The U.S. Department of Defense mandates Security+ under Directive 8140 for roughly 500,000 civilian and contractor positions. That single policy decision turned this cert into a de facto employment requirement for anyone working in federal IT — and it's the main reason Security Plus classes are the most searched cybersecurity prep resource year over year.
If you're here because a job offer is contingent on passing, or your employer gave you a deadline to get certified, this guide covers what the training actually involves, which formats work, and which courses are worth the money.
What Security Plus Classes Actually Cover (SY0-701 Domains)
The current exam is SY0-701, released November 2023. It replaced SY0-601 and shifted emphasis toward cloud security, zero trust architecture, and AI-assisted threat detection. If you find cheap course material that doesn't mention SY0-701 explicitly, it's probably teaching a retired exam version.
The five domains and their exam weight:
- General Security Concepts (12%) — cryptography primitives, authentication types, security controls
- Threats, Vulnerabilities, and Mitigations (22%) — malware types, social engineering, application vulnerabilities, threat intelligence
- Security Architecture (18%) — cloud models, network segmentation, virtualization, SASE frameworks
- Security Operations (28%) — the heaviest domain; incident response, log analysis, endpoint hardening, IAM, PKI
- Security Program Management and Oversight (20%) — governance, risk management, compliance frameworks (HIPAA, GDPR, PCI-DSS)
Security Operations being the heaviest domain is a meaningful change from SY0-601. Quality Security Plus classes allocate study time proportional to domain weight. If a course burns 30% of its runtime on cryptography theory, it was built for a previous exam version and you'll show up underprepared on the part that matters most.
How to Pick the Right Security Plus Class
Format
- Self-paced video (Udemy, Coursera): flexible, $15–$60 on sale, works if you're disciplined. Most learners finish in 4–8 weeks at 1–2 hours per day.
- Instructor-led online: scheduled cohort, $300–$1,500. Adds accountability and live Q&A. Worth it if you've struggled to self-study before.
- In-person bootcamp: $2,000–$4,000 for a 5–10 day intensive. Expensive but effective for people who need zero distractions.
- CompTIA CertMaster Learn: official platform, $479 standalone or $549 bundled with an exam voucher. Thorough but dry.
What to look for
- Explicitly updated for SY0-701 (check the course description date, not just the title)
- Practice questions with explanations — not bare question dumps
- At minimum 20–25 hours of instruction; Security+ covers a lot of ground
- Solid coverage of Security Operations (28% of the exam — the domain most courses underserve)
What doesn't matter much
- Instructor certifications beyond Security+ itself. A CISSP teaching Security+ isn't automatically better than a Security+-holder who explains things clearly.
- CompTIA's official brand. Their materials are fine but not meaningfully better than top-rated third-party courses at a fraction of the cost.
Top Security Plus Classes Worth Your Time
IT Security: Defense Against the Digital Dark Arts
Google's IT Security course on Coursera. It doesn't map 1:1 to SY0-701 domains but builds the conceptual foundation — cryptography, network protocols, authentication — that trips people up on exam day. Use it as a primer before diving into Security+-specific prep. Rated 9.7.
A Practical Guide to Cybersecurity Operations Foundations
Focuses on the Security Operations domain — 28% of SY0-701 and the part most courses rush through. Covers log analysis, incident response workflows, and SOC fundamentals. If you're weak on the ops side of security, this fills the gap before exam day. Rated 9.6.
AI-Driven SOC: Fundamentals of Security Operations
SY0-701 added AI-assisted threat detection and automated security operations that SY0-601 barely touched. This course covers the modern SOC tooling behind those exam objectives — threat intel feeds, SIEM correlation, automated detection. Rated 9.6. Good supplemental material once you've done a full-coverage Security+ course.
CompTIA SecAI+ Fundamentals: AI Cybersecurity Basics
Specifically addresses the AI and automation concepts added in SY0-701. If you've been studying from SY0-601 materials and need to cover the delta, this is the most direct path to closing that gap. Rated 9.6.
Building and Configuring Your Cybersecurity Attack Lab
Security+ doesn't require deep hands-on skills, but having a lab where you can practice Wireshark, nmap, and basic incident response makes the concepts stick. This course walks through setting one up from scratch. Rated 9.6. Worth it if you're a hands-on learner who struggles retaining theory without practice.
