Security+ Performance-Based Questions (PBQ) Practice
Performance-based questions on SY0-701 and SY0-801 · tasks, logs, rule sets and ordering
90 questions across all five domains in 90 minutes, with a score for each domain so you know where you stand.
Free PBQ drillA group defaces a company's website with a political message protesting the company's environmental record. Which threat actor type is this most likely to be?
Performance-based questions on the Security+ exam
Performance-based questions ask you to do something rather than pick an answer: classify, match, configure or put in order. They usually take longer than multiple-choice questions, and many candidates find them the hardest part of the exam. CompTIA does not publish how many PBQs each exam contains or how they are weighted.
- Our drill
- 5 questions from 18 performance-based questions, untimed, a note on every option or row; one free attempt, unlimited with a pass
The PBQ tasks in our drill
- Classify controls by type, and match cryptographic solutions to requirements
- Read an authentication log and name each credential attack
- Identify malware, social engineering and (for SY0-801) AI threats from short scenarios
- Place systems in network zones, choose recovery sites and assign data roles
- Complete a firewall rule set, replace cleartext protocols and configure SPF, DKIM and DMARC
- Put incident response actions and evidence collection in order, and calculate SLE, ARO and ALE
- Match agreements and penetration test types to situations
Sit the full exam under the real clock
90 questions across all five domains in 90 minutes, with a score for each domain so you know where you stand.
Free PBQ drillHow the simulator works, and what it does not include
Each of our performance-based questions shows the task, any exhibit (a log, a rule table) and one dropdown per row, all drawing on the same list of choices. Each row is scored on its own, and the review explains every row.
Our simulator does not include free-text command lines, live virtual machines or drag-and-drop on a network diagram. Those tasks test the same knowledge, so practice the decisions here and make sure you can explain each choice.
How to approach PBQs on exam day
- You can skip a PBQ and come back to it; answer the multiple-choice questions first if a PBQ is taking too long.
- Read every row before you answer any of them: when choices are shared, elimination helps.
- Firewall tasks are read top-down, first match wins, with an implicit deny at the end.
- Never leave a PBQ blank: a reasoned guess can earn credit, a blank cannot.
Common questions
How many PBQs are on the Security+ exam?
CompTIA does not publish a number. The exam has a maximum of 90 questions, and performance-based questions are part of that total. Our mocks include four.
Can you skip performance-based questions on Security+?
Yes. You can move past a question, flag it and return before you submit, as long as time remains. Our mocks use the same navigation.
90 questions across all five domains in 90 minutes, with a score for each domain so you know where you stand.
Free PBQ drillMore Security+ practice
Sources
Original practice questions for exam preparation, written to the CompTIA Security+ SY0-701 domain weights and the SY0-801 exam objectives; none comes from a real exam. Independent practice, not affiliated with or endorsed by CompTIA. CompTIA and Security+ are trademarks of CompTIA, Inc.