Example coursework · Independent teaching demonstrations
← All syllabiCOURSE 205 / EIGHT-WEEK HYBRID / PT0-003
CompTIA PenTest+ syllabus
An intensive applied course in CompTIA PenTest+ objectives, with independently documented technical work.
Course overview and resources · Instructor: justinfreres@gmail.com
Course outcomes and preparation
- Define authorized assets, exclusions, evidence retention and escalation in a signed fictional statement of work.
- Evaluate an intentionally weak lab service and demonstrate one instructor-approved network attack path.
- Comprehensive station 2: trace the permitted attack path, recommend and retest remediation, remove artifacts and deliver executive and technical reports.
Readiness: Security+ knowledge, networking, Linux and Windows administration, and practical authorized security-testing experience.
Plan 12–16 independent hours each week plus the three-hour class (15–19 total). This advanced eight-week format requires prior foundations, sustained reading, practice, weekend lab reservations, remediation and careful evidence preparation. It compresses the schedule, not the work. These are planning estimates, not college credit determinations. Each example uses the same Monday calendar as an alternative offering; arrange a conflict-free schedule before enrolling in multiple blocks.
Class meets Mondays, January 11–March 1, 2027, 5:45–8:45 PM Central. These sample offerings share a calendar; only 107 and 108 are arranged as a concurrent pair.
Prepare → Quiz → Chapter labs → Closeout
Read assigned material, review authorized slides and submit the completed graded handout before class at 5:45 PM. Include reading references, original explanations, lab planning and two questions. Opening quiz: 5:45–6:00. Supervised labs: 6:00–8:10, including a 7:00–7:10 break. Closeout: 8:10–8:45 lecture, corrections, Q&A and announcements.
Outside class, complete at least 45 exam-matching MeasureUP practice questions each week, submit results and remediate three weak concepts. Complete every approved matching NETLAB or licensed remote-lab title with a separately documented section in the graded weekly portfolio. Submit a reflection and professional handoff.
Hybrid deadlines are the following Sunday at midnight, end of day, Central (12:00 AM the next day). Preparation and supervised classwork retain their earlier deadlines. Eight-week study requires substantial dedicated outside time, reliable lab access and attendance.
Unique weekly reading and lab plan
Week 1 · Engagement scope and rules of engagement
January 11 · Hybrid due January 17
Read before class: Read the current CompTIA PenTest+ PT0-003 official objectives and instructor-assigned licensed sections for: Engagement management. No textbook edition or ISBN has been selected; the instructor must publish exact chapter/page and licensed slide assignments before instruction.
Outcome: Demonstrate engagement management through the two assigned activities, interpreted evidence and a professional handoff.
- Define authorized assets, exclusions, evidence retention and escalation in a signed fictional statement of work.
- Build an isolated target inventory and verify scope controls without scanning external systems.
Closeout: Debrief engagement scope and rules of engagement; compare evidence and assumptions, correct misconceptions, explain residual risk, answer questions and confirm next reading and Sunday deadline.
Full handout, quiz scope and hybrid assignments →Week 2 · Reconnaissance and asset enumeration
January 18 · Hybrid due January 24
Read before class: Read the current CompTIA PenTest+ PT0-003 official objectives and instructor-assigned licensed sections for: Reconnaissance and enumeration. No textbook edition or ISBN has been selected; the instructor must publish exact chapter/page and licensed slide assignments before instruction.
Outcome: Demonstrate reconnaissance and enumeration through the two assigned activities, interpreted evidence and a professional handoff.
- Analyze supplied public-information fixtures to build a passive asset map with confidence levels.
- Enumerate instructor-owned lab hosts and services within written rate and scope limits; compare findings with baseline.
Closeout: Debrief reconnaissance and asset enumeration; compare evidence and assumptions, correct misconceptions, explain residual risk, answer questions and confirm next reading and Sunday deadline.
Full handout, quiz scope and hybrid assignments →Week 3 · Vulnerability discovery and validation
January 25 · Hybrid due January 31
Read before class: Read the current CompTIA PenTest+ PT0-003 official objectives and instructor-assigned licensed sections for: Vulnerability discovery and analysis. No textbook edition or ISBN has been selected; the instructor must publish exact chapter/page and licensed slide assignments before instruction.
Outcome: Demonstrate vulnerability discovery and analysis through the two assigned activities, interpreted evidence and a professional handoff.
- Review an instructor-provided scanner report and prioritize findings using exposure, business impact and false-positive checks.
