ISC2 certification practice
Practise ISC2 Certified in Cybersecurity CC across all 6 official exam domains — Security Principles, Business Continuity, Disaster Recovery, and Incident Response, Access Controls Concepts, Security Operations, and more — with original exam-style questions, full explanations, and wrong-answer analysis. Courseiva helps you prepare with realistic practice questions, topic-based revision, explained answers and structured study routes.
Ways to study ISC2 CC
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
New here? Start with this
Start with a 25-question practice test
Covers all 6 domains · takes ~5 min · no account needed · shows your weak areas immediately
Key facts for the ISC2 Certified in Cybersecurity CC exam.
Exam cost
$0 USD (free) / Free
Duration
120 minutes
Question count
100 questions
Passing score
700 / 1000
Validity
3 years
Delivered by
Pearson VUE
Online proctored
Yes — available
Retake policy
30 days between first and second attempt; 90 days thereafter
Question formats
The ISC2 Certified in Cybersecurity (CC) is an entry-level credential designed to validate foundational knowledge of core security concepts including security principles, network security, access controls, and incident response. It was launched in 2022 as part of ISC2's mission to grow the global cybersecurity workforce, and the exam is offered free of charge. The CC is ideal for anyone starting a cybersecurity career or professionals from adjacent fields looking to pivot into security. It demonstrates a commitment to the field and provides a stepping stone toward more advanced ISC2 certifications like the CISSP.
Official prerequisite
None — no experience or prior certifications required
Recommended experience
Basic familiarity with computers and networking concepts; no prior security experience needed
0–1 years; suitable for complete beginners
Should you skip this exam?
Skip if you already hold Security+ or higher — those certifications cover more ground and carry more weight with employers
Courseiva study tip
Use ISC2's free self-paced training course, which aligns directly with the exam domains — it covers everything you need at no cost
UK salary range
£25,000–£35,000
US salary range
$45,000–$65,000
Job roles that cite CC
What certification to take next
The CC exam is completely free to take — ISC2 waived the exam fee as part of its initiative to bring one million new people into cybersecurity. You only need to pay the annual ISC2 membership fee ($50 USD) after passing to maintain your certification.
The passing score is 700 out of 1000 points. The exam uses a scaled scoring model, so the exact number of correct answers required can vary slightly between exam forms.
The CC exam contains 100 multiple-choice questions, which must be completed within 120 minutes.
The exam covers five domains: Security Principles, Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery, Access Controls Concepts, Network Security, and Security Operations. ISC2 provides a free self-paced course that maps directly to these domains.
The CC is valid for 3 years. To maintain it, you must earn 45 Continuing Professional Education (CPE) credits over the three-year cycle and pay the annual ISC2 membership fee of $50.
The CC is considered an entry-level exam and is one of the more accessible cybersecurity certifications available. Most candidates with 40–80 hours of study using ISC2's free training materials feel well-prepared. It is significantly easier than the CISSP or Security+.
The CC is ideal for career changers, recent graduates, IT support staff, and anyone with no prior cybersecurity experience who wants to demonstrate a baseline understanding of security concepts. If you already have Security+ or equivalent experience, the CC may offer limited additional value.
See how CC stacks up against related certifications.
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Courseiva Exam Intelligence
Data confidence: BuildingDerived from Courseiva's continuously updated practice dataset: 976 exam-style questions. Updated 2 July 2026.
Question difficulty mix
Average time per question: 90s
5
Exam domains
official blueprint domains covered by the bank
976
Questions
exam-style questions in the ISC2 CC bank
Practice modes
Choose a mode that matches your current study phase. Use topic practice early on and mock exams closer to your exam date.
All ISC2 CC Questions
Browse the full question bank organised by domain and difficulty.
Practice Test
Start a 20-question session with a full explanation after each answer.
Mock Exam
Simulate the real exam with a timed, full-length question set.
Quick 25
A 25-question warm-up — ideal for a short daily study session.
Flashcards
Reinforce key terms, commands, and protocol facts with flashcards.
Domain Practice
Focus exclusively on one exam domain to target your weakest area.
50-Question Set
Mid-length practice set covering all domains.
Exam guide
Start with a short practice session, review each missed answer, then return to the topics that caused mistakes.
ISC2 Certified in Cybersecurity CC spans 6 official exam domains (Security Principles, Business Continuity, Disaster Recovery, and Incident Response, Access Controls Concepts, and more). Questions test whether you can apply each objective in a realistic scenario, not just recall a definition.
