CPTS Review

A Clear Overview of the CPTS Certification

In this post, I’ll share my experience with the HTB Certified Penetration Testing Specialist (CPTS) certification. Whether you’re new to penetration testing or already familiar with CPTS, there’s something here for everyone.

What is Penetration Testing?

Penetration testing, or pen testing, involves authorized simulated cyberattacks on systems and networks. The goal? To identify and fix vulnerabilities before hackers exploit them. As a pen tester, you’ll document your findings and create reports detailing your approach and results.

What is CPTS?

HTB Certified Penetration Testing Specialist (HTB CPTS) is a hands-on certification from HackTheBox that assesses intermediate-level penetration testing skills. It covers everything from reconnaissance to reporting, ensuring you’re equipped to perform real-world security assessments.

Pricing Options

• General Pricing: Training + exam voucher = $490.
  Alternatively, buy a standalone voucher for $210 but you will also need a total of 1970 cubes to have access to all the modules in the path.
• Annual Subscription: Recommended for professionals, this gives access to all modules (up to Tier IV) and one exam voucher.
• Student Plan: At just $8/month, students can complete the program in ~4 months, totaling $242 plus the exam voucher.

Training & Exam Details

Role Path Overview

To attempt the exam, you must complete the Penetration Tester Job-Role Path on HackTheBox Academy. This path covers core concepts, tools, tactics, and methodologies, broken down into 28 modules. Completion time varies, but it’s estimated at 43 days of full-time effort (8 hours/day).

Key advice:

• Don’t rush. Take notes, revisit concepts, and repeat modules if necessary.
• Take breaks. Avoid burnout by pacing yourself.
• Use HackTheBox’s Discord for community tips and hints when stuck.

It took me 3.5 months to complete this path while balancing work and life.

Extra Practice

Even after completing the path, extra practice on HackTheBox main platform Prolabs can solidify your skills. I completed the Prolab OffShore and found it invaluable for refining my methodologies, although it was overkill since all you need is covered in the Penetration Tester job role path.

HTB CPTS Exam Structure

The Hack The Box Certified Penetration Testing Specialist (CPTS) exam is a fully hands-on assessment designed to evaluate a candidate’s ability to exploit vulnerabilities in a realistic enterprise environment.

Key Features

🔹 Practical, Real-World Focus

The exam requires candidates to identify and exploit security flaws in web applications, network services, and Active Directory, simulating real-world penetration testing scenarios.

🔹 Extended Duration for Comprehensive Testing

Unlike traditional time-constrained exams, the CPTS exam typically spans 10 days. This allows candidates ample time to execute attacks, perform post-exploitation activities, and document their findings thoroughly.

🔹 Professional Reporting Requirement

A critical component of the exam is delivering a commercial grade detailed penetration testing report. Candidates must provide a structured analysis of their findings, including vulnerability descriptions, exploitation techniques, and recommended mitigations. The quality and clarity of the report play a significant role in passing the exam.

🔹 Realistic and Challenging Lab Environment

Built within HTB’s advanced lab infrastructure, the CPTS exam mirrors the complexity of modern enterprise networks. The high level of realism ensures candidates face up-to-date security challenges, closely aligning with real-world penetration testing engagements.

The Exam Experience

The CPTS exam involves:

• Black-box penetration testing on real-world Active Directory network hosted in HTB’s infrastructure.
• 10 days to submit your findings.
• A passing score of 85 points (12 out of 14 flags).

This was the hardest exam I’ve taken so far. It took me two attempts, but I eventually scored 13/14 flags. If you’re active on HTB Discord you must heard of the infamous flag flag 9 which was a real pain and took me few days to find, but perseverance is key.

Pro Tips:

• Keep your approach simple.
• Break challenges into smaller steps.
• Stay calm and use all available resources.

Waiting 20 business days for the results is tough, but the joy of passing makes it all worthwhile.

Final Thoughts

CPTS is not an entry-level certification like OSCP or PNPT—it’s a challenging but rewarding journey that sharpens your skills for professional penetration testing. Totally recommended when it comes to content, pricing and skills you will get out of it. Although not yet recognized at the same level as the OSCP which has been around for a decade, the CPTS is the cert that will give you the skills needed to get the job done.

On my next blog post I will go through a thorough comparison between the CPTS, OSCP and PNPT the Trifecta of pentesting certs.