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Security+ V8 Expected November 17: The Dates and What to Do Now

The Security+ changeover as of October 2026: SY0-801 launch and SY0-701 retirement dates, what CompTIA hasn't announced, and what to do this month in your situation.

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Rachel Brown
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Security+ V8 Expected November 17: The Dates and What to Do Now

CompTIA expects Security+ SY0-801 (V8) to launch in English on or around November 17, 2026. SY0-701 (V7) remains available until June 11, 2027, so the announced dates imply nearly seven months when either exam earns the same certification. Your move this month depends on how far into V7 you are, which language you test in, and when you plan to buy a voucher.

The dates CompTIA currently lists

All from CompTIA's V7 and V8 exam pages, as of October 14, 2026:

  • November 7, 2023: V7 launched.
  • On or around November 17, 2026: V8 is expected to launch, English only, with the same format as V7 (up to 90 questions, 90 minutes, 750 on a 100 to 900 scale).
  • June 11, 2027: the English V7 exam retires.
  • August 13, 2027: V7 retires in Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish and Thai.
  • Around November 2029: CompTIA estimates V8 will retire "3 years after launch".

Two publisher dates matter as well. Wiley lists the SY0-801 edition of Mike Chapple and David Seidl's Sybex study guide for December 2026, and Total Seminars says McGraw Hill's SY0-801 All-in-One Exam Guide ships the same month.

What hasn't been announced

The V8 page lists no exam price yet. The V7 page sells the voucher at $439, or $579 with one retake, and nothing says V8 will cost the same. CompTIA hasn't said when V8 will be offered in other languages. Its main Security+ page describes the change only as "expanded coverage of areas such as AI-related risks, security operations, and modern environments". The objective-level detail is in the V8 objectives PDF, and we've compared it with V7 in SY0-701 vs SY0-801.

What to do this month

If you're partway through V7 material, pick an exam date now and work backward. Aim to sit by early spring 2027, which leaves room for a fail. CompTIA's retake policy lets you take a second attempt straight away but makes you wait 14 days before a third, and June 11 is the currently announced English cutoff.

If you're starting from scratch, study for V8. A realistic plan from today runs past November 17 anyway. Download the SY0-801 objectives PDF and start with Security Architecture, the domain that changed least, while the two books listed here are scheduled for December.

If you test in Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish or Thai, you have no decision to make yet. V7 is the currently announced option in those languages, with retirement scheduled for August 13, 2027; watch for translated V8 announcements.

If you already hold Security+, nothing changes on November 17. Your expiry date stays where it is. CompTIA's continuing education rules let you renew with 50 continuing education units and a $150 fee, or by passing the latest release of the exam, which will be V8 from launch day. CompTIA's retake policy doesn't let you resit an exam code you've already passed without its consent, so a V7 holder renews through V8 rather than V7.

Vouchers across the changeover

CompTIA's voucher terms say vouchers are specific to an exam series and sometimes to an exam code, that "once a certification exam has retired, vouchers for that exam are no longer valid", that retake vouchers can't be used on another version, and that expiry dates can't be extended. A V7 voucher sold with 12 months' validity in March 2027 is worthless after June 11. Buy a V7 voucher only once you have a booked date before then. For V8, wait until CompTIA publishes the price and you know which version your voucher covers.

Security+ isn't the only CompTIA exam mid-changeover. CySA+ is closer to its cutoff, and CompTIA's other security exams are on their own schedules. The Security+ study guide has a plan for either version.

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