- Validate two findings on disposable targets using non-destructive checks and record reproducible evidence.
Closeout: Debrief vulnerability discovery and validation; compare evidence and assumptions, correct misconceptions, explain residual risk, answer questions and confirm next reading and Sunday deadline.
Full handout, quiz scope and hybrid assignments →Week 4 · Network and authentication testing
February 1 · Hybrid due February 7
Read before class: Read the current CompTIA PenTest+ PT0-003 official objectives and instructor-assigned licensed sections for: Attacks and exploits: network and identity. No textbook edition or ISBN has been selected; the instructor must publish exact chapter/page and licensed slide assignments before instruction.
Outcome: Demonstrate attacks and exploits: network and identity through the two assigned activities, interpreted evidence and a professional handoff.
- Evaluate an intentionally weak lab service and demonstrate one instructor-approved network attack path.
- Assess test-account authentication controls with supplied fixtures and strict attempt limits; validate a remediation.
Closeout: Debrief network and authentication testing; compare evidence and assumptions, correct misconceptions, explain residual risk, answer questions and confirm next reading and Sunday deadline.
Full handout, quiz scope and hybrid assignments →Week 5 · Application and cloud attack paths
February 8 · Hybrid due February 14
Read before class: Read the current CompTIA PenTest+ PT0-003 official objectives and instructor-assigned licensed sections for: Attacks and exploits: application and cloud. No textbook edition or ISBN has been selected; the instructor must publish exact chapter/page and licensed slide assignments before instruction.
Outcome: Demonstrate attacks and exploits: application and cloud through the two assigned activities, interpreted evidence and a professional handoff.
- Test an intentionally vulnerable local web application for a supplied input-handling defect and document impact safely.
- Analyze a synthetic cloud identity and storage-policy misconfiguration; prove least-privilege remediation in an offline fixture.
Closeout: Debrief application and cloud attack paths; compare evidence and assumptions, correct misconceptions, explain residual risk, answer questions and confirm next reading and Sunday deadline.
Full handout, quiz scope and hybrid assignments →Week 6 · Post-exploitation and lateral movement
February 15 · Hybrid due February 21
Read before class: Read the current CompTIA PenTest+ PT0-003 official objectives and instructor-assigned licensed sections for: Post-exploitation and lateral movement. No textbook edition or ISBN has been selected; the instructor must publish exact chapter/page and licensed slide assignments before instruction.
Outcome: Demonstrate post-exploitation and lateral movement through the two assigned activities, interpreted evidence and a professional handoff.
- In an isolated simulated compromise, map accessible identities and permissions without collecting real credentials.
- Demonstrate a permitted lateral-movement path using disposable accounts, then remove test artifacts and verify cleanup.
Closeout: Debrief post-exploitation and lateral movement; compare evidence and assumptions, correct misconceptions, explain residual risk, answer questions and confirm next reading and Sunday deadline.
Full handout, quiz scope and hybrid assignments →Week 7 · Reporting, remediation and retest
February 22 · Hybrid due February 28
Read before class: Read the current CompTIA PenTest+ PT0-003 official objectives and instructor-assigned licensed sections for: Engagement management and integrated exploitation review. No textbook edition or ISBN has been selected; the instructor must publish exact chapter/page and licensed slide assignments before instruction.
Outcome: Demonstrate engagement management and integrated exploitation review through the two assigned activities, interpreted evidence and a professional handoff.
- Write an executive summary and technical finding with reproducible steps, evidence, severity rationale and business impact.
- Retest a corrected vulnerability, document residual risk and produce a client debrief and complete cleanup record.
Closeout: Debrief reporting, remediation and retest; compare evidence and assumptions, correct misconceptions, explain residual risk, answer questions and confirm next reading and Sunday deadline.
Full handout, quiz scope and hybrid assignments →Week 8 · PenTest+ comprehensive engagement lab
March 1 · Hybrid due March 7
Read before class: Read the current CompTIA PenTest+ PT0-003 official objectives and instructor-assigned licensed sections for: All PT0-003 domains. No textbook edition or ISBN has been selected; the instructor must publish exact chapter/page and licensed slide assignments before instruction.
Outcome: Demonstrate all pt0-003 domains through the two assigned activities, interpreted evidence and a professional handoff.
- Comprehensive station 1: interpret signed scope, enumerate isolated targets, validate a seeded vulnerability and demonstrate only the authorized impact.
