The Certified Penetration Testing Professional (CPTP) is an advanced, vendor-neutral certification for the people who run authorized penetration tests. It validates that you understand penetration testing foundations and rules of engagement, can perform reconnaissance and scanning, can exploit weaknesses safely and ethically, can test web and application layers, can handle post-exploitation and privilege escalation responsibly, and can write clear findings and remediation advice. The exam is computer adaptive and performance-based, and the credential is kept current through continuing education.
| Level | Advanced. It assumes hands-on security or systems experience and validates running authorized penetration tests 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. The methodology transfers across every environment and toolset. |
| 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), Software Security Assessment (DD-WRL-005). 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 CPTP 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 techniques to their use, order the steps of an authorized test, interpret scan output, and choose the right approach. It is computer adaptive, is proctored and timed at three hours, needs no mandatory course, and tests running authorized, ethical penetration tests rather than reciting one tool's flags.
Passive recon, OSINT, enumeration, port and service scanning, and mapping the attack surface.
Common weaknesses, password and network attacks, payloads and handlers, and safe testing practices.
OWASP Top 10, injection, authentication and access control flaws, API and client-side testing.
Findings and severity, writing the report, remediation advice, standards and professional conduct.
Organizations of every size need people who can find and prove weaknesses before an attacker does, all within authorized, ethical rules of engagement. 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 CPTP | Offensive Security OSCP | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Certification exam | Certification exam |
| Computer adaptive | Yes | No |
| Hands-on PBQs | Yes | Yes |
| Scope | Penetration testing, vendor neutral | Offensive security |
| Vendor neutral | Yes | Yes |
| Proctored | Yes | Yes |
| Questions | 120 | Practical tasks |
| Time | 180 min | 24 hours |
| Pass mark | 700 of 900 | Not published |
| Course required | No | Yes |
| Exam voucher | $199 | Not published |
Compiled September 2026. OSCP is a respected 24-hour hands-on practical, bundled with a course, while the CPTP is computer adaptive, performance-based and voucher-only at $199. All content is authorized and ethical. 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 techniques to their use, order the steps of an authorized test, interpret scan output, or choose the right approach. They are scored all or nothing, so partial guesses do not pass.
The CPTP is vendor neutral and describes techniques and tools generically, naming products only as examples. It tests the penetration testing judgement that transfers across environments and toolsets.
Yes. Where a capability such as a scanner or an exploitation technique 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 CPTP 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.
CPTP 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.