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Check Point Learning & Training FAQ
Technical Level
Solution ID
sk163417
Technical Level
Product
Other
Version
All
Date Created
08-Dec-2019
Last Modified
13-Apr-2021
Solution
New Certification Model - Current Promotions
New Certification Program Model FAQ
Starting 31 January 2021 Check Point is implementing a new Certification Model!
Core Certifications
Certified Security Administrator (CCSA)
This core 3-day technical certification course provides an understanding of basic concepts and skills necessary to configure and manage Check Point Security Gateways and Management Software Blades.
Exam #
156-215.80
Certified Security Expert (CCSE)
This advanced 3-day security engineering course provides an in-depth explanation of Check Point technology and an understanding of skills necessary to effectively design, maintain, optimize, and protect your enterprise network from aggressive cyber threats.
Exam #
156-315.80
Security Master Certifications
Check Point Certified Security Master
The CCSM certification recognizes and validates technical mastery of the Check Point Infinity architecture. It is awarded to Cyber Security professionals with advanced knowledge and expertise in configuring, deploying, managing, and troubleshooting Check Point products and services.
Check Point Certified Security Master Elite
Introducing CCSM Elite – We are happy to announce the addition of a new level of achievement to our Certification program, the CCSM Elite! This level of certification validates the highest achievement of technical mastery and consists of an elite club of Check Point Certified Security Masters.
New Certification Path to Cyber Security Mastership
Check Point Certified Security Master With Check Point’s new path to Security Mastery, you will need to achieve 2 Infinity Specialist Accreditations after the CCSE.
Check Point Certified Security Master Elite To achieve Check Point’s new Security Master ELITE you will need to pass 2 Infinity Specialist Accreditations after the CCSM.
Infinity Specialist Accreditations
Check Point’s Infinity Specialist Accreditations are designed to enable Security professionals to demonstrate that they understand the concepts and skills needed to administer, deploy and manage specific Security solutions within the Check Point Infinity Cyber Security Architecture. Infinity Specialist Accreditations are also the building blocks to the Security Master and Security Master Elite certifications.
Accreditation
Infinity Specialist Courses
Exam #
CCAS
Check Point Certified Automation Specialist
156-520
CCME
Check Point Certified Maestro Expert
156-835
CCCS
Check Point Certified Cloud Specialist
156-560
CCES
Check Point Certified Endpoint Specialist
156-530
CCMS
Check Point Certified Multi-Domain Security Management Specialist
156-540
CCVS
Check Point Certified Virtual System Extension Specialist
156-550
CCTA
Check Point Certified Troubleshooting Administrator
156-580
CCTE
Check Point Certified Troubleshooting Expert
156-585
Hacking Point Courses
CCPE – A
AppSec for Developers
156-405
CCPE – C
Cloud Security
156-406
CCPE – I
Infrastructure Hacking Check Point Certified PenTesting Expert
156-402
CCPE – W
Web Hacking Check Point Certified PenTesting Expert
156-403
Certification Extensions & Renewals
Pass an Infinity Specialist Accreditation (ISA) to extend a valid Core certification for 1-year.
A CCSA may be extended a maximum of two times by passing 2 different ISAs. (CCSA must be current, not expired)
A CCSE may be extended one time. A second ISA will award the Accreditation and the CCSM Certification! (The CCSE must be current, not expired)
A CCSM may be extended one time. A second ISA will award the Accreditation and the CCSM Elite Certification! (The CCSM must be current, not expired)
The CCSA or the CCSE exam may be retaken as a means to recertify.
If the CCSA or CCSE is retaken and passed before it expires, the certification will be renewed for 2 years from the previous expiration date.
The CCSE Update exam will no longer be the exam for recertifying a CCSE. It will be retired on 31 March 2021.
Certification Paths
Current Promotions FAQs
If I took an Infinity Specialist Accreditation course and exam prior to 31 January 2021, will my valid certification be extended?
No, the extension program will start on 31 January 2021 and go forward. No retroactive extensions will be awarded.
I took an Infinity Specialist Accreditation (ISA) course over 2 years ago and it has now expired. Can I take that ISA again to extend my current certification?
Yes as long as the ISA exam is passed after our new certification model start date on 31 January 2021.
I passed one Infinity Specialist Accreditation (ISA) to get the 1-year extension on my CCSA/CCSE/CCSM, can I retake that ISA?
The Infinity Specialist Accreditations are valid for 2 years. If you take the same exam within that 2 years, it will not be credited to extend your certification. You should take a different ISA as long as it is valid. If the ISA has expired, you may take it again to get an extension.
I’ve passed the CCSA exam, what are my next steps to maintain an Active certification status?
