GIAC Practitioner Certifications
The GIAC Certifications you have always known will now be referred to as GIAC Practitioner Certifications. GIAC Practitioner Exams are designed to validate a practitioner’s abilities and likelihood of success in a real-world work environment. These certifications:
- Are ideal for candidates who are starting their Certification Journey or looking to continue on their path to become a GIAC Security Professional or GIAC Security Expert
- Span the breadth of infosec and are a mile deep for specialized, job-focused tasks across industry focus areas including offensive operations, cyber defense, cloud security, DFIR, management, and ICS
- May include CyberLive questions, requiring candidates to prove their skill and perform real-world job tasks in a virtual machine environment
- Are stackable with GIAC Applied Knowledge Certifications, enabling candidates to build their Certification Portfolios to become a GIAC Security Professional (GSP) and/or a GIAC Security Expert (GSE)
Registration Options
Preparing for Your Practitioner Exam
Best practices for success on your GIAC Certification exam.
Why haven't I received access to my GIAC exam yet?
If you submitted your certification application and payment has been processed but you do not receive access within 3 business days, email cert-apps@giac.org for further assistance.
I signed up for a GIAC certification attempt without training - when will I receive access?
Once your certification application is submitted and payment is processed, you should receive access within 3 business days for most orders.
I also signed up for SANS training - when will I receive access to my GIAC exam?
For OnDemand orders, you will receive access to the training and exam when you manually start the course from your account, or automatically within 14 days of payment. For in-person or LiveOnline training, you will receive access to the exam 7-10 days after the conclusion of your training event.
I already registered but still need to submit payment - how can I pay?
You can pay online through your portal account by clicking on ‘My Orders’ and then ‘Pay Order Online’ or phone in payment to SANS Global Customer Care at +1(301)654-7267.
How do I register for a GIAC exam without SANS training?
Select a GIAC certification and visit the certification webpage to get started.
How do I register for a GIAC exam with SANS training?
The option to add the GIAC exam is available when you register for the associated SANS training course. Check out the list of SANS courses to get started.
I've already registered for SANS training, how do I add the GIAC exam?
Students can add a GIAC Certification exam attempt to their SANS course purchase either during the registration process, or through their SANS Account dashboard up until thirty days after the completion of their in-person, Simulcast, or Live Online course. For OnDemand orders, students have until ninety days after the registration date to add the GIAC Certification exam attempt bundle.
The deadline to complete the GIAC Certification exam attempt is four months from the completion of the in-person, Simulcast, or Live Online course. For OnDemand orders, the deadline to complete the GIAC Certification exam attempt is the same as the online training deadline.
To add a GIAC Certification exam attempt bundle after registering:
- Log in to your SANS Account and click the "My Orders" link in your dashboard
- Select "Add Available Bundled Items to Your Order" and submit your payment information to complete your purchase