PenTest+ PT0-003
CompTIA PenTest+ PT0-003 Exam Objectives
The PenTest+ PT0-003 exam covers the full penetration-testing lifecycle across five domains. Attacks and Exploits is the single heaviest at 35%, but Engagement Management — scoping, rules of engagement, and the remediation advice in the report — is what separates a professional pentester from a script runner.
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PT0-003 Domains & Weights
1.0Engagement Management
13%Pre-engagement activities, scoping and rules of engagement, legal and ethical boundaries, collaboration with the client, and writing the report with remediation recommendations.
2.0Reconnaissance and Enumeration
21%Passive and active information gathering, OSINT, host and service discovery, and enumeration of networks, web applications, cloud assets, and users.
3.0Vulnerability Discovery and Analysis
17%Selecting and running vulnerability scans, static and dynamic application analysis, and validating and prioritizing findings.
4.0Attacks and Exploits
35%The largest domain: network, wireless, application, cloud, mobile, IoT, and social-engineering attacks, plus the scripting and tooling that run them.
5.0Post-exploitation and Lateral Movement
14%Persistence, privilege escalation, lateral movement, data exfiltration, staging, and cleaning up after the engagement.
PenTest+ Objectives FAQ
How many domains are on the PenTest+ PT0-003 exam?
Five: Engagement Management (13%), Reconnaissance and Enumeration (21%), Vulnerability Discovery and Analysis (17%), Attacks and Exploits (35%), and Post-exploitation and Lateral Movement (14%). PT0-003 replaced PT0-002's Planning and Scoping / Tools and Code Analysis domains when it launched in December 2024.
Which PenTest+ domain is weighted the most?
Attacks and Exploits at 35%. It's the technical core of the exam, but Engagement Management (13%) covers scoping, rules of engagement, and the report — the part real engagements are judged on, so don't skip it.
Practice PenTest+ by Domain
552 questions across 25 exams, weighted to match the PT0-003 domains above. 3 free — no signup.
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