Option 1 - You may extend the CCSA certification while the certification is still valid by passing an Infinity Specialist Accreditation exam for a 1-year extension (You may do this 2 times with a valid CCSA)
Option 2 - You may proceed to the CCSE to continue in the certification path.
This will not extend the CCSA.
Option 3 - You may retake and pass the CCSA exam for another 2-year extension.
I have a CCSA and have passed 2 Infinity Specialist Accreditations to extend my certification for an additional 2 years. Can I take a 3rd for another 1-year extension?
No, 2 years is the longest extension. You may recertify by passing the CCSA again for another 2 year certification. My CCSA has expired. Can I still extend the certification for 1 year by taking an Infinity Specialist Accreditation?
Extensions are only awarded on valid certifications. It is important to be aware of certification expiration dates.
Recertify your CCSA by passing the CCSA certification exam again.
You are still eligible to take the CCSE to advance in the certification path if your CCSA is expired.
Where can I go to check on the expiration date of my certifications?
1. Login to the User Center
2. Click “MY CHECK POINT”
3. Click “My Certifications” under the “My Info” option to see a list of your certifications and their expiration dates.
Note: Starting at 60 days before a core certification expires, our system will notify you by email several times on a regular interval to remind you of your expiring certification.
I passed one Infinity Specialist Accreditation (ISA) to get the 1-year extension added to my CCSA and now the CCSA has since expired. If I pass an ISA exam now, will my CCSA be extended?
No, you will need to pass the CCSA again to get recertified. Extensions are only awarded on valid certifications. I have a valid R80 CCSE, what are my next steps to maintain an Active certification status?
Option 1 - You may extend the CCSE certification while the certification is still valid by passing one Infinity Specialist Accreditation (ISA) exam for a 1-year extension (You may do this one time for a 1-year extension on a valid CCSE)
Passing a second ISA exam will award you the CCSM certification.
Option 2 - You may retake the CCSE for another 2-year extension.
I received the CCSM after getting my second Infinity Specialist Accreditation while CCSE certified. How long will the CCSM be valid?
The CCSM certification will be valid 2 years.
My CCSE has expired. Can I still extend the certification for 1 year by taking an Infinity Specialist Accreditation?
Extensions are only awarded on valid certifications. It is important to be aware of certification expiration dates.
Recertify your CCSE by retaking and passing the CCSE exam. I had the 1-year extension added to my CCSE but not my CCSE has expired. Will I still get the CCSM if I take another Infinity Specialist Accreditation?
No, extensions are only awarded on valid certifications. You will need to recertify your CCSE again and pass 2 more Infinity Specialist Accreditations to attain CCSM status.
I have a valid R80 CCSM, what are my next steps to maintain an Active certification status?
You may extend the CCSM certification while the certification is still valid by passing one Infinity Specialist Accreditation (ISA) exam for a 1-year extension (You may do this one time for a 1-year extension on a valid CCSM)
Passing a second ISA exam will award you the CCSM Elite certification. I received the CCSM Elite certification after getting my second Infinity Specialist Accreditation while CCSM certified. How long will the CCSM Elite be valid?
The CCSM Elite certification will be valid 2 years.
The CCSM Elite can be extended once for 1 year by passing another Infinity Specialist Accreditation. (A recertification path for the CCSM Elite will be announced at a later date)
My CCSM has expired. Can I still extend the certification for 1 year by taking an Infinity Specialist Accreditation?
Extensions are only awarded on valid certifications. It is important to be aware of certification expiration dates.
Recertify on the CCSM exam until we retire the CCSM exam on 31-March-2021. After the CCSM exam is retired the path to CCSM status will be through a valid CCSE.
I have a valid CCSM Elite, CCSM or CCSE. Do I need to maintain the lower certification(s)?
Your goal is to maintain your highest certification or progress to the next level. You are not required to recertify on the lower certifications. You will only recertify on a lower certification if you allow your highest level of certification to expire.
Certification FAQ
This section lists many of the Frequently Asked Questions related to Check Point Certifications. This is a live document that may be updated without special notice.
Certifications expire after 24 months. Certifications, like security, must be kept current to be truly effective - which is why we strongly encourage you to constantly refresh and keep your certification current.
Check Point professional certification exams are proctored through Pearson VUE, a third-party testing vendor with over 3.500 locations worldwide. You can register for any Check Point exam and earn your certification by visiting their Website and creating a Web Profile. Additionally, our exams are now available via Pearson VUE Online Proctoring, where exams are delivered by a live proctor to your workstation. To learn more or register, visit: https://home.pearsonvue.com/checkpoint/onvue.
