- What the Mile2 C)SP Credential Actually Is
- The Twelve Preparation Topics
- Exam Format, Passing Grade and Open Questions
- How the Exam Is Delivered and Administered
- The Exam Combo and Pricing Caveats
- Suggested Background and Training Options
- Who Gains Most From This Credential
- Mapping the Topics to a Study Sequence
- Validity and Renewal
- Frequently Asked Questions
- C)SP here means Mile2's Certified Security Principles, a foundational IT security credential, not any other certification sharing the acronym.
- The assessment is 100 multiple-choice items, and the course PDF states an 80% passing grade.
- Mile2's public outline lists 12 unweighted preparation topics, from Course Introduction to Understanding Compliance and Auditing.
- The certification is valid for three years; confirm your renewal route and deadline with Mile2 directly.
What the Mile2 C)SP Credential Actually Is
Certified Security Principles is an entry-level information security certification issued by the Mile2 Cybersecurity Institute. It is aimed at people who need a working understanding of security concepts without necessarily being hands-on penetration testers or developers. If you have seen the abbreviation elsewhere, be aware that several unrelated credentials share it. This article covers only the Mile2 certification. For a plain-language orientation, see What Is C)SP Certification? and What Does C)SP Stand For?.
The credential is built around breadth. Rather than drilling deeply into one technology, it walks through risk, cryptography, identity, data, network, server, application, mobile and day-to-day security, and finishes with compliance and auditing. That breadth is the point: it gives non-specialists and early-career staff a shared vocabulary for security conversations.
The Twelve Preparation Topics
Mile2's public course outline lists a Course Introduction plus eleven numbered modules. These are unweighted preparation topics. Mile2 has not published a percentage-weighted exam blueprint that I could verify, so do not assume any topic carries more exam weight than another, and do not treat the list as a guarantee of exhaustive exam coverage. For a topic-by-topic walkthrough, see C)SP Exam Domains: Complete Guide to All 12 Content Areas.
| # | Topic | What to expect to master |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Course Introduction | Course orientation and the framing of what the program covers |
| 2 | Introduction to IT Security | Core security vocabulary and foundational concepts |
| 3 | Risk Management | Identifying, assessing and treating risk |
| 4 | Understanding of Cryptography | Encryption concepts and how they protect information |
| 5 | Understanding Identity and Access Management | Authentication, authorization and access control ideas |
| 6 | Managing Data Security | Storage, encryption options and data management |
| 7 | Managing Network Security | Protecting network infrastructure and traffic |
| 8 | Managing Server/Host Security | Hardening and protecting servers and hosts |
| 9 | Application Security for Non-Developers | Application risks explained for people who do not write code |
| 10 | Understanding Mobile Device Security (IoT) | Securing mobile devices and connected things |
| 11 | Managing Day to Day Security | Operational routines that keep an environment secure |
| 12 | Understanding Compliance and Auditing | Regulatory expectations and audit concepts |
A source conflict worth knowing about
Mile2's own materials disagree slightly on module six. The overview names it Managing Network Security, while the detailed outline names it Data Security and lists storage, encryption options and data management. Mile2's learning-system listing also corroborates a network security lesson and a separate introduction. The safest approach is to study both data security and network security thoroughly rather than guessing which framing your exam draws on. Minor wording differences also appear across documents (for example, "Intro to IT Security" versus "Introduction to IT Security"), which are cosmetic.
Risk Management
This topic underpins nearly everything else, because security decisions are justified by risk.
- Be able to explain why controls are chosen in proportion to the risk they address.
- Understand how risk shapes policy, spending and prioritization.
- Expect scenario-style items asking which response fits a described situation.
Understanding of Cryptography
Non-specialists often find this topic the most abstract, so give it dedicated time.
- Know the purpose of encryption and how it supports confidentiality and integrity.
- Understand the practical role of encryption options when protecting stored data.
- Focus on concepts and use cases rather than mathematical derivations.
Understanding Identity and Access Management
Access control is where policy meets daily operations.
- Distinguish authentication from authorization.
- Know why least-privilege thinking reduces exposure.
- Connect identity controls to compliance and auditing needs.
Application Security for Non-Developers
The title signals the depth: you need to understand application risk, not write secure code.
- Recognize common categories of application weakness at a conceptual level.
- Understand how application risk fits into the wider risk picture.
- Be ready to reason about what a manager or administrator should ask about.
Exam Format, Passing Grade and Open Questions
Under Mile2 Policies and Procedures, the assessment is 100 multiple-choice items. The course PDF's exam paragraph for Certified Security Principles gives the passing grade as 80%. You may see a 70% figure on a Mile2 certification page, but that statement sits in an exam box naming a different credential (Certified Network Principles), so it should not be attributed to C)SP. For more on this, see C)SP Passing Score: Exactly What You Need to Pass.
No candidate pass rate has been published that I could verify, so treat any quoted percentage with suspicion. If you are weighing difficulty, How Hard Is the C)SP Exam? discusses it qualitatively, and C)SP Pass Rate: What the Data Shows explains what is and is not known.
What an 80% bar implies
With 100 items and an 80% threshold, you can miss only a limited number of questions. Because the topics are unweighted publicly, a weak spot in any single area can cost you. That argues for balanced preparation across all twelve topics rather than polishing your favorites. Practice with original scenario-style questions on the C)SP practice test site to find the gaps before the real assessment does.
