Sitting the exam
Know what to expect at every stage of a GSCP sitting, from booking your slot to the moment the timer runs out.
Sitting GSCP is one proctored session against live targets. Here's what to expect at each stage — booking, the rules while you're in it, and what happens when time runs out.
Book and check your setup
Once your exam is purchased or assigned, schedule a proctored slot at a time that suits you. Only book once you're actually ready — see GSCP overview for how to tell.
You'll need a working webcam and microphone and a stable connection: identity is verified at the start of the session, and a proctor supervises you throughout. Your booking confirmation lists the exact ID and system requirements — read it before your slot, not during it.
Proctoring rules
The proctor verifies who you are, then watches the session start to finish. That supervision is what lets an employer treat a passing result as genuinely yours.
Treat the exam like the labs — your own tooling against the target is expected, since this is a hands-on exploitation exam, not a closed-book test. Your booking confirmation sets out exactly which materials and breaks are allowed for your sitting, so confirm it in advance rather than assuming.
The exam session
Your exam is a set of live targets drawn at random from a private bank, seeded uniquely for your sitting. You'll never see the same set twice, and it can't be regenerated once you begin.
Each target hands you an objective exactly like a lab — think of the VIP-coupon objective on ShopBot, except this target is one you've never trained on. What's different from practice is what's missing:
| Training lab | GSCP exam | |
|---|---|---|
| Hints or walkthroughs | Available | None, during or after |
| Target set | Reusable | Private, one-time, randomized |
| Timer | None | Fixed, starts on begin, can't pause |
Submitting under exam conditions
Submission works the same way it does on every lab — see Evidence and submission for the mechanics. Paste in the value you extracted or the artifact you built; that's your evidence.
GSCP adds one step per objective. Before you move on, you write up the impact, the root cause, and the remediation, the way you would in a findings report for a client.
The clock doesn't waitWhen your time expires, the exam auto-submits on the spot. Only evidence and write-ups you've already saved are graded, so capture each objective as you finish it, not at the end.
Results and retakes
Your score and overall rating are ready as soon as the session ends — see How it's scored for what each rating means and how passing is decided.
If you don't pass, you get a category-by-category breakdown of where you fell short, never the answers. One retake is included free; further attempts are priced separately on the pricing page. Every retake draws a fresh randomized set of targets, so you'll never repeat the same sitting.
Think a result is wrong? Contact support with your attempt details and ask for it to be reviewed.