I Took the CompTIA SecAI+ Beta Exam

What is CompTIA SecAI+?

CompTIA SecAI+ is the world’s first certification dedicated specifically to AI security. Launched on 17 February 2026, it’s designed for cybersecurity professionals who need to understand how AI is changing the threat landscape — both as a tool defenders can use and as an attack surface that needs protecting.

Unlike general AI certifications aimed at developers or data scientists, SecAI+ focuses squarely on security. It’s vendor-neutral, covering AI security principles, operational techniques, and governance frameworks that apply regardless of which tools or cloud platforms your organisation uses. Think of it as Security+ with AI woven into every domain.

The exam covers five core areas: AI security fundamentals, securing AI systems and infrastructure, AI-assisted security operations, AI governance and compliance, and defending against AI-driven threats like adversarial machine learning, prompt injection, and automated malware.

Chapter 1: Why SecAI+?

CompTIA had been teasing this one for a while — a few LinkedIn posts here, a growing Reddit thread there. People in my position were starting to pay attention, and there was genuine hype building. CompTIA essentially took Security+ and folded AI into it, creating something that felt timely and purposeful rather than just a cash grab.

With the rise of AI and cybersecurity evolving at such a rapid rate, I instantly saw the value in having a cert like this against your name. But the thing that really tipped me over the edge wasn’t the cert itself — it was how I found out about it.

The Email I Wasn’t Expecting

I had never taken part in a beta exam before and genuinely hadn’t realised you didn’t have to be a famous cybersecurity thought leader to get involved. You can imagine my surprise when an email landed in my inbox from CompTIA, asking if I wanted to take part in the beta testing process.

You do have to provide them with a rough idea of your background and career experience, and if you have what they’re looking for, you receive a unique invite code to register. I had only just passed my CompTIA Security+ at the end of August 2025 and felt like I needed a break from studying. But this felt different. I wanted to be one of the first to pass this exam — and it’s a great story to tell.

Chapter 2: Preparing for the Unknown

After booking my exam for the 25th of October 2025, I realised something quite important — how was I actually going to prepare for this? Previously I’d always had a recommended YouTuber or a structured course to lean on. No Messer or Dion to save me this time.

Starting at Square One

So I started at square one — the place I always begin any certification journey. Download the exam objectives, understand the weighting of each domain, and honestly assess your own strengths and weaknesses.

Building an Anki Deck

From there, I started building Anki cards based on the exam domains — perfect for the commute. Flashcards work brilliantly for this type of cert because so much of the content is terminology-heavy: AI attack vectors, compliance frameworks, governance models. You need that information to be second nature by exam day.

What I Already Knew

Having worked with AI in my previous Junior Security Analyst role, I had a solid foundational understanding of how AI can be leveraged in SIEM and SOAR workflows, incident response, and vulnerability detection. That gave me a useful head start on the operational side of the exam.

Chapter 3: The Study Process

Without a Professor Messer playlist to work through, I had to be more creative and self-directed than usual. Here’s what actually made a difference.

Hands-On Learning with Ollama

Reading about AI security is one thing. Getting your hands dirty is another entirely. My recommendation is to start with Ollama — a free, lightweight tool that lets you run large language models locally on your own machine. No cloud costs, no API keys, no risk. Just you, a model, and a sandbox to experiment in.

The OWASP Top 10 for LLMs

Once you’ve got something running locally, the OWASP Top 10 for LLMs (2025 edition) is an excellent guide for your testing — the AI equivalent of the web security Top 10 you may already know.

Chapter 4: The Exam Itself

The exam is challenging in an interesting way. It’s not trying to catch you out with trick questions — it’s genuinely assessing whether you understand how AI is changing the threat landscape and what that means for defenders. There were questions that required real reasoning through scenarios, not just definition recall.

The Format

The format will be familiar if you’ve taken other CompTIA exams — multiple choice and performance-based questions — but the subject matter keeps you on your toes. This felt like one of the harder exams I’ve taken with CompTIA. It was very easy to start second-guessing myself, because there are multiple valid approaches to AI safety, and the challenge is always picking the most appropriate method.

Where It Catches People Out

If you’re more of an engineer than a GRC buff, I’d strongly encourage you to get comfortable with the fundamentals of Governance, Risk, and Compliance before sitting this one.

Chapter 5: The Wait for Results

Beta exams have one quirk that can drive you slightly mad: you don’t get your results on the day. CompTIA collects responses from all beta candidates, validates and finalises the exam questions, and then releases results in bulk months later. So I just had to wait.

The Dashboard Check Loop

I checked my CompTIA dashboard more times than I’d like to admit. Every few days, a quick glance to see if anything had changed. It hadn’t — until it had. One random day in February 2026, sitting on the couch with a coffee and my wife, there it was.

Chapter 6: Why This Cert Matters

We’re at a point in the industry where AI literacy is becoming a baseline expectation for security professionals. It’s not enough to know that AI exists in your tools — you need to understand how those tools can be compromised, how adversaries are using AI to scale their attacks, and how to build defences that account for all of that.

For Those Just Starting Out

If you’re early in your cybersecurity journey, SecAI+ isn’t aimed at you yet — CompTIA recommends 3–4 years of IT experience and 2+ years of hands-on security work. But that doesn’t mean you should ignore AI. Build your AI literacy now. Understand what prompt injection is. Learn why data poisoning matters. By the time you’re ready to sit this exam, you’ll already have the foundation.

For Those a Few Years In

If you’re a working analyst, engineer, or SOC professional — this cert is worth serious consideration. AI knowledge isn’t optional anymore. The sooner you build it, the better positioned you’ll be.

Bonus: Tips for Taking SecAI+

📚 Study Phase

🎯 Exam Day