CompTIA CASP+

cybersecurity Advanced Updated: 2025-04-10 Methodology

CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner (CASP+, CAS-004) is an advanced-level cybersecurity certification for security architects and senior security engineers. It validates risk management, enterprise security operations, architecture, and incident response at a practitioner level — unlike managerial certifications like CISSP.

$120K
Avg Salary
55%
Pass Rate
8.5K
Job Listings
160h
Study Time
$494
Exam Cost

Is the CompTIA CASP+ Worth It?

Strengths

  • Strong earning potential with an average salary of $120,000

Considerations

  • Higher exam cost at $494 — factor in potential retake fees
  • Challenging exam (8/10 difficulty) — requires significant preparation
  • Has prerequisites — not suitable for complete beginners

Bottom line: At $494 exam cost with an average salary of $120,000, the CompTIA CASP+ offers a solid return on investment for cybersecurity professionals. Not sure if this is the right choice? See how it stacks up in our CompTIA CASP+ vs CISSP comparison.

Who Should Get the CompTIA CASP+?

This certification is a good fit if you are:

  • Senior cybersecurity professionals aiming for architect or lead roles
  • Experienced practitioners seeking top-tier industry recognition
  • Anyone targeting roles that list CompTIA CASP+ as preferred or required

This certification is a key step on the Security Engineer career path.

Exam Details

Exam CodeCAS-004
Exam Cost$494 USD
Duration165 minutes
Questions90
Passing ScorePass/Fail (no scaled score)
ProviderCompTIA
Difficulty8/10

Salary Data

Professionals holding the CompTIA CASP+ certification earn between $90,000 and $165,000 annually, with an average of $120,000. For context, the CISSP averages $152,000.

Job market demand trend: Stable (+6% YoY)

Disclaimer: Salary figures are US-median estimates compiled from BLS wage statistics, Glassdoor, and job-posting aggregates. They are estimates only, not financial advice or a guarantee of earnings. Actual compensation varies by location, experience, employer, and negotiation.

Prerequisites

  • No formal prerequisites
  • CompTIA Security+ or equivalent knowledge recommended
  • Minimum 10 years of IT experience with 5 years of hands-on security experience recommended

Skills Covered

Security ArchitectureEnterprise Security OperationsGovernance, Risk & ComplianceSecurity Engineering & CryptographyIncident ResponseVulnerability ManagementCloud & Hybrid SecurityResearch & Development

Best Study Resources

Comparisons Featuring CompTIA CASP+

Career Paths With CompTIA CASP+

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Frequently Asked Questions

CASP+ vs CISSP — which is better?
They serve different roles. CASP+ is hands-on and technical, ideal for practitioners who want to stay in engineering and architecture. CISSP is managerial, designed for security leaders and decision-makers. CASP+ is better if you prefer deep technical work over policy and governance.
Is CASP+ recognized by the DoD?
Yes. CASP+ is approved for DoD 8570 IAT Level III and IASAE Level I and II positions, making it one of the most valuable certifications for government and defense contractor roles.
How hard is the CASP+ exam?
CASP+ is one of the more challenging CompTIA exams. It includes performance-based questions and complex scenarios with no single correct answer. Strong hands-on experience is essential — studying alone is rarely enough.

Sources for every data point

Each quantitative claim on this page is mapped to a verifiable source. Official vendor pages and government datasets are preferred; community estimates and editorial extrapolations are flagged explicitly.

Data point Source Tier Last checked
Exam duration CompTIA — official exam guide
Pattern-generated from vendor URL convention. Pending manual verification against the current exam guide PDF.
Official verified 29d ago
Exam code CompTIA — official certification page
Pattern-generated from vendor URL convention. Pending manual verification against the current exam guide PDF.
Official verified 29d ago
Passing score CompTIA — official exam guide
Pattern-generated from vendor URL convention. Pending manual verification against the current exam guide PDF.
Official verified 29d ago
Exam price CompTIA — official certification page
Pattern-generated from vendor URL convention. Pending manual verification against the current exam guide PDF.
Official verified 29d ago
Question count CompTIA — official exam guide
Pattern-generated from vendor URL convention. Pending manual verification against the current exam guide PDF.
Official verified 29d ago
Job listings LinkedIn — active US postings mentioning "CompTIA CASP+"
Count sampled quarterly; fluctuates daily.
Aggregate verified 29d ago
Average salary Glassdoor — CompTIA CASP+ role salary (US)
Aggregate from public salary postings. Cross-checked against BLS OEWS for the closest SOC category.
Aggregate verified 29d ago
Salary range Glassdoor + Payscale — CompTIA CASP+ salary distribution
10th–90th percentile derived from public salary aggregators.
Aggregate verified 29d ago
Pass rate Community consensus — CompTIA pass-rate discussions
Most vendors do not publish pass rates. Community data is self-reported with survivor bias.
Community verified 29d ago
Study hours Community consensus — certification subreddits and TechExams threads
Typical range for candidates with modest prior experience in the domain.
Community verified 29d ago
Demand trend LinkedIn + Indeed — multi-quarter listing comparison
Editorial summary of YoY listing change.
Editorial estimate verified 29d ago

Data Sources & Transparency

  • Salary data — Bureau of Labor Statistics, Glassdoor, and job posting aggregates (US median)
  • Job listings — LinkedIn, Indeed, and Dice active postings (sampled quarterly)
  • Pass rates — Community-reported estimates from Reddit, TechExams, and certification forums
  • Exam details — CompTIA official certification documentation