Help Centre
Everything you need to know about using CertBench. If you can't find your answer here, reach out — we respond to every message.
Getting Started
New here? Start with these — they cover everything from your first sign-up to your first study session.
What is CertBench?
CertBench is a free practice and study tool for CompTIA certification exams. It tracks your performance across every exam domain, builds a personalised study plan each day, and gives you a readiness score so you know when you’re genuinely prepared to sit your exam. It currently covers Security+ SY0-701, Network+ N10-009, A+ Core 1 (220-1101), and A+ Core 2 (220-1102).
Is CertBench free?
Yes. The full question bank (2,000+ questions), diagnostic exam, practice exams, spaced repetition, readiness score, cheat sheets, PBQ practice, and daily study plans are all completely free. There is an optional Pro plan at $8/month that unlocks unlimited AI quiz generation from your own notes — but the core product costs nothing.
Is this an exam dump?
No. Every question in CertBench is independently written. None of our questions are sourced from actual certification exams. Each question includes a detailed explanation that teaches you why the correct answer is correct and why the most plausible wrong answer is wrong. We built CertBench to help you understand the material, not memorise leaked answers.
What should I do first after signing up?
Take the diagnostic exam. It’s 25 questions, takes about 15–20 minutes, and there’s no time limit. Your results determine your starting readiness score and unlock your personalised study plan. Everything else in CertBench builds on your diagnostic results, so it’s the best place to start.
Can I use CertBench as my only study resource?
CertBench is a practice and reinforcement tool — it’s designed to work alongside a video course (like Professor Messer or Jason Dion) or a textbook. It doesn’t teach concepts from scratch, but it’s excellent at testing your understanding, identifying your weak spots, and telling you when you’re ready. Think of it as the practice side of your study stack.
Readiness Score
The number at the centre of your dashboard. Here’s what it actually means.
How is my readiness score calculated?
Your readiness score is a weighted average of your performance across all exam domains. Each domain is weighted by how much it counts on the real exam (for example, Security Operations is 28% of the Security+ exam). Within each domain, a confidence factor scales your score based on how many questions you’ve answered — so getting 5 out of 5 correct on only 5 questions won’t give you a perfect domain score.
What does “Preliminary” mean?
Your score is marked as “Preliminary” (with a ~ symbol) when you haven’t yet answered at least 15 questions in every domain. The confidence factor is penalising your score to avoid false confidence from a small sample. Keep practising and the Preliminary label will disappear as the system gathers enough data to give you a reliable score.
What score means I’m ready to take the exam?
There’s no universal threshold — it depends on the exam and your comfort level. As a general guide, consistently scoring 80+ with no domain below 70 suggests strong preparation. But always check the official CompTIA passing score for your exam and remember that the real exam includes performance-based questions that test hands-on skills beyond multiple choice.
Why did my score go down after a practice exam?
Your readiness score updates after every session to reflect your actual current performance. If a practice exam revealed weak areas or if you answered questions from domains you hadn’t practised yet, the score adjusts accordingly. This is working as intended — it’s better to discover gaps here than on exam day.
Study Plan & Daily Sessions
How CertBench decides what you should study each day.
How does the daily study plan work?
Every time you open your dashboard, CertBench generates a fresh study plan using a five-tier priority system. First, it schedules spaced repetition reviews (questions you need to revisit). Then it targets your weakest domain with a focused drill. Next, it checks whether your exam date is approaching and adds urgency-based sessions. Then it schedules regular practice exams. Finally, it surfaces questions you haven’t seen yet. The result is a plan that adapts every day based on how you’re actually performing.
Do I have to follow the study plan exactly?
No. The study plan is a recommendation based on your performance data. You can skip sessions, do them in a different order, or start a practice exam or domain drill directly from the certification page whenever you want. The plan is there to guide you if you’re not sure what to do next.
What are the different session types?
There are five types: (1) SRS Review — flashcard-style review of questions due for spaced repetition. (2) Domain Drill — 10 focused questions from a single domain, targeting your weakest area. (3) Full Practice Exam — 90 questions across all domains, weighted like the real exam. (4) Weak Points Review — 10 questions targeting the specific questions you’ve answered incorrectly. (5) New Content — questions you haven’t seen yet.
Diagnostic Exam
Your baseline assessment. One shot, but it matters.
Can I retake the diagnostic exam?
No. The diagnostic is a one-time baseline assessment. It’s designed to measure where you’re starting from without any prior exposure to the questions. This gives the study plan engine an honest starting point. After the diagnostic, all subsequent practice exams and reviews will update your readiness score — so your score will keep evolving as you study.
