Security+ SY0-801: What Is New, and Should You Study 801 or 701?
CompTIA Security+ is changing versions. SY0-801 (called V8) is the new exam, and SY0-701 is the one most people study for today. This guide separates what CompTIA has confirmed from what is only reported, and shows what changed in the exam objectives. It is based on CompTIA's own published objectives documents.
What CompTIA has confirmed
- CompTIA's Security+ V8 page says SY0-801 is expected to launch on or around November 17, 2026.
- The same page says V8 is estimated to retire three years after launch.
- The objectives document for SY0-801 is published (version 2.0, dated September 2026), so you can read exactly what the exam covers before it launches.
What is not confirmed
CompTIA's V8 page does not give a retirement date for SY0-701. Training sites report dates around mid-2027 (June 2027 is the one most often quoted), but treat those as estimates until CompTIA publishes a date. Check CompTIA's Security+ page before you book.
The five domains and their weights
Both exams have the same five domains. The weights moved:
| Domain | SY0-701 | SY0-801 |
|---|---|---|
| 1. General Security Concepts | 12% | 16% |
| 2. Threats, Vulnerabilities, and Attacks | 22% | 24% |
| 3. Security Architecture | 18% | 19% |
| 4. Security Operations | 28% | 27% |
| 5. Security Program Management and Oversight | 20% | 14% |
In practice, SY0-801 puts more weight on the concepts and on threats, and less on program management and governance.
What is new in the objectives
- A new objective on AI. SY0-801 adds objective 2.6, which covers the threats and vulnerabilities that come with using artificial intelligence. SY0-701 has nothing like it. If you have not studied how AI systems are attacked and misused, this is the area to add.
- Reworded and regrouped objectives. Most objective headings in domains 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 were rewritten, and the exam has 27 objectives where SY0-701 had 28. Several topics moved between objectives, for example how data is protected, how identity and access management is applied, and how incident response and investigation are described.
- Same style of exam. CompTIA describes the exam in the same terms as before: scenario questions and performance-based questions. Check the current exam details on CompTIA's page for question counts and the passing score, which can change.
Read the objectives document itself for the full list. We do not copy it here, and it is the only source that decides what can be on the exam.
Should you study 801 or 701?
Choose the exam you will actually sit, and study that version's objectives.
- If you can book SY0-701 soon and are nearly ready, taking it while it is available is reasonable. A passed certification stays valid for three years.
- If you are starting from scratch, compare your likely test date with the launch date. If you will not be ready for months, studying the version that will be current when you sit the exam avoids relearning.
- Do not mix versions. Questions written for 701 will not match the 801 weights or the new AI objective.
A study plan that works with either
- Read the official objectives for your version once, so you know the scope.
- Learn the terms, ports and acronyms by seeing where they fit on a map of each domain, not in a list.
- Do flashcards daily in short sessions.
- Take practice questions that explain the answer, and fix every wrong answer by going back to the topic.
- Practise the scenario and performance-based question style near the end.
Where BoardITGuy fits
The CompTIA Security+ SY0-801 study board is a hand-drawn map of the SY0-801 objectives with flashcards and original practice questions built in, with a free preview. It puts reading, recall and practice tests in one place, with a Treemap that shows what you still need. It is not a hands-on lab or a video course.
We will update this guide when SY0-801 launches and when CompTIA publishes a retirement date for SY0-701.