1212.00). Self-declared by CertLabz, not reviewed by NIST or CISA. See the full mapping. |
A signed, verifiable:
The CICSP 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 an incident response task, fix a segmentation or architecture problem, and choose the right approach. It is computer adaptive, is proctored and timed, needs no mandatory course, and tests securing ICS and OT rather than reciting one product's menus.
What ICS and OT are, PLCs, RTUs and SCADA, the Purdue model, Modbus, DNP3 and industrial protocols.
ICS threat landscape, vulnerabilities, segmentation, firewalls, hardening and secure remote access.
OT monitoring, anomaly detection, logging, incident response, recovery and continuity.
IEC 62443, NIST, NERC CIP, risk assessment, compliance and asset management.
Attacks on critical infrastructure are rising, and skilled ICS and OT security practitioners are increasingly in demand across energy, manufacturing, utilities and beyond. 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 CICSP | GIAC GICSP | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Certification exam | Certification exam |
| Computer adaptive | Yes | No |
| Hands-on PBQs | Yes | Yes |
| Scope | ICS and OT security, vendor neutral | Industrial cybersecurity |
| Vendor neutral | Yes | Yes |
| Proctored | Yes | Yes |
| Questions | 120 | 82 |
| Time | 180 min | 180 min |
| Pass mark | 700 of 900 | 71% |
| Course required | No | No |
| Exam voucher | $199 | $999 |
Compiled September 2026 from the GIAC GICSP pages. The GICSP is a respected hands-on industrial cybersecurity credential at about $999; the CICSP differs by being computer adaptive and priced at $199. 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 match controls to their use, order an incident response task, fix a segmentation or architecture problem, or choose the right approach. They are scored all or nothing, so partial guesses do not pass.
The CICSP is vendor neutral and describes ICS and OT systems generically, naming products and protocols only as examples. It tests the ICS security judgement that transfers across vendors.
Yes. Where a capability such as a protocol, a firewall or a monitoring control 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 CICSP 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.
CICSP 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.