The CS0-004 exam costs $425 at CompTIA’s published US retail price, includes up to 85 questions, allows 165 minutes, and requires a scaled score of 750 on a 100 to 900 scale.
| Exam fact | CS0-004 answer |
| Cost | $425 CompTIA retail; $439 list at several authorized partners |
| Questions | Up to 85, multiple-choice and performance-based |
| Time | 165 minutes |
| Passing score | 750 (scaled, 100 to 900) |
| Difficulty | Intermediate, per CompTIA |
| Pass rate | Not published by CompTIA |
| Realistic prep | 25 to 105 hours, based on SOC experience |
| Prerequisites | None required; about 4 years of analyst experience recommended |
| Results | Shown on screen immediately after you submit |
These figures come from the CompTIA CySA+ V4 exam page, which also lists a June 23, 2026 launch and about four years of recommended SOC or vulnerability analyst experience.
Who this page is for: US candidates who have decided on CySA+ and now need exact numbers to budget, book, and pace the exam.
Why Do CompTIA CySA+ Exam Cost Figures Differ ($425 vs $439)?
Two list prices circulate for the same voucher. CompTIA’s CySA+ V4 questions answered post, dated June 12, 2026, states $425. Several CompTIA authorized partners show $439 as the list price after a June 2026 price change.
- What to trust: The price shown at the CompTIA store checkout is the binding figure.
- What to budget: Use $439 as your worst case until checkout confirms the lower amount.
- Why it matters: The $14 gap changes nothing on its own, but pages quoting $370 to $404 are pre-2026 and understate cost by up to $69.
Learn more about: How Much Does The CompTIA Security+ Cost In 2026?
Where Can You Buy a CompTIA CySA+ Exam Voucher, and What Does Each Option Cost?
| Channel | Price | Retake option | Best for |
| CompTIA store | $425 (CompTIA published retail) | Bundles available | Buyers wanting a direct purchase |
| Authorized partner, discounted | $395 against a $439 list | Retake Assurance add-on for $99 | Self-funded candidates |
| Employer or training bundle | Varies by contract | Varies | Reimbursed employees |
| Academic store | Discounted, eligibility required | Varies | Enrolled students |
Partner figures are from the Professor Messer CySA+ voucher page, a CompTIA authorized partner, checked September 29, 2026.
Is Retake Assurance Worth Buying?
Buy it if you think your chance of failing is above 25%. That break-even comes from $99 add-on cost divided by a $395 replacement voucher (25.1%).
| Your honest self-assessment | Fail risk | Decision |
| Two timed practice exams passed with margin | Low | Skip Retake Assurance |
| Practice scores hovering at the pass line | Near 1 in 4 or higher | Buy it |
| First CompTIA exam, no PBQ practice | Unknown, likely elevated | Buy it |
The CompTIA voucher terms make every purchase final and non-refundable, so decide before checkout.
Explore more: A Complete Guide to CompTIA IT Certification Roadmap – 2026
What Is the Full CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst CySA Certification Cost?
| Scenario | Exam spend | First renewal | Total |
| Pass first try, CompTIA retail | $425 | $150 | $575 |
| Pass first try, discounted partner voucher | $395 | $150 | $545 |
| Partner voucher plus Retake Assurance | $494 | $150 | $644 |
| Fail once, no Retake Assurance (partner prices) | $790 | $150 | $940 |
The $150 renewal fee and 60 CEU requirement come from CompTIA’s certification renewal reference. Renewing through a qualifying higher CompTIA certification waives the fee.
Which Discounts Cut the CS0-004 Price?
CompTIA’s voucher discount guide lists student pricing of 35% to 55% off for actively registered students at US four-year institutions and some two-year institutions, bundles that pair a voucher with Retake Assurance and CertMaster, and training or college course programs that can cover up to 100%.
| Discount route | Who qualifies | Effect on a $425 voucher |
| CompTIA student pricing | Verified current US students | $191 to $276 (calculated at 35% to 55% off) |
| CompTIA bundle with Retake Assurance | Anyone | Bundled price; confirm in store |
| Training or college course program | Enrolled learners, eligibility varies | Up to $0 |
| GI Bill test-fee reimbursement | Eligible veterans | Reimbursed after testing, up to $2,000 per test |
| Employer reimbursement | Employees with a training benefit | Up to $0, often paid after a pass |
Student figures are calculated from CompTIA’s percentage range; the store shows your exact verified price. Student status is verified during checkout, so start verification before the week you plan to book.
