ISC2

ISC2 runs one of the most recognized certification ladders in cybersecurity. It starts with Certified in Cybersecurity (CC), the entry-level exam that over 1 million people enrolled for under the free One Million Certified in Cybersecurity program before ISC2 closed it on May 20, 2026 (remaining exam vouchers stay valid through December 31, 2026). Above CC sit SSCP for hands-on security administration, the flagship CISSP for security leadership, and specialist credentials: CCSP for cloud security, CSSLP for secure software, and CGRC for governance, risk and compliance. CISSP holders can add three concentrations, ISSAP (architecture), ISSEP (engineering), and ISSMP (management).

Order matters because each exam pairs a price with an experience requirement. CC costs 199 dollars with no experience needed. SSCP is 249 dollars and asks for 1 year, CCSP, CSSLP and CGRC are 599 dollars with 5, 4 and 2 years respectively, and CISSP is 749 dollars with 5 years across two of its eight domains. Pass any exam before you have the years and you become an Associate of ISC2, keeping the result while you accrue experience (up to 6 years for CISSP). Full members pay a 135 dollar annual maintenance fee on a 3-year CPE renewal cycle, while Associates and CC-only holders pay 50 dollars per year.

CertCompanion carries practice banks for all nine ISC2 exams: CC, SSCP, CISSP, CCSP, CGRC, CSSLP, ISSAP, ISSEP and ISSMP. Each bank holds 830 to 850 questions, over 7,600 in total, with explanations tied to the current exam outlines. Every exam includes 30 free questions, so you can gauge where you stand on CISSP domains or CC fundamentals before paying for anything.

Worth watching in 2026: ISC2 is developing a dedicated AI security certification, announced in July 2026 with a pilot exam targeted for late 2026, and it has already published guidance adding AI security concepts across its existing certification exams. If you are choosing between CISSP and CCSP now, expect AI-related content to keep growing in both outlines.