Put It to Work: Prepare for Cybersecurity Jobs
Less about exam prep, more about what comes after passing — resume writing, interview tactics, and translating Security+ knowledge into job applications. Part of Google's Cybersecurity Certificate on Coursera. Rated 9.7. Use this after you pass, not before.
How Long Security Plus Classes Take — Realistic Timelines
Expect 60–120 hours of total study time split roughly as follows:
- Video course: 25–40 hours
- Practice exams: 15–25 hours (do at least 3 full-length exams before sitting)
- Weak-area review: 10–20 hours
- Supplemental labs or reading: 10–30 hours
Most people with basic IT experience (help desk, networking, sysadmin) pass in 6–12 weeks studying part-time. Career changers with no IT background typically need 4–6 months, and often benefit from doing Google's IT Support Certificate first.
The exam itself: 90 questions in 90 minutes, passing score 750 out of 900. Multiple choice plus performance-based questions (PBQs) that simulate real tasks. PBQs often appear early in the exam — don't skip them hoping to come back. Many people run out of time doing that.
Cost vs. What Security Plus Pays
Study materials range from $15 (Udemy on sale) to $4,500 (in-person bootcamp). The exam is $392 per attempt. Retakes cost the same.
On the return side: Security+ holders in entry-level roles typically see $70,000–$95,000 depending on location and role. IT Security Analyst, SOC Analyst Tier 1, and Systems Administrator with a security focus are the most common entry points. DoD contractor roles requiring Security+ often carry a 15–30% pay premium over comparable private-sector positions because of the clearance adjacency.
The break-even math works at nearly every price point. Even a $4,500 bootcamp pays back within a few months for someone stepping into a cleared contractor role. For most people spending $450–$600 all-in (discounted course plus exam), it's a trivially good investment.
FAQ
Can I take Security Plus classes entirely online and still pass?
Yes. Most people who pass study entirely online. The exam's performance-based questions are simulated environments, not live systems, so online-only prep works fine. If you want hands-on experience for actual job skills beyond the cert, supplement with a lab environment separately.
Do I need Network+ before taking Security Plus classes?
CompTIA recommends Network+ and two years of IT experience — but these are recommendations, not requirements. If you understand TCP/IP basics, subnetting, and how firewalls work conceptually, you can go directly to Security+. If "What's a VLAN?" draws a blank, spend a week on networking fundamentals first.
How many hours of Security Plus classes do I actually need?
Plan for 25–40 hours of instruction. Add 20–40 hours for practice exams and drilling weak spots. People with existing IT experience typically need less; career changers typically need more. The practice exam hours matter as much as the instruction hours — the exam format trips people up who haven't practiced under timed conditions.
Which Security Plus class is best for someone starting from zero IT experience?
Start with Google's IT Security course on Coursera to build foundational knowledge, then move to a dedicated SY0-701 prep course. Budget extra time — 4–6 months is realistic without an IT background. The cert itself is achievable from zero, but it takes longer than most prep course marketing suggests.
Do Security Plus classes include the exam voucher?
Some do, most don't. CompTIA's CertMaster Learn bundles the voucher ($549 vs $392 standalone). Third-party courses on Udemy and Coursera typically don't — you buy the exam separately from CompTIA's store or an authorized reseller. Authorized resellers occasionally discount to $300–$350, which adds up to real savings.
Is Security+ still worth it in 2026 given how fast the field moves?
Yes, primarily because of the DoD 8140 mandate — that policy isn't going anywhere, and it creates a baseline floor of employer demand that doesn't depend on industry trends. For private-sector roles, Security+ is still the most recognized entry-level credential. The SY0-701 update added AI and cloud content that keeps it relevant to current job descriptions.
Bottom Line
Security Plus is worth pursuing for anyone targeting federal or DoD IT work, pivoting from help desk or networking into security, or trying to clear HR filters for junior cybersecurity roles. The cert won't make you a practitioner — that takes years of hands-on work — but it gets you into interviews you'd otherwise be screened out of.
For most people, the optimal path: find a self-paced course explicitly updated for SY0-701, spend as much time on practice exams as you do on the course itself, and don't overspend on materials. The $15 Udemy course covers the same domains as the $549 official bundle. The difference between people who pass and people who retake isn't the price of their Security Plus classes — it's how many practice exams they ran before booking the real thing.
One specific callout: if you've been studying older SY0-601 material, spend dedicated time on Security Operations and the AI/automation content before sitting. That's where SY0-701 diverges most from what older prep courses cover, and it's 28% of your score.