About This Study Plan

This 30-day study plan breaks the CYSA (CySA+) exam preparation into 4 focused study sessions with 16 actionable tasks. The plan covers all 4 exam domains — Security Operations, Vulnerability Management, Incident Response and Management, Reporting and Communication — ensuring complete coverage. Structured 30-day study plan for CompTIA CySA+ (CS0-003).

4Study Sessions

16Total Tasks

4Domains Covered

Prerequisites

Security+ or 2+ years SOC experience
2–3 hours per day

Study Schedule

Week 1Security Operations

Days 1–2: SIEM architecture, log sources, and alert configuration
Days 3–4: Threat intelligence, IOC analysis, STIX/TAXII
Days 5–6: Network and endpoint monitoring tools
Day 7: Threat hunting techniques and security operations quiz

Week 2Vulnerability Management

Days 8–9: Vulnerability scanning tools, configuration, and scheduling
Days 10–11: CVSS scoring, prioritization, and remediation planning
Days 12–13: Application security testing (SAST, DAST, IAST)
Day 14: Patch management and compensating controls quiz

Week 3Incident Response & Forensics

Days 15–16: IR lifecycle, playbooks, and containment strategies
Days 17–18: Digital forensics, evidence handling, chain of custody
Days 19–20: Malware analysis basics, sandboxing, IOC extraction
Day 21: Reporting, metrics, and communication quiz

Week 4Review & Exam Prep

Days 22–23: Full practice exam #1 + review
Days 24–25: Log analysis PBQ practice
Days 26–27: Full practice exam #2 + weak areas
Days 28–30: MITRE ATT&CK review, flashcards, and rest

Study Tips

💡

Build a home SIEM (Wazuh or ELK) for hands-on log analysis practice.

💡

CySA+ is analysis-heavy — practice interpreting data, not just memorizing facts.

💡

Know the difference between IOCs and IOAs.

Recommended CompTIA Study Resources

Supplement this study plan with the official CompTIA CertMaster labs and practice tests. Download the free exam objectives PDF from CompTIA's website and use it as a checklist — cross off each objective as you master it. Professor Messer's free video series covers every CompTIA exam objective and is widely regarded as one of the best free resources available.