Certification
Prove the judgement technology customers rely on.
Three credentials, each earned in a supervised, case-based exam of commercial judgement about cloud, security and AI solutions. Choose your level below.
Beta by invitation. Beta candidates sit the exam free.
Specialism · About
ASTRA Cybersecurity Sales Specialist
The ASTRA Cybersecurity Sales Specialist credential is for people who sell, pre-sell, distribute, resell, integrate or support commercial cybersecurity offers.
A successful candidate has met the ASTRA Ready examination standard for commercial judgement in cybersecurity selling. The award does not attest hands-on security engineering, SOC operation, penetration testing, legal competence, employer performance or third-party accreditation.
Supervised online examination from home, with on-device checks and human review.
The exam is built from realistic evidence, so it tests what you would actually do on a deal, not what you can recall. Every scored question maps to a published objective.
Exam details
- Scored questions
- 40, across 7 cases
- Question types
- Single choice, exact set, row mapping, ordering and numeric
- Scenario tasks
- 5, included in the scored total
- Length
- 100 minutes
- Delivery
- Online, on your own computer, supervised
- Passing standard
- Set per paper by qualified judges
- Language
- English
- Validity
- 3 years
- Linked programme
- ASTRA Cybersecurity Sales Specialist programme (optional)
Skills you will learn
What you will be able to do.
- Mapping the security buying group and its real decision rights
- Translating threat concerns into evidenced business consequences
- Distinguishing product capability from licensed, deployed and active coverage
- Matching buyer claims to appropriate proof and identifying evidence gaps
- Reconciling security licensing, managed-service scope and renewal evidence
- Moving a POC into delivery without losing channel roles, exclusions or customer gates
Exam domains
Six domains, weighted by what matters on a security deal.
| Domain | What the exam covers | Weight bar | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| S1 | The security buyer and decision rights | 17.5% | |
| S2 | Threat to business consequence, including India’s incident-reporting and data-protection duties | 17.5% | |
| S3 | What security product categories actually do; capability versus deployed coverage | 17.5% | |
| S4 | Proof: POCs, assurance reports, questionnaires, frameworks and proof boundaries | 17.5% | |
| S5 | Security commercials: licensing meters, managed services and honest risk-reduction claims | 15.0% | |
| S6 | Deal execution: POC design, channel roles, handover and renewal | 15.0% |
Who it is for
Built for people who sell, advise and support in technology.
Cybersecurity account executives and business-development teams
Pre-sales and solution consultants who support customer decisions
Distributor and channel teams working across vendor and reseller relationships
Reseller and systems-integrator staff combining product and implementation scope
MSSP commercial and service-facing teams
Experienced technology sellers who want security-specific commercial judgement without claiming engineering expertise
Relevant roles
Where this credential is relevant.
A credential supports your professional profile. It does not guarantee employment or replace an employer’s own role, experience or qualification requirements.
The credential is aimed at professionals working in direct and partner-led security selling across India and APAC, including account management, pre-sales, channel, distribution, resale, systems integration, MSSP commercial roles and customer-facing security services.
- Account management
- Pre-sales
- Channel
- Distribution
- Resale
- Systems integration
- MSSP commercial roles
- Customer-facing security services
Programme guide
Everything in one guide.
Modules, skills, exam format, domains and how to prepare, in one guide you can share with your manager.
ASTRA Library
Policies and guides.
Policies
- Candidate HandbookVersion 1.1 · 1 October 2026
- Appeals and complaintsVersion 1.0 · 1 October 2026
- Privacy noticeVersion 1.0 · 1 October 2026
- Refund policyVersion 1.1 · 1 October 2026
- Terms of useVersion 1.0 · 1 October 2026
Exam objectives
- Exam objectives — ASTRA Tech Sales AssociateVersion 1.0 · 1 October 2026
- Exam objectives — ASTRA Tech Sales AdvisorVersion 1.1 · 2 October 2026
- Exam objectives — ASTRA Cybersecurity Sales SpecialistVersion 0.1
Certification Guides
- Certification Guide — ASTRA Tech Sales AssociateVersion 1.0 · 1 October 2026
- Certification Guide — ASTRA Tech Sales AdvisorVersion 1.0 · 1 October 2026
- Certification Guide — ASTRA Cybersecurity Sales SpecialistVersion 0.2
- Who is the ASTRA Cybersecurity Sales Specialist for?
- It is for customer-facing professionals whose work involves cybersecurity products or services, including sales, pre-sales, channel, alliances and customer-success roles. The focus is commercial judgement: buyer authority, business consequence, product scope, deployed coverage, proof, assurance, licensing, managed-service responsibility and deal execution.
