Certified AppSec Pentesting eXpert (CAPenX)

What is the format of the exam?

CAPenX is an intense 7 hours long practical exam. It requires candidates to solve a number of challenges, identify and exploit various vulnerabilities, and obtain flags. The exam can be taken online, anytime (on-demand), and from anywhere. Candidates will need to connect to the exam VPN server to access the vulnerable applications.

What is the pass criteria for the exam?

The pass criteria are as follows:

• Candidates scoring over 60% marks will be deemed to have successfully passed the exam.
• Candidates scoring over 75% will be deemed to have passed with merit.

What is the experience needed to take the exam?

This is an expert-level exam. Candidates should have prior knowledge and experience in application pentesting. They should understand common application security-related topics such as the OWASP Top 10, commonly identified security misconfigurations, and best security practices. They should be able to demonstrate their practical knowledge of AppSec topics by completing a series of tasks on identifying and exploiting vulnerabilities that have been created in the exam environment to mimic real-world scenarios.

Note: As this is an expert-level exam, a minimum of five years of professional pentesting/bug-bounty experience is recommended.

What will the candidates get?

On completing the exam, each candidate will receive:

• A certificate with their pass/fail and merit status.
• The certificate will contain a code/QR link, which anyone can use to validate the certificate.

What is the exam retake policy?

Candidates who fail the exam are allowed 1 free exam retake within the exam fees.

What are the benefits of this exam?

The exam will allow candidates to demonstrate their skills in application pentesting. This will help them to advance in their career.

How long is the certificate valid for?

The certificate does not have an expiration date. However, the passing certificate will mention the details of the exam such as the exam version and the date. As the exam is updated over time, candidates should retake the newer version as per their convenience.

Will You Provide Any Training That Can Be Taken Prior To The Exams?

Being an independent certifying authority, we (The SecOps Group) do not provide any training for the exam. Candidates should carefully go over each topic listed in the syllabus and make sure they have adequate understanding, required experience, and practical knowledge of these topics. Further, the following independent resources can be utilised to prepare for the exams.