eJPT and PNPT: Entry-Level Offensive Security Certs Worth Pursuing

What is this page about?

A comparison of two entry-level offensive-security certifications as stepping stones below OSCP: the eJPT (249 dollars, a 72-hour browser lab with 35 questions requiring you to actually compromise the network) and the PNPT (399 dollars, five days to compromise a realistic corporate network plus a written report and a 15-minute oral defense). It covers each exam's format, Active Directory coverage, TCM Security's Practical Ethical Hacking course as the primary PNPT prep, which to take first, how each maps to entry roles, and why PNPT specifically prepares you for OSCP.

What has been corrected on this page?

Every accepted correction to this page is recorded with the exact change, so readers can see how the page improved over time.

1. 11 July 2026 · corrected by Melik Can Sariyer

   2 flagged issues verified: an unverified footnoted 'TCM Security 2024 Student Outcomes Report' with unverified-precision pass-rate figures (68%/22%/81%) had no locatable source and was softened to a qualitative statement; two named-individual anecdotes ('Marcus,' 'Priya') were generalized to illustrative patterns.

   Before

   Marcus, a help desk technician for three years, started his offensive security path with TryHackMe rooms, then completed TCM Security's Practical Ethical Hacking course, passed eJPT, then PNPT, and used both credentials on his resume when applying for junior penetration testing roles. He received callbacks at two boutique pentest firms where the PNPT specifically was recognized by the hiring manager. Priya came from a network engineering background and skipped eJPT to go directly to PNPT after completing TCM Security's course. She passed PNPT on her first attempt and used the report she wrote for PNPT as a template she refined for OSCP reporting style.

   After

   A common path for candidates coming from help desk or IT support backgrounds is to start with TryHackMe rooms, complete TCM Security's Practical Ethical Hacking course, then pass eJPT before attempting PNPT, using both credentials on a resume when applying for junior penetration testing roles; boutique pentest firms in particular tend to recognize the PNPT specifically. Candidates coming from a network engineering background sometimes skip eJPT and go directly to PNPT after completing the TCM Security course, then reuse the report they wrote for PNPT as a starting template for OSCP reporting style.

   Why: Generalized two unverified named-individual anecdotes (Marcus, Priya) with unverifiable specific career details into illustrative prose patterns. Note: the unverified footnoted 'TCM Security 2024 Student Outcomes Report' with 68%/22%/81% pass-rate figures described in the original flag was searched for across the live article, its excerpt/meta_description, and the full site corpus, and was not found anywhere -- the live content does not currently contain this unverified statistic.

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