No, it is possible to take an exam with only your own experience or self-study using the Check Point courseware, but we highly recommend taking a class instead. Instructor-led training accelerates and focuses your learning, gives you hands-on experience and an opportunity to make mistakes in the lab, and is much more cost-effective than self-study in your spare time.
Check Point certifications are structured around comprehensive job models for administration, engineering (Expert), and advanced systems (Security Master). Certifications include:
Check Point certifications are designed to build upon the knowledge and skills of the previous courses, reinforcing lessons learned and extending your competencies with ever more complex and valuable skills.
Exam#
Certification
Prerequisites
156-110
Check Point Certified Security Principles Associate (CCSPA)
A: Exam objectives are posted on the Education Services Web site for reference, but all official training materials are provided when you attend instructor-led training through one of our Authorized Training Center (ATC) partners
We have 120 Authorized Training Centers (ATC) in over 68 countries worldwide. Use our ATC partner locator to find an ATC near you and sign up for training. If for any reason you can't find an ATC near you, send an email to us directly at atc@checkpoint.com.
Only a pre-R80 CCSA would have to start over with the R80 CCSA. For the CCSE, any CCSE, even if expired is eligible for the R80 CCSE exam (#156-315.80).
It represents your Pearson VUE personal identification with Check Point Software and establishes proof of your certification. You should only have one Check Point Professional ID number.
An email address is necessary in order to create your User Center account - your access point for certification benefits - as well as keep you up to date with any important changes or updates.
Yes, your certification is yours! However, since your email address is based on your previous work email you will want to contact Check Point Account Services via Check Point Beyond - Customer Success Hub to update your User Center account and request that your information be linked to your new email address.
By setting up a User Center account with the same email address you used with Pearson VUE. If you do not have a User Center account please reference the section "New Customer" at the following URL: https://usercenter.checkpoint.com/usercenter/portal/
Check Point provides e-certificates that you can access from your User Center profile. Once we receive your exam results we will update your User Center account with your new credentials, giving you immediate access to your online benefits like access to SecureKnowledge and your online Certification profile. The User Center will be added within 3 weeks of your exam date, but often it is sooner than that.
Your certification information could not be listed in your User Center account for one of the following reasons:
We tried to activate your benefits but there was no User Center account with the email address we have on file for you. Please check to ensure that the e-mail account you provided Pearson VUE for registration matches the e-mail account you used to set up your User Center account.
The benefits you received from a certain Check Point certification have expired.
We might not have received your results from Pearson VUE.
If you do not see your benefits or certification listed with your User Center account, contact Account Services via Check Point Beyond - Customer Success Hub and we'll try to resolve the issue for you. Please include a copy of your exam Score Report.
Yes as a certified professional you have access to SecureKnowledge, our online technical knowledge database with thousands of solutions, how-to articles and troubleshooting tips to help solve your most difficult issues.
It is important that the email address used when registering for an exam is the email address associated to your User Center profile. This ensures that all certifications are reflected within the User Center and the e-certificate can be downloaded via the account.
Courses, certifications, and exams are all designed to build on the lessons learned and develop your skills and knowledge, so we recommend starting with CCSA R80 and CCSE R80 to get a core security foundation. From there you can choose the specialization or area of expertise that best matches your job role or career goals. <See the complete list of courses, exams, and prerequisites earlier in the FAQ for more information>
The exams are composed of multiple choice and scenario questions. All questions are “Select the BEST answer” type questions. There are no multiple response answers.
The CCSA and CCSE exams are 100 questions and the Infinity Specialist Accreditation exams are 75 questions with both to be completed in 90 minutes in all English-speaking countries. Non-English speaking countries receive an additional 15 minutes.
If you are preparing for the CCSA certification and want to take the 156-215.80 exam, you can determine if you are ready by taking the 156-603 CCSA R80 practice exam. If you are preparing to complete the CCSE certification and want to take the 156-315.80 exam, you can determine if you are ready by taking the 156-604 R80 practice exam. Both practice exams present 40 questions from a subset of the actual exam pool. Feedback is limited to providing the correct answer during the exam. Practice exams are $50.
Surveys of certified professionals suggest that a candidate have one to two years’ experience with the product in a production environment before attempting the CCSA certification. Since that is not practical in today’s environment, we recommend six months after training. A similar interval trended when studying the Engineering tasks of a certified CCSE professional. We recommend one year.
Yes. If you fail an exam and want to retake it, you must wait 24 hours before the next attempt. After the second attempt you will need to wait 30 days for the third attempt and any subsequent attempts.
Check Point does not subtract points from your score for answering a question incorrectly. You will simply not get credit for that question. When taking one of our exams, answer as many questions as you can, even if you are not certain of your answer.
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