OffSec · Advanced · A roughly 48-hour practical exam (about 47 hours 45 minutes of hands-on time) in a simulated defended corporate network on a private VPN, plus 24 hours to submit documentation. Passing requires either 100 points or achieving the stated objective — in practice ten flags or the secret.txt objective flag.

OSEP — Offensive Security Experienced Penetration Tester (PEN-300)

OSEP is OffSec’s advanced offensive certification from the PEN-300 course, Advanced Evasion Techniques and Breaching Defenses. It focuses on getting and keeping access in networks that fight back: antivirus and application-control evasion, shellcode and process injection, phishing, lateral movement and deep Active Directory abuse. It is aimed at working penetration testers, not learners.

Last updated: 6 August 2026

The facts

Vendor	OffSec
Level	Advanced
Format	A roughly 48-hour practical exam (about 47 hours 45 minutes of hands-on time) in a simulated defended corporate network on a private VPN, plus 24 hours to submit documentation. Passing requires either 100 points or achieving the stated objective — in practice ten flags or the secret.txt objective flag.
Cost	High band, comparable to or above OSCP, sold through OffSec course bundles and subscriptions rather than a cheap voucher. The Learn One and Learn Enterprise style subscriptions change what is included, so total cost depends on how long you need lab access. Retakes are chargeable. Verify current pricing on OffSec’s site.
Validity / renewal	The base OSEP does not expire. The OSEP+ variant follows OffSec’s three-year renewal model. Check which one your attempt awards under current rules.
Prerequisites	No formal eligibility rule, but OffSec targets it at people with OSCP-level skill or equivalent professional experience. You need real comfort with C# or PowerShell, Windows internals, Active Directory attack paths and reading other people’s code. Attempting it without that background is an expensive way to discover the gap.

Vendors revise prices, formats and eligibility. Always confirm on the vendor's own site before you pay — including against this page.

Is it worth it?

OSEP proves you can operate against defended environments rather than deliberately vulnerable ones — the difference between a lab exercise and a real red team engagement. In India it is relevant to a small but well-paid group: red team consultancies, financial-sector offensive teams and mature product security groups. Holders are rare enough that it stands out immediately on a shortlist.

The downside

The audience is genuinely narrow. If you are not already doing offensive work, OSEP will not create the job — it rewards people who already have one. It is expensive, extremely time-hungry, and some techniques date quickly as endpoint detection improves, so the material needs constant refreshing to stay useful.

Compared to

Versus	Verdict
OSCP	OSCP first, always. OSCP tests whether you can compromise machines; OSEP tests whether you can do it while defences are watching. Attempting OSEP without OSCP-level fundamentals wastes an expensive attempt.
CRTO (Certified Red Team Operator)	A frequent comparison. CRTO is cheaper and Cobalt Strike-centric with a strong reputation for teaching operator tradecraft; OSEP is broader on custom evasion and payload development. Many red teamers rate CRTO better value, OSEP more rigorous as an exam.
GPEN	Different purposes. GPEN is a proctored exam over methodology with hands-on CyberLive components and SANS-grade courseware; OSEP is a two-day live assault on a defended network. GPEN suits enterprise and government training budgets, OSEP suits practitioners.

Where we fit

This is well beyond anything we teach. Our courses build fundamentals and CEH-aligned offensive basics; OSEP assumes you are past all of that. We do not issue it, we are not an OffSec partner, and we do not sell PEN-300 or exam vouchers. Amit Kumar holds CEH and CRTA, not OSEP, and we will tell you plainly that this is not a certification to attempt straight out of a beginner course.

We issue no vendor certification and resell no exam vouchers. Buy from the vendor.

OSEP — FAQs

Is OSEP harder than OSCP?

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Yes, substantially. OSCP tests whether you can break in; OSEP tests whether you can break in past antivirus, application whitelisting and network segmentation, then move laterally through Active Directory. It also expects you to write and adapt your own payloads rather than run public exploits.

Do I need OSCP before OSEP?

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It is not a formal requirement, but OffSec designs PEN-300 for people with OSCP-level ability or equivalent professional experience. Most people who pass OSEP already had OSCP or years of hands-on offensive work.

What does the OSEP exam actually require to pass?

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You must earn 100 points or achieve the objective described in your exam brief — in practice that means capturing ten flags or the secret.txt objective flag — within roughly 48 hours, then submit documentation within a further 24 hours.

OSEP beginners ke liye theek hai kya?

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Nahi, bilkul nahi. Ye un logon ke liye hai jo pehle se pentesting job kar rahe hain. Agar aap abhi Linux aur networking seekh rahe ho to OSEP par paisa lagana barbaad karna hai — pehle fundamentals, phir OSCP level, tab OSEP ka sochiye.

Not sure if OSEP is the right next step?

Free call. If the honest answer is a cheaper certification, or six more months of lab work before you pay anyone, that is what you will hear.

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