The eCPPT is INE Security's professional-level penetration testing exam, and the current version leans hard on Windows domains: Active Directory carries 30% of the weight and exploitation another 25%. There's no report to write: INE grades the exam automatically and returns a score report within hours, and the credential expires after three years.
Who the eCPPT is for
INE writes it for people with two or more years of offensive security experience who want to move up in penetration testing. In practice that means a junior tester, an analyst who already does internal vulnerability work, or someone who passed eJPT and kept practising. Anyone can attempt it; you need only a subscription and a voucher. INE's list of intended candidates is broad, running from system administrators and security engineers to DevOps developers and staff at managed security service providers.
If you've never worked in a Windows domain environment, start lower, because eJPT covers the network basics without Active Directory. If you want a credential that recruiters search for by name, compare OSCP first. It includes an Active Directory set inside a 24-hour proctored exam, at a much higher price. PNPT is the other comparison, with a written report and a live debrief that eCPPT doesn't ask for.
eCPPT exam facts and prices
| eCPPT | |
|---|---|
| Format | Practical lab exam, auto-graded |
| Questions, time, pass mark | Not stated on INE's public pages |
| Price (US) | $450 voucher for current INE Premium subscribers; $599 eCPPT + 3 months of Premium |
| Voucher terms | Valid 180 days; one free retake, taken within 14 days of a failed attempt and before expiry |
| Results | Within a few hours, with a score report by exam section |
| Prerequisites | None; INE recommends two or more years of offensive security experience |
| Validity | Three years; renew with 36 CPE credits plus $99, a higher INE certification plus $99, or by passing the latest version at no fee |
The $599 bundle bills $350 for nine more months of Premium after the first three, then $799 a year, unless you cancel. The $450 voucher is sold only to Premium subscribers, so for a newcomer the bundle is the real entry price.
Six domains, weighted toward the domain
INE's published weights:
- Active Directory Penetration Testing: 30%
- Exploitation & Post-Exploitation: 25%
- Initial Access: 15%
- Web Application Penetration Testing: 15%
- Information Gathering & Reconnaissance: 10%
- Exploit Development: 5%
Read the weights as a budget. Active Directory and post-exploitation together are 55% of the exam, so a candidate who is strong on web and network services but uncomfortable inside a domain will struggle to pass on the other 45%. The web domain is a smaller version of what eWPT tests in depth, and reconnaissance is a modest 10%.
Exploit Development at 5% looks small but is where the outline is broader than the eCPPT name suggests: INE lists writing or modifying exploit code and memory corruption flaws in the objectives. It won't decide your result alone, but it's the domain a network-focused candidate is most likely to have skipped.
The format rewards accuracy over write-up skill, since the exam is auto-graded and nothing you write is assessed. INE's section-by-section score report does tell you where you lost marks, which makes the free retake more useful than it would be with a single pass-fail line.
Preparing for a domain-heavy exam
INE recommends its Penetration Testing Professional learning path (the NEW-2024 version), which comes with Premium and both bundles. Treat it as the syllabus and follow its order.
A workable split for someone with the recommended experience:
- About 40% of your hours on Active Directory, in a lab domain you've built yourself or in INE's labs, until you can map a domain and explain each step you took.
- About 25% on exploitation and post-exploitation on Windows and Linux hosts, including privilege escalation.
- About 20% on initial access and web application work.
- The rest on exploit development, enough to be comfortable reading and adjusting existing exploit code.
Take notes on every host, credential and finding as you go. In a lab exam, the detail you need for one task is often something you saw hours earlier.
Renewal and the next certification
The certification is valid for three years from the award date. INE's renewal program offers three routes: 36 continuing professional education (CPE) credits, a more advanced INE certification on the same career path, or passing the newest eCPPT. The first two carry a $99 fee per certification; the third is free. You can renew from 18 months before expiry, and a lapsed certification can be renewed for $199 within 90 days. Passing eCPPT also makes your eJPT renewable, though INE charges a separate $99 fee for each certification you keep.
On INE's Traditional Penetration Tester path, eCPPT sits between eJPT and eWPTX. Next steps worth considering:
- eWPTX, INE's most advanced web exam, which also keeps your eCPPT renewable.
- OSEP, OffSec's 48-hour proctored exam on evasion and Active Directory.
- OSCP, if a job posting names it.
Our view
The eCPPT is good value. The syllabus matches internal testing on Windows networks, where the domain is the usual objective, and $599 with three months of training costs far less than OffSec's $1,749 course and exam bundle. Auto-grading makes results fast, but it also means the exam says nothing about whether you can write up an engagement for a client. We'd treat it as a solid step after eJPT. If you need a name that recruiters filter for, or proof you can write up an engagement, OSCP or PNPT will serve you better.
Sources
- INE eCPPT certification page: domains, weights, objectives, audience, subscription rule, voucher and retake terms, auto-grading, validity, checked October 2026
- INE checkout: eCPPT voucher and bundle: $450 voucher, $599 bundle, renewal billing, checked October 2026
- INE certification renewal: CPE routes, fees, grace period, career paths, checked October 2026
- INE Help Center: expiry of INE certificates, voucher validity, checked October 2026
- OffSec PEN-200 (OSCP): 24-hour proctored exam, Active Directory set, $1,749 bundle, checked October 2026
- OffSec PEN-300 (OSEP): 48-hour proctored exam, checked October 2026