Related practice questions
Use these internal links to move from the exam guide into focused topic practice pages.
Practise CC questions linked to Security Principles.
Practise CC questions linked to Business Continuity, Disaster Recovery, and Incident Response.
Practise CC questions linked to Access Controls Concepts.
Practise CC questions linked to Security Operations.
Practise CC questions linked to Network Security.
Practise CC questions linked to Business Continuity, DR & Incident Response.
Practise CC questions linked to CC fundamentals.
Practise CC questions linked to CC scenario.
Practise CC questions linked to CC troubleshooting.
Practice directory
Every practice set is a unique selection of questions — numbered tests, domain-focused sessions, and topic-specific quizzes.
Showing 8 of 63 tests. See all 63 ISC2 CC practice tests →
Official blueprint
Target weak areas by practising questions from a single domain. Each domain page shows all questions, difficulty breakdown, and a focused practice session.
Practise CC questions in this domain →
Practise CC questions in this domain →
Practise CC questions in this domain →
Practise CC questions in this domain →
Practise CC questions in this domain →
Practise CC questions in this domain →
Deep-dive questions
The most-searched ISC2 CC questions — each with a detailed explanation, worked example, and full answer breakdown.
Term reference
These terms appear frequently in ISC2 CC questions. Understanding them precisely reduces guessing and improves scores.
Safe Links
Safe Links is a Microsoft Defender for Office 365 feature that scans URLs in emails and documents in real time to protect users from malicious websites.
authorized_keys
A file on a server that stores the public keys of users who are allowed to log in without a password using SSH key-based authentication.
Reader role
A Reader role is a predefined set of permissions in identity and governance systems that allows a user to view resources and data but not create, modify, or delete anything.
Guest user
A guest user is a temporary or limited-access account that allows someone to use a system, network, or application without full user privileges and often without a permanent identity.
Extensible Authentication Protocol
Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP) is a flexible authentication framework used in network access control, particularly in wireless and point-to-point connections, that supports multiple authentication methods without requiring changes to the underlying protocol.
Baseline configuration
A baseline configuration is a documented set of specifications for hardware, software, and settings that serves as a consistent starting point for systems in an IT environment.
Common Criteria
Common Criteria is an international standard (ISO 15408) that provides a common framework for evaluating the security features and capabilities of information technology products.
File Transfer Protocol Secure
File Transfer Protocol Secure (FTPS) is a secure version of FTP that adds encryption using TLS or SSL to protect data during file transfers.
Learn the concepts
16 book-style chapters cover every ISC2 CC objective in plain English. Read the theory here, then test it with practice questions.
Chapter 1
Introduction to Security Principles
12 min read
Chapter 2
Authentication and Authorization Methods
12 min read
Chapter 3
Security Governance and Compliance
12 min read
Chapter 4
Risk Management and Security Controls
12 min read
Chapter 5
Security Awareness and Training
12 min read
Chapter 6
Access Control Fundamentals
12 min read
Chapter 7
Physical Access Controls
12 min read
Chapter 8
Logical Access Controls
12 min read
Free study guide
The Courseiva ISC2 CC study guide covers exam format, the official domain blueprint with weights, a structured study plan, and domain-specific tips for each section. Use it alongside practice questions to build both conceptual depth and exam confidence.
Sample questions
Original exam-style questions — not copied from any exam or dump site. Open a question for the full answer breakdown.
A small e-commerce company hosts its web application on a single server with a public IP address. The server runs a Linux OS with Apache, MySQL, and PHP. The company recently exper…
A financial institution requires that no single employee can both initiate and approve a wire transfer. This policy enforces which security principle?
An organization wants to implement defense in depth for its web application. Which combination of controls best illustrates this principle?
A security incident report indicates that an employee used their access to view confidential records unrelated to their job. Which security principle was most likely violated?
A security analyst notices that a user has been granted access to files beyond their job function. Which principle is violated?
A company experiences a ransomware attack that encrypts all files on a server. Which security control would MOST effectively allow recovery without paying the ransom?
Related certifications
Studying for ISC2 CC? These related ISC2 certifications share concepts and are common next steps.
CCSP
CCSP · 964 practice questions
SSCP
SSCP · 920 practice questions
CISSP
CISSP · 747 practice questions
Courseiva provides free ISC2 Certified in Cybersecurity CC (CC) practice questions with original exam-style questions, detailed explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics. Courseiva is an independent platform and is not affiliated with ISC2.