Security+ Prerequisites: What You Need First
Unlike the PMP, the CompTIA Security+ has no formal prerequisites — anyone can register and book the SY0-701 today. But CompTIA does recommend holding Network+ and around two years of IT experience first, and there is a sensible order to stack into it. Here is what you actually need before you sit, and the A+ → Network+ → Security+ path that makes it easier.
01 The short answer
This is the opposite of a credential like the PMP, which has hard eligibility gates. With Security+ there is no application, no audit, and no experience check — you can pay and schedule the SY0-701 whenever you like. The recommendations exist because the exam assumes a base of networking and operating-system knowledge; meeting them makes the test far easier, but skipping them is allowed. Below are the foundations CompTIA suggests you have in place before you sit.
It helps to understand why CompTIA frames its guidance this way. Security+ is a vendor-neutral, internationally recognised credential — it appears on countless job specifications and is one of the certifications approved under the US Department of Defense's directive for certain cybersecurity roles. To keep it accessible to career-changers and students worldwide, CompTIA deliberately avoids locking the exam behind formal entry barriers. Instead it publishes recommended experience so candidates can self-assess honestly, rather than gatekeeping who is permitted to try. The practical upshot: the prerequisites are advice you ignore at the cost of your own study time and exam fee, not rules an exam centre will check at the door.
CompTIA Network+ certification Recommended
Security+ assumes you already understand networking. CompTIA recommends Network+ first so ports, protocols, and traffic flow are second nature before you learn to secure them.
Around two years of IT experience Recommended
CompTIA suggests roughly two years in a systems- or security-administration role — the hands-on context the SY0-701's scenario questions are written around.
Networking & OS fundamentals Recommended
Basic Windows/Linux user skills and a fundamental grasp of computers and networks — the floor everything in Security+ is built on.
02 The knowledge CompTIA expects you to bring
None of these are required to register, but the SY0-701 is written as though you already have them. Walking in without this base is where unprepared candidates get caught — the questions rarely test the foundation directly, they assume it. A question about segmenting a network to contain a breach, for example, will not pause to explain what a subnet or a VLAN is; it expects you to know that already and to reason about the security decision on top of it.
| What CompTIA recommends | Why it matters for the SY0-701 | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Networking fundamentals (ports, protocols, OSI, traffic flow) | Much of Security+ is securing networks — firewalls, segmentation, VPNs, zero trust — which only makes sense if you already know how networks work. | Recommended |
| Operating-system basics (Windows & Linux) | Hardening, permissions, and endpoint security topics assume you can navigate and administer an OS. | Recommended |
| ~2 years IT administration (security focus) | The hands-on grounding behind the exam's scenario-style questions and real-world judgement calls. | Recommended |
| Core security concepts (CIA triad, threats, basic crypto) | A head start on the vocabulary, though Security+ itself is where most people first learn these formally. | Helpful |
03 The CompTIA stacking order
CompTIA designs its core certifications to build on one another — the “trifecta” of A+, Network+, and Security+ validates devices, networks, and security in that order. Each one assumes the knowledge of the one before, which is exactly why the sequence matters. A+ teaches you the device and the operating system; Network+ teaches you to connect devices together; Security+ teaches you to defend that connected estate. Try to learn the third without the first two and you spend the exam back-filling foundations under time pressure — the slowest, most stressful way to do it.
CompTIA A+ — the optional foundation Optional
Covers hardware, operating systems, and basic troubleshooting. Ideal if you are brand new to IT, but many people with some experience skip straight past it.
CompTIA Network+ — strongly recommended Recommended
The one CompTIA explicitly suggests before Security+. It gives you the networking fluency the SY0-701 leans on heavily — this is the step worth not skipping.
CompTIA Security+ — your target The goal
With the foundation in place, Security+ becomes a matter of layering security concepts onto networks and systems you already understand, rather than learning everything at once.
04 Your path into Security+
There is no application or eligibility step — the “path” here is simply the smart preparation order. You can shortcut it if you already have experience, but this is the route that sets most people up to pass first time. Think of each step as buying down the difficulty of the next one: every month of real experience and every foundational cert means fewer unknowns waiting for you in the exam, and a shorter, calmer final push when you do sit.
(Optional) CompTIA A+
Only if you are new to IT — build hardware and OS basics first.
CompTIA Network+
Get networking fluency — the foundation Security+ leans on most.
Build ~2 years experience
Time in an IT/security admin role, or hands-on study to stand in for it.
Sit the SY0-701
Register, schedule, and sit Security+ — no audit, no waiting.
05 Are you ready for Security+ yet?
Because nothing stops you booking the exam, the real question is not “am I allowed?” but “am I prepared?” Here is the honest split. Be candid with yourself when you read it — the SY0-701 is a paid exam with a real fee, and re-sitting it because you rushed in underprepared is a far more expensive lesson than spending a few extra weeks shoring up your networking knowledge first.
You're ready for Security+
- You have some IT or networking experience under your belt
- You already hold Network+, or know networking to that level
- Ports, protocols, and basic OS administration are comfortable
- You want the core security credential employers ask for by name
Build foundations first
- You are brand new to IT with no networking background
- Terms like subnet, firewall, or OSI model are unfamiliar
- Start with A+ (if truly new), then Network+, then come back
- Nothing blocks you sitting now — but the gap will cost study time
06 FAQ
What are the prerequisites for the Security+ exam?
There are no formal prerequisites for the CompTIA Security+ (SY0-701). Anyone can register and sit the exam without holding another certification or proving any experience. CompTIA does, however, recommend that candidates hold the CompTIA Network+ certification and have around two years of IT administration experience with a security focus before attempting it. These are recommendations, not gates — they make the exam far easier to pass, but nothing stops you booking the test today.
Do you need Network+ before Security+?
No, Network+ is not required before Security+. You can take Security+ first or on its own. CompTIA strongly recommends Network+ first because Security+ assumes you already understand networking fundamentals — ports, protocols, the OSI model, and how traffic moves — and a big part of the SY0-701 is securing exactly those things. Most candidates find Security+ much smoother after Network+, but it is a recommendation, not a prerequisite.
Can a complete beginner take Security+?
Yes. Because there are no formal prerequisites, a complete beginner can book and sit Security+. People do pass it with no prior IT experience, but it is harder — the exam assumes networking and operating-system fundamentals you would normally pick up from A+, Network+, or a couple of years on the job. If you are starting from zero, building those foundations first (A+ then Network+) makes Security+ far more achievable.
How much IT experience do you need for Security+?
None is required, but CompTIA recommends about two years of experience in an IT administration role with a security focus before sitting Security+. That experience is where you absorb the networking, operating-system, and security concepts the exam tests in scenario form. If you do not have it, structured study and hands-on practice can substitute, but expect to put in more preparation time.