Can Veterans Get the Exam Reimbursed?
The VA licensing and certification test fee page states that eligible GI Bill users can be reimbursed test fees up to $2,000 per test, including tests they do not pass. The test must be VA-approved, and you claim it using VA Form 22-0803.
- Check first: Confirm CySA+ appears on the VA’s approved test list before paying.
- Keep: Your payment receipt and score report, since VA needs both.
- Trade-off: Post-9/11 GI Bill entitlement is charged in proportion to the fee reimbursed.
Is the CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst CySA Certification Free for Anyone?
No free voucher exists for the general public. A $0 exam is realistic only through a course program, employer benefit, or GI Bill reimbursement from the table above.
What Should an Employer Reimbursement Request Include?
- Amount: $575 first-cycle cost, or $644 if you add Retake Assurance.
- Proof: Voucher receipt, then the score report after testing.
- Job link: The CS0-004 domain that maps to your current duties.
- Timing: A booked exam date within your voucher’s validity.
Delve into the details of: Are CompTIA Certifications Worth It? The Honest Answer Nobody’s Giving You
How Many Questions Are on the CS0-004 Exam?
CS0-004 has a maximum of 85 questions in two formats:
- Multiple-choice: Single-answer and multiple-response items.
- Performance-based questions (PBQs): Simulations such as reading log output, ranking vulnerabilities, or ordering response steps. CompTIA does not publish how many PBQs appear.
Because the published figure is a maximum, your exam may show fewer than 85 items. Budget time as if you will see all 85.
How Much Time Should Each Domain Get?
This budget spreads 150 working minutes (165 minus a 15-minute review buffer) by V4 domain weight.
| V4 domain | Weight | Est. questions at 85 | Time budget |
| Security Operations | 34% | 29 | 51 min |
| Vulnerability Management | 26% | 22 | 39 min |
| Incident Response and Management | 24% | 20 | 36 min |
| Reporting and Communication | 16% | 14 | 24 min |
Questions appear mixed and aren’t grouped by domain. Use the table to weight study hours, not to track time inside the exam. You can download the full CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst CySA certification exam objectives PDF for free from CompTIA’s V4 page.
What Do CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst CySA Certification Questions Look Like?
These original items mirror V4 objective wording. Use them to test reasoning, then move to a full CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst CySA certification practice test for timing.
1. Security Operations: A host sends hundreds of DNS TXT queries to random-looking subdomains of one external domain. What is the most likely activity?
- Answer: DNS tunneling for command-and-control or data exfiltration.
- Next step: Block the domain at the resolver and isolate the host.
2. Vulnerability Management: A critical flaw affects a legacy controller that the vendor will never patch. What is the best response?
- Answer: Apply a compensating control such as network segmentation, and document the accepted risk.
3. Incident Response and Management: You must collect evidence from a running compromised server. What do you capture first?
- Answer: System memory.
- Why: Order of volatility places RAM ahead of disk, because memory is lost at shutdown.
4. Reporting and Communication: A CFO asks for a vulnerability update. What belongs in the report?
- Answer: Business risk, trend direction, and remediation status, not raw scanner output.
5. Security Operations (AI objective): An analyst pastes alert data into a public AI chatbot to summarize it. What is the primary governance risk?
- Answer: Exposure of sensitive data to an external service, plus unverified conclusions acting on alerts.
These CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst CySA certification answers show the pattern the exam rewards: the best next action for the stated context. Sites selling leaked CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst CySA exam questions breach CompTIA’s candidate agreement and do not build PBQ skill.
How Should You Pace 165 Minutes?
At 85 items, 165 minutes averages 1.94 minutes per question. Holding back 15 minutes for review drops the working pace to about 1.76 minutes per question.
| Clock checkpoint | Target question number | If you are behind |
| Minute 50 | Question 28 | Flag remaining PBQs and switch to multiple-choice |
| Minute 100 | Question 57 | Answer every item on first read; no second-guessing |
| Minute 150 | Question 85 | Use the buffer only for flagged PBQs |
| Minute 165 | Submit | Unanswered items score zero, so never leave blanks |
PBQs often appear first. Flag them, clear multiple-choice items, and return later to protect your pace.