- Are there prerequisites for the ASTRA Cybersecurity Sales Specialist examination?
- No programme or prior ASTRA Ready credential is a prerequisite. The ASTRA Cybersecurity Sales Specialist programme is recommended preparation, but candidates may enter the certification assessment directly subject to the current candidate eligibility and examination rules.
- Do I need the ASTRA Tech Sales Associate or ASTRA Tech Sales Advisor credential first?
- No. The ASTRA Cybersecurity Sales Specialist is a separate specialist credential. Holding the ASTRA Tech Sales Associate or ASTRA Tech Sales Advisor credential is not required before taking the ASTRA Cybersecurity Sales Specialist examination.
- Is the ASTRA Cybersecurity Sales Specialist programme the same as the certification examination?
- No. The ASTRA Cybersecurity Sales Specialist programme is learning. Practice, mocks and simulations are disclosed preparation activities. The ASTRA Cybersecurity Sales Specialist credential is awarded only through the separate secure certification process after the required examination result and current issuance conditions are met.
- What is the ASTRA Cybersecurity Sales Specialist examination format?
- The examination has 40 scored questions across 7 customer cases and allows 100 minutes. One of the seven cases is staged, so additional evidence is released as the case progresses. The examination is evidence-led: candidates decide from the records supplied in the case rather than from knowledge of a named vendor portfolio.
- What question types are used?
- The examination uses five formats: single choice, exact set, row mapping, ordering and numeric response. These are commercial evidence tasks, not technical labs. A question may ask you to trace authority, interpret proof, calculate coverage, sequence a decision or distinguish a supported claim from an overclaim.
- How does the staged case work?
- The staged case releases evidence in parts. You answer from what is available at that stage. Once you advance, earlier answers are locked because later evidence may change the commercially responsible next action. You are not expected to predict information that has not yet been shown.
- Can I use a calculator?
- No. The ASTRA Cybersecurity Sales Specialist examination does not provide or permit a calculator. Any numeric task is designed to be answered from the supplied case evidence without a calculator. External websites, AI tools, notes and other devices are also not permitted during the secure sitting.
- What practice and mock material is available?
- The ASTRA Cybersecurity Sales Specialist programme includes disclosed practice designed to reinforce module objectives, with explanations that help you understand why a response is supported or unsupported. A mock examination is rehearsal material that mirrors the assessment style and timing; it is not a secure examination paper and does not predict a certification result.
- What are the simulations for?
- Simulations are learning activities that let you apply evidence-led judgement to an unfolding customer situation. They help you practise decisions, boundaries and handoffs. They are not certification examinations, and completing a simulation does not create a credential result.
- How does the beta work?
- During beta, invited candidates sit an approved beta paper under the published candidate rules. Beta results may be held while ASTRA Ready completes standard setting and approves the pass mark. A beta sitting does not by itself award the ASTRA Cybersecurity Sales Specialist credential; issuance follows the current certification-release and result rules.
- How long is the ASTRA Cybersecurity Sales Specialist credential valid?
- The ASTRA Cybersecurity Sales Specialist credential is valid for 3 years from issue. Under the current policy, renewal requires passing the ASTRA Cybersecurity Sales Specialist examination that is current at the time of renewal. Continuing professional development does not replace that examination.
- What are the retake rules?
- A candidate may make no more than 3 sittings in any rolling 12-month period. After a Not yet passed result, the candidate must wait at least 14 days before another sitting. An approved alternate paper is used where available.
- How is the online examination supervised?
- The sitting uses AI-assisted checks to identify activity that may need review, such as leaving the examination environment or identity concerns. Software does not decide that someone has failed. A trained person reviews relevant flags before any misconduct decision is made, and the published review or appeal route remains available.
- What does the ASTRA Cybersecurity Sales Specialist credential attest — and what does it not?
- It attests that the holder passed an ASTRA Ready examination of commercial judgement for selling cybersecurity products and services at the Specialist level. It does not certify security engineering, penetration testing, security operations, legal advice, performance in a particular job, external accreditation, employment readiness or income.
Eligibility criteria
Who can sit the exam.
- Age
- 18 or over
- Prerequisites
- No programme or earlier credential is required
- Recommended experience
- No earlier ASTRA Ready programme is required.
- Retakes
- One free retake per voucher; 14-day wait; up to three sittings in 12 months
On exam day
What you need.
- A desktop or laptop with a webcam
- An up-to-date Chrome or Edge browser
- A quiet, private room and two uninterrupted hours
- Photo ID matching the name on your account
Need extra time or another adjustment? Ask for an accommodation before your exam.
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