You can see it againUnder pressure people bring back shapes and positions long after the wording has gone.
Picture superiority · Shepard 1967, Standing 1973
GIAC (SANS)GIAC Continuous Monitoring Certification
The GIAC Continuous Monitoring (GMON) certification validates your ability to build, monitor, and adapt defenses for real-time visibility. It proves you can deter intrusions, detect anomalous activity, and implement network security monitoring, continuous monitoring, and continuous diagnostics and mitigation. This credential is for security architects, senior security engineers, SOC analysts, and technical managers who defend enterprise networks.
Exam formatCyberLive hands-on performance-based testing
Duration180 minutes
DeliveryGIAC (remote proctoring via ProctorU, onsite via Pearson VUE)
Passing score74%
Free questions739
Content last reviewed 30 July 2026 · Up to date
The certification
What GIAC Continuous Monitoring Certification proves, and what it asks of you
What this certification covers, who it is written for, and what the exam itself looks like on the day.
7domains
17objectives
118concepts
What it is
What this certification is
What it validates, who it is written for, and the experience it assumes.
About this certification
The GIAC Continuous Monitoring (GMON) certification validates a practitioner's ability to deter intrusions and quickly detect anomalous activity. GMON certification holders understand defensible security architecture and are qualified to implement network security monitoring, continuous monitoring, and continuous diagnostics and mitigation. The certification covers security architecture and security operations centers (SOCs), network security architecture and monitoring, and endpoint security architecture, automation, and continuous monitoring.
GMON is a hands-on, performance-based certification delivered through GIAC's CyberLive format. Candidates work in realistic lab environments using real security tools and authentic code to demonstrate their ability to monitor, detect, and respond to threats. The exam is proctored and scored by GIAC as a standardized assessment, objectively measuring each candidate's knowledge and hands-on cybersecurity skills against a validated, industry-recognized standard.
Who it’s for
The GMON certification is for individuals working to implement continuous diagnostics and mitigation, continuous security monitoring, or network security monitoring. It is designed for security architects, senior security engineers, technical security managers, SOC analysts, engineers, and managers, and CND analysts. Candidates should have a strong understanding of security architecture, network and endpoint monitoring, and incident detection. The certification is ideal for professionals who are responsible for building and maintaining the defenses that keep their organizations visible and resilient against cyber threats.
Recommended experience
Practical work experience in security operations, network monitoring, or security architecture is recommended to ensure mastery of the skills necessary for certification. Experience with security operations centers (SOCs) and continuous monitoring; Understanding of network security architecture and monitoring; Familiarity with endpoint security architecture and automation; Knowledge of continuous diagnostics and mitigation (CDM) principles
The syllabus
What you’ll learn
Every domain and objective GIAC (SANS) measures, with the weight they carry on the exam.
The official GIAC (SANS) exam outline · checked 30 July 2026 · See the source
Security Monitoring Foundations
- Cyber Defense Principles
- Security Architecture Overview
- Threat Informed Defense
Network Monitoring and Protection
- Network Security Monitoring Tools
- NIDS/NIPS/NGFW
- Perimeter Protection Devices
- Proxies & SIEM
Endpoint and Host Monitoring
- HIDS/HIPS/Endpoint Firewalls
- Device Monitoring
- Software Inventories and Application Control
Configuration and Vulnerability Management
- Configuration Monitoring
- Discovery and Vulnerability Scanning
- Patching & Secure Baseline Configurations
Identity and Access Monitoring
- Account & Privilege Monitoring & Authentication
Attack and Exploit Analysis
- Attack Techniques
- Exploit Methodology and Analysis
Data Protection
- Network Data Encryption
On the day
The exam itself
Everything GIAC (SANS) publishes about sitting it, and nothing we inferred.
Prerequisites
No mandatory prerequisites — this certification has no required predecessor exam or credential.
CertificationGIAC Continuous Monitoring Certification
Exam formatCyberLive hands-on performance-based testing
Duration180 minutes
Questions82 questions
Passing score74%
DeliveryGIAC (remote proctoring via ProctorU, onsite via Pearson VUE)
LanguagesEnglish
After you pass
Where this credential goes next
The path GIAC (SANS) lays out, how the credential is kept, and where to book.
Step-by-step path to GIAC Continuous Monitoring Certification
Credential earnedGIAC Continuous Monitoring Certification Certification Renewal and maintenance
GIAC certifications must be renewed every four years by earning 36 CPE credits or retaking the exam. Stay current with the latest technologies and maintain your certification.
Learn more about renewal requirements Lifecycle status
This certification is currently active and available. GIAC (SANS) maintains this certification to validate current skills and industry relevance.
Exam status: ActiveMaintained by GIAC (SANS)
Exam registration
Register for the exam through GIAC (remote proctoring via ProctorU, onsite via Pearson VUE), GIAC (SANS)’s authorized testing partner.
Schedule your examVisit the official GIAC (SANS) certification page for exam policies and requirements.
View the official pageYour coach
And when you are serious, your coach Pip takes over
Your coach in the app reads what you have answered with the book closed and tells you one thing to do tonight. It will not count an answer you gave with the page open, and it will tell you when you are not ready.
See how the coach worksBefore you book
Questions people ask
How does the GMON exam relate to other GIAC certifications?
GMON is a Practitioner-level certification focused on continuous monitoring. It can be combined with other GIAC certifications to build a portfolio, such as the GIAC Security Professional (GSP) or GIAC Security Expert (GSE).
Is the GMON exam hands-on?
Yes. The GMON exam uses GIAC's CyberLive format, which replaces traditional multiple-choice testing with performance-based challenges in realistic lab environments. You work with virtual machines, real security tools, and authentic code.
What are the proctoring options for the GMON exam?
