A practice test is a thermometer, not a treatment. The best one tells you which objectives you cannot yet answer, explains why each wrong option is wrong, and looks enough like the exam that the clock does not surprise you. We make SecLern, so it is first on this list, and every other entry says what it does better and who should choose it.
| Option | Questions and PBQs | Best for | Skip it if |
|---|---|---|---|
| SecLern | 6,819 questions, 56 PBQs, full simulations | Daily drilling and timed exam simulation | You need a video course first |
| Dion Training | Randomized sets, unlimited attempts, 5 PBQs included | Exam-feel questions with explanations | You want a graded desktop |
| Professor Messer | Paid exam-style question sets | A check that matches his course | You need PBQ practice |
| CompTIA CertMaster Practice | Official adaptive question bank | Vendor-aligned assessment | You are paying yourself |
| Pocket Prep | 30 free questions, then subscription | Phone-sized daily reps | You need full-length stamina |
| ExamCompass | Free topic quizzes | A quick diagnostic | You need teaching explanations |
| Crucial Exams | 1,400 questions, 374 flashcards, free test | Free volume and no-signup trial | You want a structured plan |
What a good practice test has to do
Five criteria, in order. First, original questions: a leaked set is both an ethics problem and a bad teacher, because the answers may be wrong and the wording may be from a retired version. Second, performance-based questions, because Security+ mixes them with multiple-choice. Third, explanations that teach the distractor, not just the key. Fourth, fidelity to the clock and the scoring scale. Fifth, a price that does not make you choose between practice and the exam fee.
The exam facts set the target: a maximum of 90 questions in 90 minutes, a mix of multiple-choice and performance-based questions, and a pass mark of 750 on a 100 to 900 scale. The English SY0-701 retires on 11 June 2027, and V8 launches on 17 November 2026, so check the version on the product page before you pay. The SY0-701 exam page is the version of record for this site.
The comparison
The table above lists the seven options we could verify, what each is good for, and who should skip it. Prices and formats were checked on 28 October 2026. None of these vendors pays us, and we have not accepted a free subscription in exchange for a ranking.
1. SecLern: our pick for realistic practice
The SY0-701 path holds 6,819 questions, 56 PBQs and 47 labs, counted from the live catalogue. Questions are original and mapped to the objectives, and every miss produces an explanation plus a one-tap study note. Full exam simulations with readiness grades are Pro-only; the free tier gives you 30 study questions a day, three labs and unlimited flashcards.
The strength is the loop: answer, miss, read why, make a note, meet the same idea again later. The limit is that we do not sell a video course, so this is a practice layer, not a first explanation. If you want tasks rather than questions, start with the labs hub.
Good for: daily drilling and full timed sittings in the final month. Skip it if you have not learned the material yet; a practice test taken cold measures ignorance, not readiness.
2. Dion Training: the exam-feel workhorse
Dion's practice exam pack gives randomized sets, unlimited attempts and 12 months of access, and includes one set of five PBQs. The separate PBQ pack adds 100 PBQ-style questions in five-question sets with guided solutions.
The questions are the closest thing here to the rhythm of a commercial exam set, and the explanations are written for people who are close to booking. The limit is that one set of PBQs is a taster, not a lab platform.
Good for: a second opinion after you have drilled elsewhere, especially on sale. Skip it if you want a simulated desktop or if you need a diagnostic that maps every miss to an objective.
3. Professor Messer: the free course with paid exams
Messer's videos are free, and his practice exams and course notes are paid add-ons. The exams are a useful check because they come from the same person who taught the course, so the wording and the explanations match the lessons.
The limit is the mirror image of that strength: one teacher's questions tend to test what that teacher emphasised. Use them as one voice, not the only voice.
Good for: people already learning from the free course who want a consistent check. Skip it if you need PBQs with a graded interface.
4. CompTIA CertMaster Practice: the official question bank
CertMaster Practice is CompTIA's knowledge assessment and practice exam product, with timed and untimed tests, objective assessments and mastery reporting against the domains. It is as close to the vendor's own wording as a practice product gets.
The limit is price and scope: it is licensed per exam, and it will not help you study for the next certification in the same purchase. It is also not a lab.
Good for: employer-funded study and anyone who wants the official voice. Skip it if you are paying yourself or studying across several exams.
5. Pocket Prep: the phone-sized bank
Pocket Prep gives 30 questions free, then a subscription for the full bank, with a mock exam, a question of the day and weak-subject quizzes. It is the best option for the ten minutes you did not plan to study.
The limit is format: short questions on a phone are excellent for recall and poor for stamina. A 90-minute sitting on a phone is not the same skill as a 90-minute sitting at a test centre, and the readiness explainer covers why a phone score is not a forecast.
Good for: commute reps and keeping a streak. Skip it if you have not yet done a full timed paper.