What Does a 750 Passing Score Actually Mean?
A 750 is a scaled score, not a percentage. The scale runs from 100 to 900, so 750 sits 650 points above the floor, 81.25% of the way along the 800-point range.
- Not equal to 81% correct: CompTIA does not publish its raw-to-scaled conversion, and items can carry different weights.
- Not equal to 83% correct: The “750 of 900” math ignores that the scale starts at 100.
- Undisclosed by CompTIA: Item point values, partial-credit rules, and whether unscored items appear. Treat any “points per question” claim as speculation.
How Does CySA+ V4 (New Version) Compare With CySA+ V3 (Retiring Version) on Exam Day?
| Exam-day factor | CySA+ V4 (New Version), CS0-004 | CySA+ V3 (Retiring Version), CS0-003 |
| Questions, time, passing score | Identical: 85 max, 165 minutes, 750 | Identical: 85 max, 165 minutes, 750 |
| Largest domain | Security Operations, 34% | Security Operations, 33% |
| Incident Response weight | 24% | 20% |
| Vulnerability Management weight | 26% | 30% |
| AI in security operations | Tested | Not a named objective |
| Languages | English; French, Japanese, Spanish, Portuguese announced | English, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish |
| English availability | Ongoing | Ends December 22, 2026 |
V3 weights and languages come from the CompTIA CySA+ V3 exam page. The CompTIA CySA+ certification hub sets the English V3 retirement for December 22, 2026, which is 84 days from this update.
The CS0-003 CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst CySA certification exam makes sense only if you are ready now. Both codes award the same CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst CySA+ certification.
How Do You Book Your CySA Schedule Without Losing Your Voucher?
Follow this sequence to build your CySA schedule:
- Log in to your CompTIA account and open the Pearson VUE dashboard.
- Select the exam code (CS0-004 or CS0-003) that matches your voucher and study material.
- Choose delivery: A Pearson VUE test center or OnVUE online proctoring. The CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst CySA certification online option needs a private room, webcam, and a passed system test.
- Enter your voucher code at payment, or pay by card.
- Match your name exactly to your government-issued ID.
What Are the Rebooking and Cancellation Rules?
| Situation | Rule | Consequence of missing it |
| In-person reschedule or cancel | At least 24 hours before appointment | Exam fee forfeited |
| Online (OnVUE) reschedule or cancel | Before appointment start time | Voucher treated as redeemed |
| Switching in-person to online | Cancel first, then rebook with same voucher | Same 24-hour rule applies |
| Paid by credit card, cancelled in time | Fee refunded to the card | Not applicable |
| Voucher expiration | Typically 12 months from purchase | Unused voucher void |
These rules come from CompTIA’s exam rescheduling help article. The voucher terms add a trap: exam retirement dates override voucher expiration dates, and some vouchers are code-specific. Candidates needing ADA accommodations request them through Pearson VUE before booking.
Card or voucher? Paying by card at booking keeps a refund path if you cancel in time, while vouchers are non-refundable. Choose a card payment when your date is uncertain, and no discount is at stake.
Action: If you bought a voucher for CS0-003, confirm in writing that it redeems for CS0-004 before December 22, 2026.
What If You Need to Retake?
The CompTIA certification retake policy sets no wait between a first and second attempt, then at least 14 calendar days before a third or later attempt. Each attempt needs a paid voucher unless you bought Retake Assurance.
| Target | Latest sensible first attempt | Reason |
| CS0-003 with a retake inside the window | December 8, 2026 | Leaves 14 days to review and retake before retirement |
| CS0-003, single attempt only | December 21, 2026 | Last full day before English retirement |
| CS0-004 | Any date within voucher validity | No retirement announced |
What Happens on Exam Day and After You Submit?
The CompTIA Candidate ID Policy requires a primary government-issued photo ID and a secondary ID, both matching your registration name exactly. Expired IDs are refused, military IDs are not accepted for OnVUE, and ID exceptions require Pearson VUE approval at least three business days in advance.
| Stage | Test center | OnVUE online |
| Check-in | Photo and signature captured on site | Photos of ID and workspace via webcam |
| Allowed items | ID only; bags, phones, smartwatches, and notes stored outside | Workspace must pass the proctor’s photo check |
| Agreement | Accept the CompTIA Candidate Agreement or forfeit the fee | Same |
| Result | Score shown immediately; printed report | Score shown immediately |
CompTIA’s online exam experience guide confirms that results appear as soon as you finish. A passing report directs you to your CompTIA account to request your certificate and digital badge.
