- The Short Answer on the Passing Score
- Why the Number Is Hard to Pin Down
- What Is Verified and What Is Not
- Pass With Coverage, Not Just a Number
- Eight Preparation Areas to Master
- How the Exam Is Delivered
- Attempts, the Exam Combo and Price Records
- Sequencing Your Preparation
- After You Pass: Validity and Renewal
- Frequently Asked Questions
- No verified C)SA1 passing percentage exists in the public materials reviewed, so any single number you see quoted should be treated with caution.
- Mile2's course PDF names a different exam (Certified Network Principles) in its exam paragraph, so that passing statement is not C)SA1 policy.
- Mile2's Policies and Procedures document excludes C)SA1 from its general 100-multiple-choice-item rule.
- The Exam Combo includes the exam, a simulator and a prep guide, with two attempts per combo.
The Short Answer on the Passing Score
Candidates searching for the C)SA1 passing score want a clean figure: a percentage, a scaled number, a count of questions to get right. The honest answer is that a verified C)SA1 figure is not available in the public Mile2 materials reviewed for this article. We would rather say that plainly than hand you an invented threshold that could send your preparation in the wrong direction.
Certified Security Awareness 1 is the Mile2 Cybersecurity Institute certification aimed at end users, employees and managers. It is a different credential from other certifications that share a similar abbreviation, and this matters when you search: numbers published for another exam do not apply here. If a forum post, aggregator site or video quotes a precise cut score for "CSA1," check which certification and which issuer it describes before you trust it.
What you can do with certainty is prepare against the content Mile2 actually publishes for the course, treat the passing threshold as something to confirm when you receive your exam assignment, and aim for comfortable mastery rather than a bare pass. This guide explains what is known, what is on hold, and how to prepare in a way that holds up whatever the final number turns out to be.
Why the Number Is Hard to Pin Down
Three separate facts in Mile2's own public documents explain why a confident C)SA1 cut score cannot be stated.
The course PDF points at a different exam
The three-page public course outline for Certified Security Awareness 1 contains an exam-information paragraph. That paragraph names Certified Network Principles, not C)SA1. Because it identifies another exam, the passing-score statement inside it cannot responsibly be read as C)SA1 policy. It looks like carried-over text from a sibling course page, and it should not be cited as the C)SA1 threshold.
The general policy explicitly carves C)SA1 out
Mile2's Policies and Procedures document (dated 5-26-2026) sets a general rule that exams consist of 100 multiple-choice items. On page 17, it expressly excludes C)SA1 and C)SA2 from that rule. So you should not assume the standard 100-question structure, and any passing percentage that is derived from that structure is not reliable for this exam.
No public blueprint with weights
Mile2 publishes preparation headings for the course, but no percentage-weighted exam blueprint was found, and no highest-weighted topic was verified. Without published weights, it is impossible to say which areas count most toward a passing result.
What Is Verified and What Is Not
It helps to separate what the public record supports from what is still open. The table below summarizes the position at the time this guide was prepared.
| Item | Status | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Passing threshold | Not verified for C)SA1 | Confirm with Mile2 when you receive your exam |
| Number of questions | Not verified; C)SA1 excluded from the general 100-item rule | Do not assume 100 items |
| Item format | Not verified | Prepare for scenario-style judgment, not only recall |
| Exam timer | Not verified | Do not borrow the class length as a timer |
| Delivery | Online through your Mile2 account and learning management system | Confirm supervision rules for your assignment |
| Prerequisites | None suggested | Open to end users, employees and managers |
| Validity | Three years | Track your renewal deadline |
One common mix-up deserves a direct warning. Mile2 describes a two-hour English-language live class carrying four CEUs. That describes the training, not the certification exam timer. Do not treat two hours as the length of the test.
Another distinction: completing the course is not the same as holding the Mile2 certification. Taking the class does not by itself earn the credential; the exam is the separate step. Our overview of C)SA1 requirements and eligibility covers how training and certification relate.
