SY0-701 vs SY0-801: Should You Wait for the New Security+?
Updated: July 2026 · Read time: 9 min · Level: Beginner
CompTIA is preparing the next version of Security+ — SY0-801 — and if you're studying for the exam right now, you're probably wondering whether to hurry up and take SY0-701 or wait for the new one. The short answer for most people: take SY0-701 now. Don't wait. Here's the full picture, including what's actually confirmed versus what's still provisional.
First: what's confirmed, and what isn't
Cert-update articles love presenting rumors as facts, so let's be precise about the status as of July 2026:
- Confirmed: CompTIA has published draft SY0-801 objectives on its official "Exam Objectives Under Development" page. The update is real and in progress.
- Provisional: Dates circulating through CompTIA's instructor network point to a preview around October 20, 2026 and general availability around November 17, 2026. These come from vendor/instructor previews, not a public CompTIA launch announcement — and CompTIA has slipped announced exam dates before, sometimes by months.
- Not announced: An official SY0-701 retirement date. Historically, CompTIA keeps the old exam version available for a transition window after the new one launches (roughly 6–8 months in recent cycles), which would put SY0-701's retirement somewhere in mid-2027 — but that's a pattern-based estimate, not a published date.
If someone quotes you an exact 801 launch day or 701 retirement day as settled fact, they're ahead of what CompTIA has actually said.
What's changing in SY0-801 (per the draft objectives)
The draft objectives can still change before launch, but the direction is clear: AI moves from a footnote to a core topic.
- Large language models (LLMs) get dedicated coverage — securing them and understanding how they fail.
- AI-driven threats (AI-assisted phishing, deepfakes, model abuse) appear as their own objective area.
- Modern infrastructure gets heavier weighting: SASE, SD-WAN, container security, and cloud security posture management (CSPM) reflect how enterprises actually run security in 2026.
Draft domain weights: 701 vs 801
| Domain | SY0-701 (current) | SY0-801 (draft*) |
|---|---|---|
| General Security Concepts | 12% | 16% |
| Threats, Vulnerabilities & Mitigations | 22% | 24% |
| Security Architecture | 18% | 19% |
| Security Operations | 28% | 27% |
| Security Program Management & Oversight | 20% | 14% |
*Draft weights from CompTIA's objectives-under-development materials. Treat as provisional until the final objectives are published.
The structure barely moves — five domains, Security Operations still the biggest. The real change is inside the objectives: more AI, more modern cloud tooling, slightly less governance weight. This is an evolution, not a rewrite — the same thing that happened in the 601 → 701 transition, where about 20% of content changed.
For the current exam's full domain breakdown, see the SY0-701 exam objectives guide.
Should you wait for SY0-801? (by situation)
You can test within the next ~6 months → take SY0-701, don't wait
This is most readers, and the case is one-sided:
- Your certification doesn't expire early. Pass SY0-701 next week and your Security+ is valid for three full years from your pass date — the 801 launch changes nothing about that. Employers see "CompTIA Security+", not the exam code.
- Study materials are mature. SY0-701 has two-plus years of refined courses, practice exams, and free resources. Early 801 materials will be thinner and buggier for months after launch.
- Waiting costs real time. If 801 lands in November 2026 (provisional), quality third-party prep typically trails a new version by several months. "Waiting for 801" realistically means pushing your cert — and the job applications it unlocks — into mid-2027.
- The dates may slip anyway. Planning your career around a provisional launch date is a bad trade.
You won't start studying until 2027 → you'll probably take SY0-801, and that's fine
If your timeline is genuinely next year, you'll likely land in the transition window where both versions are offered (or 801 only). Study for whichever version has solid materials when you start. Nothing about the fundamentals — networking, threat types, cryptography basics — is going to change.
You work in AI/cloud-heavy environments and want the new content → waiting is defensible, but know the cost
The 801 AI and CSPM content will map better to what you see at work. Just go in knowing you're trading several months of certification (and resume) time for content freshness, and that the early-adopter study ecosystem will be rougher.
"Will my SY0-701 cert become worthless when 801 launches?"
No — and this fear resurfaces with every version change, so it's worth killing directly:
- A Security+ earned on SY0-701 remains valid for its full three-year cycle and renews the same way (50 CEUs or a higher CompTIA cert — see the main Security+ guide).
- Job postings and the DoD 8140/8570 baseline require "Security+", not a specific exam code. When 601 retired in 2024, nobody's 601-earned cert stopped counting.
- Hiring managers do not ask which exam version you passed. Ever.
The version code matters for choosing study materials. It does not matter on your resume.
Practical timeline advice (as of July 2026)
| Your target test date | What to do |
|---|---|
| Before end of 2026 | Take SY0-701. Mature materials, zero version risk. |
| Q1–Q2 2027 | Likely both versions available (transition window). 701 if your materials are 701-based; don't restart prep for 801. |
| Mid-2027 or later | Plan for SY0-801 — by then materials will have caught up, and 701 may be retired (unconfirmed). |
And regardless of version: if you're starting from zero, the path is the same — fundamentals first. See passing Security+ with no experience and the honest difficulty guide.
FAQ
When does SY0-801 come out? Provisional dates from CompTIA's instructor channels point to a preview around October 20, 2026 and general availability around November 17, 2026. CompTIA has not made a public launch announcement, and its exam dates have slipped before — treat these as estimates.
Should I wait for SY0-801 or take SY0-701 now? If you can test within roughly six months, take SY0-701 now. Your certification stays valid for three years from your pass date, study materials are mature, and waiting realistically delays your cert into mid-2027 once new-version materials catch up.
Will SY0-701 certifications still count after SY0-801 launches? Yes. A Security+ earned on any exam version is valid for its full three-year cycle, renews normally, and satisfies requirements (including DoD 8140/8570) exactly the same. Employers see "Security+", not the exam code.
What's new in SY0-801? Per the draft objectives: dedicated coverage of large language models, AI-driven threats and vulnerabilities, and heavier emphasis on SASE, SD-WAN, container security, and CSPM. Same five-domain structure; draft weights shift a few points. Final objectives may differ.
When will SY0-701 retire? CompTIA hasn't announced a retirement date. Based on the historical pattern of ~6–8 month transition windows after a new version launches, mid-2027 is a reasonable estimate — but it's an estimate, not an official date.
Every claim here is either from CompTIA's published draft objectives or explicitly labeled as provisional/estimated. We'll update this page when CompTIA publishes final SY0-801 objectives and dates.