How Long to Study for CySA+ Before You Book?
Book your date when you are about two-thirds through your planned hours, so the deadline drives the final push. CompTIA’s V4 page estimates CertMaster Practice at 10 to 20 hours, Labs at 15 to 25 hours, and Perform at 30 to 60 hours.
| Profile | Study hours | Book the exam after |
| Active SOC or vulnerability analyst | 25 to 45 | About hour 20 to 30 |
| Security+ holder, little SOC work | 40 to 80 | About hour 30 to 55 |
| Under 2 years in IT | 55 to 105 | About hour 40 to 70 |
Study resource fit: A CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst CySA certification course from CertMaster covers V4 objectives directly. The CompTIA CySA+ Cybersecurity Analyst Certification All in One Exam Guide, Third Edition targets CS0-003, so verify the edition before buying. Skip any CompTIA CySA+ Cybersecurity Analyst Certification All in One Exam Guide PDF from unofficial sites, since those copies are unlicensed and usually outdated.
Does the Exam Cost Pay Off in Salary?
BLS does not report a CompTIA CySA salary, because it tracks occupations rather than certifications. The BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook reports that the lowest-paid 10 percent of information security analysts earned under $75,090 in May 2025.
Even at that entry-level wage, a $575 first-cycle cost equals 0.77% of annual pay. The cybersecurity analyst CompTIA CySA+ certification salary case rests on role access, since CySA+ maps to analyst positions rather than guaranteeing a raise.
Verdict: When Should You Buy and Book CS0-004?
- Buy a discounted partner voucher now; book CS0-004 if your practice scores already pass: total exposure $545.
- Add Retake Assurance if your scores sit near the line: total exposure $644, capped.
- Book CS0-003 by December 8 only if you finished V3 study and want a retake cushion.
- Verify student or VA eligibility first if either applies: the savings outweigh any partner discount.
- Delay purchase if you have under 40 study hours: a voucher clock that starts too early buys nothing.
Frequently Asked Questions About the CS0-004 Exam
What is CySA+ certification?
CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst (CySA+) is an intermediate, vendor-neutral credential that validates threat detection, vulnerability management, incident response, and security reporting skills. Full overview: CySA+ certification guide.
How much does the CS0-004 exam cost?
CompTIA publishes a $425 US retail price for the CySA+ V4 voucher. Several authorized partners list $439 and sell discounted vouchers below that.
Is there a student discount for CS0-004?
Yes. CompTIA lists 35% to 55% off for verified current students at eligible US institutions.
Do you need Security+ before taking CS0-004?
No. CySA+ has no mandatory prerequisite, although CompTIA recommends about four years of SOC or vulnerability analyst experience.
What certifications do you need to be a cybersecurity analyst?
No certification is legally required. The most common CompTIA path is Network+, then Security+, then CySA+.
Is the CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst CySA+ certification exam harder than Security+?
Yes. CySA+ relies on scenario-heavy performance-based questions and assumes hands-on analyst experience, while Security+ tests broader foundational knowledge.
Can you take the CS0-004 exam online?
Yes. Pearson VUE OnVUE delivers the exam online if you have a private room, a webcam, and a computer that passes the system test.
Can a CS0-003 voucher be used for CS0-004?
It depends on the voucher. Some CompTIA vouchers are exam-code specific, so confirm with the seller before December 22, 2026.
Is 750 on CySA+ the same as a percentage?
No. 750 is a scaled score on a 100 to 900 scale, and CompTIA does not publish a raw-to-scaled conversion.
How soon can you retake CySA+ after failing?
You can book a second attempt immediately. A third or later attempt requires at least 14 calendar days after the previous one.
How late can you reschedule a CySA+ exam?
At least 24 hours before an in-person appointment, or before the start time of an online appointment. Missing the deadline forfeits the exam fee.
Does passing CySA+ renew Security+?
Yes. Earning a higher-level CompTIA certification such as CySA+ renews an active Security+ under CompTIA’s continuing education program.
