The Certified DevSecOps Professional (CDP) from Practical DevSecOps suits people who want to show they can build security into CI/CD pipelines. This page gives you free practice question sets by topic, a map of the official content areas, worked explanations, a study plan and answers to common questions about the exam.
The CDP has 5 questions, takes about 6 hours and costs $899[1][2][3] (Practical DevSecOps, verified Oct 28, 2026).
Numbers in brackets link to the official sources listed under Sources & last verified. Dates that have passed are removed automatically.
| Item | Detail | Source · Verified |
|---|---|---|
| Number of questions | 5 challenges (tasks)[1] | Practical DevSecOps · Oct 27, 2026 |
| Time limit | 6 hours (plus 24 hours for report submission)[2] | Practical DevSecOps · Oct 27, 2026 |
| Passing score | 80 points (80%)[1] | Practical DevSecOps · Oct 27, 2026 |
| Exam fee | $899[3] | Practical DevSecOps · Oct 28, 2026 |
| Retake fee | $100 per additional attempt[4] | Practical DevSecOps · Oct 27, 2026 |
| Retake policy | Unlimited attempts, 15-day waiting period between exams[4] | Practical DevSecOps · Oct 27, 2026 |
| Validity | Lifetime (never expires)[2] | Practical DevSecOps · Oct 27, 2026 |
| Renewal | No renewal required[4] | Practical DevSecOps · Oct 27, 2026 |
| Delivery | Fully online[2] | Practical DevSecOps · Oct 27, 2026 |
| Eligibility | Basic Linux command knowledge and OWASP Top 10 concepts; no prior DevOps experience required[2] | Practical DevSecOps · Oct 27, 2026 |
| Score release | Certificate emailed within 72 hours[1] | Practical DevSecOps · Oct 27, 2026 |
| Registration deadline | Within 6 months of lab end date[4] | Practical DevSecOps · Oct 27, 2026 |
| Testing window | Fridays and Saturdays[4] | Practical DevSecOps · Oct 27, 2026 |
According to Practical DevSecOps, “The CDP exam is an online, task-oriented exam where you attempt to solve 5 challenges (tasks) in a span of 6 hours.”[1]
The CDP is a hands-on certification from Practical DevSecOps. It covers secure SDLC and CI/CD work, including SCA, SAST, DAST and security as code. The exam is fully online and can be taken from home, an office or any other place you choose.
It is task-oriented rather than multiple choice. You attempt 5 challenges in a span of 6 hours, then you have a 24-hour window to complete and submit a report for evaluation. To earn the certification you need at least 80 points (80%). Passing candidates receive their certificate by email within 72 hours.
Exams are scheduled only on Fridays and Saturdays. The course fee listed on the official pricing page is $899. You can sit the exam whenever you like, up to 6 months from your lab end date.
For eligibility, the course asks only for basic Linux command knowledge and a working grasp of application security ideas such as the OWASP Top 10. No prior experience with Dev or DevOps tools is required.
If you do not pass, you can retry as many times as you want. Each additional attempt costs $100, and there must be at least 15 days between exams. The credential is for life, so no renewal is required.
Fees and rules can change, so check the official Practical DevSecOps pages before you book.
The content areas below are copied from the official CDP content outline published by Practical DevSecOps. The right-hand column shows which of our practice sets covers it.
| Official content area | Practice on this site |
|---|---|
| An Introduction to the Basics[2] | CDP DevSecOps Fundamentals Practise the core vocabulary of DevSecOps and why security moves earlier in the delivery process. |
| Compliance as code[2] | CDP Risk Management & Compliance Practise turning policy and audit requirements into automated checks that run with the pipeline. |
| DAST (Dynamic Analysis) in CI/CD pipeline[2] | CDP Continuous Monitoring & Incident Response Practise how running-application scans fit into a pipeline and how to read and triage their findings. |
| Infrastructure as Code and Its Security[2] | CDP Cloud Infrastructure & Deployment Practise spotting insecure settings in infrastructure definitions before they reach deployment. |
| Introduction to the Tools of the Trade[2] | CDP Automation & Scripting Fundamentals Practise the command line and scripting skills needed to drive security tools by hand. |
| SAST (Static Analysis) in CI/CD pipeline[2] | CDP Secure Software Development Lifecycle Practise placing static analysis in a pipeline and separating real findings from noise. |
| Secure SDLC and CI/CD pipeline[2] | CDP Security Automation & Integration Practise where each security control belongs across the stages of a delivery pipeline. |
| Software Component Analysis (SCA) in CI/CD pipeline[2] | CDP Container & Kubernetes Security Practise reasoning about vulnerable dependencies and images, and deciding what to fix or block. |
| Vulnerability Management with custom tools[2] | CDP Threat Modeling & Vulnerability Manage... Practise collecting, de-duplicating and prioritising findings from several tools in a single workflow. |
Prepare for the CDP - Certified DevSecOps Professional exam with our free practice test modules. Each quiz covers key topics to help you pass on your first try.
