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 Penetration Tester (GPEN)
The GIAC Penetration Tester (GPEN) certification validates your ability to conduct professional penetration tests using effective techniques and methodologies. It is designed for security professionals who assess networks and systems, including penetration testers, ethical hackers, and red team members. Earning GPEN proves you can perform detailed reconnaissance, execute exploits, and deliver rigorous, actionable reporting.
Exam formatCyberLive hands-on performance-based
Duration180 minutes
DeliveryGIAC
Passing score73%
Free questions642
Content last reviewed 30 July 2026 · Up to date
The certification
What GIAC Penetration Tester (GPEN) 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.
5domains
16objectives
145concepts
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 Penetration Tester (GPEN) certification validates a practitioner's ability to properly conduct a penetration test employing effective techniques and methodologies. GPEN certification holders have the knowledge and skills to conduct exploits, engage in detailed environmental reconnaissance, and apply a process-oriented approach to penetration testing projects.
The exam covers comprehensive penetration test planning, scoping, and reconnaissance; in-depth scanning and exploitation, post-exploitation, and pivoting; Azure overview, integration, and attacks; and in-depth password attacks. GPEN is a hands-on, performance-based certification delivered through GIAC's CyberLive format, which uses realistic lab environments to validate real-world capability.
Who it’s for
The GPEN certification is for security personnel responsible for assessing network and systems, including penetration testers, ethical hackers, red team members, and blue team members. It is also valuable for defenders, auditors, and forensic specialists who want to better understand offensive tactics. Candidates typically have hands-on experience with network scanning, exploitation tools, and penetration testing methodologies, and are comfortable working in Linux and Windows environments.
Recommended experience
Practical work experience in penetration testing or related security roles is recommended to ensure mastery of the skills necessary for certification. Hands-on experience with network scanning and exploitation tools; Understanding of penetration testing methodologies and reporting; Familiarity with password attacks and Azure security concepts; Experience with command-line interfaces and virtual machines
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
Penetration Testing Foundations
- Penetration Test Planning
- Reconnaissance
- Scanning and Host Discovery
- Vulnerability Scanning
Exploitation and Post-Exploitation
- Exploitation Fundamentals
- Escalation and Exploitation
- Metasploit
- Command and Control (C2)
Password Attacks and Credential Attacks
- Password Formats and Hashes
- Password Attacks
- Attacking Password Hashes
- Advanced Password Attacks
Active Directory Attacks
- Kerberos Attacks
- Domain Escalation and Persistence Attacks
Cloud and Azure Attacks
- Azure Overview, Attacks, and AD Integration
- Azure Applications and Attack Strategies
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 Penetration Tester (GPEN)
Exam formatCyberLive hands-on performance-based
Duration180 minutes
Questions82 questions
Passing score73%
DeliveryGIAC
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 Penetration Tester (GPEN)
Credential earnedGIAC Penetration Tester (GPEN) Certification Renewal and maintenance
GIAC certifications must be renewed every four years by earning 36 Continuing Professional Education (CPE) credits or by 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, 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 GPEN relate to the GIAC Experienced Penetration Tester (GX-PT) certification?
GX-PT is a higher-level, Applied Knowledge certification for seasoned penetration testers. GPEN is a Practitioner-level certification that validates core penetration testing skills. Earning GPEN can be a stepping stone toward GX-PT, but GX-PT is not a successor that automatically renews GPEN.
Is the GPEN exam hands-on?
Yes. The GPEN 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 to demonstrate your skills.
What is the retake policy if I fail the GPEN exam?
GIAC allows candidates to retake the exam after a waiting period. Specific retake policies, including waiting periods between attempts, are detailed in the GIAC terms and conditions. Check your GIAC account for the exact policy that applies to your attempt.
Can I schedule, reschedule, or cancel my GPEN exam appointment?
Yes. After your certification attempt is activated in your GIAC account, you can schedule your proctored exam through the GIAC portal. Rescheduling and cancellation policies are governed by GIAC's terms and the proctoring provider (ProctorU or PearsonVUE).
What job roles does the GPEN certification map to?
GPEN is designed for security personnel responsible for assessing networks and systems, including penetration testers, ethical hackers, red team members, blue team members, and defenders, auditors, and forensic specialists who want to better understand offensive tactics.
Can I earn CPE credits for other certifications toward GPEN renewal?
Yes. GIAC allows CPE credits for earning ISO-17024-accredited certifications (such as CISSP, CCNP, CEH, Security+) and other approved activities. You can submit these credits through your GIAC dashboard for renewal.
Are there regional differences in GPEN exam delivery?
GIAC exams are available worldwide through remote proctoring via ProctorU and onsite proctoring via PearsonVUE. Regional availability may vary, and candidates should check the GIAC website for the latest delivery options in their area.
Information freshness · Content last reviewed on 2026-07-30 Up to date
Practice free questions 642 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.
5domains
16objectives
145concepts
135free 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
1Penetration Testing Foundations157 questions
2Exploitation and Post-Exploitation141 questions
3Password Attacks and Credential Attacks178 questions
4Active Directory Attacks96 questions
5Cloud and Azure Attacks70 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.
Penetration Test Planning7 pagesOpen →
Free in front of it
32 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
642 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.
642questions
135pages
16objectives
Freealways
Browse by domain
Every objective, and every page range, is a link — so you can pick up exactly where you left off.
1Penetration Testing Foundations157 questions
2Exploitation and Post-Exploitation141 questions
3Password Attacks and Credential Attacks178 questions
4Active Directory Attacks96 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.
145concepts
642free 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.
3official links
145concepts 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 — 16 objectives, 145 concepts written under them, and free questions against every one. When GIAC (SANS) changes the outline, this page changes with it.
16objectives on the outline→145concepts written→642free 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.