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eJPT or PenTest+: A Two-Day Lab or a Proctored Scenario Exam

eJPT is a 48-hour lab exam aimed at beginners; PenTest+ is a 165-minute proctored exam written for three to four years of testing. Which to sit, and when.

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Lisa Thompson
Security Training Director
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eJPT or PenTest+: A Two-Day Lab or a Proctored Scenario Exam

INE's eJPT drops you into a lab network for up to 48 hours and asks 45 questions you can only answer by attacking it. CompTIA's PenTest+ is 165 proctored minutes of multiple-choice and performance-based questions. They look like rivals for a first pentest certification, but the vendors aim them at different people: INE at those with little or no security experience, CompTIA at three to four years in a testing role. If a job or contract needs DoD 8140 coverage, PenTest+ is the one CompTIA says qualifies.

Exam facts from each vendor

eJPTPenTest+
IssuerINE SecurityCompTIA
FormatHands-on lab; 45 questions answered from what you find and exploitUp to 90 multiple-choice and performance-based questions (PT0-003)
Time48 hours165 minutes
Passing scoreNot stated on INE's public pages750 on a 100 to 900 scale
DeliveryOnline in INE's lab, auto-graded, no proctorPearson VUE test center or online proctoring
Price (US)Guide-recorded checkout prices: $250 voucher for subscribers; $299 with three months of training; $349 with Fundamentals Annual$439 voucher; $579 with one retake
ExperienceNone; aimed at little to no security experienceThree to four years in a penetration tester role recommended
RenewalThree years: 36 CPE credits plus $99, a higher INE certification plus $99, or the latest exam at no feeThree years: 60 CEUs and a $150 fee; also renews Security+ and Network+

Which one suits your stage

The eJPT fits career changers, system administrators and help desk staff who want proof they can carry out the basic steps of a network test: find hosts, identify services, exploit a known weakness, pivot into a second segment and pull hashes. It's cheap enough to treat as a test of whether you enjoy the work.

PenTest+ fits a SOC or vulnerability analyst moving into offense, a consultant who needs a vendor-neutral credential, or anyone in a US defense-sector role, since CompTIA says PenTest+ is recognized for DoD 8140.03M work roles such as exploitation analyst. INE makes no DoD claim on its eJPT page. Taken at the vendors' word, the eJPT comes first and PenTest+ some years later.

What the formats reward

The eJPT rewards working through a network and keeping notes. Its largest domain, Host and Network Penetration Testing, carries 35% on INE's certification page and includes adapting public exploits, Metasploit, password attacks and pivoting. A question about a host you can't reach is a question you can't answer. INE's March 2026 announcement added 12 reconnaissance and 21 web assessment questions to the learning material, while the certification exam grew from 35 to 45 questions. Those training additions do not establish new exam-domain weights. There's no report, and with no proctor the result tells an employer less than a supervised exam would.

PenTest+ asks which tool, attack or finding comes next in a scenario, and 18 of the 26 objectives in CompTIA's PT0-003 outline begin "Given a scenario". Its outline goes well past the eJPT's: Active Directory attacks with Impacket, BloodHound, Mimikatz and Rubeus, cloud metadata and container attacks, prompt injection against AI systems, and an Engagement Management domain worth 13% that covers rules of engagement, statements of work and what a finished report contains. What it can't show is that you'll compromise an unfamiliar host before the clock runs out.

The small print on price

The eJPT's headline price needs care. INE requires an active subscription to buy a standalone eJPT voucher. Our eJPT guide records a $299 bundle whose checkout terms renew into Premium after three months, at $350 for the next nine months and then $799 a year unless canceled; confirm the current checkout terms before buying. The voucher lasts 180 days and includes one free retake, taken within 14 days of a failed attempt. PenTest+ has no subscription attached: the $439 voucher is a one-off purchase, and $579 buys it with a retake.

Holding both

The two renew independently. CompTIA's PenTest+ renewal list doesn't include the eJPT, but it does give 60 continuing education units for INE's eWPT, one of the higher INE certifications that also renew the eJPT. So a holder of both who moves on to eWPT meets both renewal requirements with one exam, though INE's $99 and CompTIA's $150 fees still apply. Neither the eJPT nor PenTest+ is on ISC2's list of credentials that waive a year of CISSP experience.

If you're sure about offensive work, both are stepping stones toward OSCP; PenTest+ vs OSCP covers that next step. If you're still choosing a direction, choosing your first security certification starts earlier.

Our view

Take the eJPT first unless a job, a contract or an employer's training budget points at PenTest+. At INE's $299 bundle price, which includes three months of training, it's the cheaper way to find out whether you like hands-on testing, and the lab teaches habits a multiple-choice exam can't. Take PenTest+ when the DoD mapping matters, when you want one exam that also renews Security+ and Network+, or when you need the scoping and reporting material the eJPT leaves out. Someone already working in a DoD-mapped SOC could reasonably skip the eJPT and go straight to PenTest+.

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