Pass With Coverage, Not Just a Number
Because the cut score is unconfirmed and the topic weights are unpublished, the safest strategy is to avoid a "how little can I get away with" mindset. If you do not know which areas carry the most weight, then neglecting any one of them is a gamble.
The public outline for Certified Security Awareness 1 lists eight preparation lines: an introduction to Mile2 plus seven numbered modules (00 through 06). These are unweighted preparation topics. They are not eight official exam domains, and they do not guarantee exhaustive coverage of every exam item. Treat them as the best available map of what the course teaches, and prepare evenly across them.
Key Takeaway
With no verified weights, spread your effort across all eight preparation areas. Spend extra time on the behavior-heavy topics (phishing, passwords, data handling, incident reporting) because security awareness exams tend to test judgment in realistic situations, but never skip the lighter introductory material entirely.
For a deeper look at how each content area is framed, see our guide to all eight C)SA1 content areas, and for realistic expectations on difficulty, read how hard the C)SA1 exam is.
Eight Preparation Areas to Master
The areas below follow the headings Mile2 publishes for the course. Within each, the bullets describe the kind of understanding a security awareness candidate should be able to demonstrate. They are study targets, not confirmed exam weights.
1. Introduction: Who Is Mile2?
The opening section sets context about the issuer and the purpose of the course.
- Know who issues the credential and what the certification is meant to show
- Understand that the course serves end users, employees and managers rather than security specialists
2. 2025 Cyberthreat Trends
This heading is published as part of the course outline. It does not designate an exam version.
- Recognize the broad categories of threats that organizations and individuals face
- Understand why threat landscapes change and why awareness has to keep pace
3. The Human Factor
Why people are central to security outcomes.
- Explain how habits, pressure and distraction create openings for attackers
- Connect individual behavior to organizational risk
4. Phishing & Social Engineering
Typically the most scenario-friendly area for an awareness exam.
- Identify warning signs in suspicious messages and requests
- Choose the correct response, including reporting, rather than engaging
- Recognize manipulation tactics that rely on urgency, authority or trust
5. Credentials, Passwords, and Access Security
Everyday access hygiene.
- Understand what makes credentials strong and how they get compromised
- Know why additional verification steps and careful sharing practices matter
6. Data Protection & Handling Sensitive Information
Treating information according to its sensitivity.
- Recognize what counts as sensitive information in a workplace
- Apply sensible handling, storage and disposal behavior
7. Communication Security & Collaboration Tools
Safe use of the tools people rely on daily.
- Spot risks in messaging, email and shared-workspace habits
- Understand what is appropriate to share and where
8. Incident Response, Security Culture, and Wrap-Up
What to do when something goes wrong, and how culture supports prevention.
- Know that prompt, honest reporting is the expected behavior
- Understand how a positive security culture reduces repeated mistakes
If you are building your study notes from scratch, our C)SA1 study guide turns these areas into a structured plan, and the one-page C)SA1 cheat sheet is useful for a final review.
How the Exam Is Delivered
The exam is delivered online through your Mile2 account and learning management system. Beyond that, the public sources do not fully agree on how supervision works, and you should resolve the conflict before exam day.
- Mile2's Frequently Asked Questions page describes most standard exams as on-demand, without a live-proctor appointment.
- The Policies and Procedures document (page 18) describes a proctored, open-book assessment that requires advance scheduling.
These two descriptions point in different directions. Which one governs your C)SA1 attempt is not settled by the public pages alone. Confirm the supervision arrangement assigned to you and ask directly what resources you are permitted to use. Do not walk in assuming open-book conditions, and do not assume you can start at any moment without a scheduled session. For scheduling questions, see C)SA1 exam dates and scheduling.
Attempts, the Exam Combo and Price Records
The C)SA1 Exam Combo is the product Mile2 lists for this certification. The public inclusion list names three items: the exam, a simulator and a prep guide. The FAQ and the Exam Combos page indicate two attempts per Exam Combo. That second attempt is a meaningful safety net, but it is not a reason to approach the first attempt casually.