- Comprehensive station 2: trace the permitted attack path, recommend and retest remediation, remove artifacts and deliver executive and technical reports.
Closeout: Debrief pentest+ comprehensive engagement lab; compare evidence and assumptions, correct misconceptions, explain residual risk, answer questions and confirm next reading and Sunday deadline.
Full handout, quiz scope and hybrid assignments →
Assessment and grading
| Category | Weight |
|---|
| Eight opening quizzes | 7.5% |
| Eight weekly practices, minimum 45 questions each | 7.5% |
| Eight graded preparation handouts and eight reflections | 5% |
| Weeks 1–7 classroom labs and eight graded remote-lab portfolios | 20% |
| Week 8 comprehensive practical, assigned stations equally weighted | 30% |
| Actual official certification exam | 30% |
Items share their category equally. A 90–100; B 80–89.99; C 70–79.99; D 60–69.99; F below 60. Missing/ungraded items count zero provisionally. Pre-final coursework is normalized over the combined 70%. At least 70% pre-final coursework and a passing final guarantee at least 70% overall, or the higher weighted result.
Lab rubric: correct result/procedure 40%, reasoning/evidence 30%, permissions/safety/data handling 20%, documentation 10%. Handouts: accuracy 50%, completeness/references 30%, explanations/questions 20%. Practice: verified minimum count 50%, result evidence 25%, remediation 25%. Reflection: technical reasoning 50%, evidence 30%, handoff 20%. Quiz prompts share credit equally.
College policies govern accommodations, integrity, late work, absences, withdrawal and final grade approval. Arrange supervised make-ups and any extensions with the instructor. Use only authorized environments and submit original work. Do not upload exam questions, dumps, live credentials or private customer data. Exact licensed chapter/page assignments, slides and installed remote-lab titles must be approved before delivery; this portal does not provide vendor licenses.
COURSE FINALE / TWO SEPARATE ASSESSMENTS
Comprehensive lab → Official certification exam
1. Comprehensive lab day — 30% of the course
The week 8 meeting is the comprehensive lab day: Monday, March 1, 2027, 5:45–8:45 PM. After the opening readiness quiz, complete one integrated practical with the assigned lab activities as its stations. All stations share the 30% equally. Work independently in the supervised, authorized lab environment; the instructor supplies the fault scenario and permitted tools.
Comprehensive station 1: interpret signed scope, enumerate isolated targets, validate a seeded vulnerability and demonstrate only the authorized impact. Comprehensive station 2: trace the permitted attack path, recommend and retest remediation, remove artifacts and deliver executive and technical reports.
Submit a single organized service portfolio across the assigned station submissions: intake and baseline, diagnosis and alternatives, procedure log, before/after evidence, validation tests, rollback or recovery plan, and a customer handoff. Rubric: correct procedure/result 40%; reasoning/evidence 30%; safety, permissions and data handling 20%; documentation 10%. Closeout includes a short explanation of your diagnosis, questions and exam-readiness announcements.
2. Actual certification exam — 30% of the course
After the lab day, take the official CompTIA PenTest+ PT0-003 through an authorized testing provider. Schedule a separate appointment after the comprehensive lab and submit result evidence by Sunday, March 7, 2027 at midnight, end of day, America/Chicago. Arrange voucher/payment, identification and testing requirements in advance; this portal does not deliver or book the official exam. MeasureUP is practice and does not replace it. The instructor must announce any approved deadline extension or retake arrangement.
Submit the exam code, date, official scaled score and pass/fail result through the private CertificationExam submission. Provide the official score report through the instructor-approved private method for verification; do not share exam questions or answers. The instructor verifies the result and records the scaled score in administration.
The published passing score for this exam is 750 on a 100–900 scale. For this course only, 100 maps to 0%, the passing score maps to 70%, and 900 maps to 100%, using linear interpolation below and above passing. This is the college course conversion, not CompTIA's percentage score. See the official certification exam information. This course follows the exam version named in its syllabus. Confirm version availability and testing-provider deadlines before buying a voucher or booking.
C-or-better course guarantee
If your pre-exam coursework average is at least 70% and you pass this course's official exam, your final course grade will be at least 70% (C). Pre-exam coursework includes the comprehensive lab and all other non-exam work, normalized over its combined 70% weight. Higher weighted results earn the corresponding higher grade. Missing or unverified exam results remain ungraded and count as zero until verified; they do not trigger the guarantee.