GIAC GICSP Practice Test
Fifteen free GICSP practice tests for industrial cybersecurity: five mixed sets plus ten objective-focused drills. Each test has 20 questions on a 44-minute clock, matching the pace of GIAC's current 82-question, three-hour exam.
Mixed-set GICSP practice tests
Use these first. Each 20-question set samples the current GICSP objective areas so you can see whether the weak spot is endpoint hardening, architecture, protocols, incident response, or something else. GIAC publishes the objectives, but not public weighting percentages, so these sets do not pretend there is an official percentage split.
Objective-wise GICSP practice tests
Once a mixed set exposes a gap, stay on that objective for 20 questions. The names below follow GIAC's current GICSP objective wording.
Twenty questions finds the gap.
Eighty-two questions tests whether your process holds.
The free sets are for diagnosis. When you need a full three-hour rehearsal, the paid GICSP tests run 82 questions across all 10 current objectives and score the attempt against a 71% practice pass line.
| Free practice tests | Full-length practice tests | |
|---|---|---|
| Questions | 20 | 82 |
| Time limit | About 44 minutes | 180 minutes |
| Coverage | Mixed sample or one objective | All 10 current objectives in every test |
| Score you get | Short-set practice result | Raw percentage against the 71% practice line |
| Objective diagnosis | Ten separate objective drills | Same 10-objective allocation in every full test |
| Question format | Selected-response practice | 82 four-option, single-answer questions |
| Exam conditions | Timed short set | Full three-hour timed run |
| Review | Use the short set to find the weak area | Correct answer and explanation on every question |
| Number available | 15 free tests | 10 full-length tests |
| Price | Free | From $4.49₹159£3.69€4.29 per test |
How to use these tests
Use the short tests to diagnose. Save the three-hour runs for later, when pacing and reference discipline become part of the problem.
Benchmark
Take two mixed sets before you start repairing gaps. You are looking for the repeated miss, not one unlucky question.
Start practice test 1 →Drill the weak objective
Move into the matching 20-question objective test. Keep working there until the choices stop feeling like guesses.
Use the objective list above ↑Run the full three hours
Once the knowledge is there, test the process: 82 questions, 180 minutes, all 10 objectives and the same 71% practice line every time.
Get full-length tests →About the GIAC GICSP exam
GIAC currently lists GICSP as a Practitioner Certification for industrial control system security, with CyberLive hands-on testing, 82 questions and a three-hour limit.
What GICSP validates
GICSP covers security across the industrial control system lifecycle. The scope deliberately crosses disciplines: industrial engineering, IT and cybersecurity. GIAC frames it for people who engineer, support or secure control systems, including ICS IT practitioners, OT security analysts, security engineers, industry professionals and vendors.
The current objective set runs from endpoint hardening and ICS architecture through PERA technologies, industrial communications, risk-based incident response and wireless compromise. The exam is now marked as a CyberLive certification, so preparation needs hands-on work as well as selected-response practice.
Exam format
Exam: One proctored GICSP certification exam.
Questions: 82.
Time: 3 hours.
Passing score: Minimum 71%.
Delivery: Web-based and proctored. GIAC supports remote ProctorU and onsite Pearson VUE delivery.
Open-book rules: Hardcopy books, notes and an index are allowed. Electronic files, extra devices and internet access are not.
CyberLive: GICSP is currently listed for hands-on virtual-machine testing.
Attempt, retake and renewal
Certification attempt: $999 USD.
Retake: $899 USD.
After a failure: GIAC imposes a 30-day waiting period before another attempt.
Attempt limit: Up to three exam attempts per year. After three failed attempts, GIAC requires a one-year wait before a new certification attempt.
Renewal cycle: Four years.
Renewal requirement: 36 CPEs or renewal through the exam route. The standard renewal fee is $499.