6. ExamCompass: free topic quizzes
ExamCompass publishes free practice tests by exam topic. They are quick, they cover the objective areas, and they cost nothing.
The limit is depth: short answer keys do not teach the distractor, and topic quizzes do not simulate a full exam. They are a diagnostic, not a course.
Good for: a five-minute check before you book a study block. Skip it if you need explanations you can learn from.
7. Crucial Exams: the free bank with a PBQ section
Crucial Exams lists 1,400 Security+ SY0-701 questions, 374 flashcards and a free test that does not require signup, plus a performance-based question section. That is a lot of free practice, and the no-signup test is useful when you want to try before committing.
The limit is the same as any large free bank: volume is not the same as alignment, and the explanations vary in depth. Use it as a second source, not the only one.
Good for: free volume and a quick diagnostic. Skip it if you want a structured plan that tells you what to study next.
How we chose, and what we would not touch
We ranked on original questions, PBQs, explanation quality, fidelity to the clock and the scoring scale, and price. We checked every format and price claim on the vendor's page on 28 October 2026 and linked the page in the sources. We did not include leaked question sets, and we would not recommend one even if it were free: CompTIA's candidate agreement treats unauthorised materials as a violation, and a result can be voided. If a site promises the live exam content, close the tab.
We also left out "pass guarantee" offers. A guarantee is a refund policy, not evidence that the questions are good, and it does not help you learn the objective you keep missing.
How to use a practice test without lying to yourself
Take the first one cold and timed, and accept the score. Review every question, including the ones you got right by guessing, and write one line per miss in your own words. Group the lines by objective, not by question number. Then study the two objectives with the most lines, and take a fresh set three days later.
Do not retake the same set until it feels easy. You will be measuring the set, not the exam. A fresh set that lands at the same score is honest information; a repeat that jumps 20 points is usually memory.
The score report is part of the method. CompTIA's report lists the objectives behind the questions you missed, not the questions themselves, so use that list as your next study plan. It is the closest thing to a personalised syllabus the exam gives you.
Why 80 percent is not 750
Security+ reports a scaled score between 100 and 900, and the pass mark is 750. That is not 75 correct answers out of 90, and it is not 83 percent. CompTIA scales the raw result onto the band and does not publish the conversion, so no arithmetic turns a practice percentage into a pass prediction. Anyone who hands you a conversion table is guessing with confidence.
Three rules follow. Use the percentage as a trend, not a target: 72, then 79, then 84 is progress, while a single 88 is a mood. Read the domain split rather than the total, because the total hides the 28% domain you keep missing. And never buy a product on the strength of a predicted score; buy it for the explanations and the sitting, which are the parts you can verify before the exam.
Our own readiness estimate is a simulation, and the page says so. It is built from fresh questions and per-domain accuracy, and it is useful for choosing tomorrow's block, not for deciding whether to cancel an appointment. A phone-quiz score is even weaker evidence, which is why the readiness explainer separates a forecast from a souvenir.
The last ten days, day by day
Days ten to eight: one full simulation under the real clock, then a review pass that writes one line per miss and groups the lines by objective. Days seven to five: study only the two objectives with the most lines, then take a half-length set to check the fix took. Days four to two: a second full simulation, three days after the first, reviewed the same day. Day one: light review of ports, acronyms and the risk formulas, and no new material. Exam day: the exam-day checklist covers IDs, arrival and the tutorial, not the studying.
The spacing is the point. Three days between sittings is long enough that you are not quoting the previous set from memory, and short enough that the repair is still fresh. If both sittings land in the same band, book anyway or move the date deliberately; the study mistakes guide covers the three ways people talk themselves out of an honest result.
One exception to the schedule: if the second sitting comes out worse than the first, do not add a third test in the same week. A drop after a repair usually means the repair was memorised rather than understood, and the fix is a lab, not another paper. If your missed-objective list keeps pointing at one task rather than one topic, the SY0-701 lab catalogue is where to work it.
Three honest ways to spend your money
Zero: ExamCompass plus Crucial Exams plus the SecLern free tier. You will get volume and a diagnostic, and you will have to supply your own structure.
About forty dollars: one discounted practice pack with explanations, used once properly and reviewed line by line. Do not collect packs.
About one hundred dollars: one month of SecLern Pro in the final month for full simulations, or the official CertMaster Practice if someone else is paying. Pick one, not both; two mediocre attempts teach less than one reviewed properly. The practice-test strategy guide has the review method in full.
The booking rule
Book when two fresh timed sets land comfortably above 80 percent and your missed-objective list is shrinking. The study plan maps that review to specific weeks, and the exam-day checklist covers the booking admin. Do not book because a repeat set feels easy, and do not delay because one hard set frightened you. A practice test is evidence, not a verdict.