Security+ V8 is coming. Should you take SY0-701 now or wait?
What has actually been announced (and what has not)
Here is the real state of play as of June 2026, separated from the forum speculation. SY0-701 is the current, live version of Security+ (officially "Security+ V7"), and it launched on 7 November 2023. That is the exam you can book and sit today.
CompTIA has published "Security+ V8" on its exam objectives under development page, which means the next version is genuinely in the works at the draft stage. That part is real and official.
What is NOT official: you will see the code "SY0-801" and a launch date around October 2026 floating around training-vendor blogs and instructor forums. CompTIA has not confirmed an exam code, a beta date, or a launch date. Treat those as educated guesses, not facts. CompTIA also has not announced a retirement date for SY0-701. Their usual pattern is to retire a version roughly three years after launch, with a long overlap, which points loosely at late 2026 or into 2027, but nobody outside CompTIA knows yet.
The mistake almost everyone makes: a retired version is not an expired certification
This is the single biggest misunderstanding behind the "should I wait" panic, so let me be blunt about it. When a new exam version launches and the old one retires, that does not invalidate the certification of people who already passed the old one. The exam version retiring and your certification expiring are two completely different things.
When you pass SY0-701, you earn the CompTIA Security+ certification, and it is valid for three years from the date you pass, regardless of what happens to the exam version behind it. You keep it current the same way everyone does: through continuing education credits over those three years, not by re-sitting whatever the latest exam happens to be.
So a recruiter looking at your CV sees "CompTIA Security+", with a date. They do not see, and do not care, whether you sat V7 or V8. The certification is the certification. Passing the version that is live today gives you exactly the credential employers are asking for.
Why waiting usually costs more than it saves
Once you accept that your cert stays valid either way, the case for waiting mostly collapses. Waiting means delaying the credential, and for most people chasing Security+ that credential is tied to a job application, a promotion, or a pay band. Every month you wait for a version with no confirmed date is a month you are not holding the cert that the job ad asks for.
There is also a practical study problem. The SY0-701 ecosystem is mature right now: the objectives are stable, the courses are complete, and the practice questions have been refined for over two years. A brand-new version means starting over with thin, unproven material. For the first six to twelve months after any new CompTIA exam launches, study resources are patchy and practice questions are scarce and often low quality. You would be trading a well-supported exam for a harder study experience, in exchange for a credential that says the same thing on your CV.
And the content barely changes the value. Security+ versions are evolutions, not reinventions. The core domains move around and the examples get refreshed for current threats, but a person who holds SY0-701 knows the same fundamentals a V8 holder will. You are not getting a meaningfully better cert by waiting. You are getting the same cert, later.
You will not get caught out by the switch
A common worry is "what if I start studying SY0-701 and it retires before I sit it?" CompTIA does not flip a switch overnight. When a new version launches, the existing exam typically stays bookable for several months afterward, so there is a real overlap window where both are available.
That means even when V8 does arrive, you will have a clear runway to finish on SY0-701 if that is what you prepared for. The people who get caught are the ones who drag a six-month study plan out over eighteen months. If you commit to a normal timeline now, the retirement schedule is not your problem.
The one case where waiting actually makes sense
I said almost every case, so here is the exception. If you genuinely cannot start studying for a while - you have got a big work project, exams, a house move, a new baby, whatever - and you realistically will not sit the exam until well into 2027, then do not force yourself onto SY0-701 just to beat a deadline. By the time you are actually ready to study, the current version may have shifted, and you should simply prepare for whatever is live at that point.
The deciding question is not "is a new version coming" (one always is). It is "when will I actually be ready to sit this exam?" If the honest answer is within the next several months, take SY0-701 now. If the honest answer is a year or more away, do not pick your exam version today at all. Pick it when you start studying, against whatever is current then.
What to do this week
If Security+ is on your near-term plan, stop refreshing the rumour threads and book a target date on SY0-701. Pick a realistic study window, work to it, and ignore V8 entirely. It is not your exam.
The fastest way to find out whether you are on track is to test yourself early against exam-style questions rather than passively reading. ReadRoost has a full SY0-701 practice set built around the current objectives, so you can aim your study at the gaps that actually exist rather than the ones you assume you have. Start there, set your date, and let the people still arguing about SY0-801 on the internet keep arguing.
Full Study Blueprint
See the complete crowdsourced blueprint with all 1 study plan for CompTIA Security+ — resources, ratings, and tips from people who passed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is SY0-701 still the current Security+ exam in 2026?
Yes. SY0-701 (Security+ V7) launched on 7 November 2023 and is the current, bookable version as of June 2026. Security+ V8 is in CompTIA draft objectives but has no confirmed exam code, beta, or launch date.
Should I wait for Security+ V8 instead of taking SY0-701?
In almost every case, no. Your certification stays valid for three years no matter which version you sat, and waiting just delays the credential while you lose access to mature SY0-701 study materials. Only wait if you genuinely will not be ready to study until well into 2027.
If SY0-701 retires, does my certification become invalid?
No. A retired exam version does not invalidate the certifications of people who already passed it. Once you pass, you hold CompTIA Security+ for three years and renew it through continuing education credits, independent of the live exam version.
When will SY0-701 retire?
CompTIA has not announced a retirement date. Their usual pattern is to retire a version about three years after launch with a long overlap, which loosely suggests late 2026 or 2027, but this is an estimate, not a confirmed date.
Is the exam code "SY0-801" confirmed?
No. CompTIA has only published "Security+ V8" draft objectives. The "SY0-801" code and any specific launch date come from third-party trainers and forums, not from CompTIA. Do not plan around them as facts.
Do employers care whether I have V7 or V8 Security+?
No. Job ads ask for "CompTIA Security+", not a specific version. A recruiter sees the certification and the date you earned it, not the exam code behind it.
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