Should I study before taking the diagnostic?
That’s up to you, but it’s designed to be taken as-is. The point is to see where you genuinely stand right now. If you study first, the diagnostic won’t reflect your actual gaps accurately, which means your initial study plan might not target the right areas. Treat it like an honest self-assessment.
How many questions are on the diagnostic?
25 questions, distributed proportionally across all exam domains based on how much each domain counts on the real exam. There is no time limit.
Spaced Repetition
The science behind why missed questions keep coming back.
What is spaced repetition and how does CertBench use it?
Spaced repetition is a learning technique where you review material at increasing intervals. CertBench uses a modified version of the SM-2 algorithm: when you answer a question correctly, it’s scheduled for review further in the future. When you answer incorrectly, it comes back sooner. Over time, questions you’ve mastered fade into the background while difficult questions stay in active rotation.
How often should I do SRS reviews?
Ideally, every day or at least every time you study. The whole point of spaced repetition is timing — reviewing a question on the day it’s due is more effective than reviewing it a week late. Your dashboard will show SRS reviews as the first priority in your study plan whenever cards are due.
What happens if I skip SRS reviews for a few days?
They accumulate. When you come back, you’ll have more cards due. CertBench caps SRS sessions at 20 cards to keep them manageable, and it prioritises the most overdue cards first. Missing a few days isn’t the end of the world — just get back to it.
Practice Exams & Drills
Full exams, domain drills, and weak point sessions.
How are practice exam questions selected?
CertBench uses a three-bucket priority system. First, it selects questions you’ve never seen. Then questions you’ve seen but answered incorrectly (sorted by worst error rate). Finally, questions you’ve seen and answered correctly (sorted by stalest first). Questions are distributed proportionally across domains based on the real exam blueprint.
Can I flag questions during a practice exam?
Yes. There’s a flag button on each question during practice exams (not available during the diagnostic). Flagged questions are highlighted so you can review them after the exam alongside your incorrect answers.
Will I ever see the same question twice?
Yes, intentionally. Spaced repetition means questions you’ve answered incorrectly will come back in future sessions. Questions you’ve mastered will eventually cycle back too, but at longer intervals. This repetition is part of the learning process.
AI Study Materials
Generate practice questions from your own notes.
How does AI question generation work?
Paste your notes, textbook excerpts, or upload a file (PDF, DOCX, TXT, or even an image). CertBench uses AI to generate practice questions from your content. You choose how many questions (10, 25, or 50), the question types (multiple choice, true/false, multi-select, ordering, matching), and the difficulty level. The AI also runs a quality check on the generated questions before saving them.
What are the limits on AI generation?
Free accounts get 3 AI quiz generations per month. Pro accounts ($8/month) get unlimited generations. Each generation can produce up to 50 questions. The input content limit is 200,000 characters.
Can I share my AI-generated study sets?
Yes. When creating or editing a study set, you can make it public. Public sets appear in the Community section where other users can discover and bookmark them.
Performance-Based Questions
Hands-on practice beyond multiple choice.
What are PBQs?
Performance-Based Questions (PBQs) are hands-on simulation questions that appear on real CompTIA exams. They test practical skills rather than just knowledge. CertBench includes four PBQ types: ordering (arrange items in the correct sequence), matching (pair terms with definitions), categorisation (sort items into categories), and full simulations with multi-step scenarios.
How are PBQ simulations scored?
PBQs use partial credit scoring. If a simulation has 10 fields and you get 8 correct, you score 80%. This matches how CompTIA scores PBQs on the real exam. Each field in a simulation is independently scored, so getting one wrong doesn’t cost you the entire question.
Account & Billing
Managing your account, certifications, and subscription.
Can I study for multiple certifications?
Yes. You can enroll in as many certifications as you want. Each certification has its own readiness score, study plan, and progress tracking. Use the sidebar to switch between certifications, or add a new one from the “Add certification” link.
How do I change my exam date?
Go to your Profile page and update the target exam date for each certification. The study plan engine uses this date to adjust urgency — when your exam is within 7 days, it prioritises full practice exams. When it’s within 30 days, it adds extra targeted drills.
Can I delete my account?
Yes. Go to Profile and scroll to the bottom. There’s a “Delete account” option in the danger zone. You’ll need to type “delete my account” to confirm. This permanently deletes your account, all study data, and all progress. It cannot be undone.
How do I cancel my Pro subscription?
Go to Profile and click the subscription management link. This takes you to the Stripe customer portal where you can cancel, update your payment method, or view your billing history. When you cancel, you keep Pro access until the end of your current billing period.