About This Study Plan
This 90-day study plan breaks the SECPLUS (Security+) exam preparation into 3 focused study sessions with 12 actionable tasks. The plan covers all 5 exam domains — General Security Concepts, Threats, Vulnerabilities, and Mitigations, Security Architecture, Security Operations, Security Program Management — ensuring complete coverage. Comprehensive 90-day plan for CompTIA Security+ (SY0-701).
Prerequisites
- Basic networking knowledge
- 1–2 hours per day
Study Schedule
- Weeks 1–2: Threat landscape — malware, social engineering, attack vectors
- Week 3: Network and application attacks in depth
- Week 4: Security architecture, zero trust, cloud security models
- End of month: Threats quiz and attack identification practice
- Week 5: Cryptography deep dive — algorithms, PKI, certificates
- Week 6: Identity, authentication, and access control
- Week 7: Incident response, monitoring, SIEM, and forensics
- Week 8: Security operations, vulnerability management, and patching
- Week 9: Risk management, frameworks (NIST, ISO), compliance (GDPR, HIPAA)
- Week 10: PBQ practice and hands-on security scenarios
- Week 11: Full practice exam #1 + detailed review
- Week 12: Practice exam #2, flashcards, acronyms, and final prep
Study Tips
Security+ is vendor-neutral — focus on concepts over specific products.
Build a home lab with pfSense or Security Onion for hands-on experience.
The exam loves scenario questions — practice reading long question stems carefully.
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.
Ready to Practice?
Put your study plan into action with Security+ practice questions.