What is the format of the CSC exam?
Per the official CertNexus exam details, the CSC exam is 80 items in multiple-choice and multiple-response formats, answered in 120 minutes — and that time includes 5 minutes for the Candidate Agreement and 5 minutes for the Pearson VUE tutorial. The passing score is 60%. Delivery is in person at a Pearson VUE test center or online via Pearson OnVUE online proctoring, and the exam voucher costs $367.50 at the CertNexus store (sku CNX0032V). The exam launched in March 2020; sunset is TBD.
What does the CSC exam cover?
CertNexus positions CSC as a practitioner-level certification in Secure Coding and Application Security. The published exam target is software developers, testers, and architects who develop in multiple languages across desktop, web, cloud, and mobile platforms. The exam certifies that successful candidates can design and develop secure applications, analyze security concerns outside specific languages and platforms, use testing and analysis tools, and mitigate common threats to data and systems.
The published course outline spans secure coding practices, application security, risk management, secure design, software security testing, and vulnerability remediation across the software development lifecycle — with cryptography, authentication, access control, logging, and secure database access called out by name. The credential is DoD 8140 approved for use, which is why it shows up in defense-adjacent job requirements.
Because the outline is platform-independent, roughly a third of the paper sits outside most developers' daily stack. That breadth — not depth in any one framework — is what makes the format unforgiving for narrowly specialized candidates.
How much does the CSC exam cost?
The exam voucher is $367.50 at the CertNexus store (sku CNX0032V), delivered electronically, with delivery mode PearsonVUE/OnVUE. There is no published free retake — a failed attempt means another voucher at full price, so the real cost of a miss is $367.50 plus calendar.
The credential is valid three years from the date it is granted. CertNexus's published maintenance path for CSC is retaking the most recent version of the exam before expiry; the 90-CEC continuing-education route is currently listed for CAIP, CDSP, CEET, and CFR, not CSC.
One planning note from CertNexus's own FAQ: Cyber Secure Software Developer (CSSD) is intended to succeed CSC as the updated secure-development certification, while CSC remains available. If your requirement names a specific credential, confirm which code is accepted before you buy.
Can you take the CSC exam at home?
Yes. CertNexus's published exam options are in person at a Pearson VUE test center or online via Pearson OnVUE online proctoring, and the voucher listing itself shows delivery mode PearsonVUE/OnVUE — the at-home route is a first-class option, not an exception.
OnVUE brings Pearson VUE's published environment requirements into play: Windows 10 or macOS 14 or higher, a working webcam, microphone, and speaker with no headphones, one display only, a stable connection of at least 6 Mbps down and 2 Mbps up, and the ability to close every application except OnVUE. Virtual machines, VPNs, phones, watches, and smart devices with recording or AI features are prohibited. Check-in opens 30 minutes before the appointment and includes technology checks, photos of you and your ID, and a 360-degree room scan.
The same exam, the same 80 items, the same 60% bar — the difference is that your room becomes part of the sitting. Candidates with a quiet, empty, private room and reliable internet usually find OnVUE the lower-friction option; candidates without one should book a center.
Who is the CSC for — and who should wait?
CSC fits developers, testers, and architects who need a vendor-neutral, DoD 8140-approved secure-coding credential for a role, contract, or workforce requirement — especially people who already ship code and need the certification line, not a new skill. It does not require a specific language or platform, which is precisely its value on a resume and its difficulty in the room.
If your employer will accept either credential, ask whether CSSD — the intended successor — is expected instead; CertNexus says both remain relevant today, but requirements written after the CSSD announcement may name it explicitly.
If the sitting itself is the obstacle — timing, pacing, or the breadth outside your stack — that is the gap a handled sitting closes: Exam Assist handles the CSC sitting end to end, and the service fee is due only after the agreed result posts.