Is the CompTIA CySA+ Worth It?
Strengths
- Strong earning potential with an average salary of $105,000
- Good job market demand with 12.0K active listings
- Achievable exam with 75% community-reported pass rate
Considerations
- Higher exam cost at $404 — factor in potential retake fees
- Moderate difficulty (6/10) — plan for focused study time
- Has prerequisites — not suitable for complete beginners
Bottom line: At $404 exam cost with an average salary of $105,000, the CompTIA CySA+ 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 CySA+ vs CompTIA Security+ comparison.
Who Should Get the CompTIA CySA+?
This certification is a good fit if you are:
- Professionals with 1-3 years of cybersecurity experience looking to advance
- IT practitioners seeking vendor-specific validation of their skills
- Anyone targeting roles that list CompTIA CySA+ as preferred or required
This certification is a key step on the Cybersecurity Analyst career path and 2 other career roadmaps.
Exam Details
Salary Data
Professionals holding the CompTIA CySA+ certification earn between $75,000 and $140,000 annually, with an average of $105,000. For context, the CISSP averages $152,000.
Job market demand trend: Growing (+12% 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
- CompTIA Security+ or equivalent knowledge
- 4+ years of hands-on security experience recommended
Skills Covered
Best Study Resources
Comparisons Featuring CompTIA CySA+
Career Paths With CompTIA CySA+
Cybersecurity Analyst
Cybersecurity analysts protect organizations from cyber threats by monitoring systems, analyzing vul...
Penetration Tester / Ethical Hacker
Penetration testers simulate real-world cyberattacks to identify vulnerabilities before malicious ac...
Security Engineer
Security engineers design, implement, and maintain an organization's security systems and infrastruc...
More Cybersecurity Certifications
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CCSP
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is CySA+ worth it after Security+?
CySA+ vs CASP+ — which is better?
How difficult is the CySA+ exam?
Does CySA+ meet DoD requirements?
Explore other options in cybersecurity: CISSP, AWS Certified Security — Specialty, and more in our Cybersecurity Certifications hub.
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 CySA+" Count sampled quarterly; fluctuates daily. | Aggregate | verified 29d ago |
| Average salary | Glassdoor — CompTIA CySA+ 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 CySA+ 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