Current GICSP exam objectives
GIAC publishes ten objective areas for GICSP. It does not publish percentage weights for them, so there is no honest “official domain weight” column to show here.
| Objective | GIAC objective area | What it tests |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | Hardening & Protecting Endpoints | Endpoint security, hardening and patching in ICS systems |
| 02 | ICS Components & Architecture | Purdue levels 0–3, zones, devices and securable architecture |
| 03 | ICS Overview & Concepts | ICS processes, roles and the differences between ICS and IT |
| 04 | ICS Program & Policy Development | Building security programs and enforceable ICS policies |
| 05 | Intelligence Gathering & Threat Modeling | Threat landscape and threat-modeling concepts |
| 06 | PERA Level 0 & 1 Technology Overview and Compromise | Devices, technologies and compromise at the field/basic-control levels |
| 07 | PERA Level 2 & 3 Technology Overview and Compromise | Supervisory/site-operation technologies and compromise |
| 08 | Protocols, Communications, & Compromises | TCP/IP, ICS protocols, communications defense and basic cryptography |
| 09 | Risk Based Disaster Recovery & Incident Response | Risk-informed recovery and incident-response decisions |
| 10 | Wireless Technologies & Compromises | ICS wireless technology, attacks and defenses |
How our GICSP practice tests are written
Original questions, mapped to the current objectives. The question sets are written for this site against GIAC's published GICSP scope. They are not recalled exam questions.
OT constraints stay in the question. A control can be technically strong and still be the wrong operational choice. The scenarios make you account for availability, process safety, maintenance windows and the realities of legacy industrial equipment.
The mixed sets cover breadth; the objective tests isolate a gap. GIAC does not publish objective weights, so the free mixed tests are broad practice rather than a claim to reproduce hidden weighting.
The clock is proportional. Twenty questions in about 44 minutes preserves the pace of 82 questions in 180 minutes. It is long enough to expose slow lookup habits without turning every drill into a three-hour block.
CyberLive needs separate hands-on practice. GIAC currently lists GICSP as a CyberLive certification. These free tests are selected-response practice, so use labs for the virtual-machine side of the exam.
GICSP exam preparation tips
Study strategy
Learn the system, not just the acronym. If your background is enterprise IT, spend time on PLCs, HMIs, historians, control loops and the operational consequences of a bad change. If you come from engineering, make the networking and security controls equally automatic.
Know where a device lives in PERA. GIAC has two separate objectives for Levels 0–1 and Levels 2–3. Build a mental map of what belongs at each level and what a compromise there can affect.
Build a useful paper index. The exam is open book, not open internet. An index only helps if you can get from a question to the right page quickly.
Test-taking strategy
Read every answer through an OT lens. Immediate patching or aggressive isolation may sound secure in IT and still be unsafe in a live industrial process. The best answer often depends on controlled change and operational impact.
Do not let reference hunting eat the clock. Three hours sounds generous until every uncertain item becomes a five-minute search. Mark the reference, make the best decision you can, and keep moving.
Practice CyberLive separately. Selected-response questions train judgment. Virtual-machine work trains execution. GICSP now expects both.
Frequently asked questions
GIAC currently lists GICSP as one proctored exam with 82 questions and a three-hour limit.
The current minimum passing score is 71% for the GICSP exam version released on or after 19 November 2018.
Yes. GIAC permits hardcopy books, printed or handwritten notes and an index. The exam is not open internet or open computer, so electronic reference files and extra electronic devices are not allowed.
Yes. GIAC currently lists GICSP as a CyberLive certification. That means the live certification includes virtual-machine-based hands-on testing as part of the assessment.
The current GIAC price is $999 USD for a GICSP certification attempt. A retake is $899 USD.
GIAC imposes a 30-day waiting period after a failed exam before you can sit again. Candidates can attempt an exam up to three times per year; after three failed attempts, GIAC requires a one-year wait before starting a new certification attempt.
GIAC certifications run on a four-year renewal cycle. Renewal can be completed with 36 CPEs or through the exam route. The standard renewal fee is currently $499.
Yes. The five mixed sets and ten objective-focused tests on this page are free.
Yes. The full-length GICSP practice tests use 82 questions, a 180-minute limit, all 10 current objectives and a 71% practice pass line. There are ten separate full-length tests, with explanations on every question. Prices start at $4.49₹159£3.69€4.29 for one test.
Find the weak objective. Then test the full three hours.
Start free with a 20-question mixed set. When you want the complete rehearsal, move to an 82-question full-length test built across all 10 GICSP objectives.