These are practice questions written for this site, not questions from the real exam. Each explanation shows why the right answer is right and why the others are wrong.
Question: How should a CDP professional handle a situation where automation & scripting fundamentals protocols conflict with practical constraints?
Answer: B. Document the conflict and seek guidance from appropriate authorities
Explanation:
The correct answer is to document the conflict and seek guidance from appropriate authorities. This keeps a record of why a protocol could not be followed and lets the people who own the rules decide on an exception or a change.
Always ignoring the protocols is wrong because it removes the controls without anyone agreeing to it. Making a unilateral decision without consultation is wrong because it leaves you personally carrying a risk that others should weigh. Avoiding the conflict entirely is wrong because the problem remains and usually grows.
The general rule: when a rule and reality collide, do not quietly bend the rule and do not hide the problem. Make it visible, write it down and let the right owner decide. Pipeline exceptions work the same way.
Question: What is a common challenge professionals face when applying cloud infrastructure & deployment principles in Certified DevSecOps Professional?
Answer: A. Balancing theoretical knowledge with practical application
Explanation:
The correct answer is balancing theoretical knowledge with practical application. Training material describes clean cases, while real cloud environments have legacy settings, odd dependencies and time pressure that a diagram does not show.
Having too much support from colleagues is not a challenge people normally report, so it fails as a realistic problem. Excessive simplicity of industry regulations is wrong because regulations are usually seen as hard to interpret, not too easy. A lack of any professional development opportunities is an absolute claim that rarely holds true.
The general rule: be wary of options with extreme wording such as excessive or any. The realistic answer usually names a tension between what you know and what a live system lets you do.
Question: Which technology trend is most likely to impact automation & scripting fundamentals in the CDP field in coming years?
Answer: B. Digital tools for enhanced data collection, analysis, and reporting
Explanation:
The correct answer is digital tools for enhanced data collection, analysis and reporting. Automation extends what professionals can see and act on, which is the direction scripting and tooling have been moving.
Complete elimination of human professionals is wrong because judgement, review and accountability still need people. A return to exclusively paper-based systems is wrong because it runs against the whole trend towards automation. A reduction in the need for professional certification is wrong because nothing in better tooling removes the need to show skill.
The general rule: trend questions reward the answer that describes tools augmenting people. Options that say everything disappears or goes backwards are almost always distractors.
Start with the official outline from Practical DevSecOps and read through the content areas listed in the table above. Mark the ones where you could not explain the idea to a colleague without looking it up.
Take the DevSecOps Fundamentals set to find gaps in vocabulary. Then work through the sets that match your weak areas, one topic at a time. After each set, read every explanation, including those for questions you got right, and write a short note on the rule behind each miss.
Remember that the real exam is hands-on. Question sets help you recall concepts, but they cannot replace practice in a lab. Use the course labs to run SAST, SCA and DAST tools against a sample application, read the output and decide what you would fix. Practise writing up what you found and why, because the report is part of what gets evaluated.
Close to your exam date, repeat the sets where you made the most errors and check that your lab access is still active. Confirm the exam slot, the rules and the current fee on the official pages. Our questions are written by us and are not real exam questions, so treat them as revision aids, not a preview.
No. The CDP is a task-oriented exam in which you attempt 5 challenges within 6 hours. After that, you have a 24-hour window to complete and submit a report for evaluation. Our practice questions are multiple choice and help with concepts, but they do not replace hands-on lab practice.
You must score at least 80 points (80%) to earn the certification. Passing candidates receive their certificate by email within 72 hours. Practical DevSecOps publishes these details on its exam and certification page, so check there for any update before you sit the exam.
The course is listed at $899 on the official pricing page. Retakes are allowed without a limit on attempts. Each additional attempt costs $100, and there must be at least 15 days between exams. Confirm current prices with Practical DevSecOps before booking.
The exam is fully online and can be completed from anywhere, such as your home or office. It is scheduled only on Fridays and Saturdays. You can take it whenever you want, up to 6 months from your lab end date.
No prior experience with Dev or DevOps tools is required. The course asks for basic Linux command knowledge and a foundational understanding of application security concepts such as the OWASP Top 10. The training is designed to guide you through the tooling from there.
No. The DevSecOps Professional certification is a lifetime credential, and no renewal is required. You will not need to pay a renewal fee or retake the exam to keep it valid.
How we verify: editorial & fact-checking policy. Report an error: contact us.