On price, be careful. Earlier reviews recorded an advertised USD 150 bundle price, and one of them also recorded USD 495 as an original price. However, no price appeared in the product text retrieved for this article. Those figures are prior-review records only. They are not verified current checkout prices, and they are not standalone-voucher fees. Confirm the amount at checkout. Our C)SA1 certification cost breakdown explains how to think about the total outlay.
Note too that paid prep-guide contents and the live exam itself were not reviewed for this article, so claims about what the guide or simulator contains should come from Mile2 directly.
Sequencing Your Preparation
Since the weights are unknown, a balanced sequence that front-loads the scenario-heavy material is sensible. This is one possible layout tied to the Mile2 headings, not a requirement.
Foundations
- Introduction, 2025 Cyberthreat Trends and The Human Factor
- Goal: understand why attackers target people, since later topics build on this
Attacks and access
- Phishing and Social Engineering, then Credentials, Passwords, and Access Security
- Goal: practice choosing the right response in realistic situations
Information and communication
- Data Protection and Handling Sensitive Information, then Communication Security and Collaboration Tools
Response and review
- Incident Response, Security Culture, and Wrap-Up
- Full review across all eight areas using original practice questions
The reasoning: phishing and credentials come early because they underpin so many scenarios in the later topics, while incident response comes last so you can tie reporting behavior back to everything you have learned. Use practice questions that are written originally for this exam rather than recycled dumps; our C)SA1 practice test is built for exactly that kind of review.
After You Pass: Validity and Renewal
The certification is valid for three years. Renewal is governed by the Mile2 Certification Renewal Program and its Paths to Renewal page. The standard CEU route involves 60 documented CEUs over the three years, a renewal purchase and an ethics/policy acknowledgment. The dedicated paths page also lists passing the latest version of an existing-credential exam as an alternative. The FAQ gives a USD 200 U.S. regional CEU-renewal price and states no annual membership requirement.
There is a conflict to be aware of. The course PDF presents a current exam and 20 annual CEUs as joint requirements, and policy page 22 couples annual CEUs with an exam-or-renewal-purchase requirement. That differs from the dedicated alternative-path page, which presents the options as alternatives. Do not assume every statement applies at once. Confirm the applicable route and your deadline with Mile2 rather than treating all of them as simultaneously satisfied policy.
As for career value, the credential is aimed at general staff and managers rather than specialists, so keep expectations measured. We do not cite pay figures or pass rates here because none were verified. For a sober look at value, see whether the C)SA1 certification is worth it and what is known about the C)SA1 pass rate.
Frequently Asked Questions
A verified passing threshold for Certified Security Awareness 1 is not published in the public materials reviewed. The course PDF's passing-score statement sits in a paragraph that names Certified Network Principles, so it is not treated as C)SA1 policy. Confirm the figure with Mile2 when you are assigned the exam.
Do not assume so. Mile2's Policies and Procedures document sets a general 100-multiple-choice-item rule but expressly excludes C)SA1 and C)SA2 from it. The actual question count and item format are unverified, so confirm them before your attempt.
No. The two-hour live class and four CEUs describe the training. They are not the certification exam timer, which has not been verified in the public sources.
The Mile2 FAQ and Exam Combos page indicate two attempts per Exam Combo. The combo's public inclusion list names the exam, a simulator and a prep guide. Verify the current terms at checkout.
It is valid for three years. Renewal can involve 60 documented CEUs plus a renewal purchase and ethics acknowledgment, or passing the latest existing-credential exam as an alternative. Because Mile2's pages describe the requirements differently, confirm your route and deadline directly.
The bottom line: until Mile2 confirms the C)SA1 threshold for your assignment, prepare for broad, scenario-ready mastery of all eight published preparation areas. That approach protects you whatever the final number is. For a broader orientation to the credential, start with what C)SA1 certification is.