GIAC offers two proctoring options: remote proctoring through ProctorU and onsite proctoring through Pearson VUE. All GIAC certification exams are web-based and required to be proctored.
How long do I have to complete my GMON exam attempt after registration?
You have 120 days from the date of activation to complete your certification attempt. Your attempt is activated in your GIAC account after your application is approved and according to the terms of your purchase.
What job roles does the GMON certification map to?
GMON is designed for individuals working to implement continuous diagnostics and mitigation, continuous security monitoring, or network security monitoring. Typical roles include security architects, senior security engineers, technical security managers, SOC analysts, engineers, and managers, and CND analysts.
Can I use GMON toward a GIAC portfolio certification?
Yes. GMON is a Practitioner certification and can be counted toward the GIAC Security Professional (GSP) or GIAC Security Expert (GSE) portfolio certifications, which require a combination of Practitioner and Applied Knowledge certifications.
How do I prepare for the GMON exam?
GIAC recommends training aligned with SANS courses, practice tests, and practical work experience. Practice exams are available for purchase and simulate the real exam environment.
Information freshness · Content last reviewed on 2026-07-30 Up to date
Practice free questions 739 questions, free, no account needed.
The curriculum
The whole exam, mapped and written
Every domain, every objective, and every concept GIAC (SANS) measures — each one written out.
7domains
17objectives
118concepts
153free pages
The domains, and what sits inside them
Every objective below is a page you can open and practise now, without an account.
The official GIAC (SANS) exam outline · checked 30 July 2026 · See the source
1Security Monitoring Foundations110 questions
2Network Monitoring and Protection175 questions
3Endpoint and Host Monitoring129 questions
4Configuration and Vulnerability Management152 questions
5Identity and Access Monitoring37 questions
6Attack and Exploit Analysis84 questions
7Data Protection52 questions
Not a table of contents
Every line on this map already opens
In front of every objective the practice pages are already there, free and without an account. This is one objective, opened.
Cyber Defense Principles7 pagesOpen →
Free in front of it
33 questions on this objective, five to a page. Every range above is a real page, open now, with no account.
Reading the map is not the same as knowing the ground
The curriculum tells you what is on the exam. Proving you know it is a different job — and it is the one the closed-book run does.
Free questions
739 questions. No account, no card.
The whole bank is open. 5 questions to a page, every answer explained, and a discussion thread on each one.
739questions
153pages
17objectives
Freealways
Browse by domain
Every objective, and every page range, is a link — so you can pick up exactly where you left off.
1Security Monitoring Foundations110 questions
2Network Monitoring and Protection175 questions
3Endpoint and Host Monitoring129 questions
4Configuration and Vulnerability Management152 questions
5Identity and Access Monitoring37 questions
6Attack and Exploit Analysis84 questions
7Data Protection52 questions
What a practice page gives you
1Five to a page
Short enough to finish, long enough to matter.
2Every answer explained
Not only which one is right — why the others are wrong.
3A discussion on each
Ask, answer, and vote. Every question has its own thread.
A question, and the idea behind it
Every question comes from a concept
These are not trivia. Each one is written against a concept in the book, so when you get one wrong there is somewhere to go and find out why.
The visual book
See it once. Carry it into the exam.
The pages shown here come from our AI-900 book — an example of how each concept is written in plain language and, where the idea needs one, drawn as a full page you can take in at a glance.
118concepts
739free questions
Why a picture, and not another paragraph
Three reasons, and each one is a real finding rather than a slogan.
You can see it againThe whole idea at onceWhere it starts, what happens in the middle, what comes out, and the mistake to avoid.
Multimedia principle · MayerThe look-alikes sit togetherThe pairs the exam tests are drawn side by side, so the difference is seen, not told.
Dual coding · PaivioWhat one page is made of
You are never asked to read a poster here — only to see how one is built. After that, every other page is legible at a glance.
1A numbered strip on top
The idea as a sequence, followed with a finger before a word is read.
2Panels for the parts
What it is, how the machine learns it, when it is the right tool.
3The trap, framed
The distinction the exam tests, given its own box instead of buried in prose.
4One line at the bottom
The sentence to carry into the exam room.
Open book, on purpose
Answer it with the picture beside you
This is the part that teaches. The illustration and the written explanation stay where they are while you work, so a scenario stops being a memory test and becomes something you can simply look at.
It teaches · it does not count
A smartphone uses AI to unlock when the owner looks at the camera. Which AI capability is being used?
AImage classification
BFacial recognition
COptical character recognition
DObject detection
Look at the five steps. Detect finds a face, align straightens it, encode turns it into numbers, search compares it with a stored face, and decide answers one question: is this the same person? Classification would only say “a face”. Detection would only draw a box. Neither decides whose.
Then the page shuts, and it starts counting
The same questions come back with the book closed — that run is the one that counts. After it, your coach picks one thing for tonight, sized to the time you have, and brings pages back before you lose them.
Testing effect · Roediger & Karpicke 2006 · spacing effect · Cepeda et al. 2006
Official resources
Straight from GIAC (SANS)
Where the exam is defined, scheduled and scored.
1official link
118concepts mapped
The source
GIAC (SANS)’s own pages
We link to them rather than repeat them, so nothing here goes stale behind them.
Checked against the source
Every objective on the official GIAC (SANS) outline already has questions here
We build from the official skills outline, not from a summary of it — 17 objectives, 118 concepts written under them, and free questions against every one. When GIAC (SANS) changes the outline, this page changes with it.
17objectives on the outline→118concepts written→739free questions
An official page tells you what will be asked. It cannot tell you what you will get right.
That is the only question worth answering the night before, and no link answers it. You answer it by taking the questions with the book closed, and seeing what comes back.