How the Exam Is Delivered and Administered
The exam is delivered online through your Mile2 account and learning management system. Where Mile2's documents diverge is supervision. The Frequently Asked Questions page describes most standard exams as on-demand, without a live-proctor appointment, while the policies document (page 18) describes proctored, open-book assessment with advance scheduling.
| Source | What it describes |
|---|---|
| FAQ page | Most standard exams on-demand, no live-proctor appointment |
| Policies and Procedures, page 18 | Proctored, open-book assessment with advance scheduling |
I cannot resolve this for you. Before you start, confirm which supervision model applies to your assigned exam and exactly which resources you are permitted to use. Do not assume open-book rules carry over from a forum post. For timing and deadline questions, see C)SP Exam Dates: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling.
The Exam Combo and Pricing Caveats
Mile2 sells a C)SP Exam Combo. Its product-page inclusion list names an E-Book, an Exam Simulator and Exam Prep, and does not explicitly list the exam itself. Mile2's FAQ and its Exam Combos page, however, describe combos as including the certification exam plus two attempts. These two descriptions do not match cleanly, so confirm that a voucher is included before purchasing.
Key Takeaway
Ask Mile2 support, in writing, whether your exact bundle includes the exam voucher and how many attempts it covers. Keep that reply with your purchase receipt.
On price: earlier reviews recorded an advertised bundle price of USD 500, with one also noting USD 795 as an original price. No price appeared in the product text retrieved for this article, so treat those as past records rather than current checkout prices or standalone-voucher fees. Always check live pricing at checkout. A fuller discussion lives in C)SP Certification Cost: Complete Pricing Breakdown.
Suggested Background and Training Options
Mile2 suggests about 12 months of server-administration experience, or the Mile2 C)SA1, C)SA2, C)HT, C)OST and C)NP foundation, or equivalent knowledge. These are suggestions, and Mile2 training is not mandatory. See C)SP Requirements: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify for more on qualifying.
If you choose the instructor-led route, the English-language live course runs five days and advertises 40 CEUs. Its hands-on labs are preparation activities; there is no verified, separately timed practical exam attached to the certification. Self-studiers should still work through the same twelve topics, and C)SP Training compares the learning paths in more detail.
Who Gains Most From This Credential
Because the content is deliberately broad and non-developer-friendly, the credential suits people who touch security without owning it end to end: IT generalists, system and server administrators, help desk staff moving toward security, project and operations managers, and compliance-adjacent staff who need to speak credibly with technical teams. It can also serve as a structured on-ramp before more specialized Mile2 or other vendor-neutral certifications.
I will not quote a salary premium for this credential, because I have no verified data tying it to specific pay. For a qualitative look at the job market and value question, read C)SP Jobs, C)SP Salary Guide and Is the C)SP Certification Worth It?.
Mapping the Topics to a Study Sequence
A study plan should follow the dependencies between topics. Risk and terminology come first because later topics lean on them; compliance and auditing come last because they tie everything together. Adjust the pacing to your background, since the point is the order, not the calendar. Fuller strategy is in the C)SP Study Guide.
Foundations and risk
- Cover Course Introduction, Introduction to IT Security and Risk Management.
- Build a glossary; risk language recurs in every later topic.
Protecting information and identities
- Study Understanding of Cryptography, Identity and Access Management and Managing Data Security together.
- Link encryption options to stored-data scenarios.
Infrastructure and endpoints
- Work through Managing Network Security, Managing Server/Host Security and Understanding Mobile Device Security (IoT).
- Cover network and data security both, given the module-six naming conflict.
Operations, applications and compliance
- Finish Application Security for Non-Developers, Managing Day to Day Security and Understanding Compliance and Auditing.
- Then run timed practice sets across all twelve topics.
For a compact last-pass refresher, C)SP Cheat Sheet: One-Page Review of Must-Know Facts is a good companion, and the main practice test site offers original questions for self-checking.
Validity and Renewal
The certification is valid for three years. Mile2's Certification Renewal Program and its Paths to Renewal pages describe the standard route as 60 documented CEUs over three years, a renewal purchase and an ethics/policy acknowledgment. The dedicated paths page also offers passing the latest existing-credential exam as an alternative. The FAQ gives a USD 200 U.S. regional price for CEU renewal and no annual membership requirement.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Mile2 Cybersecurity Institute issues Certified Security Principles. Other credentials share the abbreviation, so make sure any fee, date or passing-score figure you read refers to Mile2's version.
The assessment consists of 100 multiple-choice items, and the course PDF states an 80% passing grade. A 70% figure on a Mile2 page belongs to a different named credential.
I could not verify a fixed duration specific to C)SP. Check the timer shown in your Mile2 account rather than relying on general statements about Mile2 exams.
Mile2's documents conflict: the FAQ describes most standard exams as on-demand without a live proctor, while the policies document describes proctored, open-book assessment with advance scheduling. Confirm your exact conditions with Mile2.
No. Mile2 training is not mandatory. A suggested background is about 12 months of server-administration experience or equivalent knowledge, and the live course is optional preparation.
It is valid for three years. Renewal typically involves 60 documented CEUs, a renewal purchase and an ethics acknowledgment, with an exam-based alternative, so confirm your applicable route and deadline.