The Certified Secure Development Specialist (CSDS) is an advanced, vendor-neutral certification for developers who build software securely. It validates that you understand the secure development lifecycle, can recognize and prevent the common vulnerabilities, can apply secure design and coding, can handle authentication, authorization and secrets, can verify security with the right testing, and can secure the pipeline and operations. 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 building secure software and assumes software development or security 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. Concepts transfer across every language and stack. |
| 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). O*NET occupations: Software Developers (15-1252.00), Information Security Engineers (15-1299.05). Self-declared by CertLabz, not reviewed by NIST or CISA. See the full mapping. |
A signed, verifiable:
The CSDS 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 vulnerabilities to defenses, order a secure development process, fix an insecure snippet, and choose the right control. It is computer adaptive, is proctored and timed, needs no mandatory course, and tests building secure software rather than reciting definitions.
The secure SDLC, threat modeling, and the OWASP Top 10 vulnerability classes.
Input validation, output encoding, least privilege and safe use of cryptography.
Authentication, authorization, sessions and tokens, and secrets management.
SAST, DAST, software composition analysis, and security in CI/CD.
Secure development skills are in intense demand as organizations shift security left. 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 CSDS | ISC2 CSSLP | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Certification exam | Certification exam |
| Computer adaptive | Yes | No |
| Hands-on PBQs | Yes | No |
| Scope | Secure software development | Secure software lifecycle |
| Vendor neutral | Yes | Yes |
| Proctored | Yes | Yes |
| Questions | 120 | 125 |
| Time | 180 min | 180 min |
| Pass mark | 700 of 900 | 700 of 1000 |
| Course required | No | 4 years experience |
| Exam voucher | $199 | $599 |
Compiled September 2026 from the ISC2 CSSLP pages. The CSSLP is a respected credential but requires four years of experience and costs far more with an annual maintenance fee; the CSDS is a standalone, computer adaptive exam with hands-on performance-based questions and no experience prerequisite. 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 vulnerabilities to defenses, order a secure development process, fix an insecure snippet, or choose the right control. They are scored all or nothing, so partial guesses do not pass.
No. The CSDS is defensive: it tests how to prevent, detect and fix vulnerabilities so software is secure. It does not provide operational instructions for attacking systems you do not own.
Yes. Languages and tools are described generically. Where a technique such as static analysis 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 CSDS 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.
CSDS 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.